We were about an hour from the Puerta Vallarta airport, having just left the highway, meaning, a two- lane, no-shoulder asphault strip barely holding the jungle off of our car. My son pointed toward a lot of green to our left and asked “What are those purple things?”

“Mangoes” our host replied. “We pulled a bunch of them out of the pool this morning.” During the our visit we learn that while the mango hasn’t reached nuisance status, we certainly see as many of them rotting on the ground as we see in margaritas or for sale on sticks.

There was another pervasive fruit on our trip. Sometimes it was luscious - just hit the spot. You’d savor its many flavors. You’d lean in to the table, asking for it to be passed to you. It would be so good, you couldn’t stop. You could do so many things with it.

Other times you’d taste it and fantasize about tossing it over the cobalt blue curved-topped retaining wall to break far below in to small pieces to be carried away in the awkward wave of fluorescent yellow pincers attached to a purple crab the size of a pork medallion.

Shiny pieces then to be passed from crab to crab (they are the ants of this fancy pueblo, but cuter! In a Gabriel Garcia Marquez kind of way, like they might form towers of 10 or so crabs and then spontaneously ignite in to a feral sparkler, a friction fire set by rubbing brutal natural succulence against poverty painted Matisse’s colors, then fanning with a local election, odd tourists, and stray dogs, many stray dogs) to be placed at the center of the jungle in the crab version of junk shop / treasure trove.

This fruit looked like this:

Somehow we managed to get three of these ’s through customs, even though all other fruit was confiscated. Added to the fourth already at the house, and we were an orchard of DSL-hungry, flickr-uploading, facebook-friending, friend-feeding, yedda-answering, Nana-skyping, yes, even search-engine-optimizing and internet-marketing laptop-dependent tourists on a jungle getaway. (For the demographers in the crowd, everyone using the machines was well over 18, 25, 30, ok, 40.)

Is it so wrong? “Stop splashing, kids, you’ll get the ibook wet!” “Hey, let’s skype Nana in for the sunset.” “He’s sitting where a glance catches the jungle, the pacific, and a Picasso … Is he really reading his feeds?” Muttered disbelievingly by someone who twenty minutes later will be uploading nearly a hundred images to flickr. Then a third person will say: “Is someone uploading pictures…my connection’s really slow all the sudden.”

Do not worry; the crabs are very, very shy. Now, are there more mango margaritas?

Growth isn’t comfortable. Good? Yes, usually. Regardless of the speed or reasons behind the changes, it’s not easy. One thing that is easy is setting aside the core of who you are and why you’ve chosen to be there and do that. The tumult and scramble of quick expansion leaves little time for defining values and instilling them when you’re just trying to meet the demand of clients. Slogging through slow growth, painstakingly pushing your company toward stability and success is all about making it: once you get over the hill, you’ll take the luxury of time to define why you’re on about the things you’re doing.

I’ve been thinking about this lately. We were in a meeting last week, and the potential client asked why he should pick us over our competitors. If he had us all in a room making our pitches, what would set us apart. We don’t have a brief list of values or buzzwords. We don’t have an official mission statement that we tuck into our website and hand out to new hires. What we do know is this: We do outstanding work, and we do it the hard way. All the research and writing and time it takes? We do that because that’s how you do the job right. Are we the cheapest or fastest in the marketplace? Nope. And that’s okay. It’s better than okay–it’s fantastic. It sets us apart from the quick-fix crowd.

Our semi-annual RefreshWeb planning meeting is this week, with Jill coming in from the Houston office. We’ll talk about where we are, where we want to go, and how to get there over the next few days. I’m not sure what all we’ll emerge with, and how we’ll go after it, but we’ll make those decisions and chart our path out of our core. We’ll make sure that we deliver the same quality of work at 2x the number of current clients as we did when we started with a handful.

I don’t have a statement from the CEO that I can put on an index card and use like a guiding mantra through my workday decisions. I do know what our values are, and how those play into doing the work. My phone can ring, and I’ll be able to judge how to handle the call since it’s been modeled and spoken a hundred different ways–”This is what it means to provide good service and do good work…”

OK, so in a moment of laziness and perceived economy last year, when I bought a new office PC, I took MS up on their Live OneCare product offer. Security for up to 3 PCs for next to nothing…$50. This week, I got notification that my subscription was expiring next month, and that I should update my credit card info. Problem is, my home computer is hardly ever used, so whenever I turn it on, I am plunged into the forced delay of a mandated update…for what seems like an hour. I’m turning it on because I need to use it, now. This inexpensive product takes too much time, for too little benefit. I need a tool that doesn’t nanny me.

