So. Just under a month ago I started an SEO experiment to see what I could do to own the term “Beth Morgan,” a common name with some long-established results in Google. I did this not simply to assuage my gargantuan ego, but primarily in enthusiasm for my new role at work, which has me working more with SEO than I did in the past. And today… movement. Read the full and fascinating after the jump.
So far my efforts have involved starting this blog, linking my Facebook, MySpace, and Linked In profiles to it, updating my Yahoo profile, and starting a Twitter profile and linking here (and my god, some poor SOB is actually following me on Twitter, although my updates tend to be, “I’m blogging!” “I’m laying in bed!” “I’m laying in bed and blogging!”). To check results I’ve been running periodic searches, and I also set up a Google Alert to track references. For the past few weeks results have been static; I’m still a cricket-playing pornalicious milliner.
However, this week’s Google Alert came bearing good tidings: Google has found me already, and the two results in the alert both pointed back to this blog. I show up on the first page of a Google search (only once, and only in position 10, but still!), and twice in Google blog search results. Yahoo still hates me. Reviewing blog stats, one person has already visited the blog today from a search on “Beth Morgan”; I’m curious to see how the stats vary now that the blog shows up in search. And, on an interesting note, one person from Norway did make his way to the blog yesterday on the term “beth m2f”. Sorry, fellows, I was born this way. May I refer you to my friend in the UK?
So the update:
Starting position in Google: 1 top ten listing refers obliquely to me. Currently: 1 top ten refers obliquely, 1 top ten refers to me.
Starting position in Yahoo: 0 top ten listings refer to me.
Planned activities: Upload photos to Flickr. Upload videos to YouTube. Build up existing social networks. Increase commenting activities on other blogs, with each comment having a link back to this blog. Increase links to other lesser-trafficked blogs (i.e., not TechCrunch) where the links may be noticed and reciprocated. Oh, and keep my one Twitter friend well apprised of my every move. In fact, I think I’ll go update him now.
Update: Someone already read this post… who are you, mystery reader? How did you find it? Come forth and comment.