Search Engine Optimization has been a buzzword for years, but the abuses have gotten to the Spy vs Spy stage from Mad Magazine–each one one-ups the action of the other. Apparently there are invisible pieces at the top of a post or page that hold keywords and descriptions, but unscrupulous people stuffed them with things to ‘stuff the deck’ so the legitimate uses were thwarted. The last I heard Google, at least, is ignoring the tags and actually searching through the content of the page.
So my current theory is that there are two ways to grow web site traffic:
- Have lots of good content. As the line went in Field of Dreams, “If you build it, he will come.” If I build a site with lots and lots of good content on a related set of topics, eventually both people and search engines will find it and spread the word. Rather than trying to trick the system, simply produce the best darn content and make it worth the while of people who visit the site.
- Find similar sites and exchange links as well as posting comments to their blogs. Apparently cross traffic indicates more value to a search engine watching a site. Better yet, develop a loyal set of fans who visit directly and regularly to find what is new (and you make sure there is something new every day or two).
So there are my secret discoveries to produce a successful web site. At this point is suspect there are less than a dozen of you who will read this, so great patience is another requirement.