The Secret Behind SEO

[Justin Lewis]

Locke, Light vs. Dark. - YouTube

It’s true.

There is a secret behind SEO.

It’s not just any secret.

Rarely do people ever realize this until it’s too late.

But SEO is NOT a permanent marketing strategy.

Relying solely on SEO will give you a sense of false security.

Oh and in relation to the video..

Two sides.

One light.

One dark.

In my opinion, both have an opportunity of succeeding, but usually the light side puts more focus on multiple methods outside of SEO, while the dark side dedicates way too much time into onsite and offsite optimization alone.

[Jacob Sterbenk]

That's true, but the fact is that if you don't do SEO, you are loosing 80% of online users who never click on ads.

[nik0]

Originally Posted by Jacob Sterbenk

That's true, but the fact is that if you don't do SEO, you are loosing 80% of online users who never click on ads.

And that's how it is!

[retsek]

Originally Posted by Jacob Sterbenk

That's true, but the fact is that if you don't do SEO, you are loosing 80% of online users who never click on ads.

It's more like 50%, but who's counting.

[betterwtveter]

SEO is powerful, but I believe free advertising is just as powerful in the long run as long as you have the time to do it.

[fraakz]

The best SEO Technique is forget about SEO and write for users not search engines

[connorbringas]

I agree with the above, however SEO is very important. After google's last update, it goes to show that relying on SEO solely will make some businesses-go out of business.

I dont think there is a secret to SEO, just get some quality backlinks, and some quality content people will read. Its pretty straightforward really.

[gotlinks]

Originally Posted by retsek

It's more like 50%, but who's counting.

Id like to see proof of that...

[jfambrini]

Before 2010 SEO was easy and necessary. After Panda, Penguin and EMD SEO is difficult and essential.

[Justin Lewis]

Originally Posted by Jacob Sterbenk

That's true, but the fact is that if you don't do SEO, you are loosing 80% of online users who never click on ads.

Who says you have to use ads?

You could create YouTube channels, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, Google+ accounts, join forums like this, write guest posts, etc. It's all going to benefit you in a SEO perspective (if you use it in a non spammy way) but it's also focusing on nonseo related methods, like going directly to the traffic sources themselves.

Note: I'm not saying SEO is bad, I'm saying it's dangerous to rely solely on it.

[The Mysterious Marketer]

Originally Posted by Justin Lewis

Locke, Light vs. Dark. - YouTube

It’s true.

There is a secret behind SEO.

It’s not just any secret.

Rarely do people ever realize this until it’s too late.

But SEO is NOT a permanent marketing strategy.

Relying solely on SEO will give you a sense of false security.

Oh and in relation to the video..

Two sides.

One light.

One dark.

In my opinion, both have an opportunity of succeeding, but usually the light side puts more focus on multiple methods outside of SEO, while the dark side dedicates way too much time into onsite and offsite optimization alone.

Hi Justin,

You are absolutely right.

SEO is not a permanent marketing strategy. That's why you can't use it solely as your one and only strategy.

You need to use it as a tactic that is part of a bigger strategy.

I think this thread covers the topic pretty well in some respects:

The Rebirth of Link Building!!??!!

[ProSence]

SEO is applied to all the search engines but we target mainly Google because it gives lots of traffic to our website if our keywords are ranked good.

[kavinfordseochamp]

Originally Posted by jfambrini

Before 2010 SEO was easy and necessary. After Panda, Penguin and EMD SEO is difficult and essential.

it's right, now SEO is not for medium person, need to be very active.

[Nelapsi]

Originally Posted by Justin Lewis

You could create YouTube channels, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, Google+ accounts, join forums like this, write guest posts, etc. It's all going to benefit you in a SEO perspective (if you use it in a non spammy way) but it's also focusing on nonseo related methods, like going directly to the traffic sources themselves.

Note: I'm not saying SEO is bad, I'm saying it's dangerous to rely solely on it.

If this isn't part of your normal site building routine you seriously need to head back to McDonalds and ask for your job back. Also not sure if you keep up with recent changes to various systems but Facebook pages are not nearly as effective these days due to the fact you no longer reach all your fans without paying.

[Justin Lewis]

Originally Posted by Nelapsi

If this isn't part of your normal site building routine you seriously need to head back to McDonalds and ask for your job back. Also not sure if you keep up with recent changes to various systems but Facebook pages are not nearly as effective these days due to the fact you no longer reach all your fans without paying.

