When we post content, it's important we publish it using the right domain and its front-end. Even if we tag it for other places, it need to be published from the front-end's domain you want Google ("Big G" going foward)† to discover. Content is content, so it shouldn't matter, right? Unfortunately for us, Big G considers the domain used for publishing the content: the publishing domain. When we post from the publishing domain and tag to other domains (especially to earn relevant tokens), we would think that Big G would know to rank content from the publishing domain higher than content from the other domains. And we would be wrong some of the time. When we want to promote our content so that Big G can give it a high ranking, there can be only one domain: the publishing domain.
| † Knowing what we know about Big G and the rest of Web 2.0 services, why would I want to promote them? It's bad enough that we can't escape Big G when it comes to Search Engine Optimization, so I grudgingly concede to using Big G-oriented SEO. Since nearly all readers know that Big G is the "worldwide leader in search" (the original substitute name I wanted to use) is the default search engine for most people, readers know who I mean when I say Big G. |
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Image: Banner made using HTML and CSS. Content made using Excel 2003. Edits made using MS Paint.
Who doesn't want to have content appear on Page 1 (or even be the first non-ad and non-promoted search result)? Getting on Page 1 at the worldwide leader in search is a big deal. Even people who loathe Big G are happy to get listed on Page 1 (never mind being Link 1).
A Bit About Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization is the modification of a web page in such a way that search engines-- most especially Big G-- rank it as high as possible given whatever the rules its algorithm uses.
Big G fails to give us the courtesy to declare what's OK and what's out of bounds so that we don't run afoul of its rules, it's left to us to figure out the rules Big G keeps hidden from us using the "trade secret" excuse.
While there are ways to game the SEO system Big G uses to rank web pages, those are good for short-term advantage. After a while, Big G figures it out and penalizes the offending web pages.
Although it takes more time, there are standard ways (some would say "ethical ways") to use SEO to achieve high web page rankings. These standard ways can be found elsewhere both here and elsewhere. One way I want to focus on is the domain where the web page is hosted. Not just any domain, mind you; it's what I call the publishing domain.
About the Publishing Domain
For anyone who uses WordPress, the publishing domain is either wordpress.com or wordpress.org (depending on which version is used). Web pages are hosted at one or the other, but not both. For these people (perhaps some of us are in that group), problem solved. Its similar for anyone who uses alternative blogging systems such as Joomla!, Drupal, Wix, or whatever else the web histing provider offers.
How Hive Blogs Differ from WordPress (and Its Alternatives)
Like WordPress, the Hive blogging platforms use tags to make searching for posts easier. Unlike WordPress, the Hive blogging platforms use a subset of tags to determine where a post gets posted.
If you use multiple token tags to earn Layer 2 tokens (e.g., LEO, POB, SPT, BPC, WEED, etc.), then the post gets posted at the domains represented by the token tags (e.g., leofinance.io, proofofbrain.io, splintertalk.io, www.bilpcoin.com, weedcash.network, etc.)
Even though the post can be posted at more than one domain, some front-end is used for creating the post and then to publish the post. A domain name is associated with the front-end used to publish that post and to post it at multiple domains based on the presence of token tags. This domain is the publishing domain.
Although posting on Hive blogging platforms is easy, we can see where it can get complicated for SEO purposes.
For Some of Us, It's Not a Concern (and that's OK)
Hivers are on Hive for any number of reasons. Many of us are here to shoot the breeze and have fun-- who can argue with that? Some of us planted our flag at some community or tribe and spend much of our time there helping the community or tribe grow and thrive-- that activity attracts new members, and that's good for Hive as a whole. Some of us came for blockchain gaming-- it's been around, but it's picked up in recent weeks courtesy of Splinterlands.
As long as we follow the rules for the community or tribe, it doesn't matter what we post or where it can be viewed.
For Some of Us, It Makes a Big Difference
Some of us use Hive blogging platforms as a substitute for WordPress blogs and the like-- in some cases, the Hive blogs double as a portfolio site for enterprising bloggers or writers. If a potential client or employer wants to see samples of our work, we can refer them to our presence on Hive.
To make it easier for people to find our content, we need to use SEO:
- Making headings work for us (H1 through H6, or # through ######);
- Using SEO with images (alt text inside either HTML or Markdown versions of the image element);
- Using SEO with multimedia (similar to what is done with images);
- Making the first paragraph useful to people using search engines;
- Linking back to older content at the publishing domain;
Although a post on cryptocurrency can appear at Proof of Brain or PALnet, we would most likely refer someone to the version of the post published at LeoFinance.
