I am sorry to say it, but Google really is a judgmental bitch. You want your website listed on page 1 of Google but what makes you think, that what you have to say, makes you important enough to even rate?
You may not know this, but Google will only rank you in its top results if it deems you popular enough by its algorithm. And how do you convince the algorithm that you are popular enough? By making sure that EVERYONE is talking about you. So part of ranking way up there in Google’s results is based on how popular you AND your website are, throughout the online community.
You might have the most beautiful website; it’s well constructed with easy navigation and plenty of juicy content, but if no one else is talking about you, either mentioning you in some capacity, or linking to your website content to help spread that information to the rest of the WWW, then Google might not quite believe you are as good as you actually are.
Google is judging you.
Your personal global brand is as important as your website
Why is the girl with half your followers, who posts much less than you on Twitter and who hardly pays any attention to her website ranking higher than you?
There is a good chance that she might just be doing the work in other arenas.
Do you know how many other websites she contributes to? Perhaps she writes a column for a well known online magazine, or perhaps she’s hit the headlines for some publicity stunt that went viral…. Maybe she’s low key on the socials but has actually been around for eons hosting events, or leading workshops in a bricks and mortars store that sits on the edge of the mainstream…
The other important thing with this girl is that she makes sure her personal branding is consistent and regulated in every single place.
Example: I am referred to as Miss May in some places but I am also Fetish Webmistress in others. I have therefore diluted my brand. If I could go back I would either consistently use the Fetish Webmistress brand or the Miss May brand. I have also over the years released many images without insisting that I am credited by either of those names.
This is a major loss on behalf of my own global personal brand.
So here is the truth that I have discovered through personal observation and which is also in fact backed up by other SEO experts: unless Google deems YOU and your website an authority on your chosen topic, then you may not ever rank page 1 for the precious key phrases you covet.
My advice to you introverts and extroverts alike : get out there and get well known. Whether that is by attending industry networking events, by collaborating with other movers and shakers, filming with well known fetish producers, by creating crazy publicity stunts – or legit publicity acts – that will get your name in front of the public and in turn get them talking about you online….
By the way, even just a mention of your brand is a bird in the hand but a hard link back to your website will not only get you direct traffic but will also give you BONUS ranking points.
Which brings me to —> BACKLINKS!
So, aside from “going viral” and flexing our personal brand, how else can we make Google happy?
Backlinks, baby!
Wtf is a backlink?
Basically any other web source that links directly to your website is a backlink. Only super legit websites or resources relevant to your industry count, and so using a dodgy SEO company that promises you 100s of backlinks is not going to help you in the long run.
Which is why online mistress directories are still super relevant even if a lot of Dommes don’t bother anymore. I’m not just saying this because I actually co-own Mistress Directory London one of the UK’s best online dominatrix directories. I am saying this because they truly are excellent legitimate resources and the perfect first port of call when searching for backlinks to your website. Just ask Google if you need help finding them. Tip: Type in your profession plus your location eg professional dominatrix London
You can start working on this right now! Get those links back to your website, because each one is a vote for you in this so called popularity contest.
Prove your worth and Google will reward you.
So in conclusion, yes, Google is your Daddy. Make him happy by doing the work, improve your authority and online presence, and you will get your just rewards. Probably not a new dolly or good hard smack but most certainly a much higher ranking in the search results.
I look forward to hearing some of your success stories! And if you don’t want to do the hard work, contact me and we can chat to see which areas of your SEO I might be able to help out with. I have some of my services listed on my SEO Services page
“Let’s do a latex photoshoot on the London Underground,” she said. “It will be FUN,” she said…
“and I shall wear my Libidex catsuit in smoky grey TRANSPARENT latex!”
And before I truly understood what I had actually agreed to do, I was following Mistress Evilyne’s latex clad body, down the suburban streets of West London to the closest Underground station.
“Ummm, don’t you want to take a coat?”, I called after her : “uhhh, no, it’ll just be more for you to carry”, she kindly replied…
Latex in the public eye
It’s a fact, the fetish connotations are strong, however latex has its own place in mainstream fashion and is regularly seen on the catwalks, usually incorporated as a mere interesting “texture” by The World’s Greatest Designers.
Soon to follow in high street stores. Top Shop even had its own range at one point. It’s confusing for fetishists, and that’s just not fair.
But if anything weird is going on in the Underground, of course Londoners are way too polite to acknowledge, consequently, Mistress Evilyne was free to pose her way through Baker St and the Circle line all the way to Convent Garden…
What is it about the Underground anyway? When someone is being controversial or confrontational, what makes us look the other way? In some ways the English are so repressed and stifled in showing emotion… in other ways so creative, reactive and free…
Out on the streets of London people were (ok mostly fellas were) much more open and curious and wanted to understand what Mistress Evilyne was wearing, and why she chose to wear it. How would those same people have behaved if they’d encountered the same, but Underground?
