Search Engine Optimization (SEO) really isnt a new concept although the buzzword is fairly new.  It is basically the process of ensuring your site has on it that which search engines (e.g. Google) index, hence making your search engine rankings higher and presumably driving more traffic to your website.  I still remember doing this in the mid-90’s when we had a huge number of search engines ranging from Hotbot to Alta Vista to AOL that mattered and each one needed to be submitted to and then your site massaged in order to get anything resembling a decent ranking.

Times have changed, the index bots are much more sophisticated than 10+ years ago, and are far less likely to be fooled by the tricks (like using keywords hidden in your background by using the same color for both).

I often get asked, “How can I improve my search results?”.  I usually try to resist rolling my eyes for two reasons: 1) the sheer amount of resources out there covering this topic are just overwhelming and 2) it isnt that hard!  So, to those hosting with me and everyone else reading this, here are a few short tips on how to get your site SEOized!

Content, Content, Content
The more content you have, and I dont mean junk, I mean actual meaningful content, the higher your rank.  So sharpen your pencils and start writing.

New Content, New Images, New Stuff
Daily blog posts or news releases will really help you get noticed by the bots.  But again, dont post junk, otherwise your ranking will drop due to noone visiting.

Network
You must network your site.  Join a few groups, post on them, use WordPress or similar software, embrace RSS, use MySpace or Facebook and link to your site.  These will only drive traffic to your site, increase the relevancy of your keywords and get you the rankings you want.

Use decent HTML/CSS
I say decent, since I still think the entire validation thing is a scam (I will post more on that later).  Your page should work in all major browsers, use alt tags in your images, name your pages something relevant, and avoid a lot of Flash or Images (for now) since they still aren’t fully indexed.    Do not use an image for text blocks, it will not index!

See, not hard.  Enjoy adding quality content, dont overuse images or the other spiffy technologies (Silverlight, Flash, etc…) and have fun watching your traffic come to you for a change.

          

A few of you have read my short story ” Litany of an Atrocity “, and the response has been pretty positive. Although I had removed it from the website for a couple of years, I have again decided to post it on here for anyone to read it that would like to do so. It is dark, written in the second person, and can be disturbing. I was in a dark place when I wrote this, but still enjoy reading it nevertheless. I hope you enjoy…or not.

          

When I was working retail long ago we had a tv in my department that played music videos. Fortunately for me I controlled what videos were playing, because trust me, there were some bad ones. There was one section on one of the tapes that had 4 songs back to back that I loved… something by Adam Ant, The Cure, Annie Lennox, and OMD. I would run across my department and rewind the tape again and again. Somehow it made the day more bareable.

*6th time to listen to this song and counting*

Did I tell you how much I miss
Your sweet kiss?
Did I tell you I didnt cry?
Well I lied
I lie lie lied
Over real over
When I nearly hit the face I loved
So tired of packaging the anger
Always pushing you away

Did I tell you youre wonderful?
I miss you yes I do
Did I tell you that I was wrong?
I was wrong
Cos youre wonderful yeah

Did I tell you how much I miss
Your smile?
Did I tell you I was okay?
Well no way
No way way way

Youre wonderful yeah yeah

Now now now each and every day
I realize the price I have to pay
You youre wonderful
And now for your information
Im walking around like an arm decoration

You youre wonderful
So high I cant get over it
So deep I cant get under it
You
Youre wonderful yeah
Youre wonderful yeah yeah
Youre wonderful yeah yeah
Youre wonderful yeah yeah
Wonderful

Did I tell you youre wonderful?
I miss you yes I do
Did I tell you that I was wrong?
I was wrong
For so long long long

          

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for the day.
I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
I would have talked less and listened more.
I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.
I would have eaten the popcorn in the ‘good’ living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.
I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.
I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn’t show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I’d have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, “Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.”
There would have been more “I love you’s”; more “I’m sorry’s.”

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute… look at it and really see it … live it and never give it back. STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!!

          

A short story I have written, examining one of the major social problems in the US:

Looking back on that rather tumultuous time, what I remember the most is not the classes, but the lessons taught to me outside of the classroom. Never found on any syllabus, never discussed in polite company, but a very real conflict raging all around me.

As a young freshman, barely a week past my eighteenth birthday, I was so excited to start classes at the large university nestled firmly in the “Bible belt” of the United States. I was still a bit jet-lagged after my long flight; still more than a little intimidated by this new country to which I have journeyed, but eager and excited…more

          

from Anne Rice\’s Servant of the Bones: I understood something further about them. They regarded their science as omnipotent. Science was the explanation not only for me but for anything and everything. In other words, they were materialists who beheld their science as magic.