Scott Sanfilippo's Blog

A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Gary James, a writer for Sleep Savvy Magazine, a trade publication for mattress retailers. No, I didn’t discuss my sleep habits, or lack there of. I didn’t disclose the brand of pillow-top mattress I rest my weary body upon. And I certainly… Read More "“Interview With Sleep Savvy Magazine.” Or, “Why Bricks-and-Mortars Need to be Online.”"

It was November 21, 2012. The day before Thanksgiving. A few days earlier I had been at the doctors for my semi-annual checkup. When the phone rang at 9:30am I thought it would be the usual conversation, “Doctor wants you to stay on your blood pressure and cholesterol medicine. Blood… Read More "“100.” Or, “How Routine Blood Work Changed My Life.”"

It’s called “Hummingbird” and it’s the latest update that Google has made to their search algorithm in an ongoing quest to provide the most relevant search results. It’s the largest update made to the search algorithm since 2001, so it’s pretty big news. There are plenty of sites out there… Read More "“Penguins, Pandas and Hummingbirds Oh My!” Or, “Mobile Ads Get Tweaked in Google’s Latest Search Update.”"

A few years ago I wrote an article about the loan sharks at Western Sky Financial and how they take advantage of unsuspecting consumers with their high interest payday loans. Since writing that piece, it became the second most visited and the top commented page on my site. It also… Read More "“Storm Clouds in the Western Sky Force Loan Sharks to Retreat.” Or, “The Demise of a Predatory Lender.”"

Yesterday I had the pleasure of hosting a Solid Cactus webinar where for 90 minutes we discussed various aspects of Internet marketing for eCommerce stores including pay-per-click, search engine optimization, comparison shopping engines, social media and email marketing. I’ve hosted nearly 200 of these things over the years and despite… Read More "“Multi Channel Marketing Webinar Take Aways.” Or, “Things You Do and Don’t Do To Drive Traffic and Sales.”"

Living in south Florida, I’ve become accustomed to the occasional celebrity drive-by. I’ve shared the foot shower with Sylvester Stallone as we rinsed the sand from between our toes after being on the beach. I ate a hamburger a table away from Rod Stewart and his family and downed a… Read More "“It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s the Prancercise Lady!” Or, “You’re Never Too Old Build Your Brand.”"

I’m sure I’ve told the story once or twice on here about how, by sheer luck, I caught an order going out for the very first Ferret Store customer nearly ten years later. It was one of those moments where I realized that if you provide your customers with good… Read More "“Checking in with an old eCommerce Friend.” Or, “The Path to Online Success isn’t Easy, but does have Rewards!”"

I’ve got some exciting news to share today. No, I’m not pregnant, I’m not getting married and I didn’t begin stem-cell therapy to treat male pattern baldness. Each of those would be considered “exciting,” so maybe this doesn’t fit into that category reserved for things of extreme awesomeness, but it’s… Read More "“Reporting for Duty, Sir.” Or, “An Invitation to Get Some Internet Marketing Advice.”"

I got to thinking the other day, what was life like before Facebook? I have to admit that I’m growing tired of the social media site that turned us all into voyeuristic animals seeking to quench an insatiable desire to peer into the lives of people we love and lust.… Read More "“Reflecting on Life Before Facebook.” Or, “Lets Twerk!”"

A few years ago I signed up with a company that rewards me with airline miles if I fill out a survey or two a month. Not bad considering I have a ton of miles sitting over there waiting to be transferred over. Yesterday a new survey arrived with the… Read More "“Where Did That Towel Come From?” Or, “Let’s Be Honest, We’re All Thieves!”"