Successful Blog

Dear Google, I'm the Relationship Blogger

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Dear Google,
It’s Liz.

I’m a little confused about our relationship. After two years, you dumped me from Page Rank 6 to a Page Rank 3.

I would have thought it was text-links I had — they’re gone now. I’m sorry. The world knows I’m not an SEO whiz, if I was one, I wouldn’t have 40-some categories in my sidebar. At least, that’s what folks tell me.

But you dumped my LizStrauss blog too, and it doesn’t have any ads and never did.

It’s disheartening when I think of how I advocate NOT GAMING the system.

You might remember when I said

Links and relationships are intertwined and inseparable to me. It’s about people and connections that last.

Did you misunderstand the SOB program after all of this time? Not all of these folks have all of the links you might expect, but they will, because they show the key traits of a successful blogger. I know they will because they write good content and they make good relationships.

Is it that I write creative entertainment sometimes? Isn’t that better than just regurgitating someone else’s content?

Everyone knows that a link exchange on this blog is out of the question.

I’m the kind of blogger who wants a relationship not a one link stand.

And then there was my personal stance on link trains and other valueless link posts.

Dear Emperor: A Test for Your Next Link Post

If the recent birthday party invitation to 646 blogs threw you, please know that it lived up to the “Dear Emperor” standard. So will the link posts like this first one that celebrate the links the party guests brought to show their most successful and outstanding experiences — a birthday only happens once a year. You can believe I’m checking them. I do that for you, for me, and for my readers.

So Google, that’s our history. I know you know me better. I’m the person behind the numbers. I don’t link promiscuously.

I’m the relationship blogger. I want folks to respect me in the morning.

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Comments

  1. Liz, I think you should stop caring that much about the Google PR. Anyway, from what I heard is the external links that are tricky, not internal links (such as categories).

    Anyway, google PR does not affect your number of readers or comments. And from what I tested today, when you google something, the results are not ordered by PR (I tested it with a SEO tool and then rearranged the results by PR).

    My PR also dropped 2 points and I was upset at first. Then I realized it really does not matter that much. A comment, an email or an instant messenger contact, that actually means more than an increase in PR. Besides, I see you’re doing great on Alexa 😛

    Reply

  2. Hi Alina!
    I don’t know that I’m upset. I think I just wanted to go on record as letting Google know that sometimes the numbers don’t work to support what they think. I’ve always been the “one in a million” so this sort of situation isn’t really new to me. . . . If I live by different reasoning, I have to expect that the numbers won’t work in my favor. The numbers aren’t the audience I write for as you so well explain in your comment. 🙂

    Reply

  3. Hey Liz,
    You always were the nice one! 🙂
    I went from a PR5 to a 4 and was a bit upset. I do use TLA in the sidebar, but wrote a post Google Can Go Suck An Egg because I think Google may be gaming their own system because of AdSense.
    I don’t like being negative, that’s why I come by here so often, to get a good dose of nice! 😉

    Reply

  4. Hey Joe!
    It’s not going to make much difference I don’t suppose, especially since we can’t do anything. So why get our knickers twisted over it. 🙂 I just thought they should know that they’re actually pinching someone on their own team. 🙂

    Reply

  5. Hi Liz

    Trouble is that it’s kind of hard to have a relationship with such a powerful entity that doesn’t explain how it does things…

    Maybe they will be listening – maybe you’ll help them rethink their strategy (something or another got them to rethink Brian Clark’s position after all)

    But one thing you can be sure of – we’re listening, we’re admiring and learning from your leadership, and we’ll always be respecting you in the morning.

    Joanna

    Reply

  6. Hi Joanna!
    Yeah, that’s the thing about respect, isn’t it? It has to go both ways or it’s not worth a whole lot. I respect all of you as well . . . so our relationship works and it will as long as we keep that mutual respect going. 🙂

    Reply

  8. It seems like the smarter Google tries to get the farther out of touch with reality they can be when it comes to what constitutes popularity.

    I know it doesn’t really matter and we shouldn’t care… but I’m sorry you took a dip anyways.

    Reply

  10. I visit the Postie boards a lot, and I have a general impression of which blogs are constant, uninterrupted paid links blogs, which post paid links rarely, and which post paid links very very rarely (Example: Andy Beard.)

    If the PR hits were to punish paid links, my casual inspection indicates that Google’s method of detecting paid links is rather poor!

    Reply

  12. Hi Kelly!
    Thanks, it seems many of us did. Like I said, mostly I wanted to point what can happen when we follow the numbers blindly. As marketers we do the same thing with numbers about customers all of the time. People are people . . . no matter how we try numbers can reflect what we’re thinking.

    Reply

  14. Hi Lucia!
    Yeah, I suppose that any mathematical algorithm might have that sort of result as well. I’m not after bringing anyone down only calling attention to how numbers can skew what we see. 🙂

    Thanks Lucia for showing support. 🙂

    Reply

  15. Love your blog. I use mine to build relationships too. I never made it to a PR 6, but I did not loose my PR 5. If your content is unique, and you rely on Google to bring you readers, page rank doesn’t matter. . . it really doesn’t. it does matter if you want to sell ads and it matters if you have the same, or similar content as another blog, that blog will come up first on a search. We can’t control Google but can only do what you have been doing which is play by the rules.

