This is post #5 in the WBB Guest Posting Contest! If you like it, please leave a comment and share this post :)
What’s all the fuss about? Why are so many bloggers writing about SEO this and SEO that? How can anyone dwell so intently on search engine optimization techniques without their eyes glazing over?
Maybe I’m being naïve, but it seems to me that if you write unique, high quality content that search engine users are seeking, you are optimizing your blog for the search engines. Instead of looking for clever tricks to make money online, wouldn’t it be easier and better to concentrate on developing clear writing and communications skills?
The foremost goal of SEO copywriting is to produce succinct, effectively persuasive text for a well-written web page. Writing that “optimizes” a search but offers little useful information or only weak persuasion is frowned upon in the profession as ineffective. At its worst, it becomes a costly resource inducing potential buyers to turn away from the site rather than generating sales. (From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization_copywriting)
I’m not going to get into a “white hat” vs. “black hat” discussion and debate. I think most users – most buyers – want to deal with ethical people. If you came here looking for “black hat” SEO techniques, look elsewhere.
It’s not enough for the search engines to love your site, either – you can write great copy for SEO, place highly in the search rankings for your chosen keywords, but if it doesn’t engage readers, if it doesn’t inspire them to act, then it’s just not working.
Passion – readers can tell if you care about your subject or if you’re just “phoning it in.”
Tone – blogs are informal; readers don’t come to be preached at, and they’ve worked too hard and read too much, most days, to decode dry, boring, academic prose.
Keywords – make it clear what your post is about. Include all the relevant keywords – think “index.” If you were searching for just this post, what would you enter into Google’s search box? “People need to like your content before Google will.” (From How to Create Compelling Content – an excellent and free PDF that explains, in very simple terms, how to write for both people and search engines.)
It’s important to be specific – there’s little point getting buried under too-common keywords, such as “writer” or “lawyer” or “doctor” or “dentist.” The latter might want to explore phrases like “pain free dentistry” or “we cater to chickens” or “dentist gives nitrous oxide.” A writer might want to use “children’s picture books” or “kidlit” instead of “writer” or “author.”
The new version of StatCounter, still in beta test, provides quick insight on pages that rank highly in Google for certain search terms. My site, for instance, ranks #1 for “It’s all a matter of perspective.” Obviously, the blog title and meta tags help. It’s a common phrase, so it’s likely to be searched – ranking well is probably worth something. It also ranks highly for similar phrases, such as: “a matter of,” “it’s all perspective,” “its all about perspective,” and “religion matter of perspective.”
Disturbingly, my blog also ranks highly for “swim in warm water young boys up the nose.” Now, this phrase may be a bit too specific to be useful; however, I have noticed similar terms over the past couple of weeks. Combined with searches for “Naegleria fowleri US cases ,” it’s a little disturbing. Death by brain-munching amoeba is fairly easily prevented by wearing noseplugs and discouraging cannonballs into warm lake water.
Mind you, I haven’t been making any particular effort to employ SEO techniques – whatever “search engine optimization” I’ve got going, here, it’s 100% “organic” or natural. What phrases do you think would stand out here, in this article?
What if I really set out to rank well in the search engines?
Searchers are focused, motivated, and – if they’re looking for a product or service – odds are good they’re in the market to buy. Your job is to make it easy for them to find your site, and then to convince them that out of all the competitors in the world, you’re the best.
Once you’ve written great content for users and search engines alike, you have to get out there and promote it. You have to leave a trail of breadcrumbs for searchers to follow, or to give them a little push to go to your site and not someone else’s. That’s where social media comes in. It’s not enough to publish great content – if no one can find it, it might as well be shoved into the back of a drawer.
If you found this post useful, entertaining, educational, please help me to win the We Blog Better Guest Posting Contest by joining in the discussion, leaving your comments below, then sharing it on Blokube, Blog Interact, Facebook, and Twitter – you’ll find the buttons just above the comment box. Thank you!
About Holly Jahangiri
This is really one of the good posts here. SEO what? Well, it is simply just a process of making websites a search engine friendly.
And how we do it? use advance SEO techniques. Thanks Holly for this wonderful post from you. Keisha you are great! Wish you more success.
Advance SEO recently posted..Blue Hat SEO ( Advanced SEO Plan )
For Google is now the most important for the quality content get better search results.
Pretty good post. I just came across your site and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed
reading your blog posts. Any way I’ll be coming back and I hope you post again soon.
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oohh i like this post, the topic is very interesting. i need to know more about SEO and this answers my questions. thanks for posting!
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I really loved this post. You write about this topic very well. I really like your blog and I
will definitely bookmark it! Keep up the super posts!
Julie Bell recently posted..affordable home owners insurance
Internet is not stable so different SEO techniques must be shown and applied! I know how SEO works and it’s the only way to make your business be successful!
Roosevelt Rusley recently posted..CNA Training
wow… i love it your content..i enjoyed reading this… and i can’t imagine the thread look like this… you’re a great writter Jahangiri. thanks to you.
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Search Engine optimization is a great technique for online business. It will increase your site traffic and will have a bigger chance of getting a sale online. It is difficult especially for starters however in the long run, you will learn the workaround and everything will come easy.
Pretty good post. I just came across your site and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed
reading your blog posts. Any way I’ll be coming back and I hope you post again soon.
Jagir Hosain recently posted..unique tattoo ideas
What a brilliant post. You should do a series! :)I did a sort of blogging for dummies over
on one of the craft forums and I thought it was too simple for them, but the amount of
emails I got asking questions just like what you addressed was unbelievable. As young
people today we have grown up with computers, but it’s easy to forget that even people
just a few years older have not! Really good post! :)
Rajesh Pande recently posted..tattoo ideas for couples
Mish Dish – you changed your name!! Are tatts now considered a “craft”? (I could see that, if you were referring to temporary tatts.)
You know, seriously, if you’re going to comment TWICE on the same blog post, you might want to copy/paste a different comment. This is just too obvious, coming right on the heels of the other, don’t you think?
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Happy Thanksgiving–Wherever You Are–From TheNextGoal
I think connectedness may be the fastest way to understanding, peace, and collaboration between people all over the world. Another topic for another time, perhaps!
minejane recently posted..Free Animation Software
So true, minejane. So true.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Happy Thanksgiving–Wherever You Are–From TheNextGoal
What a brilliant post. You should do a series! :)I did a sort of blogging for dummies over
on one of the craft forums and I thought it was too simple for them, but the amount of
emails I got asking questions just like what you addressed was unbelievable. As young
people today we have grown up with computers, but it’s easy to forget that even people
just a few years older have not! Really good post! :)
Mish Dish recently posted..tattoo ideas for free
Oh, Mish Dish, how sweet of you to lump me in with “young people today.” Technically, I’m a baby boomer, but my middle school had a PDP-11 and I was probably among the first to play with a TRS-80. I’ve been “online” since before the Internet was public. It just depends on your interest level; I know plenty of young people today who have grown up with computers, but have little interest in them and don’t know how to do much more than type a term paper and Google “wikipedia.” Like you, though, I tend to underestimate the power and popularity of the “simple” posts.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Happy Thanksgiving–Wherever You Are–From TheNextGoal
Good and very informative post. I will come back to your blog regularly. One thing: I do
not exactly know what do you mean in the second paragraph. Could you please explain
your opinion?
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Oh freddled gruntbuggly/thy micturations are to me/As plurdled gabbleblotchits on a lurgid bee.
Groop I implore thee, my foonting turlingdromes. And hooptiously drangle me with crinkly bindlewurdles,
Or I will rend thee in the gobberwarts with my blurglecruncheon, see if I don’t!
See, I actually fell for this ploy once, when I was really tired. See http://weblogbetter.com/2011/05/09/search-engine-optimization-seo-what/#comment-26829
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Goal Seekers: Do You Need To “Make a Decision?”
I agree with you and the fact that writing great content in itself is already optimizing for search engines is what I think many people fail to understand. Optimized content but with little or no value will just get your blog or website quickly marked by users to never visit again.
Jass marie recently posted..games like angry birds
Hello. I wanted to give you a note to verbalize my thankfulness. I have been watching your blog posts for a month and have got a ton of excellent tips and appreciated the way you have built your web site. I’m going to make my blog however I feel it is too general and I need to concentrate more on particular issues.
Shah Alam recently posted..printable birthday cards for kids
I don’t think my tips are going to threaten SEO professionals everywhere, any more than self-editing tips have driven real, professional editors out of a job. It really just makes their job easier
jassiey recently posted..guide for angry birds
I just put on my user hat and ask, if I wanted to FIND this information, what words would I enter into search. She gave me a look of utter disgust and walked off shaking her head. Still makes me laugh.
Christy recently posted..Dog Training Collars
LOL – happened over a decade ago and still makes ME laugh, too, Christy! Thanks.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Hit The Road-How To Achieve Your Travel Goals
Good and very informative post. I will come back to your blog regularly. One thing: I do
not exactly know what do you mean in the second paragraph. Could you please explain
your opinion?
Delwar, I’m not sure what’s unclear about that paragraph – what I’m saying is that good content most likely has good, natural SEO attributes without being contorted by artificial attempts at SEO. I don’t mean to imply that GOOD SEO techniques are useless – quite the contrary. But if more bloggers would spend more time simply writing interesting, engaging posts, traffic should flow their way. If they write primarily for Google, eventually Google’s the only reader they’ll manage to hang onto – that’s my OPINION. ;)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..How To Meditate-4 Simple Meditation Techniques To Discover Inner Peace
In the beginning was the word .but if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it really make the sound of one hand clapping? Of course content is key but if a site isn’t architect for search engine visibility, no one will know about the content. Today no one would know about the bible, much less quote it to their heart’s content, if Google couldn’t find it.
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Holly, wow this post is really interesting and just look at all the threads! amazing…great job!
:) Thanks, Betty.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..How To Meditate-4 Simple Meditation Techniques To Discover Inner Peace
I was not sure about which website to confirm and then I saw your blog and it really
proved to be helpful to me. The content is great and easy to apply. Please post some more
topics related to it.
Look around, Uttam – I’m sure you’ll find lots of great info here on K’s blog.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..How To Meditate-4 Simple Meditation Techniques To Discover Inner Peace
Holly Jahangiri, aloha!
I’m glad that you made a blog about SEO, you made me had a clear overview about Search Engine Optimization. Thanks for your knowledge and kind words.
I’m glad it was helpful, crown5.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..5 Easy Seated Yoga Exercises To Increase Your Energy And Mental Clarity
Thanks for sharing. Now, I am more familiar with SEO and how important it is…Very nice blog post.
Thank you, Fara, for joining in the conversation.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..How To Meditate-4 Simple Meditation Techniques To Discover Inner Peace
Wow! that’s really great Holly! :) I’ve always read different folks and I’ve never pounded on anyone for their ideology. I’m just saying many bloggers tackle safe subjects for fear of controversy and become part of the miasma that has no opinion.
And that really adds nothing new to the conversation – just “playing it safe” rarely lets much personality shine through. It rarely gives readers a real chance to connect. I’m lucky – when I am tempted to play it safe, I have readers who will pound on ME until I inject a bit more of myself into the work. ;) Until a blogger puts his own touch on the subject – and it needn’t be OFFENSIVE or anything, just needs to be real and personal – it’s just more noise in the noise:signal ratio, isn’t it?
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..How To Be Your Best Self and Enrich the Lives of Others
While it is not bad to put ample effort on it, concentrating on optimizing content for search engines with no value to real people won’t be worth the salt. | :P
That’s what I believe, Conan. Thanks!
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Is Impatience Hindering Your Success?
If you’ve built a strong reputation for honesty, for example, your customers may be far more understanding if a snafu in your billing system causes everyone to be double-billed one month. If your customers believe you are honest and honorable, you would be far less likely to lose future business and generate way less bad word of mouth. And yet “reputation for honesty” will never appear on a balance sheet. | :P
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That is SO true!!
Recently, I’ve been involved in several discussions on “How to build trust” and I’m convinced there really is only one way: Be trustworthy. Trust is built on consistent, trustworthy ACTIONS over time. You can stand there and say “trust me” until you turn purple and your head explodes – it has no effect on smart people. But if you consistently build a strong reputation for doing what you say you’ll do and dealing honestly with people, THEY will tell others.
Paying people to tell others you’re trustworthy is the opposite of that behavior, by the way. :)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Can I Survive the Surviving the Blog Contest?
