Priests of Blog

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Priest.jpgMost people don’t give a second thought to how the search engines work. When I explain that part of my job, I have to say something along the lines of, "You know, when you are searching for Athlete’s Foot Cream online. That first link you click on. Well, someone worked hard to get their site there out of the thousands available."

"But what if I’m not searching for Athlete’s Foot Cream?"

"Okay, Donkey Shows then."

"I don’t have much interest in Donkeys."

"Nobody does. I’m just lying. Really, I just screw around on the computer all day. I was just making that part up. God picks the top search results and we humans just accept the choices as his will. I just pray a lot."

I have to play to the locals, who are a mix of Baptists, Mormons, and Pentecostals. Yet another group who believes I print money out of air or maybe think I’m a drug dealer because I don’t "work" that much.

In the old days, before blogs and content management systems, we would hop on one foot through the snow to get our pages ranked in the SERP’s. What’s an SERP? I don’t know, half of a snake maybe? (Search Engine Results P…, too lazy to look up P).

But then the software came. The software made our job much easier. We could work our magic more quickly. But it became harder at the same time. Footprint.

Take one standard installation of a Wordpress blog and from the outside, disregarding the content, it looks just like another. This makes it great for cookie cutter sites and MFA article quilts. Post after Post underneath Category after Category. Flat earth technology. A post received a week of fame before it was swallowed by Blog.

Yes, you could link to other Posts, but you would have to remember that. Blog was no help with that.

Along came Plugin to breath life into the flatness in the land of Blog. Plugin and his minion Widget gave us the option to single out certain Pages and Posts for greatness. Greatness now, a week from now or a year from now.

This greatness was achieved on the back of lesser Posts. They bowed to the mighty Great Posts with Popular Posts, Recent Comments, Recommended Posts and otherPreist2.jpeg Widgets that emphasized certain Posts over others by spreading their word across all Pages of Blog. The royalty of the Great Posts was further highlighted with Plugins like Alinks which became one with the content of Blog.

These spells and sacrifices are necessary for Posts to be ready for the SERPs. Only some Posts make it. That is the way of Blog. The SERPs are brutal. Sending your whole army of Posts out will result in slaughter.

Therefore, we continue, as Priests and Priestesses of Blog to nurture those posts with sidebar spells and interlink concoctions, because we know that there is more than one Blog, constantly searching for new Widgets to bring light of the SERPs to the denizens of the one true Blog, our own.

Just to let you know, I’m agnostic. And that sure beat writing a normal old post about using Widgets and Plugins to emphasize posts. Plus it fits with the name "Blog".

I actually started with a "Sacrificing Pawns" analogy. All of your posts won’t be great and all of them won’t face the competition. So pick ones that will and give them a shot. And use a Top Posts and/or Recent Comments plugin to allow some "visitors to Blog" cast their own lots, although Top Posts can sometimes become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Tags: alinks, plugins, Search Engines, SERP, widget, Wordpress

Related posts

25 Mar, 2008  Linking, SEO, Search Engines, Wordpress



13 Comments so far »

Filter: What is this?

  1. Stefanie said

    March 25 2008 @ 11:57 am

    Maybe I’m just weird, but I’m constantly wondering how things get to be the way they are. The fact that normal people rarely, if ever, stop to think about how the results got there is so strange to me. I agree, though, that it’s almost impossible to explain a search engine related job to most people.

    Was this comment useful to you ?

  2. Stephan Miller said

    March 25 2008 @ 12:22 pm

    I know. And then there is the bad name SEO’s get. The internet is a synthetic environment. There is nothing “natural” about it. Claiming it is unnatural to use SEO techniques is not an argument. The internet is unnatural to begin with. It exists in software.

    Was this comment useful to you ?

  3. Grizzly said

    March 25 2008 @ 2:19 pm

    You mean it’s not just a matter of reading John Chow and having people stumble you? Lol. Thanks to the social networks there are fewer people than ever who understand the importance of SEO - never mind how to do it.

    Clever post - enjoyed it.

    Grizzly’s last blog post..Internet Marketing isn’t Blogging

    Was this comment useful to you ?

