This post is to introduce a new series of articles, which take a novel approach to learning about website promotion.

The articles are written not in the context of an expert  relaying advice, but in the context of jobbing webmasters trying to determine the best advice to follow by presenting the experience, results and progress of a real-life case study.

The site in question is www.mobiletravelogue.com, but in the spirit of interactivity and real experience we encourage others to publish their actual results on this forum.

Among the benefits readers will be able to see the actual results of techniques applied, follow the progress of a real web start-up, present their own results and direct the focus of articles.

The intention is to cover all the stages that a website needs to go through to become, and maintain, a permanent and successful  presence on the Internet. Those topics will include:

• Website preliminaries
• Website design
• Linking and submission
• Advertising
• PPC and click fraud
• Website tools
• Internet resources
• Article Writing

We would welcome feedback on what you think of the general concept for these articles, the topics that should be covered and the approaches to take within each topic.

In addition we would like to hear of cases where you applied a technique and can show the actual results of how effective it was.

Look out for the articles and we hope you find them interesting, useful and informative.

This post is to introduce a new series of articles, which take a novel approach to learning about website promotion.

Just wanted to clarify that this series will be appearing on SR at the rate of 1/month.

Rupert approached me a while back with this idea which i thought could be very beneficial especially for begininers and for the pro's to drop a little advice.

Be interesting to see the development and the success/mistakes made throughout (hey just because we have all made them there doesn't mean we can't help a few try to avoid them in the future )

well why not? I'm looking forward to those articles... and btw, welcome to the community ruperty...

but in the context of jobbing webmasters trying to determine the best advice to follow by presenting the experience, results and progress of a real-life case study.

I would like this explained? I a not sure why 'bumbling along' advice is useful when PROFESSIONAL advice is out there?

Maybe I a missing something, but I can see some problems ( ie; Me ranting on yer ass) with anything along the lines of 'webmasters trying to determine ' -- what's to 'determine' exactly? Much of what I do (SEO and Web development) is a technical activity NOT 'trying to determine'. We have systems and methods in place already; tried, tested and true.

So please do explain this part for me... thanks

REMEMBER; Anything I read that I don't like.. I will be ranting HARD and LONG on yer ass. Trust me, BAD PUBLICITY is not ALWAYS a good thing.... he he

Watch yer step... I am out here waiting like a pack of hungry Sharks... my Peeps LOVE it when I tear shite apart... he he


ADDED; Oh.. and what's this?

Linking and submission

I take it back... maybe we ARE bumbling along. Cause submitting to search engines is BAD SEO

LOL- woke up angry this morning did we?!?

I think you missed the point which is to encourage discussions by examining the application of "professional advice"

keep in mind "professional advice" varies so much these days and is constantly changing

Also more importantly there is a lot mot more to running a successful website then development and seo and this inlcudes marketing

anyways the goal again is to generate further discussions and have us share our experiences and tribulations (which after all is one of the points of the forum) related to the topics of the articles which are presented

Who me? < he he.. yeah client got me goin at 8am .... grrrrrr >>

Anyways, I am still at a loss I suppose.

I think you missed the point which is to encourage discussions by examining the application of "professional advice"

Ok, so the articles are to start discussion? I generally read articles for a professional/expert opinion and move along. Sounds like a glorified Forum Thread?

keep in mind "professional advice" varies so much these days and is constantly changing

So does AMATUER advice? What's the point? I'll stick with the pro advice thanks.

Also more importantly there is a lot mot more to running a successful website then development and seo and this includes marketing

dOOd - puleaaaze. I was building offline businesses from 1988 - 1998 and online ones ever since. Methinks I can grasp that one... that doesn't defuse my point. It increases it. More amateur 'story telling' on MORE topics...

anyways the goal again is to generate further discussions and have us share our experiences and tribulations (which after all is one of the points of the forum) related to the topics of the articles which are presented

It stil sounds like what a forum is for.. not an article. Sure, this may work for a Blog ( the experiences of a web noob) and then people can comment DIRECTLY to each article/post....


Would I buy a magazine with nOObs bumbling along? Maybe for the humor.. but no. I buy it for authoritative viewpoints...  If I need to listen to nOObs I can go to any of the forums I hang out on.


In the end, as U know,  one of the reasons I am on boards it's to BUST Bull S_it. So this series sounds like it will get a lot of play on MY BLOG ... bwaaa ha ha ha ha ha ha .. Make sure the advice is solid... BUT WAIT then it would be PROFESSIONAL advice? troubled web weave...

The articles are there to report the outcome of strategies used by following professional advice

The articles could have been made into a blog or forum however most people at SR read the articles

so the goal is to create areas of discussion within the articles that will lead them to the forum where we can all discuss

now how do you want it? articles that could lead to stimulating forum discussions on webmaster topics or an Ipod contest that leads to some sort of berry and milk softdrink discussion

Well jeez Nic, I thnk MANY of the articles create discussions for me... How'd I end up back here again?

lol

So I say GO FOR IT man.... I'd give the BLog idea some thought...  could be a good angle for a Blog really.

TheGypsy wrote:

How'd I end up back here again?

Uhm..... I know the answer, but I'll refrain as you've been quite nice to me.

MrStitch wrote:

TheGypsy wrote:

How'd I end up back here again?

Uhm..... I know the answer, but I'll refrain as you've been quite nice to me.

bwaaaa ha ha ha.. tho I doubt U really know... he he... this place has friends.. too many.  I have emails here and there with no less than 10 that I can think of....