Great advise, I hate SEO
wow…thanks for this great idea, instead of looking for clever SEO tricks, i think it would easier and better to concentrate on developing clear writing and communications skills…
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The publish is designed in very a great manner also it entails many helpful information for me personally. I’m pleased to find your distinguished way with words the publish. You now allow me to comprehend and implement the idea. Appreciate the publish.
Glad I could help.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..It’s Never Enough, Is It?
Before, I really don’t know the importance of SEO in online marketing until I read post like this.But there are still great factors underlying the effectiveness of SEO . Since reading blog like this, it slowly dawned on me that net marketing is not an overnight success, it takes a constant SEO, updating and innovations of ides, but if you are settled with this things then go on and furnish what you got. This is a great business in todays era.
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SEO is important, but it is like accessorizing – it’s not the whole outfit. It cannot make an ugly outfit attractive, but it can make an attractive outfit outstanding.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Can I Survive the Surviving the Blog Contest?
Nice post Holly. Keeping the PR high of a blog is really tasking but rewarding too. it opens up to new business opportunities. It is always good to make new good content at least once a week.
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As what I’ve observed, most blogs are falling of the PR ladder once they don’t make updates on their blogs for more than a month or so. I’ve been checking on my favorite blog sites that aren’t updated and I found this out.
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Very informative and straightforward Holli. It is really true that SEO is needed to get more readers and eventually get more profit out of the blog. But only few blogs right really good content though. Like this blog.
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Optimizing blogs is really worth it. Out of all the millions of blogs out there, only few have the right content which can really entertain readers on different marketing levels.
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Great advice for building a social media campaign too!
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Thanks!
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Can I Survive the Surviving the Blog Contest?
Great addition to those “how to” SEO blogs that give tricks of the trade but don’t encourage a solid foundation of sincere content. There is a healthy balance of quality and optimization for any page.
Indeed there is. Thanks.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Godzilla in a Purple Feather Boa, Innocents & Demons
Most bloggers indeed use the right keywords for SEO purposes. But somehow quality content is REALLY BEING COMPROMISED, isn’t Holly? I’ve been searching for good blogs and some just write contents that are so general (even plagiarized). This post is really being straightforward to the most troublesome concern in the blogosphere — worthy content. I hope most bloggers were like you. I’m not bluffing.
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Thanks, Samuel. I think most HUMAN readers feel that way. Who wants to read the same ol’ stuff everywhere? Who wants to read unoriginal fluff? One thing people don’t realize about some of the “respun” content is that if there’s sufficient recognizable phrasing in it, without proper permissions and citations, it could still be a copyright violation (look up “derivative work”). I’ve had web sites shut down for complete gobbledygook that contained bits that were obviously lifted from my writing and others’. (Iit’s really bad when it contains your name, or is respun from someone’s account of, say, the death of their child and the grieving process – you want to look like pond scum? Respin THAT for profits on a splog.)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Can I Survive the Surviving the Blog Contest?
Right, we just have to focus on the content of our website if we really want o optimize. It’s the most effective way to bring traffic.
It is, Glennda. With well written content, optimizing should also be a bit easier.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Can I Survive the Surviving the Blog Contest?
Well i really got to learn more about blogging hope you could be my mentor. Thanks for a very precise tips. Hope to hear from you soon.
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Why not? C’mon over to my blog and send me an email, Annagirl – let me know what your biggest challenges are. Your blog is great – took me a minute to FIND it, but it’s a must for Angry Birds fanatics.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Diana Nyad, an Amazing Woman
Wow! This article has a long comment thread. Have you won your contest already? Anyways, thanks for the keyword tip I love it
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Adelaine, I came in third – and yes, I won enough to get the camera I wanted, in time for vacation! :) Hajra and Melanie rightfully beat me for first and second place, but it was a worthy competition!
You’re welcome for the keyword tip. :) Hope it works well for you!
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Diana Nyad, an Amazing Woman
Now, I am more familiar with SEO and how important it is…Great post!!
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I use default Thesis Seo, to reduce plugins count.
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Being a newbie in WordPress, I need to know which SEO plugins can help me comprehensively or is it all the same??
I’ve seen and read how SEO works for some and not for others. I think it depends on what you’re looking for out of your blog and your writing. Do you want to just spread useful knowledge? Or make money out of the blog? Nice article to get writers thinking.
SEO is definitely not a waste of time… in fact the traffic quality is very good (say, compared to Facebook ads). I’ll be doing this for the long term. :)
Mickey recently posted..how to win a girl over
Oh, it’s not a waste of time, but it’s like editing. It should be the polish, not the furniture. Just as a good edit is no fix for bad writing, good SEO techniques are no fix for uninteresting writing that was clearly done to court a search engine rather than a human reader. Search engines don’t read, they don’t browse other posts, they don’t click on anything, and they never buy stuff.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Yo Mama’s a Geek
I’m happy to see advice about good SEO techniques instead of tips that seem more like how to trick your way into better SEO. It really does come down to the content. You want content that people will share. Plus crawlers can tell when there’s spammy or not so good content and they could dock you for it.
Exactly! You can obviously have both; I just see too much focus on the SEO (which ideally does include clear, interesting, relevant content) and not enough on creating that clear, interesting, relevant content. And I’m really sick of ads for things that scrape the entire web, look for keywords, swizzle other people’s work, and spit out “unique articles.”
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Is #FF on Twitter Just a Passing #FAD?
Hope a lot will follow your advice Holly. A lot of people aim on impressing Google first than the visitors. Though Google would accept their site, their sites doesn’t attract return visitors. You are right that people could feel if you put an effort in making your site’s content. A not properly made content would definitely discourage your visitors. I notice that most aim on quantity rather than quality. I’m trying to be different and your article has added to my reasons why.
Great, Steven – I’m glad to hear I could reinforce the idea that quality should come before quantity! :) I can’t really imagine that it does anyone much good in the long term to have huge traffic numbers but also huge bounce and no click-throughs or conversions.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Laziness is the Mother of Invention
I enjoyed this post, Holly. Very to the point, and makes sense in most areas. A lot of attention are given to various site promotion techniques yet one critical aspect is often overlooked, passion. I find that most of the blogs I enjoyed are the ones that strike a chord with me, ones that hit home rather than those populated with generic ‘heard that before’ lines. Tone is also a valid point, and it plays a key role in writing. Applying the appropriate tone in your blogs gives it personality and makes it distinctly your own. By the way, I 100% agree with Jena Isle, write a book!
Roro recently posted..How To Attract A Woman
I enjoyed this post, Holly. Very to the point, and makes sense in most areas. A lot of attention are given to various site promotion techniques yet one critical aspect is often overlooked, passion. I find that most of the blogs I enjoyed are the ones that strike a chord with me, ones that hit home rather than those populated with generic ‘heard that before’ lines. Tone is also a valid point, and it plays a key role in writing. Applying the appropriate tone in your blogs gives it personality and makes it distinctly your own. By the way, I 100% agree with Jena Isle, write a book!
Hi, Roro!
Jena’s teasing – she knows I’ve written books, but the books I write on my own time are mostly fiction and children’s books. In fact, I’m working on a new one now.
Well…
I’ll think about it. I do appreciate your encouragement! Thanks!
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Yo Mama’s a Geek
Holly,
Looks like I came late to the table, but I have to agree with you that content, relevant and readable, is what matters. Love your Blogspell bars under a comment. Those could make a great blog post, Never read anything like them.
Penelope J. recently posted..The Drunken Captain
You’re not too late, Penelope! Thanks! Oh, I had fun writing that “Blogspell” satire – I may have to post them on my own blog, one of these days. Did you know the song, or click the link? You can even sing along! Bloggy Karaoke!
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Laziness is the Mother of Invention
Sage advice.
And you’re not weird; you’re gifted.
Why, thank you Thom! What a kind thing to say. Speaking of gifted, I think I could do with a little more presents of mind today…
:)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Angelic Angela: Child Mouthpiece of God
If you had more, that would be like that “omnipresent” brain JC Superstar sang about?
Thom Brown recently posted..{this memory} 4
I’m going to have to look that one up. ;)
But I can hum a few bars from BlogSpell… (Oh, don’t blame me – remember, Thom here made me think this up!)
Readers, We Beseech Thee
(to the tune of We Beseech Thee from Godspell – http://youtu.be/8CtevwhuPtE )
Readers, hear thy bloggers’ call
Come, we’ll fling our words to all
Desperately confessing all
We beseech thee, read us!
Dreaming of our fortunes made
Into SEO have strayed
And repentence have delayed
We beseech thee, read us!
Come read about
Thoughts!
That brought our blogs to be
Come read about
Dreams!
Of dollar signs we see
Come read about Caaaaaash!
That draws us lovingly
We beseech thee, read us!
Read!
And come to us for more.
Comment!
We seek engagement, sure…
Sploggers!
We long to be made rich!
We beseech thee, click this!
Rate us!
Just click upon those stars!
Share!
Tweet, share, and Digg us – see?
Google!
We pray for PageRank, too
We beseech thee, hear us!
Come read about
Thoughts!
That brought our blogs to be
Come read about
Dreams!
Of dollar signs we see
Come read about Cash! Cash!
That draws us lovingly
We beseech thee, hear us!
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Angelic Angela: Child Mouthpiece of God
ROFLMAOPIMPWTIME. Clearly, you should have been a lyricist, Holly ;)
Alan recently posted..Reserve a free copy of Walking Down the Avenue now!
Sadly, my talents seem to be more in line with the filkers. But it’s fun. And who doesn’t love good satire? :)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Angelic Angela: Child Mouthpiece of God
I love it. Very nice.
But don’t bother looking up Superstar; it’s not one of the more pleasant scngs in the musical.
Thom Brown recently posted..Postponement
Twitter: melaniekissell
says:
I don’t know what it is about SEO, Holly, that makes me want to grab my bottle of Tums!
I get it but I don’t get it. What’s more, I don’t even focus on SEO in the least when I’m writing. I just write! :)
Maybe I’m a weirdo and that’s okay. I focus more on writing clear (and hopefully helpful, entertaining, and enriching) content for my readers. Works for me!
Melanie
Melanie Kissell recently posted..Looking At Life Through Blog-Colored Glasses
When I was 16, my parents gave me a keychain that said, “I like you, you’re weird.” So, if you’re a weirdo, Melanie, you’re the best kind of weirdo. Your writing is informative AND entertaining, and you are genuine in your interactions with people – not at all smarmy or superficial. Maybe we really can “build it, and they will come,” but they won’t STAY and they won’t come BACK without what you do and make look so easy and natural. :)
Yes – it does work for you.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Angelic Angela: Child Mouthpiece of God
Twitter: melaniekissell
says:
Thanks for putting the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval on my weirdness, Holly — I love you for that!
Talk about “informative”, “entertaining”, and “genuine” …
That pretty much sums up this post! :)
Write On!
Melanie
Melanie Kissell recently posted..Looking At Life Through Blog-Colored Glasses
I can’t speak for Good Housekeeping (no, really, I can’t – my house is a mess!) but you have MY seal of approval, for what it’s worth!
Thanks for the fun and laughs last night. I had to conk out early! If there were a prize for “night owl blog writer/commenter” you’d win it – hands down! ;)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Angelic Angela: Child Mouthpiece of God
Twitter: melaniekissell
says:
I usually don’t “conk out” till around 3:00 A.M.
It was tons of fun laughing up a storm with you last night! The later the hour, the sillier I get — you can count on that. :)
Many of my blogging buddies have tried to award me the “night owl blog writer/commenter” award. Good to know there’s SOMETHING I can win. LOL!
Melanie Kissell recently posted..Looking At Life Through Blog-Colored Glasses
There are some tools that can be used for keyword research. I guess that’s where we have to focus and then the unique contents.
Well, I’d focus first on the unique contents – be sure you have something to say, and say it. Then tweak it to include some of those keywords, but don’t shove them in just for SEO’s sake.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Angelic Angela: Child Mouthpiece of God
Thanks for this awesome writeup. I am going to put them it practice and hope to see the results as soon as possible.
Thanks once again.
I’m not sure how to respond to that – but I’m glad you think it’s awesome. Seriously, though, do I look like Gloson? Or are you just giving me credit for having a tenth of that boy’s awesome brain-power? Did he send you here to read this? Gloson’s got social media talent coming out of his ears – and I can’t even tell if he’s trying or it just comes completely naturally to him, he’s that good.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Not Just “Pretty-” Picture Books Aid Learning
i think this is a great article – and useful as well! you always bring up new ideas about it!
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Thank you, Sapir. Which “new ideas” most appealed to you?