Debating is fun

As per SEO, yes I focus on SEO, that's obvious. But what I'm saying here is that SEO is not a permanent strategy and should be in addition to other strategies first.

And just an FYI, on pages, you NEVER reached your entire audience. Having over 220,000 fans in total now, I have seen since I started that you never reached your entire audience.

Isn't that obvious though?

Let's say you post something right now, don't you think that if someone has 100+ friends that many of them would then post on their walls, which would turn into your post being lowered on their newsfeed...

I mean come on.

Promoted posts actually changed things up where now you CAN reach your entire audience or at least a much larger amount, versus having only those that actually look for it see it (like it has always been).

There’s a range of content that people can see on the News Feed: “relationship stories,” such as “Bob married Jane”; games content such as “Joe reached a new level in FarmVille”; or content from brand Pages. Because there’s so much content, people do not see it all. Facebook’s algorithm analyzes the content and determines what is most relevant to each individual. Facebook makes changes to this algorithm frequently, at least every week, said Will Cathcart, News Feed product manager at Facebook.

Want a good read? Facebook Clears The Air On News Feed, Promoted Posts - Forbes

It's not cool to bash people without doing your own research into things and experiencing them yourself

Facebook has a separate algorithm for its Promoted Posts ad product, which launched in January. It’s one of a number of products that the company has launched to boost revenue post-IPO. This is the product that businesses can use to pay to make sure that people see their posts–which otherwise would not be seen through the “organic” free method of posting from a page. In other words, businesses can turn a regular post into a News Feed ad. But how many they reach and how much it costs depends on the type of post and how big of a fan base the company is trying to reach through the company’s targeting tools.

[Cosmit]

Originally Posted by connorbringas

I agree with the above, however SEO is very important. After google's last update, it goes to show that relying on SEO solely will make some businesses-go out of business.

I dont think there is a secret to SEO, just get some quality backlinks, and some quality content people will read. Its pretty straightforward really.

anyone telling you there is a secret to SEO is trying to sell something

[Justin Lewis]

Originally Posted by Cosmit

anyone telling you there is a secret to SEO is trying to sell something

Or hopefully you got in my case, to not sell you something :P

LOL.

[Cosmit]

Originally Posted by Justin Lewis

Or hopefully you got in my case, to not sell you something :P

LOL.

SEO is not a method to making money. Problem solving is a method. SEO is just a tool to help get traffic. Business owners need to ask themselves the questions. Who am I helping? What am I offering that's going to help them? Why should they buy it? Would I buy what I'm selling? Would I trust what I see on my own website? Would I read my article to a group of friends? Would I want to come back?

If you can't answer those questions positively and don't feel like you're contributing anything, you're doing it the wrong way. The only people that constantly need to "catch up with the latest google tricks" are those that can't answer those questions, don't have a customer base, and rely solely on exploiting search engines while adding no value. If the website were great to begin with, pandas, bears, and koalas would have little effect on your business and there wouldn't be such obsession with SEO.

[Justin Lewis]

Originally Posted by Cosmit

SEO is not a method to making money. Problem solving is a method. SEO is just a tool to help get traffic. Business owners need to ask themselves the questions. Who am I helping? What am I offering that's going to help them? Why should they buy it? Would I buy what I'm selling? Would I trust what I see on my own website? Would I read my article to a group of friends? Would I want to come back?

If you can't answer those questions positively and don't feel like you're contributing anything, you're doing it the wrong way. The only people that constantly need to "catch up with the latest google tricks" are those that can't answer those questions, don't have a customer base, and rely solely on exploiting search engines while adding no value. If the website were great to begin with, pandas, bears, and koalas would have little effect on your business and there wouldn't be such obsession with SEO.

Agreed

If you con solve someones..

• Wants
• Needs
• Problems

Then you're going to be successful.

Just having a website rank in the top of the search engines isn't going to do anything. You have to have valuable content that the people actually care to read and implement to solve their problem.

Muhahahha the Spider Monkey update will be coming soon Jk. But seriously.. too many people are just all over the place instead of worrying about solving problems.

[jamesbrands]

Originally Posted by Justin Lewis

Agreed

If you con solve someones..

• Wants
• Needs
• Problems

Then you're going to be successful.

Just having a website rank in the top of the search engines isn't going to do anything. You have to have valuable content that the people actually care to read and implement to solve their problem.

