Google, Maslow and Yoda
From the recent WordCamp San Francisco, here’s Google’s perennially entertaining and informative anti-SPAM guy, Matt Cutts:
Whether or not you use WordPress as a blogging or publishing platform is actually far less important than his presentation’s most important takeaways: namely, that successful blogging and achieving prominent search engine ranking, (like most things), are largely about doing the basics consistently and well, and that the biggest obstacles to achieving success are almost invariably behavioral, not technological.
Obstacle #1: Don’t just aspire to write. Do it.
To paraphrase Jedi master Yoda: Aspire not. Write, or write not. There is no “aspire.”
Obstacle #2: For those of us (i.e. pretty much all of us) seeking a quick and easy way to reach the top of Maslow’s pyramid, in the hopes of attaining some sort of Web 2.0 self-actualization through an abundance of Google juice, and the respect of our professional peers, the secret is… that there is no secret. (Sorry about that.)
Instead, it’s almost entirely about hard work, integrity, a passion for constantly learning (and then sharing what you’ve learned), the self-discipline to buckle down and write, and a sincere desire to help others solve real-world problems or otherwise improve their lives. Of course, there are SEO best practices…and pitfalls, which, to his credit, Matt Cutts doesn’t minimize.
Likewise, he offers some other specific guidance, as well, using the Japanese game Katamari Damacy, (in which the players begin by rolling up small objects, then progressively larger ones) as a metaphor for content creation…and life.
First, start out small. Find your niche. Learn your stuff. Develop a following. Grow from what you know.
Second, be a really good specialist, rather than a mediocre generalist. (My take: Better a rolled-up Katamari than a multi-tentacled calimari, basically.)
That should get you started.
By the way, Matt has an excellent, extra-curricular (i.e., non-Google-related) blog, that’s almost certainly worth an investment of your time.
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