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Not Just “Pretty-” Picture Books Aid Learning
hi Holly, you said after we have written great content we have to get out there and promote it, “You have to leave a trail of breadcrumbs for searchers to follow, or to give them a little push to go to your site and not someone else’s.”
most of the time i focus about the content only and forgot to promote it… – this is only one of the “new ideas” – so thank you!
sapir recently posted..Bank of America or any bank background check
Thank you, Sapir! I have a real need, sometimes, to get down to specifics – I guess so I know exactly what it is in what I write that appeals to readers, so I can do more of it. :) Thanks SO much for coming back to elaborate. That’s helpful to ME, too!
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Letting the Muse Out
i should thank you, Holly! it’s my pleasure…
sapir recently posted..Do dropped felony charges show up on a background check?
This article gives me a new perspective about SEO. Great article Holly. More articles comming.
Thank you, Raymund! And…thank you for the heads’ up? :) How many more? LOL
Glad I could give you a new perspective on SEO. It’s so easy to get tunnel vision and forget there’s a world outside the tunnel.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Let Go of Fear- Become a Writer
I am amazed of the interaction in your post Holly. It’s a learning experience. I was thinking you could write a book about it. Just like what you did with your books, one I personally read “A Puppy is not a Guppy.” That book you wrote was one of the most interesting children’s books I have read for quite some time now. My grand kid still reads it now and then.
Perhaps you could also write a book about “SEO for Dummies” like me? lol.
I would love to read your book on short stories and poems. TC.
Jena Isle recently posted..Common Sources of Stress
Surely someone’s written that title already, Jena?
Someone needs to write on how to ask your doctor questions you haven’t even thought of, yet. ;)
If my curiosity had more focused intensity, it might have led to some remarkable discovery or invention. As it is, I just know some incredibly appalling bits of trivia on lots of subjects.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Let Go of Fear- Become a Writer
“should make this into a book”. I think that’s a fantastic idea!
Alan recently posted..Islands in the Pacific
But then, if I wrote the book, it would mean I’d thought of the questions… or maybe it’s just a book on doctor-patient syntax?
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Halfway to the Weekend
Jena says “bloggers don’t need social media,” Alan says they do. Others say a person should have better content than the nightly news.
Personally, I think the vaunted experts in our decade are a broken hallelujah–talented bloggers are filling the void nicely:)
And I just say, “Use noseplugs.” :)
Great content first. Not necessarily “better than the nightly news,” but full of personality and something to set it apart from all the rest.
SEO techniques to help the search engines better serve the human searchers.
And social media to let people know you’re real – to give that personal touch to the engraved invitation.
Because great content is only great if there are readers to think it so. Or to hand out the noseplugs when it stinks or gets so hot and so deep that N. Fowleri smacks its little trophozoic lips in anticipation of munching what’s left of our brains.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Not Just “Pretty-” Picture Books Aid Learning
I watched a missive on CNN today about cell phones causing cancer and they were all “use Bluetooth and don’t carry it on your belt, use a briefcase, OMG!” I flipped over to Fox and Dr. Manny was saying, “Relax, there’s no proven link by a large population yet.”
If bloggers had a hair on their back they’d research and report about this–it’s a void and nobody is reporting the science–just the hype. Most bloggers don’t have the temerity to do so.
So…pick a safe art subject because your opinion won’t matter a hundred years from now…
Playing “choose your expert,” Dave? I’m surprised Faux doesn’t have you thinking the socialists caused the errant hair to sprout. All part of a plot to get national healthcare.
I didn’t think bluetooth made it safer. I thought that just gave you cauliflower ear and blue teeth.
What would constitute a “safe art subject”? I mean, seriously, it doesn’t get much scarier and unsafe than the art world. See http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3671180/Duchamps-Fountain-The-practical-joke-that-launched-an-artistic-revolution.html if you doubt me.
Or maybe you meant we ought to blog about safe art – really – who knew?? http://www.securityproducts1.com/Safes/Safe%20Art.htm
I know, I’m like that stupid Bing commercial where everyone’s talking gibberish from their search results rabbit hole.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Not Just “Pretty-” Picture Books Aid Learning
Wow, that’s kinda harsh Holly. I’ve always read different folks and I’ve never pounded on anyone for their ideology.
I’m just saying many bloggers tackle safe subjects for fear of controversy and become part of the miasma that has no opinion.
:) I’m just teasing, Dave. Did you click the links? Seriously, who knew? Makes me want to run out and get a safe, just so I can decorate it. (Actually, I’m NOT teasing about that – the idea appeals to me the way hand-painting computer cases appealed to me 15 years ago.)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Not Just “Pretty-” Picture Books Aid Learning
Ah, you laugh, Jena, but N. Fowleri is a nasty little zombie, a brain-munching trophozoite, that crosses through nasal mucosa and into the brain by way of the olfactory nerve, wherein it basically digests the brain. Well, it causes primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). Which is pretty much untreatable and leads to death within 1-12 days.
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/faqs.html
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/biology.html
Fortunately, it’s also quite rare – there have been 30 cases confirmed in the past 10 years. Still… eww. We’re having hot weather and a drought (risks are higher when the water’s over 80 degrees F and water levels are low). And school’s just let out – kids are heading to the lakes, the rivers, the pools, and summer camp.
Remind me to get noseplugs for W.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Not Just “Pretty-” Picture Books Aid Learning
I’m impressed Holly, you’re so well informed for a person in “Technology”.
And I was thinking you were talking in metaphors and similes.
I stand corrected and humbled…lol…and I thought I knew it all…he he he…
LOL!! None of us truly know it ALL, Jena. I take it you never read this post? http://jahangiri.us/new/2011/03/11/eve-to-adam-i-was-just-borrowing-the-rib-baby-honest/
;)
For the rest of you, read http://jahangiri.us/new/health-fitness/perky-pincushions/ first – don’t ask me for the password. You can find it, if you WANT to.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Not Just “Pretty-” Picture Books Aid Learning
I’m going there now, Holly. Just chilling out, before getting back to work, Because when I do, I can’t even sit down for a meal.
Oh by the way. I have also some SEO pointers. Like select a good keyword (from adwords or do some research) It can be one word , but two or more words are recommended.
The use the keyword/s in the title, at least 1% to 2% in the article. Use it in the first paragraph and the concluding paragraph to optimize it. This helped me get some readers to my post which I meant to be read. Lol…but sometimes, when the muse is raring to go, I don’t care much about keyword density.
Hope this helps too.
Jena Isle recently posted..Kalinga Native Products
You work so hard, Jena. Take care of yourself, too. And yes, your tips are helpful. I actually have a couple of posts (no, Dave, probably not the ones you think are obvious) that are what I’d call deliberately and overly focused on SEO, just to see if they’d pass for my “normal” writing and as an experiment to see if they actually WORK to bring in more traffic, get more comments, keep more readers. (My bet is that the results will be mixed, and I wish I had a way of doing a survey without tipping people off.)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Not Just “Pretty-” Picture Books Aid Learning
My blog now ranks #1 for “feral lobsters.” Just thought y’all would want to know that.
And I still find this obsession with “brain eating amoeba” disturbing (maybe only slightly MORE disturbing than the fact that my blog ranks so highly for that, too). They’re real, folks – beware, and wear noseplugs. No cannonballs and underwater somersaults in warm lake water, okay? Be safe this summer.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Not Just “Pretty-” Picture Books Aid Learning
Feral lobsters?? Brain-eating amoebas?? Man, this SEO stuff begins to sound…dangerous.
Alan recently posted..Social Media Plan
…but interesting. You cannot deny that brain eating amoeba and feral lobsters are anything but boring.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Not Just “Pretty-” Picture Books Aid Learning
Amoeba cysts are my specialty. Are we talking about the cystic stage or the trophozoite stages? Because honestly I think the amoeba belongs to the intestines and not the brain…LOL….
I was just wondering how an amoeba can “eat” a brain…
An amoeba of diverse ideas, so many you could not decide on what to write about, could “eat” your brain.
Or perhaps a trophozoite of contrasting thoughts could also “eat” the last vestiges of an organized thought process and eschew it to oblivion.
That is how I understand the concept of the brain-eating amoeba.
Care to react on my comment?
Jena Isle recently posted..Common Sources of Stress
I don’t know, Holly. (Inclined to think that maybe “interesting” is in the eye of the beholder.)
Alan recently posted..Islands in the Pacific
I have a morbid curiosity and sense of humor. I find them “interesting.” Until I’m out swimming in the lake with my kids…
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Halfway to the Weekend
Dearest Holly,
You’ll always be the serf-like and dirty-haired girl catering to an imagined Fairy Godmother of your own creation.
Your friends and readers could care less about your Alexa-Rank and Google-Enslavement. We just love you and reading your posts because it was you that wrote them.
You could simply ask each of us to contribute a dollar towards your new camera and you’d never have to write about anything provocative or contestational (is that a word?), you could rely on friends for happy electronic presents:)
…just trying to think outside the stats:)
Dave
You make me laugh. Even as you make me happily envision pitching a banana cream pie at you for calling me “smarmy,” “serf-like,” and “dirty-haired.” Prunebutt put you up to that? :)
Gosh, asking for cash from friends would be gauche and ordinary and … cliche. And all of that is far, far worse than “smarmy,” “serf-like,” and “dirty-haired,” and only slightly up from “terminally boring.” God forbid.
Just a couple more weeks, Dave. I swear there will be serious atonement…
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Shortcut- Failure to Plan- Planning to Fail- Why You Need a Social Media Plan
…if someone actually kept a metirc on descriptive bad-girl terms, I’d have the large “L” emboidered on my cap for having mentioned three bad stereotypes.
I miss your usual blogs–that’s Ms. Prunebutt talking:)
SEO=0–Bloggers=1!
That’s my enlightened opinion:)
Never let it be said that I won’t bend over backwards to please my favorite readers (and dear friends). Here, at your urging (remember, YOU suggested it, Dave – it wasn’t MY idea):
http://jahangiri.us/new/about-2/be-a-patron-of-the-literary-arts/
Oh, Prunebutt, don’t get too comfy chortling and baring those sharp little fangs at me from under Dave’s protective arm…
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..How to Turn On Your PC
“gauche, ordinary and cliche”
Well, yeah. But it would put you in the company of pretty much all of the copy/paste social media experts ;)
Alan recently posted..Social Media Plan
Well, yes, it would, wouldn’t it? *facepalm*
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Not Just “Pretty-” Picture Books Aid Learning
I’ve always said that one should always write with the reader in mind rather than stacking the post with choice keywords for SEO purposes. There is no reason though why you can’t reach a happy medium having just the right amount of keywords without overdoing it so your readers will still enjoy your post.
Rather than overdoing the keywords you’re a lot better off increasing your backlinks and using other ways of marketing your post, like social media ;)
Sire recently posted..Winning The Lottery Is All About The Numbers
And commenting. Let’s not forget that. :)
But seriously, I think we’re in violent agreement – it’s always going to be the reader first, for me. Now, if it serves the reader for me to help the search engine along, I’m fine with that.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Shortcut- Failure to Plan- Planning to Fail- Why You Need a Social Media Plan
Especially commenting Holly, you know how that is my favourite method of SEO.
Sire recently posted..The Birth Of Another Blog- Buying Lottery Tickets Online
It’s more fun for everyone when the comments are rolling in. I know. I need to make the rounds – I’ve had a rough year, and now things are picking up and getting exciting at work, so there just never seems time to be everywhere I want to be. But I’m going to make more of an effort, because it’s that real dialogue that makes any of it mean anything.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Shortcut- Failure to Plan- Planning to Fail- Why You Need a Social Media Plan
Yep. Sort of makes you wonder why so many bloggers don’t bother to interact with their readers or not bothering to socialise with other bloggers by joining in with others by leaving good comments on their blogs?
Still, it does seem that more and more people are starting to realise the benefits of commenting and I reckon we’re helping them to discover that.
Sire recently posted..The Secret To Online Success Is Passive Income
It still boils down to knowing why you are blogging to begin with. Blogging for business (to make money). Is a very different mindset than blogging in a “dear diary” context, or blogging as therapy, or as a way to keep in touch with friends, or blogging in hopes of “being discovered.”. None are wrong, and they are not mutually exclusive. But understanding why you blog is the fundamental question.
Seems like that should be obvious, doesn’t it? It’s actually harder for some of us to articulate than it should be. But that’s part of the goal setting and planning I talked about in my other entry, too.
Maybe every blog should start with a sort of “mission statement.” Mine has evolved, though, over the years. It has never been a “dear diary” sort of thing (that’s what the pen and paper blank books are for, and maybe those should be kept under lock and key); it has never been about “making money online,” although, as an author, I’d love to sell some books that way (you know, come sample the wares – if my blog posts are entertaining, maybe you’ll take a chance on the books); it isn’t about “getting discovered,” although if I didn’t care about readers reading it, I’d just focus on the “dear diary” and the published books; and finally, it isn’t about therapy – although it is occasionally therapeutic.