But can you cancel your $50 subscription online? No, of course not. You have to call and ask permission. A Microsoft representative then argues with you. “Did you call tech support and ask them to help you with this problem? Do you realize the danger if your computers are left unprotected?” Why does Microsoft treat consumer-level customers like idiots? Unfortunately, I made this call within minutes of an upcoming conference call…no idea I would not be able to extricate myself. Did the “customer service representative” curtail her spiel when informed that I had to get off the call? No, of course not. She wanted to argue with me about why I needed the confirmation number. Hello? You’ve already lost the customer…why make it worse?

Here’s a company that was smart enough to leverage a piece of hobbyist software into a market-dominating software platform, but not smart enough to adapt to a web-centric world, and way too big to care about the individual customer. Apple started out as the PC for the rest of us, and is now the technology company of choice for the young, smart and creative classes. Apple has their successes and failures, in about equal measure, but they seem to really care about the customer relationship. Jobs has attitude, Ballmer has attitude, but between the smart ass and the bad ass, I think we all see why we pull for Apple to win. We’ll gladly pay a LOT more for great design and usability…meanwhile, Microsoft wants to fight us for our lunch money.

There are a couple of search marketing luminaries I really admire. One is the seen-everywhere, cited-everywhere Gord Hotchkiss of Enquiro, whose company originated the heat map research which has been so illuminating to the industry. They do a great job on research, they also specialize in B2B search marketing (we’re just thankful they’re in Canada and we’re in Texas), and I bet they do a bang-up job for their clients.

The other guy I am thinking about is Mark Jackson, who is super sharp and unfortunately right here in Texas. He’s actually the inspiration for this post, with his concise, accurate and insightful column in last week’s Search Engine Watch. He’s someone we all can learn from, and his columns are the ones I pass along to our account managers and biz dev people as excellent models for communicating about the complex world of organic SEO.

Here is a taste of his food for thought–remember, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so don’t just read it, DO IT! For more specific information on the issues found at the intersection of web design and search marketing, please see his excellent two-part series on “Don’t Hire a Butcher to do a Baker’s Job,” with 13 questions to ask the design firm.

Last weekend, we learned of the death of beloved U.S. newsman Tim Russert. Within minutes, Google’s results reflected the news in its index. Most of the Top 10 ranked URLs on a search for his name were related to the (very) recent news of his passing.

That’s the “new” reality of SEO, and goes to the heart of why every company should create fresh content.

Fresh content will help you achieve top rankings right away, and help your Web site become an “authority” site. Search engines love fresh content and deep Web sites….Keep in mind, the old tried and true SEO method still holds. You should have static pages (pages that have always been there, and will always be there) within your Web site and a regular schedule of developing links to these pages, both externally (links from other Web sites, using a varied description/anchor text) and internally (links from other pages of your Web site).

I’m catching up on my blog and vlog reading/watching. I slacked for a couple of weeks. Going through garyvaynerchuk.com’s June posts, I came across this 90-something second gem. Man is brilliant. Watch and learn from the master. Yes! THIS is what we’re talking about! Building these connections with your people, whoever they are, wherever they are, and however many they might number is incredibly valuable.

All too often, companies don’t want to make the investment or attempt if they aren’t going to have masses of people following them and participating. You’ll never, ever get there–ever!–if you can’t handle having ten readers. Same as you’ll never be the adored leader of your social set if you don’t make a single friend or talk to anyone. Social media isn’t hiring some agency who promises an army of people to “go viral” with your thing. It’s people organically creating communities, just like they do in the flesh. No different.

It took a couple of pining hours, but when Sara our blog guru and fashionista de officina arrived she immediately said “Oh my gosh, look at your shoes! Oh my, those are amazing.” And then graciously she endured my enthusiastic telling of the siting and capture of these stunning pink and wedge heeled mary janes finished with white trim, a peek-a-boo toe opening and a big white flapper-dancer button clasp.

Just about now you just might be thinking “I thought this was a b2b web marketing blog,” or “Crud, I Googled s-h-o-e instead of s-e-o; I must really be tired…”

Hang in - you’re in the right place. This is a b2b internet marketing agency blog. The topic today is online social networks, and the question is how much of an individual’s personality is appropriate for their social network presence, especially in industries like ours, where we are likely to have an online presence for career that flows quickly in to our personal online profiles.

