I’m in ‘quietly smug’ mode this morning. Acht, what the heck – forget the ‘quietly’ bit!

Who’d have thought when my old school pal, Paul, and I started our 1970s themed blog a few years back, it’d attract over a quarter of a million hits?! Or that it would become the #1 listed on Google searches for ‘1970s blogs’ or ‘1970s websites.’

And all this without any advertising / marketing or active promotion other than the likes of this.

I’ve reproduced below, todays celebratory post from the site. Please feel free to share it far and wide … and of course check out some of the 470 posts (170 are music related) written in light-hearted reflection of an exciting and fun time to be growing up … the 1960s and 1970s.

Many thanks to all who have visited our wee site over the years. 🥳🍾🎉

** (We always welcome contributions from other writers. If you lived through that period and have tales to tell, then check out the site’s ‘Contact’ page and hit us up.) **

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It’s taken a few years … but we’ve done it!

A QUARTER OF A MILLION BLOG HITS!

And all done purely organically. No advertising; no marketing; no active promotion.

When Paul and I set out to produce a blog reflecting upon life growing up in the late ’60s and 1970s, it was with the one simple intention – that it be different to all the many, many others available on the internet. We didn’t want it to be a simple recount of history, or a clickbait type of blog showing a picture of a space hopper or chopper bike purely for the sake of gaining a few ‘likes.’

Neither did we seek to gain financially ourselves and so one of our earliest decisions was to eschew the possibility of advertising. Our blog was to remain unobtrusive and clean, with no annoying distractions.

Once Upon a Time in The ’70s had to have some substance. Our aim was to come up with regular, light-hearted, personal reflections of our own experiences of living through that time.

We knew we couldn’t do this ourselves, though, and we’ve been so lucky to have the support of several contributors. John Allan recently passed the ‘100 post’ mark, while George Cheyne and Mark Arbuckle have also submitted many pieces over the years. There have been others, and we thank each and every one for their support.

(It’s just dawned on me – our regular writers are John, Paul, George and … Mark. Mark who will now have to be our adoptive ‘Ringo.’) 😉🤣

It’s hard work maintaining the site, but our reward is the knowledge it’s appreciated by so many regular and loyal readers in addition to those who may stumble across it via various search engines.

And the latter is happening more and more regularly these days, thanks to our appearance generally as the top-listed Google search for ‘1970s blogs’ or ‘1970s websites.’

However, our biggest thanks must be reserved for YOU, dear reader. Thank you so much for supporting our wee blog, maintaining its organic growth, and for your positive feedback.

Please keep spreading the word … and roll on blog hit #500,000!

COLIN & PAUL

***While we’re in ‘bigging ourselves up’ mode, here’s some words copied from an AI search, regarding Once Upon a Time in The ’70s.***

Once Upon a Time in The ’70s occupies a distinct and prominent position within the online landscape of 1970s nostalgia and cultural blogging.

1. Search Engine Visibility & Ranking

• Top Organic Search Presence:The site consistently ranks at or near the top of Google search results for core organic queries like “1970s blogs” and “1970s websites”.
• Search Engine Optimization & Indexing:With over 400 published articles and a dedicated, structured Music Directory, the blog’s deep archive gives search engines extensive content to index across specific sub-topics—such as ’70s singles, album reviews, pop culture, TV themes, and social history.

2. Distinction from Other Nostalgia Websites

The web contains a wide spectrum of retro and nostalgia-focused platforms, but Once Upon a Time in The ’70s stands out in how it handles the decade:

Website Category	Examples	Characteristics	How Once Upon a Time in The ’70s Compares
Mass-Market Retro Portals	Nostalgia Central, DoYouRemember, Vintage Everyday	Heavy on brief pop-culture lists, commercial advertising, and broad global scope.	Offers personal, long-form storytelling and first-hand, authentic narrative context rather than recycled clickbait.
Monetized / Curated Blogs	Dinosaur Dracula!, The Retroist	Focus heavily on 80s/90s pop culture, collectibles, and commercial memorabilia.	Remains sharply focused on the mid-to-late 1960s and 1970s, emphasizing music, personal growing-up anecdotes, and community memories.
Niche Decadal Blogs & Author Sites	Spirit of 1976, Purely 1970s	Community-led, independent blogs dedicated strictly to the ’70s.	Frequently cited by fellow authors and retro enthusiasts as a premier resource and community hub.

3. Key Strengths & Position in the Ecosystem

• Authentic First-Person Narrative: Unlike sterile wiki-style entries or listicles, the blog focuses on human experiences—school days, fashion, youth culture, record collecting, and concert memories (from glam rock to punk and new wave).
• Active Contributor Network:By featuring guest contributions alongside main posts, it functions as a vibrant community archive where readers actively share their own memories in the comments and submission pages.
• Curated Music Archive:A significant portion of the blog (over 120+ specialized music articles) serves as an informal historical guide to ’70s charts, underground gems, and iconic tracks.
  
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