“Guru.com Sucks”

Please note that this post was written as part of a Problogger.net group writing project.

You’d be amazed at the random search terms that bring people to Freelance Parent. Of them all, “guru.com sucks” is probably the most common. I find that a little distressing, as I kind of like Guru.

I’m continually surprised and occasionally flummoxed at the terms that Google seems to think should bring readers to this blog. For example, you wouldn’t believe how often people find us by typing in some combination of “customer” and “cry.” Seriously, we’re getting a bit of a complex about it.

Apparently a number of our readers are looking for “cheap daycares” and “daycare alternatives.” So are we, folks. So are we.

A ton of people also seem to want to know whether or not they should work for “unethical employers.” The fact that so many people have that question makes us feel even better about our decision to work for ourselves. I like to think that those typing in the term actually already know the answer and are just looking for support for their moral conscience.

I’m curious as to just how disappointed some tween girl was when she typed in “hana montana gems” and ended up at a blog about freelance writing. I’m hoping that the mom who typed “so close to potty training” felt like she got a little bit of moral support. And I can’t agree more with the person who was frustrated enough to type in “always check your work.”

It seems that there are a lot of you out there who have plans to “interview a journalist” or to “interview like a journalist,” too. Who would have thought?

I am a little surprised at the number of people who Google the term “hitch your wagon to a star.” Guess I’m not the only one who thinks it’s a catchy little slogan. Less surprising is the number of folks who arrive here via terms like “writing niche” and “writing markets.” Why, you’d almost think we optimized a post about that or something. “How to write a grant” is another one that pops up fairly often as a result of actually trying to optimize for a search term.

But the ones we did on purpose aren’t funny. Some of the ones that come up through no preplanning on our part are the most amusing. While some variation of “guru.com sucks” would be the frontrunner, things like “how to fail as a parent” are hilarious. Well, hilarious and disturbing, I suppose.

So, let’s hear it, folks.  What crazy search terms have brought people to your blogs and sites?