Muhahahha the Spider Monkey update will be coming soon Jk. But seriously.. too many people are just all over the place instead of worrying about solving problems.

Having a webpage rank in the top of the search engines for the KW phrase "dentist new york" is going to do plenty, weather the content is particularly valuable or not. So saying "Just having a website rank in the top of the search engines isn't going to do anything" is a bit of a false statement.

[Cosmit]

Originally Posted by jamesbrands

Having a webpage rank in the top of the search engines for the KW phrase "dentist new york" is going to do plenty, weather the content is particularly valuable or not. So saying "Just having a website rank in the top of the search engines isn't going to do anything" is a bit of a false statement.

I'm not saying you can't rank trash to the top - sure you can. I'm just saying Google's ultimate GOAL is to get rid of websites like that. And I wouldn't want to be in that position, fearing the next panda attack. If you want to rank trash to the top, then get banned the next google update, and repeat the process, by all means, go for it - but i'm not going to call that business.

[jamesbrands]

Originally Posted by Cosmit

I'm not saying you can't rank trash to the top - sure you can. I'm just saying Google's ultimate GOAL is to get rid of websites like that. And I wouldn't want to be in that position, fearing the next panda attack. If you want to rank trash to the top, then get banned the next google update, and repeat the process, by all means, go for it - but i'm not going to call that business.

Justin said that not you. You said SEO is not a method to making money, which is untrue if you are successfully offering SEO services.

I agree with what your saying totally when building a certain kind of site, but just not true in some cases.

[Cosmit]

Originally Posted by jamesbrands

Justin said that not you.

I realized that. But we essentially agree.

Originally Posted by jamesbrands

You said SEO is not a method to making money, which is untrue if you are successfully offering SEO services.

I agree with what your saying totally when building a certain kind of site, but just not true in some cases.

In saying SEO i meant the generally understood definition on this forum - ranking websites in attempts to profit from its content.

[Justin Lewis]

Originally Posted by TheFBGuy

The Mr "Do Not Build Backlinks" Justin Lewis has graced us with his presence once again ladies and gentlemen. Surprise... surprise, I see links in his sig as well

*cough* okay for one, my site doesn't even directly relate to SEO and have no links dedicated to seo, backlinks, etc.

And second, I was responding to an old post to share some of my opinions.

Oh and yea.. almost forgot.

If you actually read what I have to say, you'll discover that I'm not against having links come to my site, I'm just not focused on "building links" and instead I'm focused on "building traffic", which of course incorporates links.

Enjoy the rant though.

Originally Posted by jamesbrands

Having a webpage rank in the top of the search engines for the KW phrase "dentist new york" is going to do plenty, weather the content is particularly valuable or not. So saying "Just having a website rank in the top of the search engines isn't going to do anything" is a bit of a false statement.

I agree it's definitely going to do something for you and I never said it wasn't (you were reading something out of context)

"content people actually care to read and implement to solve their problem."

The "solve their problem" concept is exactly what I was trying to get at... yes you can have a website rank for "dentist new york" but if you have NOTHING on the danged website.. what's it going to do for you or them?

Solving a problem, even if it means the wrong way, is still solving a problem. Content could still relate to monetization if you think of AdSense ads, your solution to their problem would have been the ad that they clicked.

But if you have a website that doesn't solve their problem or any problems.. then it's not going to do you any good.. that's common sense I would hope

[Michael Ten]

I agree Justin. Focusing only on SEO does not seem sustainable. That's why I think that also focusing on social media marketing is so important.

[Justin Lewis]

Originally Posted by Cosmit

I realized that. But we essentially agree.

In saying SEO i meant the generally understood definition on this forum - ranking websites in attempts to profit from its content.

Yea, we aren't referring to the whole "offering SEO services" area. We are referring to the idea of actually optimizing a website to rank in the search engines.

Yes, you can offer your services and make money (and most are likely scamming others.. sadly)

But to RELY solely on SEO is a ridiculous way to go about doing things.

I remember I read a story a while back about a guy who put all his eggs in one basket (seo).

Then one day, his site that was making him $1,000+ a day ended up tanking in the search engines.

Get this.. he didn't build a list, didn't have other traffic methods, nothing.

He went from making thousands per day, to barely making anything.

Put all your eggs in one basket and you'll do the same thing.

