As entrepreneurs, we all have one thing in common and that is we like to play the game by our rules, and most of the time that is one of those traits that makes us successful. However, there are times when the rules just have to be followed. Are you playing by the Google rules?

In our lounge, we had a nice Laura Ashley throw on the sofa. It is a sumptuous fabric and was a luxury buy when the room was last decorated. Following an accident with some chocolate and a realisation that it was looking a bit grubby, it was taken off the sofa and plonked in the laundry basket.

When it came to washing time, we discovered it to be made of cotton and a mix of man made fibres with the words “DRY CLEAN ONLY”.  The dry cleaners is just up the hill from our house but not something that we use that often. The throw sat at the bottom of the laundry basket for several months.  Then, last weekend, in an act of determination to empty the basket I decide to just wash it. It was never going to get to the dry cleaners and I am often disappointed at dry cleaning results. Also ‘Dry Clean Only’ is a often a catch-all phrase for cloth manufacturers, used on cloth they are not sure about. Well that was my logic. The first thought was hand wash but in the end I opted for a low temperature and slow spin cycle in the machine. I broke the rules and this did not end well.

This fabric was a curious mix of fibres that did not take to the water and it sort of dissolved in the washing machine. Unaware of this I pulled the now clean throw out of the machine, flicking it out in the kitchen to be treated to a snow storm of bits. There were fibres everywhere, a stray pair of dark underwear that got left in the machine covered in white fibres. These fibres had to be picked out of the holes in the drum, the filter cleaned and the kitchen hovered all because I did not follow the rules.

So how does this relate to digital marketing?

Once it was possible to flout the rules on your website, there were all manner of tips and tricks that would get you an advantage in the search listing.  But those days are over and if you do not follow the rules that are laid down by the big name of the Internet “Google” they will punish you with low impressions, loss of rank and all manner of punitive measures that will affect your business.

Whatever you do on line, if it is search engine position or paid advertising, your website must make the grade. Simple things like meta descriptions, a site map, contact details, privacy and cookie policies and on and on, must be in place, but there is more.

Are you playing by the rules?

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