If Google can answer it, nobody clicks: what my sites’ data shows
Data from 11 of my sites shows a simple pattern: if Google can answer the question itself, people don’t click. If they need the actual thing, they still do.
Web, domains, tech, and everything in between.
Blogging with regular irregularity since the 2000s.
If Google can answer it, nobody clicks: what my sites’ data shows
Data from 11 of my sites shows a simple pattern: if Google can answer the question itself, people don't click. If they need the actual thing, they still do.
Nov 10, 2026 · 7 min readLatest articles
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The WordPress plugins I install on every site, and the ones I removed
The lean set of WordPress plugins I install on every site: what each one does, what I removed, and what I don’t need a plugin for at all.
How I decide whether to renew a domain or let it drop
Every month, domains come up for renewal. Here are the questions I ask before I pay for another year or let a name go.
The slow death of my blog (and why I’m resuscitating it)
I found a 1.33GB backup of the blog I started in 2003, and it brought back two decades of memories. Here’s how metahead slowly faded out, and why I’m bringing it back.
Canadian online stores that accept PayPal
Here’s a list of all Canadian online retailers that are accepting PayPal payments.
ON ONLINE #4733 charge on your credit card bill?
I saw a credit card charge for $72 from ON ONLINE #433. It looked suspicious so I decided to look into it.
Matt Cutts on how to rank on Google with WordPress
In 2013, I watched a 2009 talk by Matt Cutts on ranking WordPress sites in Google. Here are my five takeaways from the time, and the one tip above all the others.
Fixed: HP LaserJet M1217nfw stuck at “Initializing…” (reset steps)
How to get an HP LaserJet M1217nfw MFP out of the “Initializing…” loop: the button reset that fixed mine, a second combination to try, and what to do if the loop keeps coming back.
HostGator charges $15 for restoring website backup
HostGator charges $15 for restoring website backups. They asked me to confirm that I wanted them to perform the restore, but they never told me that they will charge $15. Fair or not?
Beware of this Gmail phishing email
Here’s a Gmail phishing message that I received this morning. If you received the same or similar message, do not reply. Just mark it as spam.