Fixed Point of Reference

According to author Frank Peretti, "A fixed point of reference for human beings is always something that is found outside themselves. It has to be something to which we can always come back. If we try to haul our point of reference around with us, we have lost it because it has been moved and we can never refer back to it." He tells a story of being in a dark room with only a chair. As long as the chair stays put, it can be used as a point of reference. If it gets picked up and carried around, it no longer serves that function, because it isn't where it used to be.

In our personal lives, having God as a fixed point of reference means that whenever we need guidance, we can turn to the Bible for advice and know that the advice we get today will not change tomorrow or next week or next month or next year. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and He is our "fixed point of reference." The rules stay the same; the Ten Commandments have not changed. There are still ten of them and they have not weakened into "suggestions." AND, God still makes the rules.

In the world of internet marketing, the search engines make the rules. Internet marketers spend countless hours and dollars designing their web sites to please the search engine "gods" in order to get a high ranking and bring in traffic which results in sales. The problem with that is the search engines are like the chair that doesn't stay put in the darkened room. The rules keep changing. People who have invested everything to make a web site pleasing to the search engine "gods" suddenly have the rug pulled out from under their feet, and find themselves not only unranked, but in some cases actually banned! Their web sites didn't change. Their marketing strategies didn't change. Through no fault of their own and without any warning, the rules changed, leaving them high and hung out to dry. They then scramble to change their sites, change their strategies, spend megabucks to advertise, do anything to regain the income that was stripped from them. Of course, there is no guarantee that the same won't happen again. And again. And again.

To chase after this kind recognition doesn't make any sense to me. I just cannot see spending all of my time and energy and efforts chasing after an erratically moving target that I may never catch, or that may be jerked away whenever I get close. Either way, I have no control over the outcome. Therefore, the search engines can do whatever they want whenever they want. If this site finds favor in their eyes, great. If not, oh well. I will pursue as many other ethical ways to increase traffic as I can, but will not live and die by search engine ranking. Right now, I am exploring link exchanges and banner exchanges, as well testing the waters by placing occasional inexpensive ads here and there. I will investigate other methods as I become aware of them. I will post what works and what does not work.

One thing I have found that definitely does NOT work is "old" outdated advice. The world of e-books and free-bee give-aways is just clogged with stuff written several years ago. It may have worked then but it doesn't work now. Why do you think they are giving it away? Some times they tell you (in yellow high-lighted capital letters) that it's worth $XXX, but even though people think they are crazy, they will let you have it for $XX.95. That way, they still make money off of it, but you won't. They are counting on you not figuring that out until the money is out of your bank account and safely tucked away in theirs. Save your money. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page, and look at the copyright date. Unless it was just a couple of months ago, don't bite. They don't give away the new stuff, and they don't let you have it for cheap, either. That's why and how they make so much money.

Sandi Moses has been involved in internet marketing since November, 2003. Visit her sites at http://www.123iwork4me.com http://www.123-home-based-business-works-4- me.com

---

Search Engine Optimisation ? Why And How To Do It

In the following article I will give you some basic... Read More

6 Ways To Attract Search Engines To Your Website More Often

Adding fresh, updated content to your website is the surest... Read More

Internet Marketing and SEO

Have you ever seen any email offers of getting you... Read More

Choosing your Meta-Keywords

Introduction This article assumes you already know what... Read More

Googles New SEO Rules

Google has recently made some pretty significant changes in its... Read More

How To Avoid The 3 Biggest Title Tag Mistakes With Search Engines

Your title tag is the most important 3 to 12... Read More

SEO: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

I seem to have created quite a stir, on a... Read More

When Google PR Tool Bar is Down!

Where is the need to worry? Who needs a PR... Read More

Choosing a good domain name isnt always so simple.

So you need a domain name for your brand new... Read More

Optimizing For Visitors Not Search Engines

Most people feel that optimizing is to target the search... Read More

How to Avoid the Google Duplicate Content Filter?

More and more webmasters are building websites with publicly available... Read More

Google Adsense Optimization Tips

There are plenty of tips to help you enhance your... Read More

Blogging, Spamming, and Blog Spam

Email marketing once proved to be immensely effective, but the... Read More

Forget SEO ? It?s All About Conversion!

Which SEO hat do you wear? Is it white or... Read More

Easy Steps to Get Onto Google Top Search Pages

To get on Google's top pages can be accomplished by... Read More

Search Engine Optimization - Enhancing Web Site Visibility

I've had several prospects and clients say to me "I... Read More

Search Engine Ranking... Oh, the Mystery!

Rankings, Rankings, Rankings!How do you get your website ranked well... Read More

Search Engine Marketing: Choosing Keyword Phrases

Selecting the right keyword phrases is the key to a... Read More

How to Make Better Use of Web Site Page Titles and META Data

We got down to the basics with web site page... Read More

How Important is PageRank, Really?

Webmasters can spend most of their waking hours doing everything... Read More

The Power of Topic Specific Search

What are Topical Search Engines?Simply put, topical search engines are... Read More

King + Queen = Royal Success

Ever wonder how or why your competitor gets better search... Read More

Submit All Of Your Pages And Watch Your Traffic Grow

Everyone is looking for "secrets" about how to get more... Read More

Over Optimization and the OOP - Does a Penalty Exist?

If you have questions about whether or not the Over-Optimization... Read More

SEO Expert Guide - Page Optimization (part 5/10)

In parts 1 - 4 you learnt how to develop... Read More

Beat Google?s Dampening Link Filter with SEO Articles

Most Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experts agree that links back... Read More

Wordtracker Wisdom: Common Keyword Questions and Answers

One of my favorite subjects to teach on at our... Read More

Increase Your Link Popularity for Free

Among the many things you need to worry about for... Read More

How to Improve Your Search Engine Rankings

When people think of search engine optimization, they immediately think... Read More

Smartpages - Legitimate SEO Or Spam?

Smartpages are highly optimized pages which draw stampeded of search... Read More

Emerging Methods for Effective Search Engine Ranking

Search Engine traffic has always been and continues to be... Read More

Getting Noticed by Search Engines

We all, meaning us webmasters want to have the best... Read More

60 Day Sandbox for Google & AskJeeves; MSN Indexes Quickest, Yahoo Next

Search engine listing delays have come to be called the... Read More