Your English teacher & Gutenberg
If a blog isn't a free search engine magnet, what is it? Think of it as a tool that gives Joe Public the power of Gutenberg's press. The web site owner gains the ability to put current material on his site and the interface is no more complicated than a word processor. So what makes a Blog effective? It depends on.. surprise, ...content.
Whether the blog becomes a SEO magnet depends on the same type of factors that drive web sites. Is the content fresh? Is it interesting? How many unique visitors? How many outside links? Do the keywords and metas match the text, and does the whole shebang meet the search criteria entered by the web customer?
It's possible to try to fake content by filling a web page or a blog with keywords, or common search phrases. Some web sites have pages with code that can pick up the words in your search criteria, and fill their landing page with gibberish using those words. The tactic may draw traffic for a while, but the web customer ends up in a site that is a type of spam.
(If you accidentally click on one of those links, close your internet connection, and clear your cache. The person who would put up that type of page has no scruples about invading your privacy. Clear their cookies, pages and scripts from your browser memory.)
Google frowns on pages filled with pseudo content and can black list pages that indulge in it. Avoid practices that might get your pages ignored. Don't cloak the content, hiding unrelated keywords on a page to draw traffic. Don't pretend buzz words, bioler plate or advertising catch phrases are a substitute for valid content. Keep the ratio of keywords to text reasonable. Don't set up redirects or deceptive links in your pages in an effort to steer customers to irrelevant third party pages. Don't indulge in intrusive or deceptive demands for information. Don't set up multiple mini-sites, all with the same boiler-plate.
Some of those techniques might net you traffic for a while, but eventually unproductive clicks, and content that is unrelated to search criteria will insure that the web will write you off.
So in the end, it boils down to the same thing your high school english teacher was trying to tell you. Get your main idea straight. Write readable, interesting copy. Develop and support your theme. Write a conclusion that summarizes the whole thing.
If you want a blog, learn to write interesting copy that has a point. If it is part of your business, make it relevant to your product. Keep it fresh. Don't mislead the reader, and think why he or she would bother to come back to you. And make it fun, or you won't do it for very long.
Whether the blog becomes a SEO magnet depends on the same type of factors that drive web sites. Is the content fresh? Is it interesting? How many unique visitors? How many outside links? Do the keywords and metas match the text, and does the whole shebang meet the search criteria entered by the web customer?
It's possible to try to fake content by filling a web page or a blog with keywords, or common search phrases. Some web sites have pages with code that can pick up the words in your search criteria, and fill their landing page with gibberish using those words. The tactic may draw traffic for a while, but the web customer ends up in a site that is a type of spam.
(If you accidentally click on one of those links, close your internet connection, and clear your cache. The person who would put up that type of page has no scruples about invading your privacy. Clear their cookies, pages and scripts from your browser memory.)
Google frowns on pages filled with pseudo content and can black list pages that indulge in it. Avoid practices that might get your pages ignored. Don't cloak the content, hiding unrelated keywords on a page to draw traffic. Don't pretend buzz words, bioler plate or advertising catch phrases are a substitute for valid content. Keep the ratio of keywords to text reasonable. Don't set up redirects or deceptive links in your pages in an effort to steer customers to irrelevant third party pages. Don't indulge in intrusive or deceptive demands for information. Don't set up multiple mini-sites, all with the same boiler-plate.
Some of those techniques might net you traffic for a while, but eventually unproductive clicks, and content that is unrelated to search criteria will insure that the web will write you off.
So in the end, it boils down to the same thing your high school english teacher was trying to tell you. Get your main idea straight. Write readable, interesting copy. Develop and support your theme. Write a conclusion that summarizes the whole thing.
If you want a blog, learn to write interesting copy that has a point. If it is part of your business, make it relevant to your product. Keep it fresh. Don't mislead the reader, and think why he or she would bother to come back to you. And make it fun, or you won't do it for very long.
posted by jbell at
2:17 PM
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