When you are thinking about search engine optimizing your blog you usually think about complex algorithms and slick tricks. However it does not require a ton of money or effort to have your blog posts go up in the search ranking. Instead, all it takes is a little know how and some good content. Here are some ways to SEO your blog easily:
1. Content is king The first thing you should remember when it comes to search engine optimization is that content is king. No matter what system you use the search engines will eventually catch on to gimmicks and tricks. However great content will never be out of style. If you provide your readers with great content then the chances of the search engines picking you up on their radar is infinitely higher over the long term. Now I know this is not the get rich quick idea you want to hear, but it is the truth and the source of blog’s longevity.
2. Update frequently Another aspect of great content I keeping it up. A living blog should be updated with new posts on a regular basis. How often that is can be up to you. It can be twice a week, every other day, or even every day. Whatever it takes to keep your traffic up and your blog on search engine’s watch list. Being consistent in your blog posting is also a good idea. You do not want to have five posts on Monday and then nothing until Saturday. Instead spread it out through the peak days for your blog and make sure you know when the best times to post are.
3. Get connected Speaking of peak times, your blog should be connected to social media. It is easy to connect most blogging platforms with Twitter and Facebook to update followers on new posts automatically. By posting at peak times you will be able to catch a wider range of readers and also gather more interest from search engines. This is also a great way to have your blog go viral. You can do the reverse as well by adding a Twitter feed to your blog and a like button for Facebook to the end of your posts. These connections will give your readers more opportunities to keep up with your blog.
4. Keep it short and sweet When it comes to lots of great content you may start to feel overwhelmed, but don’t. Your blog posts do not have to be pages and pages of text. Instead you should keep it short and sweet. People do not have time to wade through your babbling on. Instead get to the point and make your posts relevant. If you have a lot of information to share you can break up the post into a post series, making it look like a lot more content then it really is. You should also break up your posts with headers to make it easier to read and be sure to keep your paragraphs small. A list format is another great way to create a blog post that both readers and search engines will love.
5. Keywords work When it comes to keywords you have some people who swear by them and other who hate them, but in reality you have to be balanced. Keywords worked when they are not faked or overused. Artificially filling your post with keywords is a sure way to get busted by search engines and readers, but if you know what the best keywords are and think about them as you write your content then they will fall into place naturally. Speaking of knowing the keywords do a little research into what words and phrases people actually search for in order to get the best, searchable, content ideas.
6. Know your audience In order to know what keywords will work for your site you first have to know who your audience is. Know who you are writing for and what they are searching for online. Talk to others in that range to find out more or you can even lurk around competitors’ sites to see what works for them.
7. Have a niche You can’t know your target audience without having a niche. Your niche is your goal, your main topic. Without that you have nothing to aim for or build your search engine optimization around. Find a topic that is specific enough to work with but general enough not to run out of information for. Something like “Red Mailboxes” is too specific but something like “Mail” is too general. Instead you should focus on the middle with something like “Colorful and Strange Mailboxes”.
8. Title accurately Your title is often the first thing readers and search engines see so it should stand out. You need your blog post titles to be accurate and still inviting. If you can use keywords in your title and keep it specific enough to interest readers then you should. A title should typically be between three and ten words in length and you can also aid your search engine rankings by adding things like recognizable names and commonly searched phrases. Readers also like titles that leave them guessing. Something like “Five Twitter Accounts that Superman Hates” would work well because there is name recognition with Twitter and Superman, there is mystery because we do not know the connection, and there is an indication of length with the number five.
9. Use images and multimedia Something that is frequently overlooked by blog writers is the need for images. People are very visual and love a great image. Images also do very well in search engines as many people look there for specific images. Be sure to name or tag your image appropriately to get the best results. A funny, cute, beautiful, or interesting image works best. You can find great images that are free to use on sites like FreeDigitalPhotos.com. Multimedia is also a good way to make your blog more interesting. Importing videos from YouTube or making your own is not difficult at all. You can also link to infographics or create your own for a visual appeal.
10. Make it attractive Last but not least is the often forgotten visual appeal of a site. I know that search engines do not base your rankings on the way your site looks, but users do. The more users you have, the more your site will appear on search engines. Also, visual appeal will help you to avoid things that get your punished by search engines like ads all over the page, pop ups, spammy looking posts, or just a generally difficult to read site. Look over your blog and make sure it is easy to read, easy to navigate, and offers readers a genuine service.
These are just a few of the ideas on how you can make the best of search engine optimization for the long term without having to put a ton of money or effort into it. All of these ideas are easy to do and will pay off big in the long term.
Author: Jason Miner
Courtesy of www.genuineseo.net