Milkshakes & SEO.
They don’t normally go together.
But let me tell you a quick story about milkshakes and how well they pair with SEO.
Old mate setup his milkshake shop just a little while before I landed in Dubai, just over 6 years ago.
He came in with 0 experience in retail.
And he was up against established dessert joints and the famous “Millions of Milkshakes” who had a huge spot in The Dubai Mall, an obscene number of flavour combinations and a big endorsement from Kim Kardashian West back in October of 2011.
Fast forward to 2019 and my guy is still in business and absolutely killing it with his little shoebox of a shop.
Millions of Milkshakes? They packed up and left Dubai. And they closed up for good in 2016.
Now I don’t know the details of why Millions of Milkshakes went bust.
But I do know why my local milkshake shop is still around, despite operating in challenging economic times in Dubai where everyone and their dog is a food blogger influencer wannabe.
He is always testing.
He’s always trying something new, something different.
He’s simply not content with leaving things as they are.
“smooth seas don’t make good sailors”
AMEN to that.
At first he only sold milkshakes (1 flavour or your choice of up to 3 mix ins).
Then he added authentic Belgian waffles to the menu.
And tried his hand at some savoury items like grilled cheese sandwiches with beef and chicken filling.
His menu has changed so many times, I’ve got a stack of them in my studio and flip through them every now and then for a dose of nostalgia.
He’s now got 2 sizes of milkshakes, 2 types of grilled cheese sandwiches, a bunch of different waffle combos…
and get this, he’s now trying his hand at making his own ice cream, cookies and of course, ice cream cookies.
AMAZING.
Remember, he started with no experience in any of this. He didn’t even have a marketing plan.
But he’s always been changing things up and not letting anyone take away his business.
Sure, people like Black Tap have come in with their ridiculously priced ‘freak shakes’ but my local milkshake shop is still here, still living and breathing.
With their humble milkshake that’s a quarter the price of Black Tap and 10x more tastier.
And this is where the SEO element comes in.
Your website is organic. It should be treated as something that needs looking after, all the time.
You can always start small. But never stay that way.
Grow. Grow. Grow.
With SEO, some things are kind of ‘set and forget’ but for the most part, you need to be mixing it up to ensure you’re ahead of the curve.
You can’t just assume your link profile will grow and improve automatically.
You gotta earn those links through content and making your site linkable.
You never know when your competitors are going to be putting the pedal to the metal.
But if you follow the steps of my milkshake guy, you’ll be miles ahead if and when your competition wakes up.
You can stick to the same page titles but what about meta descriptions? It’s a HUGE way to stand out and there’s literally no risk because it doesn’t impact rankings – but it does influence click throughs.
Look at your content too – are you saying the same old boring stuff like everyone else?
like, how you’re always using the freshest and best ingredients? how you’re a market leader? how you’re so awesome?
BORING.
Hire a copywriter and supercharge your content.
Give that About Us page some love.
Remember: comfort is a cage. Don’t sit still.
You don’t need millions in VC funding and marketing in order to succeed.
This little milkshake shop is proof that if you stick to your guns, never settle for average and always focus on being the best, you too will achieve greatness.
Now if you’re in Dubai and you want a milkshake, head on over to Shakeism Milkshakes in Al Barsha.
Tell ’em Jaaved sent ya.
It won’t be free but maybe you’ll get a discount. I dunno.
And if you want some recommendations, try Cheesecake Killer and Dirham & A Dream. DELISH.
And if you want to deal with a legit SEO expert in Dubai who isn’t a robot and actually has a clue, fill out the website audit form and let’s get this bread!
