From this…to this…to this…the green curry paste process 🙂
TOP of my list today is to try and give my shows a higher profile/visibility in Google search using Google’s ‘data highlighter’.
Because my tour dates come in via Bandsintown, Google doesn’t index them as individual events, so yesterday I set up a hidden gigs page on my website and a set of individual gig pages – one for each show – behind it.
I check using Google’ Search Console (part of Webmaster Tools…anyone with a website/s should have it/them linked to a Google account to access all this good stuff) this morning and Google has indexed these pages already, so now I can use the data highlighter tool to map information in a way that Google can understand and index.
Might take a few days to see if it works, but if it does it could be a game changer. To find out more check out this great article.
I venture back to the house to make a big batch of green curry paste.
The replacement double battery box (and a spare) has arrived so I check my toolbox to see what I might need to do the repair…no solder or desoldering braid left, so go onto Amazon and order what I need.
After lunch I go back to the studio and film a bunch of green screen stuff to make up some Facebook videos for the upcoming Scottish shows. I drop in some backgrounds and create the social media-favoured square format for the first video then post it on YoTube and Facebook…once it;s got some traction I’ll turn it into an ad.
In the office there’s some USA booking stuff to progress and also an invitation to speak at a music industry event in Edinburgh I need to respond to.
Finally I get the spicy beef ramen underway, we eat, watch some telly and then some zzzzzzZZZs
IT CERTAINLY is ‘Friday the 13th’ – either that or I got out the wrong side of bed this morning.
First up, I’m getting security notifications when visiting my website. The SSL certificate I installed the other day seems to be creating more problems than it solves. I raise a support ticket with my hosting company to see if they can shed any light on things.
Second – our broadband speed has gone from poor to virtually unusable.
And thirdly – to cap it all – my tour dates aren’t showing up on my website. I use bandsintown to populate my tourdates page and, (I’m assuming) after yesterday’s WordPress update to version 4.7.1, something has happened.
I try a few edits and changes but nada. No solution. My bandsintown page and everything is OK so it must be something to do with the WordPress update that’s preventing the content showing when embedded in my own website. My Google ads ain’t showing up either but that’s no real loss.
Nothing I try wants to fix it so i end up creating a new tourdates page that will suffice until I work oiut what’s gone wrong – or WordPress, bandsintown or someone posts a ‘fix’ or update.
That’s the day all but gone. Dealing with shit. Not a single thing on my to-do list even looked at. I fiond myself wondering how everyone else manages to deal with all this crap. Firefighting.
I spend a couple of hours archiving and organising hard drives in the studio before throwing in the towel for the night and conjuring up a green curry.
On a more positive note, though, following my meeting with Google the other day, Ekaterina’s advice has already resulted in my site coming up on the front page of search results for the three keywords we chose 🙂
Dave Arcari is a full-time touring alternative blues (alt.blues) guitar player and songwriter
based on the eastern shores of Loch Lomond, Scotland
I have a productive one-to-one meeting at Google’s Digital Garage event in Glasgow…
WE HEAD into Glasgow early. Margaret’s got stuff all day…and I have a mentor meeting with Google.
I drop Margaret off then stop in McDonald’s for a coffee. Nothing to eat ‘cos I’m skint!
My Google meeting is part of Google’s Digital Garage event….a one-to-one mentor meeting about reaching a niche audience online.
My idea was to park a few miles away and walk to the Mitchell Library, but I’m running late and there’s no ‘free’ parking with a few miles…so I park up in Berkeley Street and use the Ringo app on my phone to pay for my parking.
I get into the library and find registration where I run into my pal music journo John Dingwall. He;s here for a seminar, so we chat until he;s called in…and I wait patiently for my one-to-one. For nearly half an hour. No matter, tho’ – the receptionist realises and apologies profusely for having me wait then introduces me to an extremely helpful and knowledgeable lady called Ekaterina who runs though my website and comes up with a bunch of things I can do to boost my search engine rankings. We have a good, interesting chat..and it’s important to point out that she isn’t a Google employee, she’s a freelancer and, as such, giving impartial, good advice 🙂
One of the things I should be doing more is using my name – Dave Arcari, I guess! – and my music style – alternative blues or alt.blues – in more blog posts and throughout my website. I’ve a busy few days ahead, but will get her ideas put into action over the next week or so.
There’s probably still time to get some great tips from these folks – check Google’s Digital Garage out here.
I’m pretty happy until I go outside and find a parking ticket. On investigation, I must’ve put the car’s reg wrongly into the app and got a digit wrong. FFS. Hopefully I can appeal.
Next stop is the Scottish Music Centre where I drop off some posters for my upcoming Glasgow show at the Hug & Pint on Saturday 10 February…I say hello to everyone, have a quick chat with Sace, then go on my way.
At Love Music I drop off some posters and check CD/vinyl stock –some sales cash comes my way too, which is more than likely to save my ass!
The shopping – Costco, Tesco – before picking up Margaret and heading home.
We unpack the shopping then I wander along to Betty and Joe’s who have asked me to do a wee job for them… a glass or two of wine later and I walk home.
Dinner. Parking ticket appeal. Whisky. Email. Early night….I have a 7am call for filming in Glasgow tomorrow…
