In order to create the best blog for global readership, you need more than just great content that entertains, informs and educates for your audience to enjoy. You also require maximum visibility for your blog to be discovered among the millions already on the internet.
Even if you already have a following of devoted readers there’s nothing stopping you from going that one step further to tap into a wider audience to increase your daily statistics. This you can achieve with the utilization of search engine optimization (SEO).
SEO plays an important role in increasing your blog’s ranking potential on search engine sites such as Google. However, even though you can employ the services of SEO experts to do this for you, a little time on your part will see that you can just as easily advance your blog’s search engine optimization by yourself by following these easy-to-do eight tips.
1. Keywords Hold Center Court
Even though content is vital to your blog’s success, the use of keywords are just as important. Keywords are the phrases or words that web searchers will put into their search engine box when they are looking for a site.
In order to optimize your content you should first begin with a brainstorm session to determine which words are appropriate to your content and which words you think people will type when searching for a site.
Google’s Adwords
keyword tool will assist you and will show you what competition you have and how you can stay ahead. Also, make sure that you don’t simply put keywords in your content, but also in your title, header and URLs for your blog to be picked up in search engines.
2. Utilizing Internal Links
While this should not be overdone you can boost your blog’s visibility by linking with other blogs. Another way of increasing your search ranking is to interlink your blog posts so that readers can read up on more information that you have previously written. You should try to do this from other points of access as well, such as the front page or side bar.
3. The Importance of Titles
Titles are part of the overall blogging package, which means that as Google pays attention to them, so should you. Bear in mind that the words you use first in your title will typically have more weight to them compared to other words in your title, so think about what you want to say.
If you simply want to focus on the SEO side of things then avoid placing the name of your blog in the title tags of single posts. This will only weaken your keywords, which is not what you want.
4. The Benefits of Social Media
Social media provides you with an avenue of readers for your blog. Every time you post a blog you should take advantage of your social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. If you can, get your friends to re-tweet your posts, which will help to get your blog noticed by readers you may not have. By linking your posts to the various social media sites, for example Reddit, Digg and StumbleUpon, you can boost your Google ranking by getting your blog noticed on a wider scale.
5. Categories
The use of categories are useful when it comes to separating your content in the different areas of topic. Not only that, but search engines generally prefer sites that are well structured. With the use of categories you can easily organize your content which will allow you to archive your content so that your readers will have the opportunity to locate older posts with ease
6. The Use of Headings
Headings are ideal when it comes to breaking up your content into easy manageable sections. These can also assist your blog, particularly with SEO when you employ them with keyword search. Headings that include catchy keywords will attract more attention and will place your blog higher up the search algorithm too, all of which is what you want for your blog’s online presence.
7. Limit Your Graphic Design
Tempting as it is to make your blog as attractive as possible for your readers to enjoy, they are only there to read what you have posted. As a result of this, you should limit your graphic design so that you blog does not find itself bogged down with features that it doesn’t need. Flash overload will slow down your blog’s loading time, which will only force readers looking at your blog to turn away.
Flash-free pages that contain simple pages are the best way forward and the ones more likely to attract an audience of devoted readers.
8. URLs
The use of good URLs is just as important as your headings and titles. Make sure that your URLs include keywords such as www.myblog.com/2011/11/SEO-example/ instead of www.myblog.com/?p=40.
While it may not be an overnight success, these simple rules will help you on your way to making your blog a success with the proper management of your SEO skills.
