NFA Finance

I had to laugh.

Shit. Do I even have one?

I know SEO stands for search engine optimization. Beyond that, I’m still figuring this thing out. If you’re looking for some polished explanation of my master plan, I’m probably going to disappoint you.

Around here, it feels more like the Wild Wild West.

I get up. Make my bed. Do my push-ups. Get some coffee. And write.

Then I hit publish.

Tomorrow, I do it again.

Something to Say

Some days I write about cars. Other days it’s business, sobriety, relationships, or something I’ve learned the hard way.

Sometimes a prompt sends me somewhere I wasn’t expecting to go. That’s part of what I like about it. A question that looks simple can make you stop and think about your whole damn life.

I’m writing from experience. The good decisions, the bad ones, the things I’m working on, and the things I still haven’t figured out.

And apparently, today, that includes SEO.

I’m sure there are things I could do better. I want to learn them. I’d like more people to find this blog, read something that means something to them, and come back.

But when I sit down with my coffee, my first thought is usually, “What do I have to say today?”

Hit Publish and Learn

I’ve started plenty of things in my life without knowing every step ahead of time.

You get into it. You make mistakes. You find out what you don’t know. Then you decide whether you’re willing to keep going long enough to get better.

That’s how this blog feels.

I didn’t start with every detail mapped out. I started writing, and it became part of my morning. Now I’m interested in what I could build if I keep doing it.

A year from now, what will this look like? Two years from now?

I don’t know. That’s what makes it interesting.

I’m not assuming that publishing every day automatically means Google is going to send everybody my way. I’ve got more to learn about getting found.

But I do know this:

Nobody’s finding something I never publish.

That part, I understand.

There’s a Person on the Other End

I like knowing somebody took a few minutes out of their day to read what I wrote.

Maybe they agree. Maybe they don’t. Maybe something in the post reminds them of their own life.

That connection matters to me.

I want this blog to sound like me. If you meet me somewhere and we sit down for coffee, I don’t want you wondering who the hell wrote all those posts.

You’re going to hear the same opinions. Probably the same language, too.

As I learn more about SEO, I want to keep that. I can improve how I present a story without losing the reason I wanted to tell it.

My Strategy, Such as It Is

So what are my strategies for SEO?

At this point, I’m showing up, writing about things I’ve lived, and learning as I go.

Is that a complete SEO plan? Probably not.

It’s an honest answer, though.

Maybe later I’ll read this post and laugh at how little I knew. I hope I do. That would mean I learned something.

For now, I’ve got my coffee, something to say, and another post to publish.

Welcome to the Wild Wild West.

— Nicholas Francis