Relying solely on SEO will give you a sense of false security. - Justin Lewis

[GGpaul]

That's why my mindset is that whatever money I make, I capitalize on that by investing into different ventures. Internet marketing doesn't stop for me. Who knows, I might open up a dance club in the future. And in regards to just SEO, I'm trying to learn PPC, building a list, and other forms of traffic.

[Justin Lewis]

Originally Posted by GGpaul

That's why my mindset is that whatever money I make, I capitalize on that by investing into different ventures. Internet marketing doesn't stop for me. Who knows, I might open up a dance club in the future. And in regards to just SEO, I'm trying to learn PPC, building a list, and other forms of traffic.

Great man!

And to the dance club idea, I actually almost opened up a recording studio in Virginia Beach this year.

Had all the equipment ($80k+ worth), location picked out, even started bringing in leads and then realized that I didn't want to do it and prefer to focus on my other niches.

Oh and of course, my partner at the time ended up getting cold feet at the very last minute..

[rank90]

Originally Posted by Justin Lewis

Locke, Light vs. Dark. - YouTube

It’s true.

There is a secret behind SEO.

It’s not just any secret.

Rarely do people ever realize this until it’s too late.

But SEO is NOT a permanent marketing strategy.

Relying solely on SEO will give you a sense of false security.

Oh and in relation to the video..

Two sides.

One light.

One dark.

In my opinion, both have an opportunity of succeeding, but usually the light side puts more focus on multiple methods outside of SEO, while the dark side dedicates way too much time into onsite and offsite optimization alone.

Absolutely right, I am totally agree with you.

[GGpaul]

Originally Posted by Justin Lewis

Great man!

And to the dance club idea, I actually almost opened up a recording studio in Virginia Beach this year.

Had all the equipment ($80k+ worth), location picked out, even started bringing in leads and then realized that I didn't want to do it and prefer to focus on my other niches.

Oh and of course, my partner at the time ended up getting cold feet at the very last minute..

Dang! I need to talk to you some time. I'll def subscribe to your site.

[Justin Lewis]

Originally Posted by GGpaul

Dang! I need to talk to you some time. I'll def subscribe to your site.

Yea it was a venture I was really excited about, but finding REAL partners is difficult.

I've had so many people come on board, act excited about a project, and then fall off before it even begins, just because they didn't make money.

But come on.. you don't make money right off the bat with anything (usually) it takes work and I'm ready for it.

[jamesbrands]

Originally Posted by Justin Lewis

*cough* okay for one, my site doesn't even directly relate to SEO and have no links dedicated to seo, backlinks, etc.

And second, I was responding to an old post to share some of my opinions.

Oh and yea.. almost forgot.

If you actually read what I have to say, you'll discover that I'm not against having links come to my site, I'm just not focused on "building links" and instead I'm focused on "building traffic", which of course incorporates links.

Enjoy the rant though.




I agree it's definitely going to do something for you and I never said it wasn't (you were reading something out of context)

"content people actually care to read and implement to solve their problem."

The "solve their problem" concept is exactly what I was trying to get at... yes you can have a website rank for "dentist new york" but if you have NOTHING on the danged website.. what's it going to do for you or them?

Solving a problem, even if it means the wrong way, is still solving a problem. Content could still relate to monetization if you think of AdSense ads, your solution to their problem would have been the ad that they clicked.

But if you have a website that doesn't solve their problem or any problems.. then it's not going to do you any good.. that's common sense I would hope

I didn't say the website would have NOTHING on it, I said the content wouldn't be particularly valuable.

Whats it going to do for me? Hopefully put some well earned $$$ in my bank account, when its sold to the highest bidding dentist.

You see I don't want to be accused of reading something out of context, but saying " If you have a website that doesn't solve their problems or any problems...then its not going to do you any good.. that's common sense I would hope" is a stupid statement.

If we go back to the dentist model, its very possible to rank a site for the example KW phrase I gave using generic articles that won't necessarily solve the problem. Someone who is searching for "dentist new york" will more likely than not want contact details, company information, testimonials of dentists in the new york area so they can make a choice of who to go to, our site isn't going to include any of that until it is ranking well in the SERPS and has been sold or rented out.

My point is the money in this model has been made mainly through SEO (of course you have to get a dentist to buy it also) and not through solving a problem, apart from the dentists who now gets a fresh new bunch of inquiries everyday.

As I said i totally agree with what you and other people are saying when it comes to a certain kind of site, SEO should only be a small part of the strategy, solving problems by providing great helpful content is paramount, and their are plenty of ways to get traffic to your site without having to rank highly in the search engines, a forum sig link would be just one example.

