So, now that I’ve moved from a computer hosted in my home out to a public free server, I’ve gained some tools to see how many people are visiting each day and what Google searches bring them to the page.
SEO in case you aren’t a geek stands for Search Engine Optimization. Like painting companies called AAAAA Painters, you want to be the first listing when people open up the yellow pages. Web sites want search engines like Google, Yahoo and Alta Vista to show their sites first, so they pepper their sites with tags, and other things that rank you higher in the algorithms that the different search engines use to display results.
Killer, from Killer Rants was working for a long time to be the number one site to come up if you Googled “mooseknuckle”. I think the move to the new site screwed him though since I don’t even see him on the first 3 pages anymore. (read Killer’s archives if you really want more information)
I myself would just be pretty happy if my blog made first page when you Googled “David Watters”.
The reason I bring this up, is that someone looking for my sister’s blog (or someone with the same name as my sister) was directed to my site today.
I Google my sister’s name followed by blog and I’m the 3rd site that comes up. I Google David Watters blog and I’m 4 pages back.
Damn my common name. One of you dedicated readers need to go out and shoot someone and when they ask you why you did it say. “I read it on David Watters blog.” (Next person you shoot use Dave Watters, I do go by both and would like both ranked)
Who you want to shoot today and why in the comments.
Well, I just want to shoot the usual person for the usual reason, so never mind that.
The rest of the post reminded me that “Camel Tow Service” was on Headliners Monday. I meant to tell Liz and Killer, but I forgot.
@laughingattheslut
What’s the link to your husband’s blog? I really feel the need to read his blog now too. BTW still want to read your unpublished novel. I’ll sign an NDA.
Heather got me to thinking to the male/female mix of blogs that I read. I link to 8 blogs, 4.5 male, 3.5 female. I subscribe to 30 blogs in my feed reader.
6 have gone silent, 12.5 female, 11.5 male.
So it’s a pretty even mix. But giving your husband’s blog could make it dead even.
Oddly enough, regular commenters here, females outnumber the males by a landslide.
My husband’s blog isn’t like that anymore. He’s trying to make money with it. I thought he would have given up by now. Anyway, we don’t blog together or give out each other’s blog addresses or anything.
He’s been blogging about dumb stuff like Britney Spears. Today he blogged about something he actually cares about, the Sputnik anniversary.
The book is probably lost. I’ve moved twice since I finished writing it, and this house has flooded several times. I’m lucky I didn’t lose my “current” work, if you can call something that hasn’t seen serious work since 2004 current.
@laughingathteslut
Gotcha. Shirt.woot.com had a cute salute to the sputnik anniversary today. I’ve thought about trying to do a monetized blog but I know how much work it is.
I’ve seen comments left in blogs cause blog hits to increase. So perhaps by saying David Watters in this comment, in can help?
@Dmarks
Maybe that’s why sports figures refer to themselves in the third person, they want to increase their Google ranks. David Watters appreciates what dmarks is trying to do for him.
Dmarks says very welcome to David Watters
just a quick fyi, don’t buy refurb gps units from woot.com, most of them have issues. some of it easily fixed but come of it not. why take chances?
@Heather
We bought a refurb DVD recorder works fantastic. Woot also is usually pretty good about RMA’s. There are certain things I’ll buy refurb and certain things I won’t. I’d never buy a refurb GPS because I know it would fuck up the second I got really lost… not that men ever get lost but you know what I’m saying.
Yes, the move has definitely set back my google world. I was receiving around 50 google hits a day, but now I only receive a few a week.
It is a little annoying when you had a lot of links, but then people don’t update their blog roll with the new address, or maybe they just have gotten tired of me and haven’t cleaned up their roll. Also annoying.
@Killer
I love that I am actually getting some Google hits now. It’s so fun seeing what they search for
I changed my link to you day one so I am innocent
But I have a small roll and don’t do the “link exchange” thing. Those that take their roll seriously are the ones you want to be on anyway.