I started blogging before there was this concept of “blogging for money,” and before there was a burning need to have a purpose in it – let alone define it, state the mission, and make a plan. But the Internet has evolved and so do we, too.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Today’s Mission
Speaking just from my own experience, I can say that it can take years of hard blogging to figure out Why one is blogging in the first place. Sometimes it seems to me that people do too much “meta” thinking and worry too much about what it all means, when they could make a good deal more progress by diving in and trying to swim.
Alan recently posted..Islands in the Pacific
So true. Now it feels like you, Dave, and Prunebutt are ganging up on me. ;)
I’ve always said that writing about writing (or writing about writing about writing, if you really want to send your brain into an endless loop reminiscent of a dog chasing its own tail) is what writers do when they haven’t got a penworthy thought in their heads. It’s like the easy out for writer’s block. You wake up one morning and you go, “Oh, yeah!! Proper use of the semicolon!! Nobody gets that. We could write another sixteen thousand articles on proper comma usage and placement of the semicolon, and still they’d be asking for more. We can’t go wrong with this bestselling strategy!” And people usually prove them right on that. Because, you know, reading about writing about writing about writing is so much easier than actually writing about SOMETHING. And after a while of sitting around on your a** reading about writing and reading about writing about writing about writing, you really DON’T have an original thought left in your head to write about. So you pull out the old comma and semicolon, knowing that there are umpteen gazillion folks out there hungry to read about them…
It’s enough to make an honest writer apply for a job at McDonald’s.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Halfway to the Weekend
For every blogger that stays up late, there’s an understanding spouse or a blogger that is soon to be single. That’s my best guess as a reader without a google-metric-measurment. Most of us readers could care less about SEO metrics and we’re sick of hearing about LiLo but we respond to sincere online relationships between people.
Nobody has mentioned relationships compared to how much time they spend online. I follow three blogs constantly and others when I remember, they’re eclectic blogs and the writers are fun–like a kegger back in the 70′s. Five nights out of seven I end up in bed with my Border Collie watching O’Reilly y 8:00pm and waiting for my wife, I can’t imagine a blogger’s schedule.
My Favorite blogs are written by people that are not so much concerned with SEO, they’re just fun and interesting people:)
What’s really fun is IM’ing your spouse who’s sitting at a desk in the same room as you, Dave. Googling for details and first-person video on news items while said spouse watches CNN. Married people and their kids all computing at the same time, in the same room, with the headphones on – occasionally looking up to grin and nod when one of them lets out a laugh.
You need to read my blog in bed on your smartphone with the border collie while waiting on your wife. If I win this thing and buy the camera, I’ll take some photos of bacon and bones for your dog.
You’re a crack up Holly:) We were sitting around the pool tonight with iPads and laptops waiting for the spa to heat up and listening to 70′s music because hey–it’s Friday. Nobody acknowledged my excellent tacos but we were happy the wireless connection remained solid and we could chat on FB while 5 feet from one another as well as real time–this isn’t anything like the 80′s…
Aww, Dave, I’m sure your tacos were fabulous! You’re a great cook. Only Scoutmaster I know with a convection oven in the glove compartment and a refrigerator in the console.
What 70s music? And am I the only one who MISSES legwarmers?
The youngins are in bed…I kinda like leg warmers, I’m fixin to que up “Aerobicise” with Jane Fonda:)
LOL!! Wouldn’t Flashdance be more fun?
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Today’s Mission
I’ve not eaten any Wheaties this morning, but I _am_ on my 4th or 5th cup of (e)COMMUNITYCO Community Coffee and Chicory. So I suppose I am up to a vigorous round of mental gymnastics.
Honestly, I find myself wearied by all of the metrics obsessed chatter I have been hearing from Empire Avenue players lately. When I think about it, it seems to me that a “reputation for honesty” might possibly meet a CPA’s tests for an “intangible asset”, although most accountants Really don’t like assigning dollar values to intangible assets.
And yet, I think most reasonable business people would agree there is real value in having a reputation for honesty. Many companies these days like to talk about “Core Values and Beliefs” and in many corporate cultures the CVB’s get almost as much play as profit and loss statements. And it does seem to me that by and large CVB’s defy quantification.
Alan recently posted..Social Media Plan
I’m not talking about $$, necessarily. Obviously, the accountants will want to translate any other metrics into $$. But on a more basic level, how would you measure “reputation for trust” so that you could determine what constituted an “increase” or a “decrease”?
Say you sell widget A. Okay, maybe I don’t trust you – I don’t KNOW you. Or maybe I distrust you a bit on past purchases, but you happen to sell widget A for a really good price, and I need it, and I’m willing to gamble that widget A is pretty industry-standard and not likely to fail.
How can you figure out if I trust you or not? How can you figure out if my experience with this purchase made me happier and increased my trust level – or at least didn’t damage it more?
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Today’s Mission
On the question of whether or not things that can not be quantified can have value to a business:
I suppose I should mention that to an extent in this argument I am playing devil’s advocate. I think we agree, Holly, that quantifying friendship is “soul-less” but I am going to dispute your contention that all value is necessarily quantifiable in business.
You mentioned goodwill. In accounting, “goodwill” is definitely a line item Most often the dollar figured assigned to goodwill is the premium an acquiring company paid for a business over and above it’s assets and revenues. Companies that have not been sold do sometimes maintain a “goodwill” asset account, although there is no generally accepted accounting principle for calculating goodwill– except for the acquisition premium as described above.
If you’ve built a strong reputation for honesty, for example, your customers may be far more understanding if a snafu in your billing system causes everyone to be double-billed one month. If your customers believe you are honest and honorable, you would be far less likely to lose future business and generate way less bad word of mouth. And yet “reputation for honesty” will never appear on a balance sheet.
Does that make senese?
Alan recently posted..Social Media Plan
Absolutely makes sense – it’s that “reputation for honesty” that’s hard to measure, but it really does have a tangible value, as you say, when there’s a snafu. There’s got to be a huge cost, too, to reacquire it if lost.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Today’s Mission
mmmmmm. Is it “hard to measure” or is it _possible_ to measure that “reputation for honesty”?
It actually took me a couple of tries to come up with this particular hypothetical case. I started to use a manager who is not especially efficient nor especially a genius but whose bubbly, cheerful personality and no non-sense matter of fact problem solving skills make her much loved by her team, even though their unit’s sales are nothing out of the ordinary. But it occurred to me that a human resources professional could quantify savings in turnover, absenteeism, shrink etc.
I know you are very much correct that in the corporate world if it can’t be quantified it will probably Never be a consideration. And yet my gut insists that many important things quite defy quantification.
Alan recently posted..Social Media Plan
That’s what I’m really asking here – is it POSSIBLE to measure, and is there anything of BUSINESS value that is not POSSIBLE to measure?
It’s mental gymnastics. Intriguing to me, this morning – in that “If God is all-powerful, can God create a rock He can’t lift” sort of way.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Today’s Mission
Zombie Logic VS SEO and Social Media.
This post probably belongs on Holly’s other thread also: “Failure to Plan, Planning to Fail: Why You Need a Social Media Plan” as well. Discussing SEO without the other is like talking about Laurel without Hardy. I have this aversion to following the herd–herd mentality is what I call Zombie Logic because it’s all about current buzzwords. Qualifier: I’ve read every entry on this thread as I’ve found it interesting and sensible… well, maybe I’ve missed reading a couple entries. I don’t think anyone here applies Zombie Logic in their endeavors but even the best of us can come close to fading in that direction if we’re not diligent.
At my place of business I run into at least one person per week that has created a web-site, proudly edited meta-tags, alt tags and matched content with title and tag but can’t figure out why they receive almost zero traffic and inquiries from that site after investing real dollars and time in their creation–their google stats show about 3 milliseconds average for time on site.
When I ask why they chose to create a site rather than use the free site that is offered by our company with expensive captive features and SEO taken care of for them, they tell me “I heard that you need your own site and URL to be successful.” I ask “How many prospects or clients have you friended on FaceBook, how many folks follow you on Twitter (although that’s not a fair question) and “Do you have textual conversations with prospects beyond your product offering?” , “Do you maintain a Blog?” They almost always answer negatively. The next question of course is…”So…how do you meet and interact with people?” You probably get my drift…
That is what I call Zombie Logic. Focusing on a single set of processes via rumor, treating it as a plug and forget event and hoping for positive results. Just because a person designs and completes the structure of a plan, doesn’t mean that plan will succeed on its own without nurturing and tweaks. I haven’t read a zombie on this thread yet but, if you’ve ever watched Dawn of the Dead you understand that diligence is a must if we wish to avoid waking up with different appetites and abandoning personal ambition for primal need!
I’m the IT Director for the largest independently owned Real Estate company in Southwest Florida–sounds impressive but it ain’t much when the Real Estate industry caves-in. I find it hard to determine who the biggest suckers in life are sometimes, Realtors or Bloggers–they share so much psychology:)
P.S. Nur: The Zombie Apocalypse will occur on the third Sunday in June, 2052. I’ve given it much thought and I’m sure I am right.
You heard it here, first, folks – I trust Dave M. completely. In May, 2052, if I’m still here (which I very much doubt), I will sell all my worldly possessions and arm my minions with asbestos catsuits, silver knives, .45 caliber weapons, and lots of Bacardi 151 and Bic lighters (those will be standard issue Zombie defense equipment). Till then… ;)
Never mind thinking “outside the box.” Think outside your own head. Think INSIDE your own head, for that matter. Oh, hell, just THINK. Brainstorm. Ask questions. Try something new and don’t be afraid to fail – best way I know of to learn things. Never gamble more than you can afford to lose, but don’t play it too safe, either.
Dave, not everyone is so lucky as to have their very own Jimminy Cricket who occasionally reaches inside their head, grabs Prunebutt, and shames them into feeding what’s left of their Muse – or inspiration, or authenticity, or whatever you want to call it. Zombie behavior tends to kick in when you play it TOO safe, too conventional, and way too drab. Keep it up too long, and your head falls off.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Today’s Mission
Apart from what words are used in a specific page’s title and the headline, the most effective thing I’ve found are alt-tags on photos, graphics, etc. Not to be confused with a caption, which is also important.
john Gushue recently posted..Nantes
John, I have more fun with alt tags. I write them for humans. I don’t always use them strictly as the W3C intended, but I have fun with them.
It makes me sad to know that unscrupulous marketers have made readers wary of all links, and 99% of people won’t even hover over them anymore, let alone click them.
Mine are always hand-crafted for usefulness and/or humor. And so rarely ever noticed.
I’m going off to have a good cry now. Thank you for commenting! Great suggestions – I really do think alt tags are one of those things people don’t want to spend time on, so they either skip them altogether or let something autogenerate them (and end up with something like “image1″, which is beyond useless). They’re not only good for SEO, but good for accessibility.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Today’s Mission
So, Nur asked, “will SEO even notice wrong word usage?” I think this goes back to the whole discussion of whether we ought to misspell words on purpose, if that’s how people are typing them when they search.
On the one hand, I think there’s SOME value in doing that, when you know it’s a common misspelling – or a common grammatical error or colloquialism (and frankly, there’s an even stronger argument for it if you’re a business aiming to reach a regional or local target market – you want to write like your community talks and writes). But again, I’d focus on the human searcher, not the search ENGINE – don’t try to hit all possible misspellings in the HOPE that someone’s going to make a typo and fall into your snare. Y’know? Are you doing it to trap or to help?
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Back on the Wagon
I’ve actually given the mis-spelled words question considerable thought since the shocking revelation earlier in these threads that mis-spelled key words are an actual SEO technique. It seems to me it kind of depends on your target audience, no? If the people you are trying to reach are unlikely to be adept at spelling, it seems reasonable to me to include some common mis-spellings in your keywords. But honestly, I would draw the line against mis-spelling anything in the article itself, unless you put quotes around it and have fun acknowledging that you are intentionally mis-spelling a word.
Alan recently posted..Were You Planning To Fail
What if your fingers just accidentally slipped – would you correcte the mis-spelling, or leave it as “organic”? (I never used to type “teh” but I think the Internet is contagious.)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Today’s Mission
Like most bloggers, I haven’t the budget for a copy-editor and I know that despite my best efforts at proof-reading that I sometimes miss small typos like teh one you mention. Though most of the time the squiggly red line monsters speak up and let me know. I’m also sure that some errors in grammar and usage slip by me as well. But I think that in blogging, there is a somewhat higher level of understanding and acceptance of occasional errors.
