What I don't do in the forum is specific blog analysis, like "please look at my blog and make itemized suggestions." I charge serious money to do that.

If it's a personal blog, then don't go nuts on SEO. Unless you're trying to land a job. Anyway, write content in several niche areas.

Can you itemize your questions in a list, rather than paragraphs? It's extremely hard to parse all those words looking for the actual questions.

I did that in my post dated:

Mar 14, 2011, 10:41 AM

But, you know, I'm just fed up.

First, my thread is moved to Off-Topic by the powers that be despite my having VERY legitimate questions about how to use the WordPress.com software, and then both raincoaster and timethief proved themselves too arrogant and condescending to take the time to read the thread thoroughly before treating me like I was somehow being horrendously disruptive to the WordPress.com forums.

If I was a chronic problem, posting inappropriately in multiple forums, never taking the time to read old threads, I could understand the reaction. Instead, I read old threads looking for information ALL the time, this is only the 2nd or 3rd time I've created a new thread to ask for help, and I've even posted to other threads in order to help other users).

It's terribly insulting to be treated this way.

"blog".

Yes that really sets me apart from the crowd.
Strangely I have only used the tag "blog" a couple times.

Still trying to get the keywords like "meditation", which I use constantly and in the Tag line to have a stronger "significance", which is supposed to reflect the subject of the blog.

SEO is a puzzling world.

Remember, too, Support is your first resource.

http://en.support.wordpress.com/

http://onecoolsitebloggingtips.com/2009/08/04/basic-seo-elements-for-bloggers/

URL, Blog Title, Tagline & SEO

What’s in a name? Unique names are highly valued for establishing brand identity and for standing out from the crowd. The best case scenario is that the URL, and the blog title, and a brief effective tagline operate as branding tools. Wherever possible, your blog’s URL, blog title and tagline ought to contain keywords (primary subject matter, products and/or services) that define your intended brand. Read the full post here > http://onecoolsitebloggingtips.com/2010/07/31/blog-titles-and-branding-tools/

So @drawingboard - all I can do is empathise!

I do need to change the title and the URL, and even my question about what I need to do to make sure that I don't lose readers who have existing shortcuts to my blog is basically about what redirect options are available to me using WordPress.com and how they work.

If you think you need to change the URL then the way that is done is by purchasing a domain name and domain mappijng. The reason one purchases domain mapping is so their vistors will be seamlessly transferred form the root blog URLs when they click them to the new domain URLs.
http://en.support.wordpress.com/domain-mapping/

However, I really feel that you are really badly misreading my requests for help and mischaracterizing them, resulting in me getting brushed away to an inappropriate section of the forums, where my questions are so clearly out of place.

While the initial thread title has to do with SEO by name, if you read the thread, and it's painfully clear that you haven't fully, the discussion progressed, thanks to everyone's input, from general SEO questions, toward my making a decision to possibly change the name and URL of my blog, which now leaves me with some questions, which I've clearly stated, having to do very specifically with using the WordPress.com software:

managing domains, changing the blog name, whether or not the blog name per the field in the Dashboard has to appear on the site to achieve the results raincoaster mentions above when he/she insisted that I do need to change the title and the URL, and even my question about what I need to do to make sure that I don't lose readers who have existing shortcuts to my blog is basically about what redirect options are available to me using WordPress.com and how they work.

So you see, these are not questions, as you insist, having to do with broad SEO concepts like using keywords, tags, and linking strategies like those you include on your one cool site.

(Yes, I've read your stuff and it's been very helpful in my over all decision-making process.)

So, I appeal to you to reconsider your interpretation of my outstanding request for help above. Respectfully, I think if you weren't so burned out by people who don't have a clue about forum etiquette, because you spend so much time here, I don't think you'd be so quick to judge me and judge me erroneously.

The reason this thread was moved is simply stated. It did not belong in the support forum. WordPress.com Volunteers (your feelow bloggers) and Staff do not provide SEO advice in wordpress.com support forum threads. We provide advice on how to use the software there.

SEO is a profession. Your question is one that we hire professional SEO consultants to provide answers to. I'm no expert but I do know the basics and I have chosen not to weigh in on this thread as it's all over the map. If you want to learn basic white hat SEO, then I recommend that you check this free resource out. > http://guides.seomoz.org/beginners-guide-to-search-engine-optimization

First, why WAS this moved from Support to Off Topic?

And why specifically Off Topic?

