This post is not search engine optimized. Scratch that. This post doesn’t pay any heed to the notion that it should be search engine optimized. I’m sure it’ll rank wherever the great algorithms in the cloud so deem.

Which is the long way of saying I’ve given up on being attached to that search placement outcome.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’m not paying attention to where those chips fall. Google’s Search Console tells the story, sending me email on a seemingly monthly basis with tasty tid-bits of grease-fried statistics that sooth my varied interest soul.

Yeah, the screenshot above is no joke: the most “growth” post I had last month was on my family Uno Flip story. Not exactly the technical or management minded post one would expect from me. I enjoyed writing that post, I enjoyed sharing that post with friends. We related, we laughed, a good time was had by all. Which further drives my ongoing I’ll-write-what-interests-me ethos of the last 18 months, because it just feels right at this point. There is a freedom to not be subjected to the ill-conceived platforms that try to monetize and calculate my worth based on a blog post.

Yet I got complaints about that post. “Stay on brand!” the various complainers stated. “People will stop linking to you” further others warned. “You will stop being ranked.”

Look I get it; organic search rank is a business matter, an important thing to track when you’re trying reach new users, to grow a business. I’m not naive to this fact.

That said, as someone who uses this space to write, to share, to experiment, I find search rank a dull standard to work towards. You don’t control the outcome, you are the behest of an online world increasingly driven by platforms distributing misinformation and stoking the flames of chaos through the very abuse of those algorithms. Hasn’t been stellar has it? Not a lot of accountability in how those algorithms have fundamentally torn the fabric of society apart right?

I’ll pass on working towards those so-called necessary search rank optimizations, thanks.

The funny thing about not playing this game is that my impressions and click through rate has only trended up over the last 16 months. I’m not saying I’m breaking any records, but it amuses me that the only thing I’ve done to apparently make that trend occur is:

1. Write about the varied interests I have.
2. Iterate on my performance focused experimental-at-the-core web site
3. Send private text messages to friends (sometimes)

No fancy tricks. No pumping friends for cross links. No dollars spent.

While I won’t be making SEO specific changes any time soon (no, I won’t host you terrible spam guest post thank-you-very-much), apparently I’m still writing somewhat relevant content and apparently not so on the edge of the web platform technology stack to fully throw the search rank gods off the scent. Yet, I’m happier.

I think they call this a win-win. Hard to say for certain. I better search and see.