It’s a slippery slope though. As I had to tell a self-published author on my books blog this week (http://libdrone.info/2011/05/24/non-gatekept-it-does-not-elminate-the-need-for-editing/) if you skip the editor and the proof-reader you may well turn out an unreadable book. (By page 5 I desperately wanted a copy editor’s red pencil; by page 25 I simply had to set the book aside and stop trying to read it due to all of the spelling and usage errors a good copy editing would have caught and some style problems that any decent editor would have fixed.
Sometimes at least, it seems to me, spelling Does still Count.
Alan recently posted..Were You Planning To Fail
Your post reminded me of the time I bought a self-published book as a way of saying “thank you” for a wonderful review an author wrote of mine. It turned out to be a tepid paraphrasing of common urban legends, and halfway through, we went from a comfortable “large print” to an “OMG, your font is going to walk off the page and eat Manhattan!” huge print. Seriously. Like, five words per page. I really, really wanted to like this book – I’d hoped I could leave a great review in return for the one this writer had given me. In the end, I heard my mother’s voice in my head: “If you can’t say something nice, just keep your mouth shut.” I chalked the cover price up to “sufficient thanks,” and moved on.
It does no one any good not to have a gate-keeper. Frankly, I LIKE having editors who will keep me from making a complete fool of myself in public. If you cannot afford one, find a very literate friend who either loves you enough to put “keep you from making a fool of yourself” higher on the priorities than “build up a friend’s fragile ego at all costs” or doesn’t love you much at all, but can be induced to work for food, or something. Learn to LOVE the red pen – it has saved my bacon more than once. It’s the typos that slip through that haunt me in my sleep.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Today’s Mission
Not sure what in the world is going on, but you know I will support you anyway I can.
I feel as if you are are speaking a completely different language than I am. However, you know that I always ask you for translation as it is.
Vivian Zabel recently posted..Create Multiples of any object you can paint in Painter by Corel
We’re talking about ways to get your business, your web site, and your blog ranked higher in the search engines, Vivian, so that everyone can find you.
Now, you have the whole “clear writing” down already, so despite what I said in this post, you might want to peruse some of the other posts on this site under the topic “SEO.” :) Your blogs are well focused, topical, human, and well written. A few SEO techniques, carefully applied, may bring you more business.
And thanks – I don’t know what I’d have done without your support and encouragement all these years. :)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Back on the Wagon
What is the difference between being authoritative and opinionated?
You can be both. But I think “authoritative” generally means knowledgeable and respected with regard to a particular body of knowledge – someone people quote as “that blogger really knows this subject, you should pay attention!” (Not that it’s always the case, mind you…)
Opinionated is not always right (or wrong), but takes one side and argues it with passion. Opinionated is colorful, interesting, thought-provoking, debatable – the cons, of course, is that TOO opinionated gets a reputation for being a bully or a blowhard. (Which, as we see in the media, still works for increasing ratings – or, for blogs, traffic and discussion.)
I think it’s better to be both, if you can swing it – but not to be mean-spirited or a bully. Have strong opinions and back them with solid information. That’s a winning combination.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Back on the Wagon
Bill Hicks, I’m starting a new thread – not sure what you mean by “spam may be too nice, but definitely malware”?
Do you mean compared to the crusaders, or in general? Do you think their flattery techniques might be compared to a Trojan horse (the real one, not necessarily the malware kind), wherein you are duped by the compliment into opening the door – and thereby notifying all other spammers that you are a pushover?
This religion metaphor gets more and more intriguing, the more I think about it.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Back on the Wagon
If you two wear out the religion metaphor you might try Zombies. All the really cool people are talking about them, I can see a likeness to spammers.
That would be the robospammers, right? Or would that be the trolls? Trolls are also a good topic (for another post, perhaps). And then there are zombie processes – nothing worse than finding out you ARE one. (Or that there’s one masquerading as you.)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Back on the Wagon
So Dave M. since you mentioned about Zombies, when do you think “zombie apocalypse is due to start?”
That would be a Level 4 Zombie Attack, wouldn’t it, Nur? It’s hard to predict, but it’s a sure bet the zombies won’t be warning us with their excellent use of SEO techniques OR good, focused writing.
How DO you spell “Grrruuuuugggghhh” anyway? Or the sound of brain-slurpin? (Which ought to bring us back to the whole niglaeria fowleri thing, which disturbingly enough, continues to cause my blog to rank well in the search engines. I say “disturbingly enough,” because really, I do wish there were no such thing as brain-eating amoebae (or zombies) to terrorize our children as they head off to summer camp and freshwater sports.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Back on the Wagon
Spam is relatively “harmless”….Crusades were anything but harmless….they kicked butt and took names…err, I mean souls….they were a virus with shoes.
And pointy sticks.
But you don’t want your name on either’s “list.”
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Today’s Mission
In the beginning was THE WORD…..but if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it really make the sound of one hand clapping?
Of course content is KEY – but if a site isn’t architected for search engine visibility, no one will know about the content. Today no one would know about the bible, much less quote it to their heart’s content, if Google couldn’t find it.
Bill, I agree with you – about all of that, except for the part about the Bible. That one’s the ultimate example of “word-of-mouth Marketing,” that is. But it’s had a head start on all other social media, and in a sense, invented its own form of social media – church.
:)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Back on the Wagon
What I’m saying is if the Bible were written now and the site it was on was not searchable by google, who would read it ;)
Is a crusade really considered word of mouth marketing?
If it gets picked up in the pulpit, or by the town crier, or by FOX News…
Yeah. ;) Maybe.
Do you think people who gathered converts at the point of a sword might’ve been the spammers of their day?
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Back on the Wagon
Spam may be too nice, but definitely malware!
This discussion deserves a whole new thread, I think. It’s far too weighty for this tiny, narrow column.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Back on the Wagon
I tend to think number 1 is most important, but then I’m one of those grouches to think the internet is too full of recycled content of little to no value on any level :)
You, however, bring the goods.
Used to see a lot of conversations about how SEO and optimizing keywords to get the ads you want and so forth, and unfortunately a lot of people get along by churning out websites that are just collections of articles about whatever’s popular on Google at that moment. Real bloggers write about things they care about – even if it *is* the trending topic of the moment, lord knows I hit enough of them with my interests – and like you said: the readers can tell.
If you phone it in…just don’t.
LowGenius recently posted..America’s Drug Problem 3-3 – An Humanitarian Issue- Not Criminal
That’s something I’ve never known you to do – ever – just “phone it in.” You write about things that are interesting and relevant, and you make them interesting to others – or they can just take their eyeballs elsewhere. I like your analytical, no B.S. style – the way you can cut through all the crap and make sense of a complex and thorny topic.
I used to tell people when I critiqued their writing that poorly edited work was a sign of disrespect towards readers and their precious time. Some writers don’t get that. It’s the humble writers who don’t really imagine that there isn’t someone out there who’s already said it better – the brave writers who try to approach the topic with their own original thoughts, with that knowledge firmly in mind at all times – they’re the ones who are likely to succeed.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..How to Turn On Your PC
Holly,
Allow me to butt in? This phrase made me squirm,
“…that poorly edited work was a sign of disrespect towards readers and their precious time.”
I hope writers who use English as their second language should be given more leeway to improve?! LOL…we’re trying our best, and establishing our own style the best method that we know of. But we still have to perfect the language itself. That is the challenge that I keep overcoming. It is totally different when you speak the language anywhere you go. When you don’t, it is harder to write impeccable sentences, that readers would admire. But we mean no disrespect to them..lol…
Jena Isle recently posted..Pippa’s Racy Photos Publication Prompted Middletons to File Formal Complaint Video
Oh, Jena, I’m SO glad you chimed in!! I think you know me well enough to know the answer to that. EFFORT generally shows, doesn’t it? I was referring (primarily, but no, not exclusively) to native speakers of English. People have actually said to me, “Grammar and spelling don’t matter. My ideas matter. If you don’t get it, you’re not the person I’m writing for.” Well, shoot, they could’ve said that in the first sentence and saved me a lot of time spent trying to decipher their muddled thoughts to discern the kernel of an “idea.” Know what I mean?
You know what I mean. :)
And lest we forget, YOU were the FIRST (and one of an elite handful) of readers to spot the typo in “A Puppy, Not a Guppy.” So I would NEVER include you with this “disrespectful” bunch! You write very clearly; the occasional error is forgiven without your having to ask. As is the case with all writers who make an effort to improve with each post, native speakers or not.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Back on the Wagon
English Grammar and Composition have so much
rules to follow. I think that’s the reason why
I could not be a writer. By the way, will SEO
even notice wrong word usage?
I like your thoughts on SEO Holly. Organic without making SEO the primary motivation for your content & word choice (if I understood you correctly). Writing in your own voice, showing who you are, about subjects of keen interest to your target audience, being engaging & trying to stimulate engagement in return is what I would like to do.
I’ve been thinking about blogging, thinking about what my niche should be, and how to factor SEO into a blog without making it the be-all end-all.
I think your insight may help guide me and appreciate the chance to participate in this exercise.
Ira J Cohen recently posted..irajcohen- in Will f-commerce succeed at converting likes to purchases http-bitly-kMiUFh – Ogilvy 360 Fresh Influence
You absolutely did understand me correctly, Ira. What makes your blog stand out among the thousands in whatever niche you choose is YOU, and YOU ALONE. Solid information plus personality will keep people reading. “SEO techniques” are good to know – great to give a good post an edge. But focus on the human reader first and foremost, and don’t mess up a good post kowtowing to the search engines.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..How to Turn On Your PC
Hi Holly,
There are three parts to the problem. First one is how to get traffic. Next is how to keep that traffic and the last one is how to repeat the same traffic( as in a repeat customer). The only time SEO strategy might work is first part. If the writing skills are so bad that you want to run away as soon as arrived no SEO can help. Only great content and which is relevant to title is going to get the repeat traffic.
If you promise ice cream on the shop board while serve burgers inside, it is a terrible mistake.
So in my opinion , good and returning traffic = SEO (10%) + original thoughts and content(90%). What do you say?
Ashvini recently posted..How can an entrepreneur position a product in the market
I completely agree with you, Ashvini. If you promise more than you deliver, you will drive everyone away, defeating the purpose.
I could write a book with a great hook – the title and first paragraph make you think, “I really want to read this book!” So you plunk down $22.99 for the book, get it home, curl up for a few hours’ happy reading, and then – what the hell? The book turns out to be boring, insipid, and a complete waste of $22.99. Are you EVER going to buy one of my books again? Are you going to tell all your friends that they really must read my books – BUY them, to support an author you’d like to see continue writing, as opposed to, you know, spending 99% of her time working a second and third job sacking groceries instead of writing?
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Happy Hump Day- Team H2W2B2!
Its fun to see so many “romantic writers” popping up in my city. They write about their own lame love stories and about their friends and their families.
my wife often takes a book out of a book store shelf, reads the excerpt and with a disgusting look puts it back on the shelf. Till now she has not been able to purchase any local author’s romantic book till recently.
People do not understand that even though their life experiences may be interesting, if they can not write it well, they are not going to cut much ice with readers.
Every techie in here wants to be a romantic book writer :)))
Ashvini recently posted..How can an entrepreneur position a product in the market
Ashvini, has there been a corresponding up-tick, in your country, of entrepreneurial spirits opening up a new “vanity press,” convincing everyone that their romantic memoirs are a goldmine?
Writers are shamefully easy prey.
It’s the same, too, with children’s book authors – too many people think it must be really easy to write for kids, as if young readers were tiny, brain-damaged people with vocabularies consisting of 2- and 3-letter words, only.
They forget that children have an even lower tolerance for boredom and adult condescension than many adults. :)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Happy Hump Day- Team H2W2B2!
Hi Holly,
In India there are three popular things marriage, bollywood and cricket( not the bug ;) ). Each of them can generate thousands of articles. Combine each of the and the do the Permutation and Combinations. For flaovour add “after play party” , politics, girls, cheerleaders, money and there are so much things to write about. So much that one of the top newspaper writes only about them.
Not a small wonder that they are not getting only those crowds who want to watch pictures and not engage in meaningful discussion.
Writing great content is an art and I am sure that these artists are not paid well. So why will they generate the content ?
Ashvini recently posted..How can an entrepreneur position a product in the market
I know a bit about marriage and bollywood, and there’s a cricket club that has part of a park near my son’s old elementary school and plays most weekends. I may even have some pictures… Why, you’ve just given me such marvelous ideas for increasing my global audience and upping my international Alexa stats, Ashvini! Smashing!