I can't understand that at all, and looking at the other threads in Off Topic (coke and pepsi, sex and sociology, music of the moment, etc.) I'm really disappointed in the moderators and WordPress.com for moving me, when I have unanswered questions about concerning the use of WordPress.com, domains, settings, etc.

What about my thread makes it inappropriate for either the Support or Questions forums?

Oh, and I'd still be grateful for help with the questions (hello! Questions!!!) in my last post.

Thanks.

So, I've been thinking about how I could possibly alter my blog title and URL in a way that I feel comfortable with.

The best thing I could come up with is to change the title to:

Fish & Bicycles: A Bellingham Blog

Questions (the answers to which need to be explained in fairly simple, thorough steps, as my skills are somewhat limited):

1. What would the URL have to look like?

2. Since I currently have the Header settings set to not display the text (i.e. blog title), because I'm using a custom header I created that includes the blog title in the font, color, and location that I prefer, am I sabotaging my efforts by not having the official WordPress blog title display?

3. Do I have to pay for a new domain name?

4. If so, do I have to continue paying for the old domain name the next time it is up for renewal?

5. If I make this change, what steps do I need to take in order to not lose regular readers as well as readers who only check in from time to time using the short shortcuts they've created for the previous URL?

6. More specifically, since I use WordPress.com, is it even possible to set up a redirect from the old URL to the new URL, and if so how do I do that (I've read the domain mapping support article, but it's confusing to me and I can't tell if the answer to my question is there. I've already done this once, as you can tell, since my URL is fishandbicycles.com, not fishandbicycles.wordpress.com, but I can't tell what would happen if I add another domain.)?

7. If I set up a redirect, is this something I'm going to have to remember to maintain over time?

8. Any other suggestions, hints, tips?

Any and all assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

At least in this case they can't correctly format a link, so no harm done.

To answer your question, it's more of a fantasy than I suppose I normally am willing to admit. On a good day, I like to think that it's not as far fetched as the ambitions of many bloggers who want to get rich writing a blog in their pajamas. But even so, even my modest ambition isn't strong enough for me to compromise my creative vision, a vision that very much includes the current title of my blog.

A tag alone, particularly since the recent changes in the Global Tag Pages, will not do it.

How important is being THE Bellingham blog to you?

robertpriddy: I see what you are saying, but I don't care to change the titles of my posts, which is what I think you're suggesting when you refer to the titles of my blogs. This becomes a too obvious gesture that I think would really detract from the integrity of the blog as a whole.

mariahayes1: If I understand you correctly, I'd need the Custom CSS upgrade in order to do what you suggest. I don't pay for that currently. I've thought about it and will give it more thought.

auxclass: So you think that just adding a "Bellingham Blog" tag to all of my Bellingham-related posts will help? If so, what would be the downside of just adding that tag to all of my posts? The only visual evidence on the blog would be the addition of the tag as listed at the bottom of every post, right? And, on my current theme, that's in very small print. And, my tag cloud is full as it is, so the "Bellingham Blog" tag won't show up there.

As I said earlier, I never intended the blog to be about Bellingham, just that I'm a person from Bellingham with a Bellingham voice and often a Bellingham view on things, if there is such a thing, and I like to think there is.

So, I'm leaning toward the last suggestion, and if I could ask anything else of folks here, I'd ask to confirm that the idea that auxclass suggests seems like a good way to go.

Thanks!

Description can be used to describe your blog, or to give a subtitle. A description cannot be longer than 500 characters, and cannot contain HTML or other code. If you want more content in your description, you are welcome to enter it directly into your template.

Not a very encouraging picture that you all paint.

Honestly, while I do harbor my stated aspirations, I can't fathom changing the title of my blog just to get noticed. I don't have "Bellingham" in the title of my blog because it's not meant to be a blog about Bellingham. Rather, it's meant to be and is a blog written by someone from Bellingham.

If I was to change the name of my blog just to get more attention, what a terrible blow to my artistic integrity that would be?

You know, most of the time I'm just happy blogging along, I love the rhythm of it, the fact that it's a work in progress, that the whole thing is one continuous process and it's all archived. Then, one day (this past week), I get 150 visits in that one day, when I normally get, on average, slightly less than that per week, and I get seduced by all the attention.

The best writing advice I was ever given, a rephrasing of an old chestnut, was, "Write like no one is reading."

I like my writing and I like my blog, so I think I'll just go back to that simple pleasure.

(I gave you three exclamation points. According to the Magambo Guru that is extra special important.)