Getting to the Top of the Search

A little while back I came upon a tip for getting blogs and websites to appear in search engine results. It was simple enough that I thought it worth a try.


The idea was simple: go to each search engine on a regular basis and search on the title of your blog or website. I like the concept. It makes sense. So, I have been testing it out, though not on a daily basis. I'm simply not that consistent.

I have 3 blogs. We'll call them the Enviro one, This one and the Investing one. As of today, this is what I have discovered when I search for each via the main search engines.

Enviro Blog

• Appears at the top of: Google only.
• Instead of my blog, BlogTopList and/or my comment on Woman's Day appears on Yahoo, AltaVista, All the Web, MSN, Dogpile and Ask.

Investing Blog

• Instead of my blog, BlogTopList appears on Google, Dogpile and Ask.
• My blog doesn't appear at all on Yahoo, AllTheWeb, AltaVista, or MSN.

This Blog

• Appears at the top of: All the Web and Yahoo.
  Instead of my blog, a comment I made on CopyBloger appears on a site called backtype.com when I search on Ask, Dogpile (though my blog also appears in the number 3 slot on Dogpile) and Google.
• My blog doesn't appear at all on MSN or Yahoo.

I have yet to discover a pattern. And I have, to date, concluded that my repeated searches for my blog do not appear to be conjuring their appearances in search results. It does, though, seem to be a valuable exercise if for no other benefit than to know where by blog stands in each.

As a small bonus for my efforts, I discovered today that Google allows a searcher to "promote" a website they include in their search results as an indicator that they retrieved what the searcher was looking for. I happily promoted my Enviro one when it appeared as number three.

Is There Too Much Noise Pollution In Blogger-ville?

I have stumbled about and searched the net for weeks, in search of bloggers who might shed light on how this whole blogging thing works.

I've found blogs on blogs, blogs on finding blogs, blogs on reviewing blogs, blogs about making money blogging, and the list goes on endlessly. Among them are dozens of blogs with nothing but RSS feeds to other blogs on the subject, most of whom I had already visited.

As I stumble through the few with actual content, most are selling something. Few have any real posts. And of those few who do, I see fewer still with visitor comments, making me wonder if I'm their only visitor.

It's a train wreck out there with no looky-loos and I'm starting to wonder where the real value is.

To write for the sake of writing is fine. It's like having a diary that you don't care if you lose on the subway. But what if you would truly like to share your work with others? What about those of us who are not content to simply be faceless voices in the crowd? It seems there is simply too much noise pollution on the web for the actual bloggers to be noticed.

It's a question I have yet to answer. Perhaps someone out there will notice my post and respond with a comment that has answers. I can tell you, for a fledgling blogger, that first comment on my blog would be akin to the first dollar made in a new business, truly treasured.

Overwhelmed

"The Overwhelmed Blogger" may have been a more accurate title for my blog. I feel as though I am wandering aimlessly over the web in search of the secret to this whole blog thing.

In part, my problem could be that I have two blogs, besides this, that I am trying to get off the ground. To be honest, establishing those blogs is my ultimately goal. This one came about because I have questions galore.

As a matter of survival, I have narrowed down what I would like to accomplish by the end of the week:

1. Commit to a template for each blog.


2. Set each blog up with a site traffic analysis something, to track and analyze my visitors.


3. Figure out how to attract visitors.


4. Add at least 1 quality post to each blog.

Honestly, just figuring out what it is I need to do was a chore but it has already proven fruitful.

The Template Issue

I'm not loving my template options on Blogger. They're sufficient; but I prefer to aspire to better than sufficient. Also, I have found that I can only have one profile for all three blogs, but I suspect that will need to be solved another day.

Finding alternate templates has not really been a problem. I have discovered, however, that in changing blog templates, widgets don't necessarily transfer over properly. So, if I'm going to have widgets or modify my content beyond the addition of posts, it seems important that I decide on a template soon.

That said, I have been scouring the web for templates. I've learned a few things in the process (some the hard way).

• It is worthwhile to learn how to back up your existing template.


• It is a good idea to practice the entire process of uploading a new template using a tester blog.


• "Free" templates aren't entirely free -- they often contain a copyright at the bottom of the page attributing the template to it's designer. This isn't something I really mind. I appreciate the design and feel it should be properly credits. However, the copyright notices they include are frequently ambiguous in a way that makes it appear they are claiming ownership of the blog itself. Luckily, should I find such a template worthwhile, I feel confident enough to venture into the coding and make a few adjustments to clarify the matter.


• Many of the free templates out there contain images, such as Disney characters, that obviously infringe upon existing copyrights.


• Few of these templates actually work.

It is Thursday; my deadline of one week is drawing near and my search for a killer template continues.

A Traffic Analysis Gizmo

I believe I have settled upon StatCounter (from statcounter.com). I am also testing out SiteMeter. I should be able to decide by the end of the day tomorrow.

Attracting Visitors

Figuring out how to attract visitors is probably harder than finding a template. I expect this to be an ongoing adventure that I don't actually solve by the end of the week. Thus far, I have learned the following:

1. Nearly everyone who advises on how to attract visitors talks about posting comments on other blogs. This is easier said than done. It can be difficult finding similar blogs with enough traffic to make commenting worthwhile. That said, I have started commenting.


2. There is something called a "ping." I need to learn more. But I read that a "ping" will help and therefore I am testing out a free service called "pingomatic.com."


3. A commenter on one site suggested bloggers go to each of the major search engines each day and search on their web title. I'm giving it a try. One pleasant discovery in doing this is that some of the traffic generators actually work in getting search engines to retrieve the blogs enrolled. (See blogtoplist.com below)



4. BlogTopList is one of the traffic generators I have been testing out (using my prototype site, which I didn't realize was a prototype at the time). When I was plunking my blog titles into the search engines today I found that BlogTopList was not only getting my blog out there, but it was at or near the top of my search results. Woo hoo! Something that works! [Note to self: add BlogTopList to all blogs and as a link on this blog under the heading "usefull tools". DONE!]



5. Google has something called sitemaps. It's in the Webmaster Tools section: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/dashboard. Simply add the web address for your blog, then follow the directions to verify your blog. It wasn't difficult at all. Hopefully it's a step toward attracting traffic. I'll keep you posted.

Posting

The actual blogging part of this, while trying to figure out all the mechanics of it, is easier said than done. For a few fleeting moments I thought I would add a post a day to each blog. I have since visited enough sites to conclude that I cannot add myself to the array of pseudo-bloggers who merely add a few words here and there and then fill up the rest of their blog with advertising. If I am to continue with this venture I must maintain some sort of standard. I hope that commitment will prove fruitful.

Sigh -- sooner or later I'll get this up and running smoothly, right?