Too much time to think
I’m running WordTracker queries today, all day. It’s such a drag, their server is slow and about every minute I have to stop and wait for another full minute. It’s hard to concentrate with all this stopping and starting.
For anyone who doesn’t know, WordTracker is a web site which queries the databases of the major search engines to tell you how many times someone has searched for a particular word or phrase. It also tells you something about the number of other web sites which use that phrase in their text, so you can learn about competition too.
I use WordTracker to get an understanding of what phrases and words are important for my client’s web sites to use and target. For example, right now I’m working on discovering how people search for hotels in this area. I’m also running searches related to real estate sales and rentals in this area. I’ve got about 5 clients who all need WordTracker studies done, so I’m just drowning in WordTracker today.
So, while I’ve been WAITING, I’ve been catching up on reading blogs and email. And I’ve been checking out some new web sites that a few different friends have put up recently to support their various enterprises.
Can I bitch? I really want to bitch! [By the way, I’m going over to WordTracker after every paragraph I write. I’ve got it running in a separate tab in my browser. I feel like I am schizophrenic.]
So my complaint is that these people, who I care about, go off and get someone else to do a free-to-cheap web site for them. And then they don’t even ask my opinion? Why don’t they even want any free advice? This sounds really conceited doesn’t it? Maybe I’m a self-righteous bitch, I think that might be it.
I know I’m not in the business of handing out free advice. But still, I care about whether these businesses do well. And when I look at the sites and I see that the sites they have will hold the business back…well, that bugs me. And when I can think of 10 simple things, in 10 seconds, that could improve the sites, well it’s hard to keep my big trap shut. And when I see that the users of those sites are not being taken into account I just get upset.
So now I’m schizophrenic and upset! I know, I know I should take a chill pill and go back to concentrating on not being able to concentrate!
October 4th, 2006 19:52
It’s your blog so feel free to bitch, but when you get really, really frustrated, just remind yourself that other people’s websites shouldn’t irritate you. They are just there, like everyone else’s. Just hanging out on the web. Minding their own business. Hurting no one, helping no one… who cares?
October 5th, 2006 05:09
Well I’m not really frustrated, it’s more like having a pebble in your shoe. But I do think that a web site which doesn’t reflect the true quality or nature of a business will hurt that business, it will. I’ve seen it over and over, users are confused by a site or turned off or can’t even find it or come expecting something different, all of these represent serious marketing mistakes. And I don’t like to see friends make mistakes, I guess that’s the nub of it.