"So getting a lot of links, especially from high-traffic sites, is always important"

I'm sorry but I could not disagree with that more. When you see people leaving inane comments on blogs and such it's usually just to get their URL on that site in the vain hope that it will magically drive traffic, which it doesn't.

"SEO" is nothing more than voodoo invented by companies that charge a lot of money to do things that are, practically speaking, impossible.

If you type "contemporary dance" into Google.com the first entry to come up is a stub from Wikipedia. Which makes you ask just how smart is Google's algorithm?

Article19 made it onto the first page and we haven't optimized anything and our keywords haven't changed in years. Most of our pages don't even have the word "dance" in them.

The key to a successful website is compelling content, mix that with good design and you're on to something. All the traffic in the world counts for nothing if people are just clicking through and then straight back out again.

Michelle,

There are many effective and legitimate ways to increase the search engine ranking for one's website or blog.

Comment spam is definitely not one of them, for a number of reasons. From a practical perspective, top blogs add the rel="nofollow" attribute to the hyperlinks of commenters. This attribute means that commenters will not improve their search engine rankings as a result of posting comments to these blogs.

Indeed but they don't know that and there is no evidence that raising your search engine ranking (which should only have anything to do with the relevance of you site to the search requested) will drive traffic to a particular website.

The New York Times is not popular because of Google and rankings, it's popular because of its content.

I appreciate your post, Doug. Honestly I don't know a lot about SEO or what exactly increases one's search ranking.

When I began my blog at wordpress.com the style of permalink you mention was standard. I often reduced the "sample-post" portion of the permalink to a few key words just because I thought it looked cleaner, not for any traffic-building reasons.

But, it seems a no-brainer that, if my permalink and images match what is in the content then it makes it easier to find. You are simply ensuring the permalink and images accurately reflect your content. Content which, yes, is more important than any search engine optimization, which is why I don't spend time fiddling with keyword research.

And, I really am not trying to be argumentative, but out of curiosity I put the term "contemporary dance" into google and Article19 was not on the first page. In fact it didn't show up in my first 20 pages - I stopped looking at that point. I don't know what caused the difference in the above reader's search results.

I, too, think marketers hype the importance of SEO but I don't think, Doug, that you were hyping, nor do I agree that SEO is completely voodoo. Also, I did not take from your suggestions that I should be leaving inane comments all over the web. Just because some people treat it that way does not mean that linking (through relevant commenting, or within content, or in a blogroll) is no longer a great way to get traffic AND interact with those who share your interests and passions.

@ Michelle:

Indeed - Nowadays, SEO is much more than just good permalinks and keywords.

If you're a dance company or artist, spend your time + focus on creating compelling content (for the web + for your live audiences).

If you make interesting + valuable work, people will keep coming back. Afterall, that's how your seasons work. All the marketing and SEO won't do a lick if your stuff sucks AND other people aren't talking about you.

For valuable insight into generating traffic for your blog, take a look at Chris Brogan's recent webinar about Social Media: http://www.hubspot.com/smboss

Also, pageviews + traffic should not be your sole measurements. You need to set yourself up to track conversions - that is, how many people did what you wanted them to do. Getting lots of pageviews is easy. Getting lots of conversions is much harder.

Jaki and Michelle,

You both seem dismissive of the premise that there is value in optimizing your content for top search engines?

Search engines are a major source of traffic for most websites and blogs. So why not take practical, simple steps on an on-going basis to optimize your content for these search engines?

If you identify your posts and images in a clear, accurate manner and take other basic steps that I'm outlining in this series of posts, you are likely to reach a larger targeted audience of people who will be interested in your content and offerings--in this case dance-related programs. As Nichelle writes above if you accurately reflect your content, it will be easier for others to find it.

To configure and design a WordPress blog and install the plug-ins that I mention in these posts will likely require that dancers and dance companies work with a web developer. But once your blog is up and running, it only takes a few extra minutes per post to think through how you want to prepare your content for search engines. This time is well worth the effort and is, I believe, an invaluable part of one's marketing program.

Jaki, as you write, there are a number of factors to consider in terms of one's overall web presence including content creation, social media and converting visitors into customers. But it's a mistake, I believe, to overlook the importance and benefits of generating targeted traffic from top search engines.

Nichelle, Michelle was searching for "Contemporary Dance" on the Google UK search engine.

Thanks, I was wondering if that might be the difference.

And, I have to agree that the steps you are suggesting are simple and straightforward ones. At least half of my traffic is through search engines. Now, I am not a dance organization. I am writing articles about dance so, rather than direct searching for Dance Advantage, a large number of readers are always going to be discovering me through searches. The goal is to eventually turn them into regular readers. But, if dance orgs are writing content for more than just the already converted (so to speak) then a little SEO isn't a bad idea, in my opinion. Not doing so is a bit like promoting an event to the people who are already attending - you want to reach those who have never been to your show, too.