Comments on: Do a Blog’s Rankings Really Matter?

By: Tay

Tay — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:00:29 +0000

@Top Dog,

You’re exactly right - how well an Alexa ranking will do all depends on what niche your site is in. The more people view your site with the toolbar, the better your rank will be. Sites like this one, where most visitors have the Alexa toolbar, do better than dog sites or gardening sites where those users don’t know much about things like that.

By: Top Dog

Top Dog — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 22:10:53 +0000

i don’t know that alexa ranks matter at all. however i always find myself looking at my alexa toolbar as i land on a site. theres too many examples of people having a site ranked ~600,000 and another ranked ~300,000 and the 600,000 ranked page being the one that gets more traffic. a lot of the alexa ranking system is down to how many people visit the site who use the alexa toolbar i think?

Top Dog’s last blog post..The invisible rope

By: Tay

Tay — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:29:14 +0000

@Barbara,

You’re right. There are plenty of ways to judge a blog’s success apart from the real “rankings”. Personally, I’d rather have more reader loyalty and higher SERPs than a higher PageRank any day. Thanks for sharing your opinions!

@James,

You’re right. Of course for the bloggers looking to make money, blogging as an art might not be their main focus. But if, like you said, you work on making your blog an art and amazing piece to look at, the rankings will follow. Great point!

@Mark,

Thanks, I really appreciate it! And I agree, Google’s PageRank definitely isn’t fool-proof and I’m sure it never will be, entirely. Rankings are here for us to get an idea of how well we’re doing, but I think some people go overboard and ONLY focus on them.

@Crystal,

Wow, thanks for the excellent comment. I’m monetizing this blog and working to make profits with it, but rankings aren’t all that matter to me. I’d much rather build up a brand and a loyal following first, because readers matter most. I’ve already had my PageRank penalized, anyway. And I also really like what you said about blogging not being an easy job - it seriously isn’t!

By: Crystal

Crystal — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 02:00:10 +0000

It will matter when YOU want it to matter. If you’re monetizing your blog (especially through paid blogging), then PR is the key. If you’re just building up a community of solid supports, then to heck with rankings, focus on the content! They say blogging is an easy job, but really, there are so much that we have to do, starting with building traffic, monitoring rank, and making new content at the same time! It’s like managing a one person international firm with some very, very outspoken clients.

Crystal’s last blog post..Blogging Money & Traffic - My Experience Part 2

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 07:11:34 +0000

Another well-written post, Tay. The items you list for judging a blog’s success are spot on. I can understand and appreciate what Google has tried to do with their page ranking system, I just don’t think it’s at the level it needs to be for it to be fool-proof. Your ways are much better.

By: Jazz Club Los Angeles

Jazz Club Los Angeles — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 05:22:42 +0000

Do rankings really matter?I would have to say that writing in a interesting fashion is an art.I would also say that if you worry more about making your blog say the message you want to impart to your readers (art for art’s sake), than your ranking, then the ranking wilol soon have to follow as a matter of course. James

By: Barbara Ling (aka Owlbert)

Barbara Ling (aka Owlbert) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:10:32 +0000

I agree with Steve - rankings matter if they matter to the personal blogger. Some people might feel high vertical SERPs placement outweighs other types of ranking (especially is the posts in question are slanted towards making money for the author), while other people might find the broader approach (general viral marketing among people who tell their friends, hey, you have to visit this blog!) is more important.Data points,Barbara (aka Owlbert)

Barbara Ling (aka Owlbert)’s last blog post..Getting slapped upside the headed courtesy of your pitifully dull blog writing voice

By: Tay

Tay — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:40:14 +0000

@Brown Baron,

Thanks, that’s great to hear coming from you especially!

By: Brown Baron

Brown Baron — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 08:11:55 +0000

Smashing post. I was nodding my head the whole time I was reading it. Very nice
Brown Baron’s last blog post..Tab Kit Extension For Firefox

By: Manish

Manish — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 08:42:53 +0000

I agree with Steven, ranking do provide lot of motivation.