| Good Blogging Takes Itself Seriously |
| 11.18.09 | |
Some days you probably find so many bad blogs on the Web you want drink a cauldron of boiling oil rather than look at another goofy blog post. We all know the feeling well. Just how many “Top 10 Lists Of Things To List” can you tolerate before you decide to go bonkers? How many “Cool Ideas For Things To Blog About” articles do you need to read before it becomes crystal clear that most bloggers don’t know what to blog about?
Here’s the thing about blogging: it works best when you have something unique to say. If you’re just doing what everyone else is doing then why should anyone want to read your blog? That makes no sense. A good blog tries to bring something new to the conversation. A great blog inspires other people to bring something new to the conversation. There are few good blogs and even fewer great blogs.
Of course anyone can start babbling about SEO theory and how it requires that you create content for other people to link to but that really misses the point. You want to create content the search engines will index. You want to create content that people will read. You want to create content that entices people to click on your links and buy your stuff. Getting links should be a pretty low priority.
Some people question the value of SEO theory. The art of theory is that it is a practical attempt to use the science or knowledge we have acquired. Some people say good things about SEO theory and some people just spit on it. All they need is a little art and they’re good to go. But the purpose of using search engine optimization has to be to improve your business and not just draw people away from their queries.
The purpose of search engine optimization should be to help people finish their quests for information, services, or products. SEO theory teaches that a good Website doubles as a resource so that it at least offers some value to people who find it, in case whatever the site has to offer is not exactly what people are looking for. It is better to send people on to other sites than to send them back to the search engine.
