SEO, Robots And Your Blog…
A while back, I went to see that movie “Transformers” and for some reason I can’t think about search engine optimization without thinking of “Optimus Prime”.
You know, that big blue transport that “transforms” into a giant ninja robot with some kinda laser taser?
Of course, it doesn’t help when your friends have a kid that runs around screaming “Autobots destroy!”, “Autobots transform!”, “Optimus Prime to the rescue!” and other movie related catch phrases I can’t quite identify. No idea…
Anyway, for some reason it just sticks in my fertile little brain. And I have to admit there was a really groovy fight scene between “Optimus” and a robot devil in what looks like the Canadian wilderness or something like that. So I wasn’t bored at all…
But, being obsessed with marketing as I am, (it’s a mental illness) it reminded me of the battle of content driven marketing versus search engine optimization. So I took out my pen and diagrammed the pros and cons of each… After the movie of course…
Here’s what my notes said…
Optimus Vs Optimization? Hmmm…
(Yeah, the notes actually said “Hmmm…”)
Writing Great Content:
- Gets people to read your stuff.
- Gets you return visitors.
- Gets you Facebook shares.
- Gets you Reweets and Tweets.
- Gets you inbound links.
More perks…
- Relatively easy to monetize…
- Helps a lot of people…
- Has personality…
Search Engine Optimization:
- Gets you loads more visitors
- Gets you loads more visitors
- Gets you loads more visitors
More perks…
- Gets you loads more visitors…
Weird, it’s almost like I’m comparing apples and oranges.
They aren’t even the same thing.
And that’s where most people go wrong with the whole content vs SEO debate. They assume that it’s either SEO or the highway.
Actually, these days it’s almost like Google simply wants you to be a better writer.
After all, what’s a “keyword” other than the topic of your blog post or article. And shouldn’t your topic be in your headlines or subheads anyway? Shouldn’t it be mentioned several times in your post as a matter of fact? Hmmm…
I think we’re confusing the whole thing…
It’s not really about one robot cutting another robot in half. It’s about Google trying to provide relevant search results to people who are actively searching for your “All Spark”. (Transformer reference – read as “content”)
Do You Follow Me?
Somebody please tell me this makes sense.
See you soon,
Jason The “Better Networker”
-The Jason Better Blog
P.P.S. “Autobots Retweet” - It would be totally cool if you like this post enough to share it with your friends. It’s easy to do, just look for the little green “retweet” button on the top of this post and click. Much appreciated. 
Attribution - The photo in this blog post appears to be in the public domain under the “Creative Commons Attributions License”. The original photograph can be found right here.
Related posts:
- Nerve Center: 7-Ways To Drive Even More Traffic To Your Blog…
- The Secret Of Long Tail Keywords
- How To Write Popular Blog Posts
- Jason Better Blog Q&A: “How Long Should Blog Posts Be?”
- Nerve Center Plugins: How To Add A Twitter Widget To Your Blog…
39 Comments
Kurt Henninger on February 5th, 2010
You know, there is always a debate about whether or not to write for people or search engines.
We can clearly see here that the two are not mutually exclusive.
Good content will attract links which will garner better search engine rankings.
Kurt
[Reply]
February 5th, 2010 at 10:47 am
Kurt,
I think the sooner people realize what
you just said… the faster they’ll get ranked.
[Reply]
Dwayne Huggins on February 5th, 2010
J
Do it for the people who use the search engines. Is that any help?
I try to combine the two, but that isn’t always easy. Most of the time I get carried away and just end up writing what is in my head, Im still working out how successful that is.
Love Transformers. I had a toy Optimus-Prime as a youngster, by far the best ‘good guy’ superhero.
Dwayne
[Reply]
Michael Cole on February 5th, 2010
Hi Jason,
You hit the nail on the head again. When you write good content you autobotcally have good SEO.
Michael
[Reply]
Richard Walsh on February 5th, 2010
I struggled a little in the beggining with the whole right keyword thing then I just started writing and the rest took care of itself. It’s becoming a bit cliche but it’s about quality content not just content.
[Reply]
February 5th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
You know Richard,
I confess, I had the same problem…
And even worse, at times I find myself revising
headlines so they work with both SEO and the
article.
You can have the best of both worlds, but it’s a
fascinating game to play.
[Reply]
Wayne Vassell on February 5th, 2010
Hey Jason,
I agree there is no either/or. From my experiences, I can see no reason why you can’t have both and then some!
For example, find a highly search keyword relevant to your niche, write a quality blog post. Whilst having all the key SEO factors, e.g. Title, tags, description, in post, etc
Then write an article on the same topic and submit that to get backlinks. then re-purpose that article to mass content… Podcasts… etc.. Then syndicate it across social media…
All from one keyword, that is what I call the take over! (ha)
I like the post.
Thanks.
Wayne Vassell, signing out….
