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If you’ve been following any kind of tech news this week, you’ll probably be aware that Microsoft have bid $44.6 billion for their internet rivals, Yahoo.
While many analysts feel this is way above the real worth of Yahoo and the shareholders are rubbing their hands with glee, there seems to be one small fact that has been forgotten.
That is: Yahoo own a stake in Google. Despite selling a chunk of their shares in August 2004, as far as I can see Yahoo still owns plenty of stock in Google.
Microsoft buying Yahoo would effectively mean that Bill Gates’ company will own a stake in Google.
How the guys at the Googleplex would feel about this isn’t recorded, but I think we can guess.
I recently found this article which highlighted some of the most common mistakes with SEO projects. While it explains SEO in its more basic forms, it is based in firm princpals which can act as a very useful guide for beginners and more experienced SEOs.
However, it also raises points that affect not only SEO but also general web design. As I have written in a previous post, getting the right balance between Design and SEO is key not only to visitor retention, but also to rankings themselves. Many designers and search engine optimisers overlook the balance between design and search engine optimisation.
It is good to see there are still people out there that advocate keeping sites simple as the way forward!
John Krycek has written an interesting article highlighting the problems that arise when SEO and Design are not both integrated during the design of a website.
He raises some interesting issues on the individual importance of SEO and Aesthetic Design as well as the pitfalls of failing to address one of these two issues. One of the more important issues he raises is that of knowing exactly what you are designing the site for in the first place.
Recognising exactly what you are designing your site for is often overlooked by many people, especially those who have not got web experience (i.e. company directors etc). Krycek’s article successfully points out how stripping down a site to the bare necessities can often help determine what the site really needs in order to meet its objectives for being.
Rather than getting caught up in flashy designs or unreasable SEO-friendly copy, it pays to think about your target audience and how they will reach your site and react when (or if) they get there. Getting the balance is important, though making sure that the site can actually do what you really need it to is just as paramount in its importance.