    Reply

  16. Hi Teresa!
    Welcome and thank you!
    I understand what you are saying.

    The relationship with the folks who read my blog is what really matters to me. I know that great content is what people search for and what people search for is what drives the ads that Google and other search engines sell. So if we focus entirely on our readers, we’re still doing the search engines right. 🙂

    Reply

  17. This business can be so frustrating. I’ve been blogging since the end of June, and I never get comments except from my few blog-savvy friends who know how important it is. But I just keep writing because deep down I love to, and hope that my words might help someone have a better day.
    Please know that you do that for me. 🙂

    Reply

  19. Thanks for the blog comment!
    That’s what I mean about you — a simple response would have been nice enough, but you went above and beyond.
    I will definitely remember that. 🙂

    Reply

  21. You know Liz, I’ve been hanging around here for a while. Not as long as some folk but I don’t ever remember anyone by the name of Google showing up. I didn’t see them passing out klondike bars and I’m pretty sure they weren’t sharing anything of value with the rest of us. While they might be nice people, they don’t seem to contribute a lot to the incredible community you’ve built here.

    I’m not sure I’d worry too much about their opinion. I don’t think they are traveling the same road that we are.

    If it’s any consolation. I moved your page rank up on my site. You are now #1. 🙂

    Reply

  22. Oh, Dave,
    What great big smile I have. Yeah!
    I’m just trying to figure out what a Google comment would look like . . . who knows maybe one day we’ll see one. 🙂

    Until then, we’ll keep talking about Canadian beer!! 🙂

    Reply

  23. Unfortunately, a lot of people forget .. that for every blog that dropped from a PR6 to a PR3 .. there’s probably a PR5 blog that dropped to a PR2 .. so, it’s all relative in the google-universe.

    Reply

  25. Being oblivious and ignorant always halps me see the cup being half full. I think a lot of blogs lost their PR because they are just ranked too high in a system that rates the numbers between 0 and 10.

    It’s like with accounting .. the concept of net income is meaningless unless unless it is measured on a consistent basis. It doesn’t matter what that number is, but important how it compared to e.g. last year, using the same methods to calculate it. You can’t keep changing the methods each year to suit your purposes (like cash basis one year, accrual the next, different valuations for inventory the following years).

    As long as other blogs are valued or DEvalued in the same consistent manner as other blogs .. then to me it doesn’t matter – if last week you were PR6 and I was PR5 and this week you are PR3 and this week I am PR2.

    And for that matter – the so-called-people who did NOT get penalized .. why can’t the general population just accept the possibility that – heck! Maybe their site really did get better this google dance time!

    Reply

  26. Liz,

    The new Google PR update is a big fiasco. There’s something terribly wrong in their new algorithm.

    Or else, how can you explain the fact that with a PR4, I’m at par with forbes.com???
    Does it feel good? Not at all.. it’s scary!
    Fear of the unknown.. hehe.

    Google has once again proved it’s the big bad bully of the Internet.

    Reply

  29. Zakman,
    That sure is the part that doesn’t make sense. I know my words and content aren’t pulling in more than Forbes . . . so how to explain that. It’s a mystery of faith. I suppose. 🙂

    Reply

  31. Well .. that’s funny, because I was shopping today and saw instructions how to better enjoy a pomegranate…
    1) Cut off the head ..(okay, forget that part)
    2) dip in water … // Yes. in HOT Water. With Bubble bath. ..

    and, that’s all I could remember from the instructional guide.

    Reply

  33. The main downside of the change is in referrals from Google search. While Google still sends the vast majority of searchers, these have been falling over the past few months anyway and other search engine referrals have been increasing.

    I did my own dancing around the lastest update and came to find out I don’t much care. Is what we’ve done more or less useful because of the latest update? No. As my son would say, it’s all good.

    Reply

  34. I think it’s safe to say anyone here thinks your a 10 Liz. You are the model of the ideal blogger.
    Google is not such a great search engine anyways. They show up in 10th place on their own index if you search for “search engine.” That’s the UK Google too.
    Oddly, I just noticed what looks like an AdSense ad for TLA at the bottom of this page.

    Reply

  36. Hi Rick!
    You just made me realize that I haven’t been paying attention. Maybe that’s why our love affair didn’t last. . . . Perhaps I forgot to send flowers for our last anniversary. 🙂

    Reply

  37. Hi James,
    Wow! I don’t think I’ve been a 10 before. Thanks!

    Meanwhile, I forgot about that thing where Google doesn’t have to worry about SEO. As you probably know, search engine results are different depending on which city you’re in.

    In Chicago, Google doesn’t even make the first page . . . it comes in at 12th.

    Regarding TLAds, they didn’t lose their Page Rank . . . isn’t that the most interesting thought.

