Dress shabbily, they notice the dress. Dress impeccably, they notice the woman.

This came to mind while working with our designer on the redesign of the Search Influence web site. I thought it appropriate.

Coco Chanel – from Quoteland.com

7 Searches You Should Have Already Done with Gustav on His Way

So it looks like Hurricane Gustav is heading this way and it makes me think… What are the 7 searches we should have already done in preparation for Gustav?

Is it too late to find a Hotel near Graceland? I’ve never been to Graceland and it’s on my list. Hurricanes always seem a good excuse.

If Google Trends is any indication this may be a big one:

Desperately Seeking Gustav

Me, I’m thinking the Heartbreak Hotel.

You see, we just bought our new house and from what I can see we’re right in the path. Talk about heartbreaking…

Reputation Management - DKI Gone Bad

So, I was reviewing my ranking for “Swine Insemination” on the heels of my last post and noticed the ad on the right, below:

Swine Insemination and Reputation Management

Joycelyn Elders says it's OK to Google Yourself

I want to apologize for any juvenile references to follow — my 40th birthday is ~ 6 weeks away and this may be part of my mid-life crisis.

Or as my friend Michael, a New Orleans commercial insurance agent, says: “go Google yourself”!

Surely you realize Dr. Elders didn’t really say that. But, what she did say is alleged to have gotten her fired. For those who don’t remember, Joycelyn Elders was fired by Bill Clinton in the 90′s because she said things that, while true, could have used a little more finesse. That said, she was talking about AIDS which clearly warrants a direct approach.

Google's Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide

I just saw this – I’m sure others have written about it since its publication but I must have missed it somehow.

Finally, the document we’ve all been asking for!

Google has released the official Google SEO Starter Guide.

More to come when I have a chance to read it in depth.

All it needs is a reference to link-building like the old webmaster guidelines.