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Once upon a time, there was a little website. Life was hard for this little website. No matter how hard she tried, or where she advertised, the little website couldn’t seem to get any attention. But this little website had big dreams. She saw all the big, giant websites, and dreamed of being as big as them. But this little website was impatient. She had heard all the stories of the magical rise of the giants, and wanted her dream, and wanted it now.

The little website had lots of SEO friends that told her to be patient and smart, but she didn’t want to listen. She didn’t believe that she should have to wait. “I’ve heard all the legends,” she said to all of her friends. “By the end of the year, I’m going to be a giant, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen.”

One day, a visitor came through the door. “I am your magic SEO fairy,” he said. “I am here to make your dreams come true. If you pay me, you’ll have the top ranking. We’ll build all the links you need, and the traffic will come. By the end of the year, you can join the giants.”

The little website felt the excitement. “Finally,” she thought, “all my dreams can come true. I can be a giant too.” She signed the deal with the magic SEO fairy, who gave her a magic potion to drink, put on his black hat and walked out of the door. She drank down the magic potion, and almost immediately, the little website was more popular than ever. She grew and grew, thinking how easy it was.

The little website grew and grew so fast that everyone noticed. But she also drew the attention of Google, the Magic Guardian of the Kingdom. He looked over and said to himself, “something is not right here. She must be cheating.” One night the little website that had grown so big was sitting on her new throne, admiring her traffic and waiting for the cartloads of cash to start rolling in the front door. Google the Guardian quietly crept up on the little website from behind. He took out a big pin and gave her a sharp poke. Suddenly, there was a rush of air, and the little website deflated so quickly that in the end she was even smaller than before.

“You have to be careful,” said Google the Magic Guardian as he watched her fall. “Everyone should learn this lesson. There is no magic solution to success. You have to be smart and take the time to build your website. If you grow on magic tricks and hot air, you can deflate even more quickly. If you are built on substance, you can withstand a few pin pricks. And then I’ll be glad to send all my friends your way.”

The little website was bruised and battered from her fall. But she learned her lesson. She realized that there is no magic potion, and that immediate results are often fleeting and temporary. She went back to all her old SEO friends and asked for their advice. She rolled up her sleeves and got to work. She found out what was of interest to her customers. She made some people very happy, and they kept coming back, and told their friends. She created new content, and by testing what worked and what didn’t work, she made more and more people happy. Suddenly one day, she found she was growing and growing again.

Before too long, the little website had plenty of people saying how much they loved her, and that made her grow even more. Google the Guardian took note of all her friends, and started sending some of his friends.

“That was a lot of hard work and took longer than I thought,” said the little website. “But I’ve finally joined the giants. I’ve learned there are no shortcuts, and promises of overnight success can’t be trusted. And I’ve also learned that smart decisions, patience, and hard work eventually pays off.”