Anyway, Mistress was only too happy to chat and respond to all the curious questions; business cards in hand.
Coffee and ice-cream break accomplished we head off to our last latex photoshoot location in the depths of Covent Garden’s Underground station. I was feeling quite inspired by the wrought iron stairs and grungy walls, however when Mistress moved into her first fancy pose…. rrrrrrrrrip! (It was the sound of her catsuit tearing). Her transparent latex catsuit basically tore without any reason. Her bottom was hanging out – no coat to cover up – what were we to do???
Libidex London
Luckily, the Libidex London shop was just around the corner! Surely they might take some responsibility for the situation! But no, there was nothing they could do. Apparently the catsuit was “…a size too small and next time you should definitely buy a bigger one.”
“Ohhhh you came out without a coat?! Just get a Taxi home”, they suggested “great, thanks for that helpful advice”
And that’s where this story ends, with us traveling home in comfort with the good company of our Uber driver.
Libidex: Honestly it’s not the first story I have heard of their fragile latex breakages: suits splitting upon first wear, holes poked through toes. Special features include a rapid degradation of the shine resulting in lack lustre patches on the butt and knees…
Meh, they might just be the fetish equivalent of fast fashion, contributing to the world’s landfill.
Support small independent business! If you need some names of groovy latex designers here are some of my favourites:
Strictly Miss Brown wants YOU to pay attention to your SEO
Who is your ideal client?
Ask Yourself:
Who are your ideal clients? Consider demographic factors.
What are you both interested in? Where do your own interests align with your target clients?
Professionally, what are your specialities, niches and the services you enjoy indulging in, above all others.
Get inside their head
What words would your ideal clients use to search Google when they are looking for your specific services? Approach it from their perspective and employ their vocabulary. e.g an older gent might not search for a “hot young domme in latex” but may be a little more mature in their language. Don’t be shy to ask your clients where and how they find you.
Google and Key phrases
Considering the above exercise, create a list of related words. Narrow it down to your top 5. These are your focus key phrases. Go to Google and type them in along with your noun of choice e.g dominatrix, escort etc. Now define the results further by using your location or target destinations with the keywords too.
Whose websites* are showing up and how? Have a look at their websites and see how they are employing their key phrases, and where they are using them.
*Take note of which directories are being listed for a future SEO tips post
What about in the image results? You can add your key phrase / noun / location to your image’s alt-text to further optimise your results.
Your website
Is it immediately apparent to your website visitors (and Google) what you specialise in and what your favourite niches are i.e the sessions for which you would most like to be booked ? Do you emphasise the words or ‘keywords and phrases’ that you came up with throughout the page text and within your blog posts?
Is your location clear to both Google and your website visitors? Make your location obvious, you’ll be doing yourself and site visitors a huge favour.
It’s so important to write your website content in a way that makes it easy for Google to easily navigate and understand. By including the same key phrases that your potential clients are using to search for you, throughout your website, you become more findable.
When your website’s text matches what people are searching for, Google will rank your site higher because your content is the most relevant.
Action
Using the key phrases / noun / location you defined, change the following for each page of your website: Page title, meta descriptions and URLs or “permalink” . Each page should be unique. The key phrase should also appear a number of times throughout the body text of your pages and posts.
What’s the Page Title?
The Page Title appears in blue. When I optimised Mistress Wildfire‘s homepage, I opted to focus on her chosen noun and location, plus her professional name to lay emphasis on her branding.
For Mistress Wildfire’s other services we used her focus key phrases on the specific pages devoted to those niches.
How to change your Page Title?
The answer to this depends on the content management system you are using, and the plugin you are using. Ask me in the comments below if you don’t how to do this yourself.
By the way! I highly recommend at least 500 – 800 words on every page of your website. But that is for another blog post….
Key phrases, Page Titles etc are the first steps, of many steps, that you can take in optimising your website so you receive more quality traffic from Google.
I’m excited to announce that I have booked this magnificent location for a photoshoot on the 27th and 28th May 2019. The Clock Tower is based in the heart of south east London in the Crystal Palace / Gipsy Hill area and can be reached within 20-25 minutes from London Bridge, Victoria and Clapham Junction. There is also off-street parking for 2 cars.
I have 3 spots left available to anyone who is interested in a shoot with me; I photograph all walks of life from sex workers to performance artists to kinky couples to… families, yes – please feel free to book in a old school studio portrait session where we will create beautiful, timeless portraits with your mums, kids, and why not your precious pets, too.
The cost of the shoot will be £300 and will last 60 minutes.
