I take back what I said about SEO!

The SEO edits I made might actually be working. It seems that even more people are finding me and placing orders. But I still love the idea of people doing a search for "romance" and finding my hearse shirt, Skel-Belle, shirt, or Grim Reaper Kiss of Death shirt! Watch, now: for once I'm going to remember to "label" this blog post to increase the possibility that people will find it and read it. (And I'm going to include the word "romance.")

The Urn Widow

I just finished her yesterday. (I'm working on a series of widows from the past.) I absolutely LOVE the way she turned out. We see her looking at her husband's urn, which she holds in her hands, and wonder what she's thinking...is she sad...or not?
You can click on the image to make it larger. The original drawing will be shown at the Cannibal Flower 11th Anniversary Show, http://www.cannibalflower.com. (For some reason I can't make the link to their Web site work on my blog; I'll try to fix it after I've recharged my laptop battery.) I haven't decided whether the image is going to be on a T-shirt or not.

I feel like an SEO whore...

Well, I've updated the titles and labels in my Etsy store, for the sake of Search Engine Optimization. Instead of "Shirts for Men," the label now says "Gothic Dark Shirts for Men," because "Gothic" and "Dark" are two words that are more specific and more likely to show up in a search engine. Instead of "The Mighty Squirm by TheMightySquirm on Etsy," my Etsy store title in a search engine now reads "Gothic Dark Halloween TShirts and Art by TheMightySquirm on Etsy." Personally, I love our slogan "T-Shirts and Art with Romance and a Slight Chill," because it's an elegant phrase that says just what I want it to. But, since people can't search for it, it's not SEOptimal. I have to say what people can easily find, so that I can climb ahead of other people to the top of the search list. And when I climb over someone else, they get stepped on by me. The author Tom Hodgkinson once made the observation that when we earn a dollar, we don't simply earn it; we actually subtract from someone else's income and add to ours. No wonder I dislike marketing so much.
Maybe for me the best way to market is to SAY my OWN phrasing again and again, rather than second-guess what someone else is searching for. Then, maybe someday, people WILL start searching for "T-Shirts and Art with Romance and a Slight Chill." Or maybe eventually my skeleton characters will turn up in a search for "romance." Wouldn't that be wonderful!