On a more serious note… why? Because we don’t do math. Because we’re not likely ever to discover the cure for AIDS, but we stand ready to write about it when someone who’s brilliant in math and science wants to explain – in lay terms – what his latest research means to the world and why they ought to fund more of it. ;) Because it’s more fun than laundry, and can be done in a nice, air-conditioned room?
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Happy Hump Day- Team H2W2B2!
I find that writing about SEO becomes important because there are so many people who have no concept of it. You’re right, if people write relevant content that’s pretty good, they’ve got it down. But think about how many websites we see that have fallen flat because people haven’t written almost anything on the page to even give themselves a chance to compete online.
So, I figure we write about it for those people who are just coming into it anew and say “oh, so that’s why my website isn’t getting any hits!” :-)
Mitch Mitchell recently posted..Is Social Bookmarking Still Worth It
Mitch, you’re right, of course – it can be helpful to explain a few things to novice bloggers who are discouraged by a lack of visitors. But I think novice bloggers need SEO training wheels. For example:
Unit 1: Pretty Permalinks and Spelling Counts! (or, What is a Post Slug and How to Use the Dictionary)
Unit 2: Keywords and Subject-Verb Agreement
Unit 3: Crafting the Perfect Headline and Editing the Not-So-Perfect Post.
:)
Writing skills are a MUST – if you want to DO anything with that “traffic” after you’ve brought it in. If the only traffic you care about is bots and crawlers and people who now feel cheated and deceived or manipulated, it doesn’t much matter.
Good stuff, except for the headline stuff. Not that you’re not right, but it’s the one area I know I fail at. Heck, it took me 3 years to figure out a title for my book. lol
Mitch Mitchell recently posted..Blogging Responsibly Part Two
I’m holding back, now, Mitch. I’m thinking up a new post on “How to Craft a Catchy Headline (or Title, for You Writers Out There)”
Have you guessed, yet, what I need to work on? LOL
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Happy Hump Day- Team H2W2B2!
I agree and try my best to follow the advice in the post.
What strikes me amazed are reading the comments here! I thought I had a tough haul with SEO as a photog, but man, you writers have a huge hill to climb!
I have long respected writers are artists, mostly because I am neither of the two. But after reading the comments and getting a better understanding of what you all go through, wow, my hats off to you all!
SEO is a huge ball of techniques. You can’t focus on one area, you most try to touch all the points of the SEO world. The most unique content won’t rank high without proper keywords, and even then won’t rank high without traffic(readers).
Great post and moreover excellent comments!
Oh, Hank, careful – words like could be mistaken for flirtation by a writer. Don’t tease. (Buy my books, instead!) I’ll never forget one graphic artist I know dismissing us technical writers: “Oh, they’re not creative.” I thought up some real creative things for a while, after hearing that. (As I said to my son, when he worried about his friends teasing him if they recognized him as a character in my first children’s picture book: “I can’t stop selling and writing kids’ books, but I CAN have a little chat with your friends and explain to them how I can make them characters in my NEXT book.” He gave me this surprised, almost betrayed look – until he noticed the evil little smile on my face.
“Oooooh. Would you really?”
“You betcha.”
Hank, do you remember to include good ALT tags on all your photos? :) I mean descriptive ones, not just “tall building” but “Williams Tower, Houston Texas, sunny day, water wall in background”?
Thanks so much for dropping by and joining in the discussion, Hank! (And for your support of my plans for the future photo blog. ;)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Happy Hump Day- Team H2W2B2!
lol, I’m not a writer so how would I know that would be flirting?
Yes, I try to be descriptive in my alt tags as much as possible. That is if I want my photos to turn up in searches, sometimes I do not.
Not to brag, well maybe a tad, here is a SERP in Google’s image search – http://www.google.com/search?q=Red+Flag+10-4&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1024&bih=587
1st page, 1st photo, 4 out 5 on the first row.
Granted, it’s a VERY specific search, but that’s what I SEO’d to. Beat out Nellis AFB in the SERP too :)
Thanks for responding! It’s my #1 pet peeve when commenting on someones blog, they don’t respond! Why have comments enabled if you are going to respond!
We writers are suckers for a little appreciation. “Nice turn of phrase” is like, well – never mind. I’m fanning myself just thinking about it.
Stu, I really like http://www.redbubble.com/people/hankmann/art/everything/tags/red%20flag%2010%204
Yes, it’s a specific term, but that makes it much more useful to PEOPLE who want THAT photo to come up first on THEIR search.
On that note, I’m pretty sure there’s a company in Germany that is totally baffled as to why my fictional little monster Trockle beats all heck out of them in the search engines. :)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Happy Hump Day- Team H2W2B2!
Hank.
I know you’re not Stu. Good thing I was only joking about the flirting. You might be REALLY offended. LOL Sorry.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Happy Hump Day- Team H2W2B2!
P.P.S. I try ALWAYS to respond to comments (I like to encourage people to keep them coming. I sometimes get confused and think I’m back moderating a forum on GEnie or something…) I try always to respond, even if it takes me hours, sometimes days (did I mention that I’m not desperate to monetize the blog because I HAVE a day job, and no intention of leaving it any time soon?) I try always to respond, even if it’s going on midnight, I haven’t had caffeine in about 6 hours, and I’m going on stupid. :)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Happy Hump Day- Team H2W2B2!
You know, I have been publishing my book review site (http://libdrone.info) for almost 4 years now, and for most of that time have been studying almost everything related to web publishing, including of course Google, keywords and SEO/SERP. And it wasn’t until Dave’s comment that the thought of including intentionally mis-spelled keywords to draw inaccurate typists and uncertain spellers to your content. The _blogger_ in me (as I suspect Dave would call it) thinks it’s bloody brilliant, and is kicking the the _writer_ in me who so laboriously learned to spell correctly and take such great pride in always doing so– long before the invading army of squiggly red lines attempted to make knowing how to spell “_SO_ 1 point oh”.
(Torn between competing urges to add “litarecy”, “raeding”, and “buks” to the http://rawwr.com met tags and to spend the next two hours scrolling through http://wordnik.com reading obscure words and their definitions until the first urge passes.)
Alan recently posted..Abandon Drabble
“Resist the Dark Side, Luke. Er, Alan. Feel the Force. Use the Force for good…”
And remember that the occasional typo may simply be “enhancing the usability of your site.” :)
My son just told me a literary joke:
“What happened when Tybalt got a gun?”
“What?”
“He popped a Capulet.”
I’m so proud.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Happy Hump Day- Team H2W2B2!
Well, I typoed “meta” in the response above. Dunno if it enhances this blog, but I will say I subscribe to the ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’ philosophy.
Alan recently posted..Abandon Drabble
Blogs Are Web-Sites with an Attitude.
Riddle me this Edna, a co-worker has three web-sites with the exact same content but slightly different meta-tags. She ranked first page on google a few years ago but has steadily worked her way to the fourth page on google in spite of effort, updated and current content. She posts her opinion daily on FaceBook and has much traffic there as opposed to her web-site.
I believe her separate sites should have unique content if they are to help each other regarding google rank and should be updated like a blog. Didn’t google crack down on gateway-feeders and pages a few years ago?
Curious in Fort Myers.
P.S. Can A blog-site date a Web-site date a FaceBook page and Tweet? I’m worried about my kids falling in with wrong crowd.
I believe you’re right, Dave. I’m not sure just how harshly Google penalizes duplicate content – I’m pretty sure a shared post here and there won’t hurt anyone. But if ALL of the content is identical? Yep, to a machine, that just screams “SPLOG!!” And with the PANDA update, Google has really made it harder for the sploggers and scrapers, with legitimate article syndication caught in the cross-fire. Good news for us writers, though, and I don’t apologize for a small, secret glee.
Then again, I saw some piece of software the other day that sucks up content from all over the web and spits out an article that ALMOST looks like a third grader wrote it. It’s sufficiently good at its job to make me want to pull its plug, but like I said, if you want your content to look like a third grader (a smart one who can generally spell) wrote it, fine. Go for it. If you want something original or creative, find yourself a writer.
You should worry, Dave – what I alluded to, above, with my cross-posting, auto-linking, bot-tweeting frenzy was nothing short of a social media orgy (there you go, K – link bait! Muahahahaha!) Be careful where you let the kids hang out.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Good Morning- Team H2W2B2!
Re: Article “spinning” on multiple blogs, google algorithm’s, and content.
This is like a topic there are a zillion pages and views about so I’ll try to keep my views short and somewhat concise.
Firstly I would read up on canonical url’s and make sure your permalink structure is in line with Google’s view of how this affects indexing – via an article by Matt Cutts, http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/canonical-link-tag/ This is, as I’m sure you’re aware a very important area to hit first, if you’re meta tagging and using other forms of SEO that may be rendered pretty useless if your permalink structure sucks. That said, content is still King and Queen.
Personally, I append my WordPress blogs url’s with the .html extension for reason’s that through exhaustive research has led me. This can be done simply via a plugin.
Keyword density – shoot for about 6% – of course selection of keywords relative to the topic is another huge study.
Article Spinning and Multiple blogs with similar content produced via software. The only reason this is done imho is for those that are trying to monetize via click ads. Don’t do it. If you have a centric blog per area of expertise and you index well in it, you can set aside space for ads relevant in each blog/area of expertise and glean a better CTR.
Pushing people to your blog via Social Networks. I am such a huge believer in owning a single blog for your specific “Thing” you do as a “Subject matter expert” be it an online business, or brick and mortar with an online presence. Do not use Amplify, Posterous, Tumblr to re-publish content, use them to enhance your main businesses visibility. Just as a #fb business page or App (or any of the above for that matter) should be used as a lead-in/teaser for your real content and not just a farm for re-publishing identical or similar content that no one is going to read.
Google showed earlier this year that with a stroke of their wand, they could take any huge business and throw it under the bus (no biz names here, ahem) from page 1 to page 82 if they and their algorithm deduced you were buying negativity conjured up against your competition via paid articles, automated link bait software or some of the techniques Holly mentioned above.
I have never monetized a client site with ads, because they are the ad (We do have one coming up however that will).
Stu Rader recently posted..weBlog portion of site update
Darren R. and Chris B. both agreed, a couple of years ago, that “no niche” WAS my niche, so I stopped sweating it and now focus on one blog and content that’s just all over the place, and trying to use categories and tags effectively.
I do use an SEO plug-in and I do use canonical URLs. I have redirects from all my old blogs, and try to fix most, if not all, broken links (there’s a plug-in for that, too, but you still have to do all the real work, like figuring out where the darned thing went)
As a writer, I loathe article spinning software and hope its makers drop off a – never mind, some of them probably read this blog. ::glares:: Never mind, Karma’s a b**ch, and she’s got your number.
I used to contribute articles to some of the free articles databases, but I originally did it to help someone else promote a business, and realized where my name was going and how I’d completely lost control… and stopped doing that. (It did lead to my humorous – if somewhat “off color” post, “Ten Secrets to Hugely Successful Article Writing (Humor)” at http://jahangiri.us/new/2008/11/25/ten-secrets-to-hugely-successful-article-writing-humor/ ) THAT was meant to be scraper bait, of course – but funny thing – THAT, they never picked up.
My keyword density needs work. Then again, I laugh out loud each morning over coffee as StatCounter reveals to me some of the oddest things I rank well for. ;) Who knew? But seriously – my advice is to stay out of warm water. Judging by the sustained popularity of naegleria fowleri, I worry. Remind me to get my son nose plugs before summer camp. Maybe I should get them for the whole Scout troop.
Anyway…
I appreciate your weighing in here, Stu. Your clients are lucky to have you and your zombie fighting skills. ;)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Happy Hump Day- Team H2W2B2!
This, is a super blog and very appealing. I know you understand I wasn’t aiming that it wasn’t doing any of that good stuff, or indicating that I think ads are a no-no. I just get into my own world and fired up about the less than above board crudola that’s rampant on the web. Yikes, nay you say “less than above board”, we didn’t even know . . .
When the Pie-man sends me off, I’m not generally armed with vanilla and some have even called me random?
Spicy wings this weekend for all !
Stu Rader recently posted..Communications Branding – Design
Hahahahahaha…Stu, you do realize this is a guest post, and not “my” blog, right? (And you’re cordially invited to critique MY blog, any time you like! It’s over at http://jahangiri.us/new )
Only ads I run on mine are hand-chosen, hand-crafted, and stuff I stand behind, either as an author or a consumer who’s used the product. (Of course, I couldn’t sell shrimp boats for Gulf Coast fishermen, so I just don’t run too many ads or write too many product reviews. When I do, you might want to take a look.) All the links, likewise. It makes me really sad to think the snake-oil salesmen have taken all the fun out of embellishing hyperlinks with hidden extra info and jokes. ;) No one wants to hover over them anymore, let alone click.