  4. Stephan Miller said

    March 25 2008 @ 2:54 pm

    Cool, thanks for dropping by and the compliment. It means a lot. Of the many bloggers I have run into, you and Andy Beard have the most to offer as far as SEO goes when it applies to making money for yourself online. SEO is where I started and you both practice what you preach.

    And the fact that people don’t understand it can only help us. 1. Less competition. 2. If you can eventually get the point across, you will have some very happy readers. Social networks are a lot of work.

    Was this comment useful to you ?

  5. Grizzly said

    March 25 2008 @ 3:08 pm

    You are right about less competition. Sometimes I give my head a shake and wonder why I am trying to explain it to others. I suppose it’s because listening to people complain about not making money drives me crazy - it can be done but not by chasing social traffic. Anyways, I won’t go blabbering on - just wanted to say how refreshing it was to read a post from someone who does “get” it. It’s a rare thing these days and kudos to you. All the best Stephan.

    Grizzly’s last blog post..Internet Marketing isn’t Blogging

    Was this comment useful to you ?

  6. Stephan Miller said

    March 25 2008 @ 3:28 pm

    Thanks,

    I used to be afraid of giving ideas away. I started blogging more and realized that people just pass them by. And there is a motherload on a few blogs out there, including yours.

    But then again, staying hidden and making money is no fun either. I am hooked on the whole blogging thing. It’s the best of both worlds.

    Was this comment useful to you ?

  7. Michael Aulia said

    March 26 2008 @ 6:36 am

    Unfortunately, once you’ve activated WP-SuperCache (caching), those Top Posts, Most Populars, Most Viewed plug-in no longer works properly :(
    Michael Aulia’s last blog post..Entrecard Guide #2: How to be noticeable

    Was this comment useful to you ?

  8. Stephan Miller said

    March 26 2008 @ 6:52 am

    I haven’t used a cache for Wordpress in a long time. On one of my hosting providers, I had to refresh the page once in order to see it. If I didn’t, I was greeted with a blank screen. Not sure what caused it but I didn’t feel like chasing bugs at the time.

    I have written my own caching software that cached whatever loads on the page, no matter what software is used to run the site. But I will cross that bridge again when I come to it.

    Was this comment useful to you ?

  9. Dennis Edell said

    March 26 2008 @ 10:19 am

    I guess I’m one of the SEO illiterate, for the most part. I’m OK with linking, keywording, etc etc I suppose, but I learn a little each day from you guys and I truly appreciate it. (Even if I have to read some paragraphs multiple times.) :-)

    As for preaching to the non-marketer masses? Trust me when I say the aggravation spreads much further then SEO alone.

    How again did you receive that check? I sold your car mom, nevermind.

    Dennis Edell’s last blog post..New Category - Marketing Contests

    Was this comment useful to you ?

  10. Stephan Miller said

    March 26 2008 @ 12:10 pm

    I always figure it must be in the way I say it, which is why I repeat the posts I write in different forms every now and then. Sort of hit it from every angle. One day I will get through to someone. LOL

    There was a time back in history when someone who could write was considered a magician. Similar mentality. That’s how the post came about.

    Was this comment useful to you ?

  11. Debo Hobo said

    March 27 2008 @ 7:54 am

    SEO is a beast I have yet to conquer. I simply post and post and post some more hoping- with my fingers crossed- that something will stick. I need to install some more of the plug-ins and widgets you spoke about.

    Your post has helped to put things into perspective. That’s why I like stopping by to read you.

    Debo Hobo’s last blog post..Bermuda or Bust!

    Was this comment useful to you ?

  12. Stephan Miller said

    March 27 2008 @ 8:14 am

    It is worth learning. Just like we all eventually want to get to the point where our money starts working for us, I want to get to the point where search engines start working a little more for me.

    Was this comment useful to you ?

  13. Some Wordpress SEO Thoughts | Stephan Miller said

    April 16 2008 @ 6:11 am

    [...] are some random ones on SEO in general and Wordpress in particular. My blog seems to have focus bands like the power band in a dirt bike, following the hats I [...]

Comment RSS · TrackBack URI

Leave a comment

Note: All new comments held for moderation which usually happens within a day.

Name: (Required)

eMail: (Required)

Website:

Comment:


This blog uses the CommentLuv plugin which will try and parse your sites feed and display a link to your last post, please be patient while it tries to find it for you.