Most bloggers with traffic meters on their blogs have discovered the power of search engines. For some, search engines bring in over half of their visitors, and it’s quite easy to optimize web sites to generate even more.

Mainstream media (MSM) are discovering the power of search engines, which are an important reason blogs are more accessible. Search engine optimization per se is not the focus of the story I link to, but in my view, search engine traffic is partly responsible for the popularity of blogs. From the AFP:

Internet “blogs” get a boost from the big search engines, which make the personal journals more accessible and move them toward mainstream journalism….Previously, search leader Google said it launched an engine tuned to scouring blog entries for fresh news and views.

While blogs have long been frowned upon by traditional media as amateurish, analysts say the public is increasingly looking to blogs for a fresh view on news.

Blogs and traditional journalism are natural enemies, it seems, but as blogs become mainstream, MSM will have to adapt.