Do you write for search engine or your readers?
By scheng1
@scheng1 (24650)
Singapore
May 28, 2009 12:10am CST
While searching for more information on Google Adsense and blogging, I came across an interesting article in ehow.
The writer, geebee, said that "Here's the secret: Write for Adsense and the search engines, not for people.
That means you talk about a subject without giving out the actual answers or solutions to a question, while also including targeted keywords in your content which draws the right ads so people will go there to search for the actual answers."
Do you agree? Do you think that we should blog primarily for search engine, so that readers will come through search engine, and that we should not give them the answers, so that they will click on the ad and get out?
I wonder what's the fun of blogging when the primary purpose is to make money out of blogging.
It's sad that genuine bloggers who write heart-felt articles in their blogs earn peanut, while those who write for search engines are making thousands of dollars from Google Adsense.
While I agree that readers who follow the blogs hardly click on the advertisements, and the blogger gets only satisfaction, and not income from Google Adsense, I felt sorry for the genuine and hardworking blogger.
I felt sad that for some people, the whole purpose of blogging is to make money.
Maybe to strike a balance, we should have a personal blog to write for our readers, and a blog just to make money. In this case, Geebee's advice works. Write for search engine, not for people!
7 people like this
8 responses
@GraySpirit (103)
• United States
28 May 09
I have only been blogging for about a month. But I have had similar questions cross my mind. I think what we are really asking ourselves is: why are we blogging?
If it's to make money from our articles, then it seems the blog will have to appeal to a readership over a long period of time. So the quality and usefulness of what you write has to meet the need of people. But I think it will take a good year to have enough content for me to have anything worth visiting on a regular basis. And I'm not sure yet that a personal blog is the best way to do this.
It is kind of nice to be able to generate some income though, so I am not criticizing that. But I too, am still trying to figure out what the happy medium is. I don't think I'll know for sure until I really nail down what it is that I am trying to accomplish with my blog.
@scheng1 (24650)
• Singapore
29 May 09
Hi GraySpirit, visited your blog, it's great.
Hope you can promote your blog to bring in reasonable amount of traffic. Have you ping your blog or add to blog directories?
Someone recommends reading this blog to learn blogging tips: makemoneyforbeginners.blogspot.com
2 people like this
@GraySpirit (103)
• United States
29 May 09
Cool, glad you like it. I will check out that site. I'm still learning. But I am pinging my blog daily through Blog Explosion - it's a decent traffic exchange site for building up traffic slowly.
Hehe ... visit often. One of the things I've been trying to do is to fill up the visitor map with people from all over the world. It's been more fun seeing the dots appear on the map than making a few cents here and there. I've been surprised by the large number of bloggers from southeast asia.
I'll do an article on Singapore sometime in the future. I have a couple of friends there that I used to play online games with.
2 people like this
@GraySpirit (103)
• United States
29 May 09
Thanks Scheng. That is something I overlooked. I am still a noob.
Just added it so take a peek if you like.
1 person likes this
@georgegijo (241)
• India
1 Jun 09
Maintaining a balance between search engines and human readers is vital while writing for the web. When writing just for search engines, you loose quality.
2 people like this
@scheng1 (24650)
• Singapore
1 Jun 09
Hi Georgegijo, agree with your comment. Somehow writing purely for search engines defeat the whole purpose of blogging.
Blogging is fulfilling only when we write for ourselves, our friends and readers. And of course, using keywords with density of 3% to 7% is important to draw in readers from search engine.
Unless that is a purely personal blog, then there is no need to write for search engine.
1 person likes this
@paid2write (5201)
•
28 May 09
If blog posts do not get found in search results they do not get many visitors. Whether or not you want to make money you must want people to read what you write on your blog.
My blogs have many thousands of visits, and I have hundreds of blog posts turning up in search results. Those people who read my posts do so because they were searching for information on the topics I write about.
I write articles for websites, in addition to my own blogs, so I have learned how to writing using SEO content and keywords. I spend time thinking of good titles and what words to use in my tags. If I don't do this my blog posts won't get read.
@thedailyclick (3017)
•
30 May 09
In all honesty I am less likely to read something which has been so enginered for search engines that it is too obvious and reads like a marketing piece.
For me it is about achieving a balance between optimizing your content for decent search engine position whilst not forgetting your visitors who have come for a reason.
2 people like this
@re08dz (1941)
• Australia
31 May 09
And in truth if you write for your readers you pretty much naturally optimise your page in the best way possible anyway. By writing in such a way that appeals to your readers or explains things etc you are using the best keywords and they flow throughout the content in the correct way.
2 people like this
@tundeemma (894)
• South Africa
28 May 09
i do write for both, i do write for my readers but that has not really made me even enough money, i have signed up with some freelance websites and i have been making some little money which is still okay even though quite small, i do write articles for website owners who inturn get them in search engines so i can say i am indirectly or directly involved inw riting for search engines
2 people like this
@scheng1 (24650)
• Singapore
29 May 09
Hi Tundeemma, most writers have to satisfy to write in such a way that search engines index their articles, but most write with the intention of benefiting the readers.
It's quite disturbing to hear that there are some bloggers who write for search engine, and provide nothing beneficial to the readers.
Actually the writer in ehow does write useful articles, I enjoy reading his articles in ehow, just that I can't accept his view of writing only for search engine, not for people.
@Canellita (12029)
• United States
1 Jun 09
I can honestly say I do not think about search engines when I am writing. I do choose my keywords carefully when I submit my articles but I write based on what I have to say on a given subject and that is it. I haven't spent enough time on my blog as of yet to worry about the traffic there but I am not really worried about it.
1 person likes this
@scheng1 (24650)
• Singapore
2 Jun 09
Hi Canellita, your blog and articles are in niche area, only those who have knowledge of the term used will search for your blog and articles. I guess in this sense, your articles are already optimized for search engine.
But for those who write about popular topic, such as weight loss, and making money, if they do not use seo techniques, nobody can find their blogs.
Even then, I strongly disagree that they should write only for search engine.
1 person likes this
@Canellita (12029)
• United States
2 Jun 09
People who write about things like weight loss can take advantage of a plethora of networking opportunities with all those websites out there like Spark People and the like devoted to the topic.
With the exception of my helium competitve titles I only write niche topic articles because that is the best way to earn money writing -- sticking to what you know and establishing yourself as an expert. Once you are known for being an expert you can lecture and get books published and other things that bring in additional income.
I suppose being a journalist doesn't need to be specific but I have no interest in that kind of writing and I don't really like being assigned to write about things I have no interest in.
1 person likes this
@Canellita (12029)
• United States
2 Jun 09
I have not done so as of yet but I will try it with the Malbec article I submiitted to helium. I may need to update it a bit first; I will have to read through it again and see.
1 person likes this
@rexertea (117)
• India
28 May 09
I have a different opinion here. I feel we should write for the people because ultimately it's the people who will make us earn money. if the common people won't like what you wrote then there is no use of writing.
But we should make sure proper keywords should be used so that it's caught by search engines and more and more people will read the stuff. the more people will read the article the more the blogger would earn out of it. Therefore the blogger should write for the people but with slight adjustments. there's no harm in it.
2 people like this
@scheng1 (24650)
• Singapore
29 May 09
Hi Rexertea, exact thought. It's quite disturbing to hear that there are some bloggers who blog to attract readers, and provide no substance, so much so that the readers want to get out of the blog as fast as possible.
Glad that most bloggers are writing for people, instead of solely for search engine. Agree that use of SEO techniques is important, so that search engine can direct readers to the blog.
1 person likes this
