Things appear grim.  The last two posts on this blog received no comments.  After almost two years online daily traffic with more then 200 visitors is cause for celebration.  I make more money digging my couch for loose change then I make from this website.

My pillow should be soaked with tears.

But actually, things are going really well.  You can not see it in the money, in the traffic, in the number of RSS subscribers, or in the comments.  It is what is happening under the covers that is interesting.

Mother peeps into Timmy’s bedroom and thinks he is sleeping, but if she pulls the covers she finds a blushing Jenny from Math class – Timmy is wide awake.

If You Do Not Socialize Having a Website Can Be Boring

Nothing exciting is going on – almost boring.  It got to the point were I was sitting at the computer thinking of what to do next.  Twiddle my fingers, look out the window, look at the keyboard.  Nothing happening.

At one point it got desperate.  Sitting at the computer and nothing to do, I almost opened a Twitter account.  Fortunately as soon as I saw the little blue bird I closed the window.  It was a close call.  I quickly left the computer and went to get some air with the dog.

Bored enough to open a Twitter account.  What the hell is going on?

The problem is that ever since the website was designed and completed there has been nothing new to do.  At the beginning everything was fresh and exciting.  Creating a website, learning how, discovering new words: SEO, Webmaster, PageRank, SERPS.  Great stuff.  But when it is done – then what?

After the fun stuff came the monotonous work.  For the previous year and a half it has been always the same:

1. Write content for the website.
2. Read old content on website and make edits.
3. Write guest posts

Writing and edit this website.  Writing for another website.  Same thing over and over again.

Some say.  You need to get out there.  Make friends.  Join social networks, read other blogs, write comments, participate in forums.

I did that.  It was fun for the first 3 months but then it drained me.  Just the thought of opening up the forum and having to read the new entries sucks all my energy.

I never tried Twitter but I am certain that within a few days I would forget about it – just like Facebook.  Fun at first but the shine wears off.  It is people talking, endlessly talking.  Over and over again, same thing round and round.

Now I try to ignore everything in my niche – try to avoid all the chatter.  Every now and then I will have a quick look around just to verify that there is nothing new.  I might leave a comment somewhere but only because I want to, not because I believe it will better this website.

In high school Timmy arrives exactly at the morning bell, sits quietly through class, eats his lunch under the bleachers and heads straight home after the bell.  The endless chatter in the halls drives him insane.

Not that I am a social misfit.  I like people.  I like to help people.  I answer all emails with paragraphs.  I respond to comments directed at me.  There are a couple of bloggers that I exchange emails with.  I do not exist in a cave – I interact. I simply avoid the giddy school girls at a pajama party type socializing.

This website has no Facebook followers.  No twitter followers.  And only 80 very dedicated RSS subscribers.

Some website gage their success by the number of Twitter followers and Facebook friends.  Fortunately this website does not.

Waiting For The Big Traffic Explosion

What is happening under the covers? It is slow going but positive results are coming in.

According to the Google keyword tools there are 110,000 global searches for “website money”.  If I could get on position 1 for those terms then I could potentially get 3500 visitors a day from Google.  The key is to get to position 1 for these terms.

Currently this website is position 13.  Real progress.

Moving from position 70,908 to 13 does not increase my traffic, it does not make me more money, it does not bring fame.  But it is progress.  Position 13 is the same as 70,908 – it is invisible.  Very rarely do search engine users go to the second page.  Beyond page 1 is nothing.  This website is still nothing, but it is moving closer to something.

Only 12 positions to go until the explosion.  If I can get a top 3 spot for these keywords then my traffic will suddenly shoot up.

More progress:  6 months ago this website was nowhere to be found for the term ‘make money website’.  Then it appeared on the radar at position 730.  Then a few months later 380.  Few weeks ago at 120. Now 70 – the 4th O in GOOOOOOOOOGLE.  Still far, far away, but progress.

And some more progress:  The most relevant, ‘how a website makes money’.  Number 7.

So I yawn and:

1. Write content for the website.
2. Read old content on website and make edits.
3. Write guest posts

What do you need to know?  What do you need to do?

Fortunately if your question starts with ‘how to’ then a solution is a few clicks away.

Turn on your computer.  Open you favorite search engine and type in how to ‘something’.  Hit the search button.  Milliseconds later you will receive a list of solutions.  And not just simple one sentence solutions.  You will be able to read pages and pages of information, download an ebook, be a subscriber to monthly newsletter, download videos and mp3s, buy a complete package which includes a 3 books, 5 pamphlets and 8 CDs.

Stacks of ebooks and CDs is what you would expect for questions like how to build a house or how to become an astronaut.  But surprisingly you can get a ebook and CDs that answer the question: How to win the lottery.

For under $30 dollars you can download a complete guide that will take you through the steps of winning the lottery.

Want to know how to win the lottery?  No problem.  Send $25 and you will receive an e-book that will show you step-by-step how to win millions of dollars.  Its fast, its easy and the best thing is that you can do it all from the comfort of your living room.

I hope you agree that a complete guide to ‘how to win the lottery’ is absolutely ridiculous.  Two things stick out as absurd:  that somebody made the guide thinking that people will buy it and that there are people who buy it.  But it happens – it is happening right now.  It is out there.  There are how to guides for everything and people are buying them.

Win The Lottery – Fooled By The Context

I do not want to insult anyone, but I pity the fool who thinks there is a $30 solution to the question: how to win the lottery.  But obviously the fools are out there.  People are buying, otherwise nobody would be selling.

Besides ignorance what can lead a human being to purchase this kind of nonsense?  The answer is context and presentation.

Our fool, lets call him Bob, uses the internet everyday to check the weather and sport scores.  He also uses the internet if he needs the definition of a word or needs to know  Lincoln’s birthday.  For Bob the internet is a magical place that provides true answers to his questions.

Bob is fooled by the context.

Win The Lottery – Fooled By the Presentation

Bob is sitting in front of the TV and listening intently as the pretty lady reads out lottery numbers.  When she finishes, as is Bob’s custom, he rips up the ticket and curses the TV.  Then one day, after losing for the hundredth time, he has had enough.  There must be a way to win the lottery.

Bob goes on the internet and searches, ‘how to win the lottery’.  The internet never lets him down, it must know the answer.  And sure enough it knows – Bob clicks on the first result.

Bobs eyes bulge.  So much information..  Pages and pages of information.  Testimonials, pictures of winning tickets. There are books and CD’s for sale.  For Bob books and CD and testimonials means that the information is real.

Bob is fooled by the presentation.

Are You Fooled By Context And Presentation ?

The internet is right about who won the Giants game and what to do about excessive ear wax.  But the internet has no idea how to win the lottery regardless of the size of the e-book.  Internet can tell you some things, but it cannot tell you everything.

The fact that there is an 200 page eBook and 3 hours of video does not mean there is information of any value.  Do not confuse presentation with information.

How can you tell if you are fooled by context and presentation?  If you are reading this post to find out how to win the lottery then you have a problem.

But you are not alone. According to Google – 27,100 people want to know ‘how to win the lottery’ every month. This post serves 2 functions (ordered by importance):

1. An attempt to receive 27,100 more visitors a month to this website.
2. Give you some ideas for your next website.