This includes:
A tour of the entire clock tower to find the corners that inspire you the most. This place is big enough for everyone’s photos to look completely different. That’s my promise to you!
1 outfit change – we will shoot 2 outfits in total but please bring accessories to change up the look
5 final retouched images plus 2-3 extra detail shots (see the gallery below). These are great for Twitter headers!
If you wish to book a double spot the cost will revert to my regular fee of £550 and your shooting time will be slightly extended to 2.5 hours and all the above doubled too.
27th May
28th May
11.30am – booked
11.30am – booked
1.00pm – booked
1.00pm – booked
2.30pm
2.30pm
4.00pm
4.00pm – booked
Miss Kim Rub is available for HMUA if needed at a charge of £100 for makeup and £150 for both hair and makeup. Please contact her directly to organise this. If you do book in HMUA please arrive 1.5 hours before your booked time slot.
Please arrive at least 30 minutes earlier, or if you have booked HMUA 90 minutes earlier.
T&Cs
Pay in full to secure your spot
Your payment is non-refundable
In the event of late arrivals, I will try to be as accommodating as possible however you agree that there is a possibility that your shoot time will be reduced.
Your digital files will be delivered within 2 weeks
If you would like to book please email me at rachel@fetishwebmistress.com and include your preferred time, your full business name and email to which I will then send you an invoice.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!
Some example of photos created using natural light on location similar in style and quality of what I believe we will achieve on the Clock Tower shootout :
Fetish.com were curious about how I became the Fetish Webmistress, and invited me to an interview about my humble beginnings, running a business in the fetish and BDSM industry and my experience with the fetish scene, in general.
When did you get the idea to start a fetish web design business? How much has changed since when you first began developing your business?
I met a chap called Alan by chance, in London in early 2000, who needed someone to help him out with a website he was about to launch called WhatsYours.com. The concept was to present fetish and BDSM in a friendly, non-threatening way, to educate the mainstream, and to encourage people to talk about – what was back then – a very taboo topic. Alan also had a web design business that catered to the kink community. I learned a lot with him and met a lot of people who became clients (and friends). Word-of-mouth meant that my clients have always been in the adult industry though I have had a few mainstream clients. So, I never really had the idea to start a fetish web design business, it just kind of happened!
So much has changed: Technology, design style, attitudes towards sex and kink, perception of the sex industry, fetish fashion, the law, the way we communicate, the way we meet people and nurture relationships. My confidence as a photographer has also of course been affected by the introduction of digital photography. I’m much more comfortable with the fact that I can verify my shots on the spot rather than waiting for a roll of film to develop!
What is your mission? Why should people come to you for their creative needs?
I aim to provide a professional, bespoke service for each of my clients. So, even though I do offer packages on my website they are very much tailored with regards to my clients’ needs. I create websites that can be updated by anyone, not just me, so if my client wants to do this themselves I offer a training period where I walk them through the admin aspects of their website. I now have 18 years of experience creating websites for the erotic industry so I know a thing or two about what works on adult websites, in terms of user experience. I also provide basic to advanced SEO to attract traffic from the various search engines available and can advise on which websites are the best to advertise on etc.
Were you interested in BDSM/Fetish lifestyle before pursuing business ownership in the lifestyle?
I was 17 and my mind was totally corrupted when Madonna published her SEX book. The way I thought about and experienced sex was never the same again. When I moved to London and found the fetish scene by accident in 2000, I knew I had found my spiritual home.
What kind of clients do you attract? What can people expect when the sit down to discuss their ideas with you?
My clients are super-professional, motivated and keen to take charge of their personal brand. They understand that the cheapest option is not always the best option. They are non-conformists and think outside the box rather than submit to society’s conventions.
I admire each and everyone of them for their creativity and individuality and they can expect 100% interest and involvement in the development of their product from me, whether it’s a website design or a photo shoot. All clients are different, some want to be more hands on others just want to hand the whole project over and let me get on with it. Either way is fine for me.
Working within the Femdom community has been a wonderful experience. The concept of sisterhood is strong and I have found great support from women who are not only clients but those whom I consider good friends. I appreciate the confidence they have in me, especially for photo shoots and the end results are always mind blowing!
Are you involved in the local kink community (events, festivals, markets, munches)?
I am a sponsor of the annual FemDom Ball and over the last 18 years I have attended and had different levels of involvement in various events including Torture Garden, Rubber Cult, Club Rub, Club Blackwhip, Club Wicked and The F Club and the now legendary Skin Two Rubber Ball.
I designed (and appeared in) the last few issues of Skin Two magazine – if you are interested in the history of the fetish and BDSM scene, a good place to start would be issue 1 which is available as a digital download from Tim Woodward’s online store KFS Media.