[Reply]
February 5th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
Wayne,
Sounds like you’re ready to take over the world
with an SEO strategy like that…
Maybe I should add an evil chuckle…
Mwhahaha!
[Reply]
Derek Alvarez on February 5th, 2010
Hi Jason,
I really pay attention to what you do and I’ve noticed you have a way of merging the two in a completely harmonious manner.
Take today’s post for example:
Headline:
“SEO, Robots And Your Blog…”
Very keyword (SEO) friendly.
Then the picture of a Transformer gets me interested on a human level.
Sub-headline:
“A while back, I went to see that movie “Transformers” and for some reason I can’t think about search engine optimization without thinking of “Optimus Prime”.”
More keywords:
“Transformers”, “search engine optimization”, and “Optimus Prime” should help get you ranked.
But you wrote it in a story-telling way. Again, you got me interested.
Plus, more robot friendly keywords sprinkled throughout the human-friendly story.
Thanks for setting a great example, Jason!
[Reply]
February 5th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
Derek,
Truly the best of both worlds.
I like to think of it like a game.
Headlines are the toughest because you have to balance SEO, Benefit, Curiosity,
and whatever other layers of meaning and intrigue you’re playing
on.
It’s like playing Scrabble in Klingon.
[Reply]
Mitcehll Dillman on February 5th, 2010
Morning Jason,
Chalk up another victory for common sense…
It seems, sometimes we try to over-think this whole thing. Maybe spending just a little bit of time preparing yourself before sitting down to whip-out another master piece is all it takes.
Consider your audience and the Search Engines to be your best friends. Offering up some good stuff for one should suffice the other.
It’s like you said, “what’s a key-word other than the topic of your blog post or article.”
Good stuff…
Mitchell Dillman
[Reply]
February 5th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
Mitchell,
If only I had more common sense!
I think it’s the most valuable resource in
the world and it’s scarcer than oil.
[Reply]
Mary Thayer on February 5th, 2010
Jason,
Just the other day I was asked if I keyword “stuff” my articles. That seems fake to me. I have always been more of the natural type gal so I relate to this article quite easily. (except I have not watched transformers, I have three little princesses, mention any Barbie movie and I speak your language)
Just keep it real. Use the SEO naturally while you talk to your reader. You do a great job displaying that in all your posts!
Thanks!
Mary Thayer
[Reply]
February 5th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Mary,
Thankfully I’ve been spared the
Barbie Movie.
I’m not a big fan of keyword stuffing either.
I hope somebody corrects me if I’m wrong but that’s
almost like caveman SEO.
I know Google frowns on it.
[Reply]
Rebecca Geiger on February 5th, 2010
Just like twitter.. put all of your work behind a logo? or write for the people who have a face.
Yes in the beginning could be a challenge but people are smart and know where and what quality is and are willing to share with their friends.
Google may be your friend but how many of your friends tunes do you dance to so that you can get a nibble at their party?
[Reply]
February 5th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Rebecca G,
I know, and then when Google slaps…
business disappears overnight.
Thankfully, there’s some reason to their
madness.
But great content will stay the course.
[Reply]
Laszlo Hajdu on February 5th, 2010
This is a great topic Jason!
I think if I want to brand myself, I pay close attention on the quality and uniqueness of the content to my targeted readers first, than the robots.
Most of the people out there not copywriters, but everybody can tell they own story. The great headline is important. Much easier to focus on creating a eye caching headline than the whole article.
The rule of : ” Keep it simple …” always wins long therm, because it is easier to duplicate!
The end of the day, comments and retweets will tell the story!
Thanks again Jason!
[Reply]
February 6th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
Hey Laszlo,
You brought up really great points.
1. Post unique content (biggie)
2. Keep it brain dead simple (crucial)
I know a lot of people are wondering how they
can be “unique” but it’s almost more difficult
following the herd.
I think a lot of it has to do with personality or
lack thereof.
[Reply]
Ilka Flood on February 5th, 2010
Gosh, Jason, I’m so glad you wrote this post. I have been really confused about the whole SEO stuff. My husband is just learning all about it from the s.c. gurus and is trying to tell me how to write my blog for the best possible optimization.
I really don’t care how often my keyword is mentioned in the first paragraph of my post and/or in the last. I just want to get my story/point across and make some sense
[Reply]
February 6th, 2010 at 6:17 pm
Hey Ilka,
I think SEO is really important, but I think
sometimes people get too obsessed with it
and forget that they’re writing to people too.
Funny thing is, good writing is often SEO friendly.
[Reply]
Jerome Ratliff on February 5th, 2010
Good day J -
Great topic! My approach to this is to definitely NOT stuff with keywords.
Sure I use the keywords so the SEO-bots come-a-crawling, but if it doesn’t make sense to have them in my post, then out they go.
