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Sam and the Lottery

A Story

There's a story about a man named Sam who hopefully watches the televised lottery drawing every week. When the winners of the big jackpots are profiled on the evening news, he looks on with disappointment and envy.

One night, after a postal worker from Springfield wins the $2 million prize, Sam, never before a particularly religious person, takes to praying, thinking it could improve his fortunes. Kneeling by the side of his bed, Sam prays, "Lord, why couldn't that have been me who won the lottery? I'm a good man. I work hard at my job. I've been a loving, faithful husband for 35 years. I've helped raise two wonderful children. But I've never won anything in my life. Would it be too much to ask that I win the lottery just one time? Don't I deserve that? Amen."

A few weeks pass, and the winning ticket is claimed once again, this time by three Waffle House waitresses who had pooled their tips and bought fifty tickets.

Again Sam prays.

"Dear Lord, please understand I have nothing against the waitresses who just won the lottery. In fact, I'm very happy for them. It's just that I can't help but think how much the lottery prize would help me and my family. I'm a good man. I work hard at my job. I've been a loving, faithful husband for 35 years. I've helped raise two wonderful children. But I've never won anything in my life. Would it be too much to ask that I win the lottery just one time? Don't I deserve that? Amen."

Four weeks later, the winning lottery ticket is claimed once again. This time the winner is a retired teacher from Salem who cares for his two elderly parents.

That night, Sam again kneels by his bed to pray.

"Lord, I think it's great that the teacher from Salem won the lottery this time. He deserves it. But I just want to say..."

Before Sam can finish, a voice interrupts Sam's prayer.

It's the Lord.

"Sam, Sam. I know what you're going to say. Listen, do me a favor... meet me half way... buy a ticket."

Back to real life

Search engine success is a little like the lottery. Not the luck part; the number of tickets part.

If you're not satisfied with your Web site's search engine placement, look first at the depth and breadth of your Web site's content. Sure, keywords and meta tags matter, as do a number of other search engine optimization factors. But there's no substitute for lots of good content.

If you built a 9-page Web site two years ago and added one page since then, don't be surprised that your competitors' sites appear above yours in search engine results pages.

Meet your Web developer half way: add some content to your site.