One of the reasons why the SEO industry is so exciting is its lack of solid rules.  There are guidelines and common practices reinforced by testing and analytics, but Google, Yahoo! & Bing have not released an SEO bible, nor will they ever.  Therefore, us SEOs are left to figure it out for ourselves.

Much debate is out there about the different rules of on site optimization and backlink building, and those debates probably will never end.  There are, however, some ways of thinking that can help people steer their sites in the right direction.  The following are pretty broad and I’m pretty sure most will agree with them, but I am more than happy to hear any feedback regarding this list:

1. Create content for your customer, not a search engine. – You could spend all your time doing keyword density equations and tweaking word counts, but please keep in mind that ultimately, you want your content human-friendly.  Write content that makes sense to a potential customer and keeps them engaged on your site.  One visitor that reads then converts is much more valuable than 10 visitors that come to your site, get confused, bounce off, then go tell their friends about how horrible your website is.

2. There’s a reason why it’s called “natural search”…be natural! Yes, keyword targeting is important, but variation is key.  It would be impossible to refer to something by the same name every single time. I mean…even my name can be shortened…and it’s only 4 letters long!  Switch it up a little, get creative, go after those phrases that others aren’t going after.

….next time: the Philosophy of Backlink Building!

1. Has anyone offered up a purpose for the iPad?  I’m told that it reminds people of a large iPhone, a lot of cool apps are coming out exclusively on the iPad, but who was it made for.  Who was the target market the iPad team had in mind when creating the iPad?  I’m almost thinking that there was no target market or application.  I think Apple may have released this product simply because they knew people would buy it.

2. You realize that the people who will truly be there for you no matter what, will love you no matter what.  You don’t have to try hard to impress them, buy gifts to appease them, or constantly kiss the ground they walk on.  You can be yourself around them, and that makes them happy because the real you is who they know and love. [shoutout to the loves in my life that i'm talking about]

3. Ambition is what will get you ahead in life.  Above all other character traits, being ambitious is the best thing that you can be called.  Sure you can be smart, creative, organized…whatever…But nothing beats a natural drive.  Ambition is what keeps you moving forward when others have given up.  It’s what makes you want to be better at whatever it is you’re trying to do.  You can try to be anything you want to be, but you won’t find success until to strive for something that fuels that internal passion inside of you.

4. Yeast-Free diets suck! My doctor gave me this list of things that I can and cannot eat, and I don’t know what I’m gonna do because a lot of things I have to give up are things that I’ve incorporated into my diet because they’re good for you. Brown Rice. Dark Chocolate. Whole Wheat Bread. These are just some of the things I have to give up.  I’m trying to do some research to get a more comprehensive do and don’t list, but for now, it’s hard boiled eggs, water, and dark rye bread.

Thursday – Lunch at Yia Yia Mary’s with the TopSpot crew.  I invited a whole bunch of people thinking that some people wouldn’t come, but they all did! They make me feel so special.  It took 3 cars to get us there, but once we got there, it was nothing but good times and good food. I had a Beef & Chicken Souvlaki with lemon potatoes. Kudos to the meat, wasn’t too crazy about the potatoes.  It was cool though because our waiter was extra awesome and gave me an order of loukoumades (greek doughnuts) for free!

And extra love for John V. for arranging the whole outing and paying for my meal. Free food is definitely the way to my heart!

Friday – 1st drink of the birthday weekend! Cranberry & Vodka.

Saturday – Dinner at Home. My sister makes this amazing beef marinade.  All you need is some oyster sauce, hoisen sauce, chinese spices, and fresh ginger and garlic.  Mix it with some sliced meat and throw it on the griddle with some baby bok choy and water crest. Email me if you want the detailed recipe. And to wash it all down…some homemade mimosas.

After eating my sister wanted to go to Bush Park on Highway 6 in Houston so we got in the car to go.  I brought my Canon Rebel SLR to get some practice in.  Yes, it’s a film camera so I still need to develop the film. Hopefully there was still enough light to get some good shots.

Finally, The Chocolate Bar.  I was looking forward to this part of the night for weeks!  I had a slice of Aunt Etta’s Chocolate Cake. All I can say is “A-M-A-Z-I-N-G”! I don’t know how they did it, but the cake is perfectly moist and the cake part is supersweet, but the chocolate butter cream frosting is not too sweet so overall it make for a perfect dessert. The plate also matched my dress, but that’s besides the point.

Sunday – Nada. Recovery Day

Monday – Lunch at TGIF in Katy.  My sister took me there and we got free ice cream! Dinner at Outback Steakhouse with my baby boo boo. And guess what, they gave us free ice cream too! The perfect way to end my birthday weekend: too much food and free ice cream. Oh yea! We stopped by Best Buy to check out the 3D tvs. I definitely know what’s on my Christmas List.

I have to admit to you, I really wasn’t looking forward to turning 23. It’s not a special milestone age, it’s just older than 22. Now that the day has passed, I can’t help but think about the old saying “You’re only as old as you feel”. I definitely feel 23, but it’s not as old as it seems.

I guess being an SEO turned the pressure up as well. If I wanted people to trust me with their website, mine had to be up to par too right?

Well, my maiden blog entry isn’t going to be me ranting and complaining. What I want to share are my experiences with anyone who wants to start their own blog.  I hope that by sharing these mishaps, I can help speed up your blog making progress.

Here are some things to know/think about when looking to start your own blog:

1. WordPress is the -ish and for non-developers…the most user friendly CMS out there – Don’t let anyone fool you. It doesn’t get any better than WordPress.  I tried a couple different systems and I still ended up coming back to WordPress. (Thanks to the fatcow support team for dealing with my ‘let’s start over’ tickets)

2. Write what about what you want to write about.  Themes are boring and only stop you from writing.  I mean, I love my job, food, photography…etc, etc, etc…but I get tired of those things every so often. Well, maybe not food.  Therefore, why should your blog have a theme when you can talk about it all?

That’s really it. If I was to have more than 2 rules for blogging, it would be kinda contradictory wouldn’t it? I mean, I can’t really give too many rules on how to blog without rules right?

In conclusion, if the thought of blogging makes you worried/stressed/overwhelmed, you might want to think about taking up bingo or something because this isn’t the hobby for you.

HAPPY BLOGGING!