Isn’t the pie man great? What kind did he give you? I got some Pi pie on my way to work, and something frothy looking, bordered in cherries. “Random” is my middle name. Welcome, Stu. ;)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Happy Hump Day- Team H2W2B2!
Dave,
The problem is Not _can_ a blog date a web site, date a Facebook, date a Tweet. The problem is when they are all dating and a hapless content creator spams the same thing to you in four different places. (See the threads about auto-forwarder shafus.)
You are absolutely 100% correct that Google penalized duplicate content. When I moved my book review blog from Blogspot to WordPress, some knowledgeable friends helpfully advised me to take down the original blogspot site once all the posts were imported into WordPress because Google Really doesn’t like duplicate content.
Alan recently posted..Abandon Drabble
You figured it out…
OK, yes I was trying to make a point about spelling and dialect. I’m not adept at written irony but you two (Alan and Holly) figured it out. One of the folks I support at work hired a SEO company to send his page ever higher on google. I was at his office Friday and he called me over for an opinion, like a network and systems guy could help him out:) He said: “Watch what happens.” He complained that he used to show up on the first page but is now on page six. I explained that he wasn’t spelling his search terms correctly. He said: “I have to misspell them because it’s mostly Germans that visit my page.” I showed him how to view his tags in the source code and sure enough, he was misspelling the misspelled German/American tags. After correctly entering the misspelled search terms he came up on page one.
I wasn’t going to tie myself in a knot trying to explain it further and suggested he call the SEO company. I kept thinking of Holly’s guest blog here and wondering how many ways a person can pay good money for the privilege of shooting them self in the foot, I felt so bad for the guy I didn’t want to embarrass him by shaking my head, I stiffly walked away and didn’t look back.
He was using the word glene in place of discover. His tag was spelled gleen… This reminded me of Rustin’s -er- Rusten’s site:)
I’m glad you brought this up, because ever since I mentioned the proper spelling, this little voice in my head has been chortling, saying, “Yeah, but what if your ‘motivated human searchers’ can’t spell their own names, most days?” (Okay, this particular little voice in my head is related to the Inner Editor, Edna – neither of them are particularly “nice” characters, and you wouldn’t want to meet them in a dark alley.)
See http://www.googleguide.com/spelling_corrections.html – now, I wonder if there’s a reverse spelling suggestions app somewhere; you spell a word correctly, and it spits out a list of common misspellings?
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Good Morning- Team H2W2B2!
That’s too weird to think about… so “common misspellings” will likely become an iPhone app. Everyone in SW Florida writes “Fort Meyers” in their tags along with the correct spelling “Fort Myers.” Using the “most searched list” on google gives one a good idea of the terms people may use to find you.
I had only recently become comfortable with your different personalities. “Edna” is new to me, you keep introducing new characters to the discussion. You should consider giving them their own email addresses:)
Oh, Dave, you don’t know EDNA??? ROFL – you must meet Edna. In fact, anyone who is reading this who has ever been plagued by writer’s block or the nagging, insecure feeling that they are not good enough TOTALLY needs to find their own Edna and beat the snot out of her – figuratively, of course. So, with apologies to all the lovely women out there named Edna, here’s mine:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/15201079/Eradicating-Edna
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Good Morning- Team H2W2B2!
Edna sounds like…well, she sounds like Sister Edna in the fourth grade–Sister Jean Michael to be exact.
I only had time to read the prologue but will go back and read in a fortified frame of mind after I watch the Divinchi Code again.
Bloggers post on natural prozac I think, but they all have a Catholic dark-side :)
Dave, when you write like that I want to ask you what’s your nom de plume? Because I swear, you ARE a writer. ;)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Good Morning- Team H2W2B2!
My French fav-name would be something like Holly or Vivian if I could write, females seem to dominate the blogisphere–they’re willing to tolerate idiots and conquer risk–they handle it.
A guy can’t give up his mig-welder and listen to those voices Holly, a guy needs to keep working and be thankful for expressive, talented friends and artists–like New Orleans appreciates Stevie Ray Vaughn and raised cemeteries:)
We all carve out our own chunk of life along the way and we’re careful whom we share it with. If SEO was perfect we wouldn’t have to work at discovery or feel sheepish like kids at a Prom while approaching a blog and receiving fake compliments on our cheap plastic Orchid, we could simply drop our internet quarter and select our joy with confidence that a blogger might be sincere–in a perfect world:)
Oh, Dave, you know I couldn’t pull off insincere if someone held a gun to my head. If you blogged, I’d read. If you wrote a book, I’d want it.
Some days, though, I’m secretly glad you don’t – and openly glad that you like to read what I write.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Good Morning- Team H2W2B2!
Wooo-Ok then…
Dere’s dis guy named Rustin, he’s not a blogger but he writes and talks a lot. When you visit his site he doesn’t seem concerned about SEO, he’s kind of a Finlander, I’m a Swede and I used to gang up with Norwegians and dump on Finlanders cuz dey’re dumber dan granite right?
So dis guy Rustin, he’s maybe a Finlander and a Bird-caller, he starts dis web-site about agrarian Finlander livin in Washingdon but you can’t find it on google, he’s been interviewed locally on public radio and nationally on NPR but you can’t find him on google–He’s da real deal but you can’t find him cuz you rely on a “Sneetch Engine” to fill out the borders in your life, if dey don’t include popular content you’re screwed ey?
So you can’t find him. He’s a Finlander, he does good works but he’s a searchtrarian, eats reindeer and and flies under de google-radar, so he can hone an axe, raise bees, build a cabin and grow corn, but he can’t market himself other than the sign he wears outside the cheese market in Green Bay. ey? He could give a toot about SEO.
Seriously, I read–I read this guy’s site and he’ll never ever be a blogger, and you’ll never find his site while querying google, but he’s one of the most interesting and influential people I know on the left coast…
http://humweb.ucsc.edu/gleaningstories/
http://www.hogradio.org/CalBirdTalk/rusten.html
Y’all need to get out of the house and capture some content, google only represents the stuff(shit) it points too:)
Oh, I don’t know, Dave – one look at his home page and I’ll bet he ranks #1 for “gleaning.”
Whoa. He’s NOT.
Point taken! Another point you make (rather subtly) is the importance of spelling. This guy you read, his name’s not Rustin, it’s Rusten. Google will sometimes venture a guess, saying, “Did you really mean Rusten?” but it doesn’t always guess correctly.
Interesting sites, Dave! I had no idea this gleaning was a movement, of sorts – sounds like fun, actually.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..WBB Guest Posting Contest Update 2- TGIF Edition
And one man’s gleaning is another man’s curating. Now curating– that’s a hot word these days and not just in the library and museum crowd. Holly what I heard in Dave’s comment was indeed a reminder about how very important spelling and accurate typing really are.
Alan recently posted..What Is Spam
Yep, but this Rusten’s talking about the real thing! LOL Oh, goodness, Alan – “curating” is about to become the “paradigm” of the decade, isn’t it? It’s already edging out “engagement.”
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..WBB Guest Posting Contest Update 3- Monday- Monday
hee hee. Well do let us curate our engagement in this auspicious moment ;)
Alan recently posted..What Is Spam
Man, I’m starting to see Spiggi’s point about the word “engaged.” I’m all for the evolution of language, but that could just be taken SO wrong.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..WBB Guest Posting Contest Update 3- Monday- Monday
Twitter: glynisjolly
says:
Holly, a wonderful post. Like you, all this talk about SEO sounds a little silly. It may be good to surf the internet for the current buzz words to use as keywords but if I have a word I want to use, I’m not going through it away because it isn’t a ‘keyword.
Good! And thank you. :) Using common keywords and search phrases is good. Contortionistic writing around them is not, nor is sprinkling them randomly through an otherwise comprehensible post like fairy dust.
I saw an ad yesterday that just infuriated me – it was something along the lines of “write great blog posts in your sleep, about topics you know absolutely nothing about, and because we pull random snippets from a gazillion sources across the Web, it’s all original content that won’t get you in trouble with the copyright checkers!” I hate people some days. ;)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..WBB Guest Posting Contest Update 2- TGIF Edition
“Contortionistic writing around them is not.” I love that turn of phrase!
Alan recently posted..What Is Spam
Feel free to quote me on that, Alan! ;)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..WBB Guest Posting Contest Update 2- TGIF Edition
Holly,
You are your own worst enemy sometimes, seriously. You enter a competition and recommend friends to a competitor so they read a person’s article just because you liked it, what’s up with that? I’ll never choose you as a partner in dodge-ball:) I read Hajra’s entry, I enjoyed it so I posted a comment and thereby gave her a vote.
You’ve pointed me at several blogs over the years that are at least compelling but not always well written–with the exception of Donna, she’s always perfect.
This has been a learning experience. I’m not sure that the vaunted google SEO is as important as “Blog recommendations” by individuals and amongst trusted and frequent visitors. I’m thinking I need more touch-stone blogs and fewer searches…
I’m happy to be your touchstone, Dave. Maybe I’m just looking out for the long-term karma. Like I said, Donna trounced me in that other contest, but I still placed well enough to meet my goals – and buy my Nook. And made new friends in the process. Like I said, win/win. I can live with it. ;) I’m glad you liked Hajra’s post. I did, too, or I would never have shot my competitive self in the foot like that and said, “Go read it!” :)
I actually find most of the interesting stuff through CommentLuv and word-of-mouth (which is really kind of the same thing: you leave an intriguing, well-written, HUMAN comment on my blog or someone else’s, I’m likely to want to follow your breadcrumbs, right?). I’m also a sucker for a clever, catchy title – whether it’s really GOOD SEO or not. But then I guess I read more like an editor or publisher – “Just give me ONE good reason to keep reading, or to toss it in the circular file. Could go either way, really – keep pulling me in or risk losing me.” Not because I’m the devil in Prada or anything, but because I have the attention span of a gnat and there are SO many pretty, shiny things out there… ;)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..WBB Guest Posting Contest Update 2- TGIF Edition
One of the commenters here, Alan, made a good point about writing paid articles I thought. I often read those types of articles and expect them to be SEO optimized but the better paid-missives don’t surrender readability to SEO while remaining discoverable on google and bing. I rely on those articles when researching product and customer service history when making purchases for business or personal use.
I use a top down approach that seems to work for familiar technology but unfamiliar product. If a person were to view a pyramid that represented influence, segmented in thirds horizontally; from top down I use product specific forums as the top and smallest amount of influence because those tweet-like comments are often jaded and open to manipulation.
The next tier down for impact is paid or manufacturer sponsored reviews and articles as Alan mentioned. These often have the most meat regarding features, benefits and improvement over current industry standard. They’re usually the most professional of influence articles.
The last and bottom third of the pyramid has the most clout and leverage for me–bloggers. Their sites often lack the Web-Ritalin that allows everything to appear clean, polished and organized. A blogger’s site-topics might skip daily from an area of expertise to musings about life or a new interest. I’ve found that a committed blogger that doesn’t pray at google’s alter of SEO but simply attends service once a month is usually trustworthy to their site’s objective–I re-visit those bloggers whose goals are sympathetic with my own when I need them. The best bloggers I’ve found are like internet-EMS, they’re trustworthy, skillful, sincere and could easily be a friend living in my community even if they’re posting from the other side of the world.
I think bloggers tend to get caught up in their own little community of bloggers (it’s a big community, but there’s a whole wide WORLD of readers to reach) and forget that they actually do HAVE a different perspective than the non-bloggers who may understand things like SEO but don’t CARE. I don’t know about you, Dave, but I’ll peruse several pages of Google search results and tend to prefer what I find on pp. 3-7, generally speaking.
Having your comments here is really valuable, and I hope everyone takes a moment to consider that this is real reader feedback – customer feedback, not peer review.
I love the way you put that: “I’ve found that a committed blogger that doesn’t pray at google’s alter of SEO but simply attends service once a month is usually trustworthy to their site’s objective–I re-visit those bloggers whose goals are sympathetic with my own when I need them.” Once a month services are, for me, getting a site checkup and eliminating some bad links, thinking about whether or not I’m using good titles and communicating clearly, doing a little housecleaning on tags and categories and such – kind of a little reality check. Unless I’m out to conquer the Google Beast or make Alexa love me just for the heck of it, that’s about all I do. I still rank well for what I want to rank well for. ;) And as long as I can keep your trust, Dave, and that of other readers, it’s all golden.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..WBB Guest Posting Contest Update 2- TGIF Edition
I think every writer’s site has a personal goal beyond simple expression Holly–the need to express only goes so far before skill and passion appears and shared goals with readers/bloggers either cements a connection or turns them off forever (conversion). Google is rife with pointers to failed SEO-centric bloggers whom have become a virtual Vince with a slap-chop to sell.
