How Accidental SEO Got My Story 19.5K Views & 12.1K Reads
One writer’s experience of unexpected success
Have you ever written something, put it out into the world, and then watched in amazement as it gained traction beyond your wildest dreams? That is exactly what happened to me on one of my Medium stories…and you can now put a number on my wildest dream.
Any number of reasons can result in a Medium story attracting a broader audience. Like through Social media when it is shared on other platforms or other websites/blogs linking to it and directing their audience to the story. However, with one exception that I know of, all that external traffic will not directly impact your earnings on the platform, but there are still numerous benefits for your growth and success as a writer in the long run.
The miracle baby
My Story: “9 Most Damaging Ways Cheaters Are Affected By Their Own Infidelity” unexpectedly went “viral”, and is coming up on 20k views. The best part? I don’t believe it was due to any deliberate strategy or aggressive promotion on my part. It all came down to one thing: SEO.
Let me backtrack a little bit. You see like many writers here, I put my back into it, hoping my stories will resonate with at least a reasonable number of readers. So when I first published the story, I was cautiously optimistic but certainly did not expect a landslide of views especially as the views were trickling in the first couple of months after publication. However, when the story began to suddenly pick up steam, I realized something extraordinary was happening.
The usual suspects
Of course, curious to understand the sudden surge in traffic, I turned to “views by traffic source” for answers. Here is when it got a little bittersweet for me: I discovered that the majority of my traffic was external and most particularly, google.com. In other words, people were finding my article through the search engine.
The main culprit!
When a story is optimized for search engines with all the relevant keywords, meta descriptions, and all that, it is supposed to be more likely to appear in search results potentially getting a lot of organic traffic from search engines like Google. Well, I believe I may inadvertently nailed the art of SEO. You know, relevant keywords all incorporated “naturally” into the story and an enticing title attracting clicks.
Of course, as it is also said, Medium.com is already a high-authority domain in the eyes of those search engines so Medium articles often appear prominently in search results, because search algorithms tend to favor websites with strong domain authority. We are also told that articles on Medium benefit from the platform’s SEO practices and other technical aspects that all contribute to better visibility.
However, I also like to think that since search engines love high-quality, relevant content that provides value to readers, perhaps I had written a piece that not only resonated with the readers but also signaled to the search engines that it was worth showcasing. I really like thinking this.
In case you are wondering about the $$$
You should remember that when it comes to rewarding writers, Medium's philosophy is simple: if they don’t get paid, you don’t get paid!
So as you can imagine, the joy of achieving 19k views on Medium when 81% of that is external was dampened by the realization that external views don’t contribute to earnings in the MPP. The only glimmer of hope is for “Friends of Medium” to share friend links for your paywalled story and when non-members follow the links and read your story, you can get paid.
Well, I will take it as a good sign that my reach and appeal go way beyond Medium’s planet. And, while I firmly believe that my story’s success was largely due to getting the basics of SEO right, even if unintentionally, it just goes to show that the best results come when you least expect them. So, I will continue honing my craft. After all, you never know when lightning will strike twice.
Takeaways
- Even if you’re not actively optimizing for it, getting the basics of SEO right can significantly impact your story’s visibility and reach.
- Search engines favor high-quality, relevant content that provides value to users. So, focus on creating content that will resonate with readers and add value to their lives.
- Though the best results can come when you least expect them, still keep honing your craft and writing from the heart. Success may come immediately but continue persevering because success is often the result of consistent effort and dedication over time.
- While external views may not directly contribute to your earnings in the MPP they still hold value in terms of expanding your reach and attracting potential readership from beyond Medium.
Honourable Mentions:
1. “The People Vs. Amber Heard” (10.1k Views, 98% external).
2. “Adopt Kendall Jenner’s Outlook, Play In The Big Leagues” (3.2k Views , 99% external).