Zero SEO Website Profits - I wanna be Google free!

[Steve Crooks]

Originally Posted by JoshuaG

Hey Steve, as a fellow "adsenser" I know this is a big departure from the usual. Of course I don't know how much experience you have with other forms of traffic generation so it may be less of a departure for you...

Regardless, I think you're gonna have A LOT of fun getting creative with your marketing/viral content!

Here's to your future success on a new endeavor!

Thanks for the encouragement and yes, I am having fun already with this..

The big difference for me Joshua is that I have never really embarked on a new site without using SEO every step of the way. Normally, I would have my keyword tool out at this point looking at various keywords to target. Now I am just looking at creating content because I want to do it.. That is a big difference!

I am not saying the SEO approach doesn't work any more but I want too see what is possible without it. Even more so after this latest Panda update has caused such carnage for many people.

I have a feeling that the results of this project will change the way I do things in future, kind of like a new dawn for SEO.. That is the hope anyway.

[tekman]

Try MC Hammers new search engine. Perhaps you can rank first page!

[damiangonzalez]

Hi Steve.

I wanted to know how to follow the project because you have not mentioned anything new about the steps you are doing.

Best regards.

[warfore]

Originally Posted by Steve Crooks

This latest Panda update has certainly got me thinking I spend way, way, WAY too much time worrying about what Google want and don't want and way, way, WAY too little time considering what my visitors would love...

This has prompted me to start a new approach to building a profitable site, built purely and simply for my visitors with not even a sniff of SEO or any optimisation for search engines whatsoever. I couldn't care less if Google rank this site or not, my traffic will come purely from the viral nature of the content.

I am not saying I am finished with Google or anything but I am just tired of SEO and the rollercoaster. I want to take control back from Google for my visitors. I am going cold turkey on SEO for this and I don't care about keyword search volume, competition on Google, keywords in title, high PR backlinks, linkwheels and all that noise!

I would be interested to read other people's opinions and experiences with going back to site building basics without any SEO nonsense disturbing that Utopian approach.

I will keep this thread updated if people are interested in how I get on plus I am blogging about it on my marketing blog in my sig.

This is about finding our what is possible without worrying about Google traffic. I am going to utilise anything I can to promote the site but it is going to be all about the viral nature of the content. It is going to be about using the social networks like Twitter and facebook and just pushing this as far as I can and turning the site into a viral, high traffic, profitable web site.

Here, here....I feel the same way myself.

[Kauzmo]

Okay Steve 4 words - It Will Never Work!

There is no way you are going to be able to build a brand that is niche specific without SEO. Are you crazy or what?

Do you mean to tell me you plan on devoting all of your "on site" time focusing on one thing: the visitor?

You are actually sitting their with a straight face telling me that "user experience" is more important than an H1 tag? Blasphemous!

There is no way in hell Google would ever be able to tell your site was actually user friendly, has relevant content and is easy to use. It just can't happen. Google just isn't that smart.

No my friend you better stick with what everyone else is doing. It's the only way. There can be no deviation!

/sarcasm

Okay Steve here is the real deal - It works! Not only does it work, but when you do want Google to pay attention to you something miraculous happens THEY PAY ATTENTION. Not only do they pay attention, they rank your stuff.

Good luck man and have fun!

[JoshuaG]

Any updates on this project Steve? I'd love to hear how its going.

[boxoun]

I understand what you are trying to say, but it should be worded differently. You should always seo your site.

I think what you mean is that you won't rely on search engine traffic.

Writing good meta descriptions and titles is part of seo and if your site does go viral and get natural backlinks, you want to have good seo so people click yours instead of theirs.

Seo doesn't have to be a bad thing. You should always optimize with seo but don't build business relyin on search traffic.

[markowe]

I am totally with you on this way of thinking, the last Panda put a nasty dent in my SEO-based earnings, enough to question how I am spending my time in IM.I've gotta admit, Google won this round for me,I just find it EASIER to rank with good content than mind-numbing backlinking, so that is the way I will probably be headed from now on.

[affiliated survivor]

Besides SEO traffic there are only the different kinds of Web 2.0 domains. Do you want to drive traffic like in methods as Nanoblogger, GooBert or Google Traffic Pump?

[damiangonzalez]

What happened with this project?

[rimam1]

My plan is to get traffic via YouTube, Facebook (using FastAttackLocker), doing giveaways, guest posts, writing and advertising on other ezines (using Directory of Ezines), and participating in industry blogs and forums.

