Monthly Archives: August 2011

SEO to you too!

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I’m preparing for an upcoming trip and researching accommodations online. I’ve come across several pretty hotel sites (nothing tickles my fancy more than a pretty website) and had a hard time choosing which hotel to go for. In the course of my online hotel inspection, I noticed the name of the web designer who created the sites. I came across his name several times, in different hotels that I was pretty impressed that he got the business of all these establishments.

When I opened the designer’s website though, the admiration faltered. As is common in most web design and development firms nowadays, SEO is part of the services provided. Search Engine Optimization is the practice of carefully putting choice keywords in your website content so the site will rank high in search results. Aside from the keywords, it also boosts the website’s popularity and authority when other websites link to it. Studies reveal (or even just personal experience) that users hardly go beyond the first page, with the first website appearing in the search results page getting the bulk of the views. Basically, if you want to get people interested in your product, your website has to rank and it has to rank high.

There’s nothing wrong with that practice but when you start reading TripAdvisor reviews for said hotels from people with only 1 review posted and dubious profile pictures giving the hotel all five stars, you start wondering. When you see the designer’s name joining the adoring public, your eyebrow just shoots up beyond your hairline.

A friend of mine, whom I confided to that I am turning down a paid offer to write a (positive) advertorial for one product, said she finds it hard to believe online reviews nowadays, even from personal blogs. Seems like everybody’s getting paid or free stuff now and less people are writing what they really think of a product or service they’ve tried (especially if it’s complimentary).

This puts me in a dilemma: do I write off the hotels with websites made by the designer or see for myself whether they deserve the 5 stars?

It’s all about the money

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My phone got stolen today. What’s worse is that I just bought it last week.

I can go on and on blaming myself and cursing the people who did that to me. I can also cry all night bemoaning my loss, but I know no amount of regret will bring back the phone. No matter how much I berate myself for foolishly putting it in my pocket, the phone still remains in the hands of those who took it.

It’s just money, I tell myself. There are things more important than these gadgets. As the sympathetic men who witnessed my plight said, I’m lucky that it was only the phone that was taken. They could have taken something more valuable.

Indeed, my loss seemed trivial compared to the taxi driver who drove me home. His cab was probably one of the very few who is still using the old meter that flags down at Php 30. He told me about how the governing body wouldn’t let him get the new meter if he doesn’t replace his car, which is already 12 years old. Also, if he doesn’t upgrade his unit, they wouldn’t renew his taxi franchise. He’s the sole provider in his family, with two kids in college and a 3-year old who will start school soon.

Suddenly I feel so petty, being so upset about losing a gadget I tried so hard to convince myself that I needed. There are people who have bigger problems, yet they’re able to find ways to work through them.

I see this as a message from the universe, telling me that I need to simplify my life. It’s also a wake up call to buck up and concentrate my energies into fulfilling the goals I’ve set for myself. As much as I tell myself that I need money to do what I want (not necessarily to be rich), in the end what matters are the experiences and money that no amount of money can buy.