    Reply

  38. Hi Troy
    PR, some folks used to say it meant page rank, but if I end up on a par with Forbes that can’t be right. Some folks would say it stands for public relations, but I think you have to talk for that to be so.

    I’m thinking it stand for Purple Rain and I’m putting my music on. 🙂

    Reply

  40. Liz, your bizrate links can easily be misunderstood by a Google reviewer as paid text links. If you care about your toolbar PageRank (TBPR), you might think about nofollowing them and filing a reconsideration request. If you don’t care about your TBPR (and I don’t see why you should), you don’t need to change a thing.

    Reply

  41. Hi Austin Properties!
    It surely isn’t the way to make folks feel good — say it’s about paid links . . . sell your own . . . and then make it look like it’s about something else. 🙂

    Reply

  43. Yes, you were much nicer than I was in my post. Honest, I tried to be nice. I don’t like rants. I really tried to dig up real resources for my readers to get them to think positively about this whole thing.

    What I got was a load of crap from Google. :'(

    Yes, you were much nicer than I was. 😉

    Reply

  44. Oh Wendy,
    Google can’t get the best of me in something I can’t win on. They took something that was theirs to start with. Only my readers can decide whether that will matter to them.

    My readers are who I care about. They’ll come back and bring their friends. . . . that’s more powerful than a search engine. 🙂

    Reply

  45. @ME Strauss

    Do you really care about Google PR. As title of your blog says you own a successful and outstanding blog. and the number of comments on this blog denotes number of regular reader you were able to link up with. So, what difference does Google PR make anyways. Some how Google totally removed few of the pages on my personal blog from its index. Isn’t it more weired at the part of Google than reducing page rank?

    Anyways a lovely blog to visit .. :).. keep rockin

    Reply

  46. Hi Nishu!
    Welcome. Feel free to call me, Liz!

    I understand. That is weird. Who knows what the thinking is behind the curtain? We probably never will.

    Am I highly invested? Probably not. Though I like to say what I think, it keeps me from having on my mind. 🙂

    Reply

  47. Nice post Liz!

    What I don’t get is why should I remove TLA for Google? Why can’t I sell advertising space on my site?

    I’m not worried about it right now, so I’m not changing anything at the moment…although if I had more at stake maybe I would. 🙂

    Just being honest. 🙂

    Reply

  49. Hey Liz, really sorry to hear this has happened to you. Seems there have been some well respected casualties. I hope it all gets sorted.

    Reply

  50. Hey, Meg,
    Thank you for caring. Folks like you are one more reason that I think I’m one of the luckiest folks in the blogosphere.

    It would be a far bigger blow if the minds who meet me here stopped coming to talk . . . what’s a little green bar?

    On the other hand, I sure seem to remember every person I’ve talked to.

    Reply

  51. Glad you’re being pragmatic about it. As you say, what’s a green bar among friends? Just as long as you know there’s no loss of respect – for you, anyway 😉

    Reply

  52. Wow!
    Thank you, Meg!

    I guess it all comes to self-respect and respect for all of you.

    Just like we can’t get those customers to behave . . . we can’t get those search engines to behave either. 🙂

    Reply

  53. Nicely put, however, I think Google PR is just a number and this is not the most important one. What actually matters, is how many visitors you get and what these visitors actually do at your website…

    Reply

  54. I agree, Simona!
    I just have this personal relationship thing about Google . . . it dates back to when they 403 forbidden’d me out of my blogspot blog a long time ago. 🙂

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  57. don’t place too much focus on the PR bar, it is just a number game. What i believe you are looking for is good rankings and constant natural traffic flow. Cheerz

    Reply

  58. I got dumped too but it was temporary as Google couldn’t find my missing blogs. My previous (paid) lousy webhost suspended my acct without even informing me due to “high online activity levels” (which I really doubt).

    When I got my hosting elsewhere and some of my blog entries back (I didn’t have a backup), it took Google roughly a week before my original page rank returned.

    I was thinking it could be that you’re linking to too many blogs with page ranking lower than 2 that your page ranking dropped.

    P.S. In real life, IF someone dumped me, I won’t bother writing a letter. It isn’t recommended. 😉

    Reply

  61. Yip, I’m afraid PR is a strange (and somewhat irrelevant) thing these days. I’ve seen PR0 sites outranking PR4s, and it just seems to be something of a “Webmaster Pride” thing.

    Don’t let it get to you – your site is great 🙂

    Reply

  62. I have read your post three times and enjoy it more each time. I know what you mean about Google’s backhanded slap. I haven’t seen your site until now but I think it’s still worthy of great PR. I know that doesn’t count as much coming from me…but hopefully it brings a smile to your face that I find this post in my searches and love it.

    Reply

  63. Trouble is that it’s kind of hard to have a relationship with such a powerful entity that doesn’t explain how it does things…

    Maybe they will be listening – maybe you’ll help them rethink their strategy (something or another got them to rethink Brian Clark’s position after all)

    But one thing you can be sure of – we’re listening, we’re admiring and learning from your leadership, and we’ll always be respecting you in the morning.

    Reply

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