Two Steps to Being the Top Google Search Result

A headline like that is sure to draw traffic, right? I do actually list two steps to being the top Google search result below, but will then emphasize how what a blogger really wants is not a high click-through rate for a single post but a vibrant community of readers who keep coming back.

But you want to know how to be the top search result, right? So let’s get to it.

1. Focus on a less common term: It’s probably going to be hard to top the charts with a generic name like “Internet” or “music” or “ravishingly beautiful.” (I’m sorry if you take offense at me dismissing your chances at that last suggestion, I could be woefully mistaken.) But within two months of launching this blog three years ago one of its posts became the top link for a Google search, and this blog continues to dominate that search today. The term? “Crustacean Christmas.” (I don’t want to hear that no one would ever consider conducting that search.)
2. Put photos of personal craft projects in your post: You heard me. The first Crustacean Christmas post, and the follow-up post the next year, included photos of family holiday display projects, namely plywood characters we drew, cut out and painted. I’ll bet this is a tip you don’t usually see in the near-infinite number of blog posts giving advice on search engine optimization, or SEO. (I would note that, just like a pitchman on late-night television offering to send you a free book on how to get rich, someone offering SEO advice for free on a blog is probably providing value equal to what you are paying.)

So in the spirit of this post, I will seek to position The Artist’s Road atop a more competitive Google search result. The term? “Political Pumpkins.” (I like alliteration.) It will be a heavy lift, because the current top result is by a mom-and-pop organization called the Associated Press. To fulfill step #2 above, here are some jack-o-lanterns I’ve carved in recent years at my home in suburban Washington, D.C.

I’ll start with this year’s creation. The stupid federal government shutdown may be over, but I’m not over the stupid federal government shutdown.

This was last year’s creation. Yes I am a supporter of President Obama, and his logo proved pretty easy to carve.

This was my 2008 attempt at mimicking the Shepherd Fairey Obama image. Unfortunately I think I made the soon-to-be president look a bit sinister, exactly not my intent.

Was my 2009 creation political? Well, perhaps with this globe I was calling for world peace.

Structural integrity proved a challenge with this globe. North and South America were pretty stable, but…

Europe, Eurasia and Africa simply weren’t sufficiently anchored with pumpkin. Within 24 hours this globe was collapsing as if it were in a Michael Bay movie.

In case my sarcasm has been too subtle, I’m not a big fan of SEO evangelists. I am a big fan of compelling blogs well-written. That is the focus of my online Loft Literary Center course “Becoming a Standout Blogger: How To Create, Write and Grow a Compelling Blog.” The six-week workshop-style course focuses on creating a blog that draws the reader back again and again. My next session begins January 13th.

Yes, I did indeed just sneak a commercial into this post. My apologies. But why wouldn’t I want to plug the class for the next two months to anyone who goes to Google to search “Political Pumpkins”?

If you’re a blogger, what are some odd search terms that lead readers to you? If you’re on WordPress you’ll find the results on your Dashboard. Or what search term do you wish you could dominate?