One Other Reason to Post from the Right Publishing Domain
Search engines will find our content, at all relevant domains on Hive blogging platforms. However, will the content be ranked high enough to end up on Page 1? Will the winning domain hosting the content be the publishing domain?
Consider the following analogy:
| Election Season |
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| Some head of state or a regional executive gets a no-confidence vote or is subject to a recall by the public. A replacement leader is needed. Instead of the normal 1 to 3 candidates to fill the vacancy, there are 38 candidates for the final election. Due to the competitive nature of this unusal election, one candidate ends up winning the final election with 4% of the vote. The other 37 candidates siphoned off votes from the eventual winner. On top of that, the winning candidate isn't who the people wanted or who we expected to win. |
Freedom To Publish From Any Front-End Comes with Responsibility
Nothing stops us from using any front end to publish any post we want. If we wanted, we could publish a gaming post using the front-end for Natural Medicine (www.naturalmedicine.io). However, that could be considered bad etiquette or spam, and we don't need that trouble.
Even if our content is suitable for another domain or two, we need to be careful in choosing the right publishing domain.
The Problem Isn't with Us; it's with Big G
If we posted at one web site-- at just one domain-- we would be happy to be discovered by Big G and put on Page 1. That's the case for people who use WordPress as their blogging platform of choice.
However, we publish posts on Hive blogging platforms, so we have more things to consider before we post.
Using LeoFinance as the Example
On its own, Big G doesn't distinguish between a post published at LeoFinance and a copy of it appearing at Proof of Brain or at CENT. Big G needs help from us in this regard. The front end we use determines how well Big G will rank the post. This is part of the Search Engine Optimization strategy we use here.
We would think that Big G would figure out we used LeoFinance to publish our post and replicate it to the other sites-- domains-- we tag. We would think that Big G would rank the LeoFinance version higher and give leofinance.io domain a higher ranking.
The problem is that Big G doesn't care which version of our post it discovers. This makes it hard for the LeoFinance version of the post to become the version to rank higher than the rest.
As a result, while we expect Big G to rank out post high enough to reach Page 1, it ends upreaching, oh, Page 8 because other versions of the post also get ranked. (Recall the special election scenario discussed earlier.)
Front-End Trickery at leofinance.io
If we use LeoFinance to publish a post, we want Big G to rank the LeoFinance version of that post as high as possible. That's why the front end adds code to the post to indicate to Big G that this version of the post is the authority to use when ranking pages.
The front-end inserts a <meta> element in the <head> of the web page used to present the post to anyone who wants to read it. This particular <meta> code declared that the post published at LeoFinance is the canonical version Big G should recognize.
"Canonical" is just a fancy way of saying that a web page at some domain is to be considered the official version and ranked higher than other versions found elsewhere. That's not a concern for someone with a WordPress blog, but it's a big deal for someone at LeoFinance who wants content ranked high by Big G.
Applying the Concept More Broadly
If you publish relevant posts at Weedcash, you want Big G to declare the weedcash.network version of the post as canonical or authoritative.
What I wrote for LeoFinance can be applied to posts across Hive blogging platforms. If we take time to use front-end Q to publish our post, we want to be rewarded by Big G with the highest possible page ranking. It's true no matter what kind of content we post, but in this case Q is LeoFinance. Given the volume of traffic LeoFinance brings to the Hive blogging platforms, this is a big deal.
| ● If you liked this post, please give it an upvote. ● Please reblog or re-Hive this post if you found it useful. ● If there are corrections or clarifications I need to make concerning post content, let me know in a comment so I can update the post and give you credit for the correction. ● As I am neither a cetrified professional accountant nor a licensed broker, posts concerning cryptocurrency, commodities, securities, and money are presented for informational purposes only; DYOR. |
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| ● Although I've learned a lot about Hive and its ecosystem of dApps, there's much more I don't know. Where can Hivers new and old learn more? Visit TheTerminal for FAQs, tips, references, and terrific how-to content. ● If your voting power is beneath dusting threshold, follow and use  and  to boost your voting power. Authors you upvote will be glad you did, and you'll be happy to start claiming curation rewards. |
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| My main focus is cryptocurrencies from a number of angles (educational, commentary, observations, even pop culture). A secondary focus is sharing my discoveries about the world of Hive Social. Most of my posts can be found at these two locations: ● LeoFinance : @magnacarta ● Proof of Brain : @magnacarta For posts I make at other tribes or communities, start here to locate them : ● Ecency: @magnacarta/posts Follow me at this D.Buzz-only account : ● D.Buzz : https://blog.d.buzz/#/@magnacarta.buzz-- note the ".buzz" at the end! I also expect Festivus to take off in popularity in the coming years. |