Forget about it. Yup. Forget about it. Oh, I know that statement is going to tick off some SEO's royally. The truth is the truth though. Sorry, guys.

The search engines continue to evolve month by month. Chasing an ever-changing algorithm is like chasing a chicken on speed. You're never going to catch it. We all know how the search engines change and evolved. Google is going through one right now and I can guarantee that the hardcore SEO'ers are gnashing their teeth.

Search engines cater to one type of person and that is the advertiser. They're goal is to put a relevant web site in front of as many eyes as they can. The simplicity of it all is that the SE's want reality. They seek relevant, quality content and lots of it.

Any time someone tells you that they know what the search engines want, run away very fast. There are probably three people at Google who know the ins and out of their algorithms and they aren't talking. In fact, I'm pretty sure they have all signed a Non-disclosure Agreement that makes Coca Cola's secret formula Non-disclosure look like swish cheese.

Why do you think blogs have such an easy time making it to the top of search engines? Because they put out relevant content that is constantly being added to. Does your blog rank better than your site within the same period of time? Most do and that is why. I bet you will find forums posts that mention your site ranking better than your site. It's content, people, content. Ever changing, ever increasing, solid, wonderful content.

SEO's simply mimic reality rather than create it. They are chasing the wind. All of that should make the rest of us heave a sigh of relief. Stop throwing your money away. Keep it simple. You can learn the basics yourself and that's all you need to know. It's not that complicated.

Niche content drives traffic to your site. From there, you pre-sell your visitors by becoming their guide...their mentor....their friend. They are at your web site to get information for a problem they have. They need some good recipes for the week's dinner menus. They need to know what to look for when shopping for a car. They are looking for the best type of memory for their new computer system. They need to know about muscle groups for their school report. Show them the way. Give them what they want and over-deliver it.

Supply them with information they can get nowhere else. Become an expert in your field and they will learn that they can trust you. Eventually they're going to think to themselves, "This person is great! I wonder what they have to sell?" That is where monetizing your site comes in. Never try to monetize before the traffic is there and the pre-sell is accomplished. You will be placing the cart before the horse and will end up sorely disappointed with your success.

That's it. It's the old KISS formula. Create targeted, quality content in abundance and the search engines will love all over you.

Amen ;)

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Tony Thomas is the author and designer of http://www.romantic-oregon-coast.com and the Small Biz Blog at http://small-biz-blog.net