This is why I never ever chose to be a slave to search engines and chose the human side of the web experience over the algorithm changing lead-line approach where every site owner is pulled along under the threat of low rank, poor PR scores and penalization.

The first disavow link removal request I got was a “mistake”. They messed with the wrong woman. This one has me stumped.

You have the following links on your website that points to a page or pages on the site and I was wondering if it would be at all possible for you to remove it please.

The page they are referring to, Do SEO’s Bear the Burden of a Company’s Conversions? does not have a link to their site in it. It links to a great article by Jill Whalen and there were many valid, non-spammy comments on my post.

The disavow request goes on to say,

As I am sure you are aware, Google has made a number of algorithm changes this year that target link profiles and so it is necessary to place greater control on where links appear. This is no way a comment on your site; rather it is a necessary task that I must undertake.

It most definitely DOES indicate an issue with my site and this is where I get really miffed. My reputation, both when I was a SEO and later a Usability and SEO design practitioner has been 100% no spam and no stupid SEO tricks. My only mistake was using Text Link Ads software when I owned Cre8asiteforums, which is now owned by Jim Boykin at Internet Marketing Ninjas. The forums was penalized by a drop in PR score for having, if I remember right, one or two text links at the bottom of one page. I allowed those links because of my friendship to the application developers and Google slapped me on the wrist for it.

There are, of course, countless cases where sites need to go back and erase years of bad behavior. All I can do is recall all my warnings to clients who kept buying high priced links or before that practice, believed in link farms, micro-sites and reciprocal links with sites that had no logical relationship.

I didn’t do that stuff because being fake doesn’t impress me in life or the Internet.

Bug Off Disavow Hounds!

I linked to articles I LIKED and have no intention of hunting through a database with 11 years worth of posts to remove one of your’s because Google is pointing a gun at your head.

See also Jackassery – Disavow Toolto discuss at Cre8asiteforums.

Aaron Wall at SEO Book posted on the disavow tool and link removal requests and refers to google’s antics as “jackassery.”

I also write for Internet Marketing Ninjas and Search Engine People.

Andy has known me for most of my career.  We’ve “grown up” in this biz together.  In fact, Andy was one of the handful of people in the search marketing industry who understood the benefit of offering usability and user experience practices along with online marketing services.  Twelve years ago, I could count on about seven SEO’s to support my holistic approach to client work.

The interview covers my thoughts on how usability fits in with Internet marketing, the sale of Cre8asiteforums and why I have so many names.  I hope you enjoy it. If human-centered design and marketing sounds like something you want for your company, contact the good folks at Internet Marketing Ninjas and ask for my help.

Read the interview:

The Beal Deal with Kim Kopp Krause Berg (@kim_cre8pc)

I admit I have way too much fun proving my worth around marketers… like a recent case where the revenue stream was hiding. I asked my boss to find it. Fifteen minutes and many guesses later I couldn’t stand it anymore and I showed him the tiny text link the homepage had that led to where the company expected to earn its revenue. I LOVE moments like this, especially when a client insists they don’t need a usability conversions audit but are more than happy to invest in keyword research.

Beat Your Competition – Ask for User Interface Conversions Testing

I also write for Internet Marketing Ninjas and Search Engine People.

From understandability to readability to ease of use, online forms are famously frustrating to use and easy to spam.  Designers will love this new resource from my friends at UserTesting.com   And yes, they even added one of my how-to pieces for forms design.

The Form Usability Treasure Trove: 42 Top Resources

Web Site Usability For Improving Online Forms

Beat Your Competition – Ask for User Interface Conversions Testing

I also write for Internet Marketing Ninjas and Search Engine People.

Give us a break!

Gurus
If you are to believe the claims, there are at least 2 billion SEO self-proclaimed “guru” SEO’s on the planet.  This means that 2 billion SEO’s know everything there is to know about search engine marketing, past – present – future.  They’ll make you rich, powerful, famous and do all that for cheap and by using every possible spam technique known to mankind.

SEO’s Have Keywords.  They Don’t NEED to Worry About Conversions
The way this line of thinking goes is like this.  ”Marketers are only responsible for getting web pages ranked high in search engines.”  This is all they’re required to do.  It’s a freaking easy job too!  All a company has to do is pay several thousands of currency each month to pay for rank via any number of ways that search engines and social sites permit, because of course, buying off rank passage on a big ship like Google is the key to riches, power and fame.  Building a web site that works for everybody is not, nor has ever been, and may never be, part of the plan.

The evidence is everywhere.  From SEO conferences that don’t educate the value of conversions from people of all types, to the SEO spam we get each day and comments I see  in search marketing sites.

Enjoy:

Need Help With Your Spam
Seo Hall Of Shame – Are You Kidding Me?
Blog Spam – This Guy Wins An Award
Does Buying Facebook Likes Really Work?
 

Fed up with marketing that drops the ball and doesn’t care about your company and its long-term success? Here’s where to go for the best talent ever brought together by an Internet Marketing company for a full-service, compassionate, service satisfaction is number 1 type of company.

Beat Your Competition – Ask for User Interface Conversions Testing

I also write for Internet Marketing Ninjas and Search Engine People.

And with visions of search engine bots dancing in their heads, they ride into  budget meetings like Knights fighting for Camelot, swearing allegiance to shareholders and the mighty King CEO.  Because, you see, throwing money on PPC campaigns is sorta like sprinkling fairy dust across the land and expecting riches, the loyalty of the peasant  web site users and a brand with such achievements and glory it’s remembered for centuries to come.

And then there is you and me.  All we ever asked for is a web site we could use without pain and suffering, confusion and frustration, in sickness and in health, and all that.  We’re busy.  We’re human, and therefore we come to each web site in our underwear, on a train, hiding under the covers in bed, waiting for a plane, or making homemade soup from a recipe on the laptop monitor sitting by the cutting board.  We’re old, blind, deaf, sick, injured, and by golly, still here damn it.

In Terms Even The Big People Might Understand

Thinking that perhaps The Deciders are confused over complicated terms, I thought I might be able to help.

Usability means “making it usable”.

User experience means  the “experience” is honky dory and meets expectations.

IA means information architecture, which is a fancy term for navigation, which won’t work unless the IA is worked out perfectly.

Accessibility simply refers to “making it usable, meets expectations and is easy to navigate” by special needs users and those of us who need reading glasses to read your product descriptions.

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I also write for Internet Marketing Ninjas and Search Engine People.