Barring the extreme, say, for instance, a case where I’d have a facebook persona called Notice My Cool Shoes, and another account with completely different credentials called Susan McElhenney Views Source…where does professional social networking stop and personal hanging out on the web begin?

A creature of detail, I’ll move us to examples. That I do Search Engine Optimization, that’s professional. That I am a working mom with 2 young children…appropriate detail for my Facebook profile? Linked In? How about my interest in transcendent bikram yoga? OK, now, how about the detail that I’m a long distance runner? What if I run with a group called Marketers Marking Miles? What if I run with a group called Moms For The Right to Nurse Our Babies While Standing In Line At the Bank? Are these affinity groups part of my work blog profile? My linked-in profile? My facebook profile? What do you think: Can I twitter my new pink shoes?

SEO’s prevalence can be maddening. Recently, a client’s design firm questioned our methods and suggested that they not implement our strategy. From the client’s point of view their concerns seemed valid, especially since the designer lists SEO as one of the services they offer. They suggested that below the fold copy with lots of keyword phrases is borderline black hat.

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I recently vacationed by driving around West Texas and Big Bend (click the pix to see a bigger version). We had a glorious time (consider a Star Party at McDonald Observatory a MUST on your next trip out there) and enjoyed sluicing for gems at Sonora Caverns, cruising up and down mountains and seeing the glory of ALL the geographic regions that make up the great state of Texas.

Before we left, I surfed the web to learn about our hotel’s amenities. No mention of Internet connectivity. None. Gasp! Whatever would we do to entertain the online-video-game playing kiddo? I, personally, looked forward to not being connected, but my son had a different opinion. We surfed around and found a McDonald’s in the area with WiFi. Whew! At least we have an emergency plan!

As an Internet Professional, I spend my days in front of a computer playing with Internet marketing tools, enhancing link development skills, reading blogs and forums, etc. I figured a few days of family time would be wonderful. I’m sad to say I’m the one that felt a little lonely out there. Not only were we unable to surf the web, but we often had no signal on our various cell phone plans. Talk about quiet time!

There has been a recent change in the Google algorithm, meaning many sites have seen changes in the rankings for cherished search terms. After muttering about it for a couple of weeks, I’ve decided not to take it personally. We’ve been #1 for one particular term for years, so suddenly becoming #2 is not THAT big a deal–especially since the competing site doesn’t have anything like the depth of information, the links, the content or the design licks that our site does. After all, it’s the human who decides which site looks interesting.

And, it’s relatively easy for a site to concentrate on a single term to compete, but our methodology for site optimization looks at 25-30 terms. For our own site, there are 50 terms we monitor, and we have dozens of terms on the first page of Google…we do a good job of filling the niche we defined as our target. Over the years, we’ve been through several major algorithm changes, and the good news is that things settle out, and the cream still rises to the top. None of our clients has ever seen substantial change to their rankings, after the storm passes.

None of us likes change, but change forces us to adapt. High gas prices help us act on our conservationist values, and we suddenly understand the cost of running errands one at a time. Something we all need to do from time to time is to consider how Google looks at our site. What pages are being served up, and which are not being served? There are two major factors to consider: quality content, and quality links.

Take your list of targeted terms and take a fresh look at your rankings. Page one rankings are definitely keepers. Terms that are not in the top 20? It may be time to remove them from your strategy. For those terms that fall onto the second page, now is a good time to think about building them up–move the content higher up in your site, or replace some of those dud terms with these up-and-comers. Also, think about longer keyword phrases that you might have unique content for–unique is a high value at the Googleplex.

Are all your links pointing to the home page? Then you’re missing a huge opportunity. Keyword-based links that point to relevant content pages can be just the thing to pop a #15 ranking onto the first page–and since the vast majority of people only look at Page One results, it’s well worth the extra effort to sharpen your SEO strategy with quality content and quality links.

I’m taking care of a friend’s cats while he’s out of town. While I was leaving his apartment, a stink bug flew at me and attacked with extreme prejudice and unmitigated ferocity. OK, I’ll admit that it was probably just trying to find someplace to land peacefully, but my head is not as bug-friendly as it may look.

I began flailing my arms about in desperate defense, ultimately relying on the plastic bag in my hand as a weapon against this cruel stink bug berserker. You may remember that I am taking care of cats. The plastic bag, which I was taking to the dumpster, was not empty.

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