New Blog Progress - A Little Optimization this Time

Work continues on my new PR blog. Yesterday my chosen task was to do some key word analysis of Mutually Inclusive PR, which I'll apply to the new blog.

Search Engine Optimization has grown into a very profitable industry, with most of the practitioners running successful blogs of their own. Heck, some of them have entire farms of blogs, growing "relevant" links every day.

I have no interest in going the link farm route, but with this new blog I'm going to pay a bit more attention to actively pursuing an audience.  Traffic has never been a big deal for me, but I have to admit I'd like to reach more people who are curious about how business communications, and especially external public relations, affect companies and their relationships with customers, suppliers and others.

Is search engine optimization a nefarious way of gaming Google and Yahoo?  I'm sure that's part of the landscape.  But for me, it's more about making sure that people who want to read about the topics I cover can find my stuff.

Without any effort at optimization, I've become one of the top sources on Google for such exciting searches as "Toby Maguire fat", "Pierce Mattie", "Promo Girl revealed", "Terry O'Reilly and the Age of Persuasion", and a few other laser-focused searches like that.

I'm okay with that, but I'd also like to be the one people find when they're searching for items about linking communications with business goals, examples of simple but effective PR techniques, and finding a compelling angle for your organization's story.

This is a learning process.  Two years ago, I looked at all the "how to make your blog stand out" advice from Darren Rowse and others,  and cringed a bit at the crassness of some of the techniques suggested.  Now I realize that some of those techniques would have served me well, as long as I applied a bit of class to their use.  Being witty and clever is less fulfilling if you're doing it by yourself.

A couple of other sources I'm using for advice on SEO:

Performancing and SEOBook.com.

Update: Here's a long-winded search that came my way today:
What are the public relation tools when using proactive public relations

 

My blog shows up no. 9 in Google for that search term.

Tags: promotion, self-promotion, blogging, seo, search

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Comments

[John Wagner]

This is an interesting discussion, especially considering the desire so many people have to formulate an ROI for blogging. If many of your visitors are coming because of some obscure celebrity reference or restaurant mention, they really aren't very valuable, are they?

I have the same problem ... a post I did on a Fuddrucker's viral website gets hit at least 10 times a day -- more on Fridays -- from people searching for "Fuddruckers' coupons."

I also wrote about black comedian Tyler Perry and his niche marketing success. Now, I am one of the world's leading internet authorities on him. :)

[John Andrews]

Eric,

Since finding your blog I have become a reader, because I think you write well and I get value out of my visits. As an SEO, I caution you about some of the "SEO" resources you read. As much as 50% of what I see being "sold" out there is incorrect, at best.

As for targeted traffic from Google, you are currently not "strong" enough to get primary targeted traffic (themed traffic) and so you see the mixed bag of keyword referrals. Links will change that, but so can persistence; keep writing on topic. There are of course SEO methods to expedite that, but as you know, it's not pixie dust.

Since technically all of this is "business communications" you might consider choosing a highly specialized sub-topic for focus. Not unlike in the offline world...distinguish yourself in your subspecialty. A sub-specialty selected to draw the same audience, but on one very, very specific aspect of your current theme.

[Eric Eggertson]

John:

The best SEO advice I've seen is to focus on writing useful content, then enhance that with some SEO techniques.

I agree with you - if you start with just SEO, you get into the game of trying to fool search engines into driving traffic to your site. I'd hate to go to all that work, and have nothing of value on the blog that would make people want to stick around and come back.

Thanks for the advice about picking a subspecialty. I'll noodle on that and make sure I have it clear in my head what niche I'm trying to carve out.