1) In a bowl, stir content mix with 1 cup creativity. Stir. If hard, let sit overnight.

2) Stir in seo and insight.

3) Heat server to 400 degrees. In a 1024×768 pan or two 800×600 pans, pour mix. Beat in buzz.

4) Let bake for one month.

5) While baking, prepare word of mouth.

6) Linkback will start to form on cake. Spread with a spoon of new content batter and buzz every 1-2 weeks.

7) Bake until done or until proper growth begins to form.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Should I buy content batter from the box or attempt to make it myself?
A. Content batter usually tastes better homemade. Although some people might want to get it over with and buy the mix from a box, it’s all according to your taste. Others might mix boxed and homemade content. Personally, I believe homemade is richer and adds a branded touch.

Q. What if I am out of creativity?
A. Do not substitute! Wait until you have some. This is what makes each Rank Cake unique.

Q. I have baked for the time you suggested and linkback will not grow!
A. Is the server set to the right temperature? Did you check it frequently? Several factors can contribute to lack of growth. Make sure you did not do anything to make your cake stale. Sometimes stale Rank Cake happens when people omit the proper buzz brand or forget to prepare their word of mouth.

Q. I heard word of mouth was hard to come by. So how am I supposed to get 1 jar!
A. Easy. Give ‘em something to talk about! You will have the whole jar in no time.

Q. I do not have the patience to wait a whole month for Search Engine Rank Cake! I have money and I will buy the biggest one there is!
A. Search Engine Rank Cake cannot be bought. Ever! Those who tell you that buying their cake will land you 1st place in the Deli Awards is lying.

Q. Is it okay to let my Search Engine Rank Cake bake longer than a month?
A. Yes. In fact, the more you let it bake, the richer it will get. Just as long as you remember to spoon on fresh content batter and buzz every so often to prevent dryness.

I’d love to hear how your Search Engine Rank Cake turned out! And remember: it’s not the size of the server that matters but what is done with the bandwidth.

Previously, users had to be logged into a Google service (Gmail, Google Docs, etc) and web history was an opt-in feature. However, now any user that uses Google will receive personalized searches based on 180 days of data stored in a cookie. You can opt out of personalization (click on ‘Web History’ at the top.) but the “service” is enabled by default. Imagine the tailored ads Google will now be able to serve to its users.

Search Engine Land goes into detail about how personalized search works with the factors including what sites you visit the most, Google Toolbar usage, etc. These factors are what Google uses to rank certain websites “more valuable” on an individual level. Except now, this is enabled by default to many unsuspecting users.

If SEOs and webmasters are upset about this, domainers should be, too.

Google’s blog post (Personalized Search for Everyone) explains the concept little further:

“Now when you search using Google, we will be able to better provide you with the most relevant results possible. For example, since I always search for [recipes] and often click on results from epicurious.com, Google might rank epicurious.com higher on the results page the next time I look for recipes. Other times, when I’m looking for news about Cornell University’s sports teams, I search for [big red]. Because I frequently click on www.cornellbigred.com, Google might show me this result first, instead of the Big Red soda company or others.”

My question is: will advertisers ever show up in this location as a “personalized, targeted result” deceiving  users that results are indeed relevant and non-biased?

I do not believe this will be the end-all-kill-all for SEO or keyword targeting but it does raise a concern that domainers need to follow and pay close attention to.

Updated: John asks in the comments below:

I do NOT have the official Google Toolbar installed and if I read it right, they are NOT logging all my searches in a cookie if I don’t have that?

Answer:

John, that is how the Search Engine Land article reads but it should be concerning when Google themselves say “Personalized Search for Everyone” here: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/personalized-search-for-everyone.html and do not specify that it is only for Google Toolbar users here: http://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/answer.py?answer=93704 “If you aren’t signed in to a Google Account, your search results may be customized based on past search information linked to your browser using a cookie.” Instead, it leaves open the possibility that it doesn’t matter if you have the toolbar or not.