Leslie
My open legal battle with “Google Guy”
I didn’t need Google’s approval of OptiLink. They never were able to detect it, or even materially impact my sales, but banning my affiliates?...
My phone call from Googler #5
It was June 6, 2002. My desk phone (remember those?) rings and someone named Ray Sidney from Google wants to talk with me...
Lessons learned from the chaotic launch of OptiLink
It’s hard to explain the stress of that time, but as I write this account, I can feel it all over again. I...
It was Google that told me how to build OptiLink
In our last episode, John Heard told me to go read the original Google paper. I did. Over and over. And “the secret” (to...
That one sentence that birthed OptiLink
You almost never know how important something is while's it happening. This was one of the biggest moments of my life, but I wouldn't...
Before OptiLink there was…
A thing I was calling OptiText. Never heard of it? Not surprising: I never released it because of this weird thing called "ethics". During late...
15 years ago
On May 22, 2002, at 2PM Pacific time, Michael Campbell (website no longer active) announced OptiLink to his newsletter subscribers. This is the first...
Hockey, Cross Checking, and Google Penalties
My son played Hockey as a kid and later went on to ref it for a time. It's a great game - if potentially...
The Skill of Not Doing
It used to be that every link was a good link so "back in the day" , pretty much any SEO was better than...
Natural is a Surprise
At The SEO Braintrust, we both advise students and provide service to clients on link penalty cleanup. Often, these folks come to us having...
The Ins and Outs of Buying an Existing Web Business
Buying an existing web business is much the same as refurbishing a fixer-upper house. If you have the skills, money, and time, flipping...
Please Vote for My Friends’ Kids 🙂
Please help. Darrin, my tax attorney, consulting client and long time good friend has kids - who knew - with the entrepreneurial spirit...