[Vivers]

Kind of a scary thought

[Justin Lewis]

Originally Posted by jamesbrands

I didn't say the website would have NOTHING on it, I said the content wouldn't be particularly valuable.

Whats it going to do for me? Hopefully put some well earned $$$ in my bank account, when its sold to the highest bidding dentist.

You see I don't want to be accused of reading something out of context, but saying " If you have a website that doesn't solve their problems or any problems...then its not going to do you any good.. that's common sense I would hope" is a stupid statement.

If we go back to the dentist model, its very possible to rank a site for the example KW phrase I gave using generic articles that won't necessarily solve the problem. Someone who is searching for "dentist new york" will more likely than not want contact details, company information, testimonials of dentists in the new york area so they can make a choice of who to go to, our site isn't going to include any of that until it is ranking well in the SERPS and has been sold or rented out.

My point is the money in this model has been made mainly through SEO (of course you have to get a dentist to buy it also) and not through solving a problem, apart from the dentists who now gets a fresh new bunch of inquiries everyday.

As I said i totally agree with what you and other people are saying when it comes to a certain kind of site, SEO should only be a small part of the strategy, solving problems by providing great helpful content is paramount, and their are plenty of ways to get traffic to your site without having to rank highly in the search engines, a forum sig link would be just one example.

Thanks for replying

I just want to note one big thing.. do you seriously think that you'll continue to rank forever (hence the permanent strategy being false)?

SEO is temporary unless you are doing things that are legit. Just like a company in the real world.

If you have a dentist shop down the street, but never actually do anything to help people, you're business will fall apart.

The same goes for websites. Although it might work now, it's not going to stay ranking, we've seen this happen and we know things are changing towards a more social atmosphere rather than just searching for random words.

You said "So saying "Just having a website rank in the top of the search engines isn't going to do anything" is a bit of a false statement."

Not really, because what I was saying in that statement is "JUST" having a website rank, I wasn't referring to having any content on the site, valuable or not.

Point is, it might work now, but it's not going to work forever

Long term success in any industry is SOOO much better than a short term temporary success that gives you false hope

[Mike Anthony]

Originally Posted by GGpaul

. Who knows, I might open up a dance club in the future. And in regards to just SEO, I'm trying to learn PPC, building a list, and other forms of traffic.

Dude how you going to start a club around something you can't do? Anyway I ain't going to worry about that one. when I crash the event and tell the new wifie about your break dancing idea she will ax that idea or die laughing.

On topic I think the whole thread is redundant. SEO was never meant to be a business model but as advertising for a business that has a model. Nothing wrong with SEO if you are advertising something people come back to and refer friends to (thereby getting direct traffic). People here always buy into the idea that SEO is short term success. IF you rank for awhile and have a site worthy of repeat traffic SEO can give you VERY permanent results.

Saying you can't depend on SEO is like saying you can't depend on TV advertising if your product sucks and your customers know it. Its just a big ....Duh...moment.

[GGpaul]

Originally Posted by Mike Anthony

Dude how you going to start a club around something you can't do? Anyway I ain't going to worry about that one. when I crash the event and tell the new wifie about your break dancing idea she will ax that idea or die laughing.

On topic I think the whole thread is redundant. SEO was never meant to be a business model but as advertising for a business that has a model. Nothing wrong with SEO if you are advertising something people come back to and refer friends to (thereby getting direct traffic). People here always buy into the idea that SEO is short term success. IF you rank for awhile and have a site worthy of repeat traffic SEO can give you VERY permanent results.

Saying you can't depend on SEO is like saying you can't depend on TV advertising if your product sucks and your customers know it. Its just a bug ....Duh...moment.

I hate you. LMAO.

[paulgl]

Originally Posted by Mike Anthony

On topic I think the whole thread is redundant. SEO was never meant to be a business model but as advertising for a business that has a model.

I wonder what's up with 7 (at last count) sig links...is that a business model?
Is that light, dark, or amber?

I guess that's the new, "not selling anything..."

Originally Posted by Justin Lewis

Or hopefully you got in my case, to not sell you something :P

LOL.

Surely most people know just exactly what you're selling.

Paul

[Justin Lewis]

Originally Posted by Mike Anthony

Dude how you going to start a club around something you can't do? Anyway I ain't going to worry about that one. when I crash the event and tell the new wifie about your break dancing idea she will ax that idea or die laughing.

