Tapping The Plastic Squares

Friday lunchtime and the house is quiet. I’ve got a mug of tea and an idea. Those plastic squares are getting a good tapping. The idea is to write about the futility of writing. You know, that thing many of us do, shouting into the void. Hoping someone is listening.

The truth is, there are over 600 million blogs out there, with roughly 7.5 million new blog posts every day. Around 77% of internet users read blogs for answers and to learn new things. I estimate about 0.00001% of that number read mine. 

There’s no “woe is me” here, though. No chance. I’d write for free. Which is a good job, because that is in fact what I’m doing. But I love to write. It makes me feel alive. It gives me a focus, a purpose. 

Blimey, that sounds a bit woo-woo, doesn’t it? But I’m trying to make the simple point that writing means a lot to me. The fact that I publish it is almost, but not quite, immaterial. 

See, the thing is, we all write to communicate. To express ourselves. To reveal our creative sides. Or something. But I’ve been at it for years and had minimal success. That could be because my writing is rubbish. I get that. That doesn’t stop me wanting to keep going. 

But I also reckon there is something much deeper going on. It’s the war of humans V algorithms. Algorithms drive the big platforms like medium and Substack. You can post to either platform and disappear into the ether. For reasons that are never that clear to me. 

Let’s take a wander through the key aspects of a successful blog. 

I’m tempted to type: No bloody idea. Sheer luck, I reckon. But no, I’ll try and be more scientific. 

The first one is high-quality content. Hang on, what does that mean? It means content that is valuable, accurate, and original. Content that answers specific questions for readers. That’s me screwed already. My content is original, original to the point where I imagine many people say: What the hell is this?

The next rule is: a predictable schedule. You should publish on a timeline that readers get used to. I reckon I’ve got that one nailed. I publish every day. Though I do worry that’s too much. 

Another one is having a clear niche focus. Pick a topic area. Stick to it. To establish authority and trust. Hmm, I’ve buggered that one up as well. I write in the manner of an old Fleet Street columnist, about whatever makes me wonder what's going on. 

Then the final one I have to mention, much as it annoys the hell out of me: SEO. Optimising the shit out of our headlines, keywords, and site speed to rank well on the search engines. I wrote that. Don't have a clue what it means. 

For me, I write the headline that matches my column. Keywords? Don’t know. Don’t use them. Aside from making sure my columns contain relevant material to the topic.  

And site speed? Well, I have a personal blog. It's text with an illustration, so it’s pretty nippy. And this blog on scribbles.page? it runs well.

I also read that “constant optimisation” is a vital ingredient. Meaning, I’d have to keep checking that my headline works. My column contains keywords that are working, and so on. 

Talk about taking all the fun out of writing. 

I know many people are great at it. They’ve done the work. They know the science to get the SEO working. And they are ruthless over niche. They do everything I’ve listed above, in other words. Meaning, they stand a good chance of succeeding. 

Ah well, I’ll keep paddling around in the backwaters. Writing in a manner that makes me feel alive. If you happen by, I appreciate it. But I’ll continue tapping the squares, still. I can’t help it.