Googlee Blues

I bought a ukulele a while ago and was challenged to use it in one of my videos. Never one to shirk a challenge, I wrote a song about a marketer who’s trying to raise his rankings on Google, but he just keeps getting shot down. You know, the usual heartbreaking folk song. I shared it with a live audience, and was pleased to see that the internet didn’t explode as a result of my tune.

It may not have been the best song musically, but the message it sent out was a valuable one. The internet, and Google in particular, are always changing. There’s no time to sit around and enjoy your success. You always have to try new things to keep up with the curve, but sometimes what you try backfires on you spectacularly.

For instance, many places have been recommending sites with micro workers to increase the page views of your sites. On micro worker sites, members are paid a few cents to click on your site, and sometimes to fill out a short form or do something else that keeps them there for a minute or so. I tried a version of this by asking all of my viewers to click on one site on one particular day. There was obviously a huge jump in clicks on that day, but my rankings actually dropped!

My plan backfired, because Google figured out what was going on and acted accordingly. I’ve found large corporations doing this same thing, and in fact I’ve found micro worker tasks for some of them, but it seems to be a job that only works for someone with a huge worldwide reach. The normal ranker who wants to grow his site is better off doing it organically, not trying to game the system.

Jim Stewart is a leading expert in search engine optimisation. His business StewArt Media has worked with clients including Mars, M2 and the City of Melbourne.