On topic I think the whole thread is redundant. SEO was never meant to be a business model but as advertising for a business that has a model. Nothing wrong with SEO if you are advertising something people come back to and refer friends to (thereby getting direct traffic). People here always buy into the idea that SEO is short term success. IF you rank for awhile and have a site worthy of repeat traffic SEO can give you VERY permanent results.

Saying you can't depend on SEO is like saying you can't depend on TV advertising if your product sucks and your customers know it. Its just a big ....Duh...moment.

I didn't say SEO isn't a good thing.

SEO can absolutely do wonders for someone.

But the idea that people think they are going to rank forever is risky. Even massive trusted brand websites sometimes fall from rankings.

What I'm trying to say is that SOLELY relying on SEO is "redundant". Haha.

Oh and just thought I'd toss this out to yas.

TV Ad Spending vs. Internet Ad Spending, 2000 to Present | Media - Advertising Age

Originally Posted by paulgl

I wonder what's up with 7 (at last count) sig links...is that a business model?
Is that light, dark, or amber?

I guess that's the new, "not selling anything..."



Surely most people know just exactly what you're selling.

Paul

Haha. If anything, I'm selling myself onto people. I'm selling my opinions onto people at no cost. I'm sharing my thoughts and ideas on how things work.

But isn't that we are all doing on a forum or in any social situation?

Even your comment is your opinion, which leads onto to you selling me your opinion.

[Mike Anthony]

Originally Posted by Justin Lewis

But the idea that people think they are going to rank forever is risky. Even massive trusted brand websites sometimes fall from rankings.

SO what though? Thats why I say the point is so pointless. Anyone banking on anything forever is risky. Massive brands stop advertising in TV sometimes, newspaper ads sometimes don't run but the brands go on selling. The customers you gain during any advertising are yours as long as you give them a product/service/website they value and will refer friends to. In almost every business most income is derived by repeat customers. Getting people to your site and then giving them nothing to come back to is the problem not relying on SEO. As long as you have a business model that works its like any other form of advertising.

Even your comment is your opinion, which leads onto to you selling me your opinion.

Paul isn't selling anything. I wouldn't say that of probably anyone else here. Paul's point is obvious. You are positioning yourself to directly sell what you teach as a replacement to SEO. Its a marketing board and I wouldn't be as foolish as to claim as some do that that makes you wrong but it does shade the way you present SEO.

[Justin Lewis]

Originally Posted by Mike Anthony

SO what though? Thats why I say the point is so pointless. Anyone banking on anything forever is risky. Massive brands stop advertising in TV sometimes, newspaper ads sometimes don't run but the brands go on selling. The customers you gain during any advertising are yours as long as you give them a product/service/website they value and will refer friends to. In almost every business most income is derived by repeat customers. Getting people to your site and then giving them nothing to come back to is the problem not relying on SEO. As long as you have a business model that works its like any other form of advertising.



Paul isn't selling anything. I wouldn't say that of probably anyone else here. Paul's point is obvious. You are positioning yourself to directly sell what you teach as a replacement to SEO. Its a marketing board and I wouldn't be as foolish as to claim as some do that that makes you wrong but it does shade the way you present SEO.

Sarcasm is hard to express online lol.

When I said "selling" I meant that he is pushing his opinion.

Anyone and everyone that says anything about anything and everything are pushing their own opinion.

It's just another way of saying it.

I myself am included, in the case that I'm saying SEO isn't a permanent marketing strategy.

SEO is fantastic, but as I'll repeat, over and over again for the rest of my life.

Relying solely on ONE thing is dangerous. That's why companies like Google are working on more than just search, they are focused on created mobile devices, social networks, etc.

Even companies like Microsoft, stepped away from solely focusing on computers themselves and began to get into other ventures, more recently, search, video games, etc.

And of course, apple. Once saying that a computer would only be a computer and not focused on media, changed their mind, and then later developed the iPods, iPhones, iPads, and are even going into other ventures.

Oh and don't let me forget.. marketers.

I once only focused on the real estate niche. But then I came to a point where I had invested so much effort into something I wasn't passionate about, and didn't put much effort into other ventures during that time, that I was a bit lost.

Now I teach, host large motorcycle events, sponsor video game communities, and more recently, started sharing recipes.

*cough*

If the internet goes down. I'll be okay. The question is, will you? (.. take that directly and you're missing the point)