Yes, I do get your emails — questions about Search Engine Optimization (SEO), asking for advice, tips, etc. Some have heard of the work I did, while some simply analyzed my rankings in Google.
However, because of the sudden brouhaha on SEO, I’m a little uncomfortable talking about it in detail. “SEO Consultants” have sprouted out of nowhere, giving two-hour talks on things they learned from books & other SEO online references, have optimized less than 5 websites, & charging my clients an arm & a leg for their “expertise.”
They talk about key phrases as if it should be the sole content of your website. I have met 3 consultants who even lectured me about the importance of, egad, meta tags & doorways.
Yes. My hesitance is due to my fear that jumping in the SEO hubbub might even further overshadow the value of content.
“Content is king.” These are the words I have been hearing since 1997 when I put up my first website. I scoffed at it & simply regarded it as just another buzzword. It took me quite a few years to take these words to heart.
As the years went by, I got more & more involved with websites — hundreds of them — either as a developer, a Project Manager, a writer, a consultant, a designer, or an owner. I started to see how content have magically gave these websites the rankings & the visitors. Heck, a lot of our website even got the top rank in Google without consciously applying a single SEO technique.
Try it: For the time being, forget about your technorati tags, blog pings, invisible key phrases, doorways, Google bombs, & submitting to link directories. And yes, even forget about your search engine friendly URLs. For a couple of months, just concentrate on giving the best quality content for your target market.
Notice how your key phrases’ position & density come out naturally. Notice how this, even more than hundreds of tips combined, can give you that rank that you have never even dreamed of grabbing.
I’m not saying that optimization doesn’t help, because it does. But how do you expect to put in the finishings in a house without the structure? You need to go back to the basics & build the foundation of your website. Only then could you discover what optimization your site really needs. And only then could you realize the true potential of your page rank.
Content is king. After all, even the most poorly written buzzwords can carry a lot of sense.
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