I try to purchase books locally at a retailer. I enjoy seeing the same face that helped me the last time instead of an avatar or Amazon’s catechized and purified page feedback while purchasing–I just enjoy the banter and interaction with a real person. I don’t always have time or it may be late, so I’ll click on the Amazon link from your page and order the China Study or something from John Sandford hoping you receive a couple pennies for effort.
You’re the closest thing to that local book seller and have never been Vince-like:)
We all crave human connections and interaction. That’s why your local bookseller stays in business. That’s why I refuse to use the automated checkout machines at the grocery store. We like the baby monkeys on a wire “mother.” Without touch – without GENUINE contact with others – we die. Or, we might as well be alone. I don’t mind being alone so much. I do mind feeling used, manipulated, cast off the minute someone more important enters a room. Who doesn’t?
And you know I appreciate those few pennies, Dave. Your local bookseller doesn’t entertain you with his writing and his silliness, now, does he? :) Mind you, I’m not quitting the day job for those few pennies. So you just go ahead and visit the guy – I won’t be jealous of your need to feel and touch those books before buying, when you can.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..WBB Guest Posting Contest Update 2- TGIF Edition
I function the same; I usually find what I need after the second page on google. Nobody mentions bing here but I search them first for some items especially technology.
Bloggers are different but can turn out to be real people. Like you said Holly, “..bloggers tend to get caught up in their own community.”
I think the best opinions are from bloggers, most haven’t hit the wall of corporate accountability or have negotiated a settlement that allows them an opinion. If bloggers write to SEO standards, they’ll lose the readers that frequent and can’t find the hidden comment box:)
You notice some of the surprise at the fact that you – a reader who doesn’t blog – are reading and commenting here at all? Maybe if more non-blogging readers understood that what keeps us all doing what we do is the immediate gratification and feedback inherent in the comments (REAL comments) and, of course, a little extra income (who doesn’t need that, these days?) then there would be fewer tricks and traps and crap out there. Just a thought. ;)
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..WBB Guest Posting Contest Update 2- TGIF Edition
That’s a very interesting point– about bloggers being in their own little world. When I think about it I realize there is much truth to this. So I will just add my own thanks to Holly’s– so glad you could join us Dave.
Alan recently posted..What Is Spam
Alan, it’s like those writers who think it’s not necessary to read – if bloggers don’t spend a little time outside their own niche and their own circle of friends, the circles close up and they forget (like engineers and tech writers sometimes do) how their allegedly-intended audience perceives them. When they make the mistake of assuming they know, because of course they’re ordinary people – they know, right? When they make that mistake, they lose sight of real opportunities.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..WBB Guest Posting Contest Update 2- TGIF Edition
writing “for a search engine” is a good way to come up with invaluable blog posts! You’re not going to captivate your readers with this sort of outlook…! blogs are essentially the same thing as newspaper articles, and you don’t see New York Times articles catering towards advertisers….
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Are you agreeing with me or disagreeing with me? :)
I think you’re agreeing. And I think you’re right – blogs should be considered more like OpEd sections of the newspaper (or in some cases, headline news – but we’re not often able to scoop the Twitter folks or the AP, for that matter, unless it’s strictly local, eyewitness news). But seriously, no – you’re not going to see a major newspaper (a credible one) writing for the advertisers. The ADVERTISERS want real people who will BUY their products, not just eyeball their ads. Put yourself in their shoes – do you really want to pay per “impression” only to scare customers off with sleazy-looking content no one trusts, or content that’s so bland it leaves readers thinking, “So?” and wandering off. Ideally, they want you to click and even to buy. And when it’s not working for them, they’ll put their ad dollars somewhere else. Rightfully so.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..WBB Guest Posting Contest Update 2- TGIF Edition
I just wanted to say that I loved how you handled this comment, Holly. (I also find myself Really admiring how this site handles comment threading. Very useful.)
Alan recently posted..What Is Spam
Why, thank you, Alan. I agree, this site has a nice, clean, attractive layout and it works smoothly – Kiesha does a great job with it. (I say that as a reader AND a guest poster who’s had a peek under the hood and reported the occasional non-spam in the spam bucket.) It’s a well designed site.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..WBB Guest Posting Contest Update 3- Monday- Monday
I have one more SEO comment that is more of a pet peeve. I get annoyed when folks use meta tags other than those that are descriptive regarding their content. Google descriptions show up as something other than the topic I searched. Searches become a drawn out affair and if I’m trying to get back to a site that I’ve visited before but have lost the browser bookmark since my last rebuild. As an example, if I can’t remember how to spell Holly’s last name I’ll google according to what I remember, if I enter “erma bombeck trockle” in google she comes up as every entry from page one through fifty on google.
I wonder if consistency has a place in SEO? What happens when a person changes meta tags more often than Trump changes party affiliation? Does it help one to have consistent meta descriptions that match content over time?
Dave, the fact that I rank for those search terms has nothing to do with meta tags and everything to do with consistency – I’ve used the same bio blurb EVERYWHERE, with minor tweaks as needed, for about seven years now. And while I’m sure there are folks out there getting tired of seeing the SAME old thing every time, it serves exactly the purpose you describe here. (Of course, searching for holly trockle gets similar results. And I love the fact that a search for channeling the spirits bombeck ranks me up there higher than a site that’s actually devoted to channeling Erma Bombeck.) But yeah – it’s in the repetition of consistent text, not the meta tags.
Keywords meta tag isn’t used as much as it once was, by most search engines, precisely because of the abuses you describe, Dave. “Though SEO meta tags were developed by web designers as a useful tool for search engine indexing, the overuse and abuse of this piece of code has decreased some of its impact. However, when used as they were intended, with highly focused and concise keywords and descriptions, the meta tags in your website can still add to the effectiveness of your search engine optimization.” (from http://www.seositecheckup.com/articles/5 which also offers some reasonable tips, and the tool http://www.seositecheckup.com/ which can analyze your site and give great suggestions for fixing common problems).
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..WBB Guest Posting Contest Update- Go- Team- Go!
Another thing to keep in mind about the SEO with your site is using search engine friendly URLs. URLs should be like blogsite.com/my-post-title/15 instead of like blogsite.com/post.php?post_id=15. The first URL, you can have your keywords in your URL instead of the other URL you have nothing, but technical jargon in your URL.
Or blogsite.com/category/my-post-title and skip any articles or conjunctions (and punctuation – get rid of the special characters and spaces).
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..WBB Guest Posting Contest Update- Go- Team- Go!
The beauty of a blog, built on a wordpress or other preexisting canned site is that much of the ‘seo’ is already done. The little things on the backend that help are already done, like pretty URLs, fluid navigation, title tags, etc.
This is not always the case the custom built, non-blog websites, which may require a lot more effort to get them seo friendly.
But after those initial things are tweaked and fixed, I think you are right – create good content and stay with it!
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Actually, it’s the backend SEO I usually see the most improvement by doing, and not all themes and plug-ins are created equal in terms of their ability to optimize a blog. Don’t assume it’s always been done for you by a canned blog – double-check on those things. One theme I used for a while had to be modified because it was using h1 for post titles or some such.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..WBB Guest Posting Contest Update- Go- Team- Go!
Great ideas here! My attitude in writing most of my blog posts is that, I make a post that is search engine friendly but at the same time, the keywords inside are arranged how a human searcher would arrange his/her keywords in the search bar. Then I make sure that the contents needed are in place.
It is like writing for the search engine but not really.
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It can be a fun little challenge…
One day, I swear, I’m going to pull some actual Google searches and run a contest to see what people can do with the convoluted arrangements of words I often see in there. (What never ceases to amaze me is how many times some of the most bizarrely worded searches are made – you’d think some just HAD to be unique, that no two people could ever come up with that particular arrangement of words, let alone a hundred people.)
I’m not sure I’d let the arrangement of the keywords dictate the writing unless it makes good sense in the post. This is where some writers make it abundantly clear that they’re writing for the search engines, if they’re not very careful and very skilled.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..WBB Guest Posting Contest Update- Go- Team- Go!
Writing for your readers will make your website content to be a unique one. This is one of the most important thing for a search engine.
So, if you write something good, clear and in your own words, you’ll do a lot more SEO than if you write your content especially for search engines.
Yes, exactly, Dan.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..WBB Guest Posting Contest Update- Go- Team- Go!
I am so amazed when I read “write for your reader not for search engine”.
I was not aware if this and this is something that struck me really.
From now on I will keep in mind to blog not for the search engine anymore.
I know it’s hard but this should be the way it goes.
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If you really focus on the human reader, you don’t need to completely ignore the search engines, either. As someone else pointed out, between two equally well-written posts, one that employs GOOD SEO techniques (attention to permalinks, for instance) should do better in search – but try to THINK like a real person who wants the information YOU can provide on the topic. Be reader-friendly. Because between two articles equally loved by a search engine, a motivated reader – one who is ready to do something or buy something – is going to choose the one he can trust, and the one that provides the best info, not the one who has figured out all the tricks of the blogging trade.
Look for Dave’s comments about product reviews and landing pages. Readers are not stopping at #1 in Google or Bing. They know better.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..WBB Guest Posting Contest Update- Go- Team- Go!
It is funny to me, really. I’ve found that I can charge 50–100% more for articles that are “optimized for SEO”. It really only means that the articles are clear and focused, but if clients will pay more, I am happy to call it “optimized for SEO”.
Alan recently posted..Playing With My Blocks- Something Facebook Actually Does Well
I think you just summed up my whole post in about four lines. :)
Seriously, “clear and focused” are the real key. And maybe if more bloggers focused on clear writing, they’d become better at reaching both human readers and search engines.
I know many bloggers who think spelling is unimportant. Now, they may have a point; if you’ve ever seen how people spell things when searching, you’ll know there’s probably a whole art to deliberately misspelling to increase SEO. BUT, for most, it’s not intentional and it’s not effective. The same goes for poor grammar.
I’m not always “focused,” when it comes to my blog posts, unless I need to be. It’s too much like work, and by 7 PM, some part of my brain rebels and just wants to play. Nevertheless, I try always to be clear. Without clarity, there is no meeting of the minds.
Make no mistake: We ALL want our readers to DO something. Most days, my wants are simple: I want readers to read and comment. And that costs them nothing. I won’t complain if they decide, while they’re there, to buy one of my books. Readers can’t and won’t ACT if they don’t know what it is you want them to do. If what you want them to do is “click around on my ads” they aren’t personally invested in that – that’s not what they’re there for. But if your words are enticing AND trustworthy, and you just happen to be able to meet some of THEIR needs (for information, entertainment, convenient shopping, best price, etc.) and you put up a nice clear message – they’re much more likely to find you AND to act.
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..WBB Guest Posting Contest Update- Go- Team- Go!
Honestly, to me “clear and focused” are simple basics of good writing. I have considered myself a writer at least since the fourth grade when I won an English essay contest, writing an essay about New Orleans and food or some such. I’m positive I had been taught about clear and focused by the fourth grade. But I rarely mention this, because as I said “optimized for SEO” pays oh so much better. It’s like I believe it was P T Barnum said of audiences “give them what they want”.
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This is one of the best articles I’ve read about SEO. Holly is a great writer who knows what to say and how to say it properly. Thanks for the added info.
Thank you, Jena – I’ve learned a lot from all of my blogger friends over the last three years, especially. I’ve been a professional writer for over 25 years, now, and a blogger since about 1994, but honestly never thought of “SEO” until the last few years. It’s useful; it has the POTENTIAL, even, to lead to tighter writing. But when it feels more like “gaming the system” than “helping a motivated searcher find needed info” then I think it’s gone over the edge.
For those in the U.S., particularly… remember when all the highways were lined with billboards? Where are they now?
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I was surprised with the selected topic but she’d delivered it perfectly. She convince me that we should blog for our readers not for search engine.
Like I said, take a stance – no one ever got views and comments and votes with “well…but then again…maybe…” ;) Much as I LOVE search engines (good ones, anyway), I’m very much biased in favor of PEOPLE. Real, living, breathing, READING humans.
Thanks, Jhong!
Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Gentle Reader- Start Your Engines! 3… 2… 1…