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Thread title: Why 'Webmaster Forum' and not 'TalkFreelance' |
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11-26-2010, 09:36 PM
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#1
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Why 'Webmaster Forum' and not 'TalkFreelance'
So I just noticed that in the title used throughout is 'Webmaster Forum.' Why exactly is that? I mean it seems a little odd to use that when the forum has references to 'TalkFreelance Forums' all over it and even the domain name is.. talkfreelance.
Is this a rebrand that is going to stay? Or.. what?
Edit: Also, noticed this the other day; What's the purpose for http://mail.talkfreelance.com being used?
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11-26-2010, 10:27 PM
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#2
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Status: Community Leader
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The explanation to your first question can be found in the image below.
Generally, designers do not sell designs to other designers. They sell them to webmasters - small, medium and large website owners, website entrepreneurs and enthusiasts. In order for our marketplace to eventually be more productive and produce higher profits for sellers, we need to bring more buyers - that other part of the equation. These buyers do not search for a "freelance forum" or a "web design forum", they search for a "webmaster forum" to discover pools of other entrepreneurs.
If you search for a "webmaster forum" today, you are only going to see 4-5 quality sites at the top with remaining listed forums being a lot smaller than the TalkFreelance community. Even without the word "webmaster" in our domain, with proper search engine targeting we have a decent shot at attaining a higher ranking position and consequently receiving a larger exposure.
By the way, v7n and DigitalPoint (perhaps the largest webmaster forum out there) also do not have the word "webmaster" in its domain name. You just know that you are on v7n or DigitalPoint websites when you are on them.
Regardless, we will always rank well for "TalkFreelance".
As far as your second question, I'll ask Gaz to comment.
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11-26-2010, 10:50 PM
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#3
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I think it would be sensible to still use the phrase 'TalkFreelance' in the page title, even if just at the end.
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11-26-2010, 11:58 PM
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#4
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Great, another move away from being a "freelancer forum". My request would be that you stop focusing on the marketplace: that's not what this place should be about, at least not in its current woeful form. Becoming more and more like those site you referred to is not a good thing.
Why not push the boat out entirely and bring in more "buyers" by force of numbers?
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11-27-2010, 12:32 AM
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#5
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Ah the age old "They do it, so we can do it." reason.
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11-27-2010, 12:59 AM
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#6
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"TalkFreelance" carries no informational value to either search engines or those searching for it. It is, however, already in the name of the site which is (and will remain) everywhere - in the domain, the logo and in all of the discussions. The message is kind of clear that it is a community for freelancers.
Focusing on proper keywords is not an age old thinking, Jordan, but a healthy competitive strategy to carry the community forward. It is exactly what you would do as well if you were to start a business. Remaining deep in search engine results is not an alternative I find interesting.
Peter, marketplace is not everything, but it is not to be ignored. If we are able to build a strong marketplace, the questions and interesting discussions will naturally follow and vice versa. I like the suggestion to go the adult entertainment way though.
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11-27-2010, 12:13 PM
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#7
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Personally, I'm not entirely convinced there is an market for a 'freelance forum' so chasing the 'webmaster forum' keyword is sensible.
I don't want to suggest that freelancing is a dying art but unfortunately I think it is true at a grassroots level. The market is overflowing with premium themes now so any budding entrepreneur looking to get online goes down this (much cheaper) path, as opposed to hiring an upcoming freelancer.
Sure the more established designers charging thousands for corporate level projects are thriving, but the little guy who charges a few hundred is being overlooked due to the cost and convenience of premium themes.
It is those little guys who are traditionally the ones that you would find on a place like TalkFreelance and instead of freelancing they are turning to running their own websites and blogs to make their 'pocket money'.
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11-27-2010, 02:10 PM
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#8
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Originally Posted by Artashes
Peter, marketplace is not everything, but it is not to be ignored.
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To be frank, I'd rather it was ignored.
The marketplace has been nothing but a drag on this place for years. Who's going to come and discuss their particular interests, from programming to design to writing, advertising to legal and business topics, if they take one look at the focus of the site (because that's where visitors have been and continue to be steered) and see countless god-awful products failing to sell.
I'd much rather see the site become what I've always wanted it to be; a place for freelancers, or aspiring freelancers, of any industry, to come along and get help, browse amazing resources and share their own experiences.
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11-27-2010, 04:11 PM
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#9
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Makes sense to remove " - Powered by vBulletin" from the index.
It's a pipe dream to rank well for "webmaster forum," the competition is too much. I'd suggest focusing on long tail searches.
Stuffing each page title with the same 8 words is bad, very bad, you're not helping search engines differentiate between pages, I wouldn't be suprised if they penalize hard for this.
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11-27-2010, 06:10 PM
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#10
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Originally Posted by Dan
Makes sense to remove " - Powered by vBulletin" from the index.
It's a pipe dream to rank well for "webmaster forum," the competition is too much. I'd suggest focusing on long tail searches.
Stuffing each page title with the same 8 words is bad, very bad, you're not helping search engines differentiate between pages, I wouldn't be suprised if they penalize hard for this.
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Im with Dan on this, it is a very bad idea to override titles on threads.
Have you considered hiring an SEO expert?
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