Some, were more 'persuasive' than others... so I shall play nice (for me at least) for now... he he

I am just grumpy today - he he - seemed like a good place to start.... it's all Nics fault anyways.

Generally speaking.. I love ANY idea. I try them all the time. The ones that work, you keep.

Thanks goodness for this topic !  Its been waaaay too quiet here lately!!

This is the best rant for weeks! However, lets wait and see what comes out and then we can have a really good bru haha! lol  Bring it on!!!!

TheGypsy wrote:

Would I buy a magazine with nOObs bumbling along? Maybe for the humor.. but no. I buy it for authoritative viewpoints...  If I need to listen to nOObs I can go to any of the forums I hang out on.

Realistically, how many magazine's have you read that are 100% trustworthy?  I know most of what I read, even in the big magazines, are filled with conjecture and speculation.  Heck, just follow American political discussions and see how much authoritative honest viewpoints are given on all sides of the aisles.

Hopefully SR is able to attract writers who actually know what they are talking about - not just throwing...errr...dirt at a wall and seeing what sticks (heaven knows I've never done this before ).  But that's the ongoing trouble of running a site like SR - someone writes something that may sound pretty good, but other 'experts' disagree. 

Now don't get me wrong - I think most of your rants are usually spot on (I say 'most' because I tend to avoid universals).  I also think your pointing out the errors in some of these articles is extremely useful.  Then again, how much would people have not learned had it not been for seeing someone take an article critically apart and point out its flaws?  I know I for one have learned a ton through watching you and others dissect an obviously errant article.

Making this a regular practice would not be good, but when it is warranted, I don't see it as a detriment but rather a bonus for everyone reading and paying attention.

I was just grumpy this morning Mark.. h he .. playing a little advocate...

I have since stopped harrassing ol Nic - he he.... it's all fun (the idea) to me.

Besides, Johnny Mac was amused... my work is done

One good thing in Rupert's favour is that he's prepared to stand up and be counted.

A lot of the things written in Site Reference newletters draw a lot of criticism on the forum - but where are the authors? Not here defending their point of view - maybe because it's indefensible.

If nothing else it looks like Rupert is prepared to take some heat (well he should be now lol).

Roger

Possible.... I suppose some folks simply can't be bothered

I know an article I posted here last fall, Mark got it on Slash-Dot ... I read the comments there.. but they were far too many and far to varied to defend... I simply wouldn't have the time

.. but I think one thing is right. Ya gotta be ready for the heat. That I have learned on my little 8 month adventure.....

It's really fun after a while... positive or negative, I enjoy the interaction. Ones skin get's thincker.

WHy isnt Rupert backing this article up? That gets me kinda worried I think its a good idea, follow the "nOOb" site, see what happens, understand the bugger ups ever more clearly through the sadistic and o so amusing rants from dave. Cant really go wrong there can you... you get noobs and a pro telling it the way it is. Cant we make a tv show outa this? he he

I am going to try and be on my best behavior for Nic... tho it will be tough. I ain't jussa SEO dOOd ya know... Verve, which I spent 5+ years building, have over 400 sites under our belts.... he he... this is gonna be tough.. he he


So let's fire another volley (sorry Nic THIS one I cannot leave in good concience)

Linking and submission

Can some one please elaborate as to 'submission' please?

Thank you

C? That was pleasant.... he he....

Hi,

It's been interesting to see the initial response to the proposed articles. And I understand that there is a lot of professional advice out there, but the issue that I have is that there is so much information it is difficult to wade through it all to find that which is reliable and effective.

Often advice is contradictory; submission being a good example.  I have a well-known SEO book that does advise submission to search engines.

With limited time and resources it is not possible for me (and I a feel sure that this also applies to many others) to apply all the techniques advised.  What I need to know is which are going to be the most effective.

What I find is lacking in the professional advice available is results to support that advice.  I am a sceptic and a scientist at heart so find it difficult to accept claims unless they are supported.

The stance I intend with the articles is not as an expert expounding advice, but more as a presentation of what happens in the real-world, in order to get a sense of the relative value of different approaches, in what often appears to be something of a Black Art!

Directory submission me thinks....  Although, we all know submitting your website to all major search engines at least once every two weeks is what you should do... BWAHAHAHAHHA

k, DONT DO THAT NOOBS!!! Stop!!! oh crap, i think i just destroyed some poor peoples rankings.... misinformation sucks doesnt it

well... that's were it breaks down for me....  It has taken us 10 years and hundreds of sites and thus we get PAID for it, ie; professional

It's like a guy that has run a business for a year hosting 'the Apprentice' instead of Donald trump
Or a 21 yr old contractor hosting 'Home Time' instead of Bob Villa....

...probably be humerous, but VERY likely would have skewed data/opinions and as such, far less valuable information...

So to me the idea works as a follow along with the "stumbling nOObs while they learn the hard way what Pros know - and is written ad nasea in books and websites"

NOT as a

" Come read this and learn how to build a web business "

In short, a side show, not an authoritative series to help teach.

As I mentioned to Nic on IM, it is ONE website, in ONE market, with ONE developer/owner . This can NEVER be used as case study as the singular nature of the subjective matter instantly skews the data source.

So I see it as an interesting - hopefully humerous pour moi - series, along the lines of 'the Ozbournes' - more like a traffic accident I can't look away from.... bwaaaa ha ha ha ha