[OnionJack]

Originally Posted by jamestl2

Thanks for your some of your clarifications, OJ



If you have a website with Great Content, then you don't really need to focus on SEO. Just let the SE's do their job, IMO.

I used the words 'focus on SEO' once and I didn't mean that I was advocating only focusing on SEO. I said:

Originally Posted by OnionJack

Or why do so many website still focus on SEO because it's useless?

And there was more with quote. I meant are all the sites wrong that do try to optimize?

Other than that nowhere have I said focus on SEO. I have stated using SEO as part of the tools available to you.

A poor analogy would be if you knew people respond, or you could get more people to view with the font color 'Yellow' compared to the color 'Green'. Would you be doing a disservice writing in Yellow?

Originally Posted by jamestl2

Most of them (if not all) do suck. None I ever submitted to (way back when I was first starting out) have ever helped me out in a serious way.

I clarified what I wrote by saying most do suck. Again here's what I said:

Originally Posted by OnionJack

You can also do directory listings, albeit a majority of directories suck but there a handful worth going after.

I added bolding for this post.

Originally Posted by jamestl2

Then why'd you ask for them?

Because you're knocking Search Engines without offering anything of substance, except what you made from adsense. And that wasn't explained as to whether total, or monthly or what.

Originally Posted by jamestl2

Easier than what?

Then short-tail searching.

It's easier to get ranked IE for - 'SEO for the blog owner writer'
Then ranking for - 'SEO'

Originally Posted by jamestl2

I can understand that SE traffic may bring returning visitors (I discovered Steve's Blog through Google, for example. But I don't know how much SEO he did for it.)

Overall, my point here is that it's better to "create value" for your audience and network with others rather than focusing on tactics that try to game the search engines (which won't survive in the long-term).

How long ago did you discover the site by chance?

And where have I said that it's better to focus on SEO than on creating valuable content? Except noted above.

I said to use SEO as part of the tools in your toolbox.

Specifically:

Originally Posted by OnionJack

I'm not saying oh yea let me keep looking up words that have a lot of SEO value.

What I'm proposing is think up what you want your article to be about. Outline it. Then spend some time looking up what keywords you may include in place of other words. Then write your article.

Please don't add words into my mouth, like 'game the search engines' which I never once mentioned. I get my foot stuck in my mouth, easy enough by myself. If you're going to say something to a different affect, quote me.

Originally Posted by 1000feet

From the time you start putting links where others will see them (hopefully next to more well-written ideas) people will start to see your blog..delete excerpt....From the time the first real person other than you sees your blog you need something good to keep their attention; since the entire point of search engines is to bring people to your blog that should come first.

You might think that search engines are a much faster way to build traffic but for any terms that have a lot of searches it will take a while to be visible in the results.

I call shenanigans

What I bolded is part of SEO. It's called inbound links unless there is a <nofollow> tag. So from the beginning you should have some thoughts on relevant blogs to post your links on and any other sites/forums. Though again many may be using <nofollow> at this point and it may make the value of those links null other than people clicking on them(which can still be substantial).

But why keep discounting what search engines can offer? And why not write semantically(not saying the person doesn't already) for how people do search? Doesn't it offer more value to get readers who search looking to find topics you've written about. By learning and studying how people search.

Than to say screw you SE I don't care cause I'm doing it better???

-OJ