You can also use Google + to get traffic. Now this is a GREAT tip:

How I built a 5000 list in 3 weeks for free and made bank!

[TammieJJ]

I would also like an update on this project...

I gave up on linkbuilding myself a couple of months ago, after being slapped by a manual penalty. For about six months, I was constantly changing and rearranging and updating like crazy, but then I realized I absolutely hated even working on my sites anymore. So, I've gone back to basics - and my own business plan. I have undone all the things that I changed while I was trying to regain my rankings, and now focus on building (or rebuilding) only quality sites, with quality content.

The manual penalty is still there, but my sites are slowly but surely building traffic from other sources. And, the best part is, I no longer worry that every single change I make will upset my rankings in the search engines.

By the middle of 2012, I should be in good shape again, and I will have built a stronger business because of it.

[rooze]

You won't agree with this but I think the premise is a bit naive. Do you want to build a beautiful oasis in the middle of a desert and expect people to go out of their way to find you, or do you want to build it close to where the people are?

You can do everything you say to avoid SEO, but SEO does not interfere with content unless you proactively make it interfere.

So you can build your website, staying true to your goals for 'visitor first', then you can utilize a few basic SEO techniques to attract more visitors in a way which doesn't change their experience at your website. More people get to receive the benefit of what you have to offer, versus the oasis in the middle of nowhere approach.

Or is your OP just a metaphor ?

[Talen]

Originally Posted by rooze

You won't agree with this but I think the premise is a bit naive. Do you want to build a beautiful oasis in the middle of a desert and expect people to go out of their way to find you, or do you want to build it close to where the people are?

You can do everything you say to avoid SEO, but SEO does not interfere with content unless you proactively make it interfere.

So you can build your website, staying true to your goals for 'visitor first', then you can utilize a few basic SEO techniques to attract more visitors in a way which doesn't change their experience at your website. More people get to receive the benefit of what you have to offer, versus the oasis in the middle of nowhere approach.

Or is your OP just a metaphor ?

The premise might not be as naive as you might think.

I started a site 6 months ago and I knew it would be tough as it's in the higher education niche and I knew I wouldn't have time to do much more than continuously add content. After a while I thought I'd just see where a well optimized theme and my original content would land me.

As of today I am on the first page for one of my keywords which is in the area of 12 million other pages. I've had big authority sites linking to me and other people tweeting and facebooking. The site provides serious information people are looking for and it may just be a bit of luck but it is going places on it's own.

If you have something people need then there is a good chance just delivering can get the work done as well as playing all the normal seo games...

[rooze]

Originally Posted by Talen

..... After a while I thought I'd just see where a well optimized theme and my original content would land me..

Right. But isn't that making my point for me? You had a site with great content, when you took the very basic step of adding an optimized theme, your site prospered.
My point is you don't have to allow Google to drive you, just do what you do then add some basic techniques and suddenly you're in a more visible place.

If you don't want Google traffic, just use the robots exclude tag or stick a line in robots.txt

[Talen]

Originally Posted by rooze

Right. But isn't that making my point for me? You had a site with great content, when you took the very basic step of adding an optimized theme, your site prospered.
My point is you don't have to allow Google to drive you, just do what you do then add some basic techniques and suddenly you're in a more visible place.

If you don't want Google traffic, just use the robots exclude tag or stick a line in robots.txt

Oh but I love me some google traffic. and what you say is very true.

I just think many people get stuck in a rut of continuously searching for that right keyword with exact searches of x amount and having the emd and then linkwheels and blasts and all the other hoopla that they tend to forget the fact if you offer something of real value that people are looking for in a way that others aren't then the hoops don't have to be jumped through as often.

[rooze]

Originally Posted by Talen

....I just think many people get stuck in a rut of continuously searching for that right keyword with exact searches of x amount and having the emd and then linkwheels and blasts and all the other hoopla that they tend to forget the fact if you offer something of real value that people are looking for in a way that others aren't then the hoops don't have to be jumped through as often.

I agree with that completely. I think the OP related to how some people can actually let their content, the stuff their visitors see, be 'formatted' for google's benefit and not that of their own visitors.
Obviously, it's all gone horribly wrong when that happens and it's time to re-assess. But the assessment shouldn't conclude that a new approach can be justified which doesn't use any SEO whatsoever. That's throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Do what you need to do for your visitors, but then give the finished product a nice lick of SEO and give yourself the best possible chances of getting some extra traffic. It's kind or ironic really, that's exactly what Google tells us to do, but sometimes we do the opposite then blame Google when things go wrong