Good stuff J – just as Derek mentioned, you do have a harmonious way of merging the two.
Keep on keeping on.
Jerome Ratliff
[Reply]
February 6th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
Jerome,
I hate to even hear that word “stuffing”.
Some people think they can shove hundreds of keywords into
every nook and crack like a beaver building a dam
or something…
[Reply]
Rhonda Miller on February 5th, 2010
First, I wanted to point out. Has anyone noticed that no one is faceless on this blog post? I love seeing everyone’s shining faces. It makes it so much more personable.
Secondly, maybe you could do an SEO webinar on a common sense level Jason 
;) (I would attend:)
SEO is one of the hardest things for me. I don’t know why, but that’s why I’m focused on mastering it. I figure if I can master SEO, I can master anything. LOL
I can also understand your Google comment. The longer it takes the search engines to search thru junk, the longer it’s going to take a person to rank for something of value.
Have a great day.
~Rhonda
[Reply]
February 6th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
Hey Rhonda,
I hope I didn’t scare all the “faceless”
people away.
[Reply]
Jeff Peterson on February 5th, 2010
Good content = more visit’s from the SEO “transformers” = more visitors = better ranking = more $money$.
Great post!
[Reply]
Peter Grimes on February 5th, 2010
Jason,
So it wud appear that content (quality content) is really king after all! Write to your target market about stuff that interests them and the rest will take care of itself? Yes, No, Maybe?
[Reply]
February 6th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
Peter,
I’m a huge fan of quality content, but I think
everybody should pick up a SEO along the way too.
That way more people will be able to find the content.
But I hope to discourage anybody writing to the
robots.
It’s creepy.
[Reply]
Linus Ruzicka on February 6th, 2010
Jason,
First off, HUGE Transformer fan here. I’ve loved them every since I was a kid – and that fight scene you mentioned – “tha bomb!”
Anyways, reading through your post and the comments, i think Kurt summed it up best:
“Good content will attract links which will garner better search engine rankings.”
This is the approach I have taken in my early SEO approach thus far, and I have to say, so far, so good.
I am still “infantile” in my blogging and keyword and SEO tactics, so I know there is room for improvement. But getting the basics down like you said regarding Kurt’s comment is essential.
btw – what’s up with Better Networker?
~ Linus Ruzicka
[Reply]
February 6th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Hey Linus,
BN is up and running at this time.
Always something cool happening behind the
scenes.
Kurt hit the nail on the head.
Good content has always been a great SEO strategy.
I don’t see why the SEO vs content has to go
on forever.
Can’t we all get along?
[Reply]
Matt Cassity on February 7th, 2010
Hey Jason,
Fantastic advice. I always wondered if I should write for one or the other. Now I am sure that I should write for the visitors and readers!
[Reply]
February 8th, 2010 at 8:12 am
Why not do both Matt?
Good writing is often SEO friendly.
[Reply]
Yo Le on February 8th, 2010
Hey Jason,
I gotta say…You are the MAN!
I would definitely say that you’ve done a phenomenal job of utilizing both great content AND SEO.
I find myself reading pretty much everyone of your blog posts and your writing style is starting to rub off on me. (Definitely a good thing!
- Yo
P.S. I’m a BIG Transformer fan like my boy Linus!
[Reply]
February 8th, 2010 at 8:19 am
Hah Yo Le,
Thank you…
I try to practice what I preach.
As for ideas…
I find the opposite…
You guys are rubbing off on me!
[Reply]
Chris Owen on February 9th, 2010
Hey Jason,
This is one of those posts that hits home for me. I am big on SEO but I always write about copywriting.
I think somewhere along the lines copywriting became my passion without me even knowing it.
What I have noticed is that I get more comments on my headlines than anything else. I keep a notebook in my pocket and write down idea’s throughout the day.
I think that if you don’t write with the intention of entertaining, enlightening or educating people, then it really doesn’t matter how many come to your site. They won’t be coming back.
[Reply]
February 9th, 2010 at 8:55 am
I totally agree Chris,
I know one copywriting guru has
compared blogging and daily e-mails “talk radio”.
As for headlines…
Man, I need to spend more time on those. When I write
a serious promotion. I spend hours upon hours on headlines…
But all too often, with daily posts, they need more effort.
You’re getting major compliments if people are taking the
time to comment on your headlines.
[Reply]
Hey Jason,
The Transformer movie is great! Sound like Tony the tiger…lol!
That’s cool that you mention the difference between content and SEO. It’s like you have to wear two hats these day. I always question what should I focus on. Someday’s I focus on SEO and others on great content.
Chat with you later…
Josh
[Reply]
February 5th, 2010 at 10:47 am
Hey Josh,
I think that sometimes people think it’s
either/or.
I’ve been guilty of that type of thinking but
when you look at what the pros are doing… most
of them recommend quality content too.
[Reply]