7 Essential blogging and SEO tips that will take your blog to the next level
"Sometimes that one little thing can make all the difference for your blog."
7 Tips that will make your blog better
If you have questions about the basics, this list is designed to help you.
A quick note ...
Anything that can boost a post or your blog's reach is worth doing, many people skip some of these simple tips because they take extra time to set up.
Don't be that person, quality work should not stop with your content, writing a great post and then getting lazy with everything else will take away from your business.
Here are the things we will cover in this post.
- Adding alt tags to ALL of the images on your blog
- Letting Google and Bing know about your new posts
- How to target your keywords properly
- The importance of internal links
- Essential pages every blog should have
- Building authority in your niche
- Writing quality posts
#1. Image attribution
What is image attribution and why does it matter?
Image alt as I'll call it from here out is the process of adding an explanation to an image that you put on your website.
Check out the picture below ...
Mmmmm... Cake ....
Sorry, I'm back.
If you hover over this picture you will see the alt text as " A piece of chocolate cake on a dish with a golden spoon." Followed by a dash and wornbee.com
This is the image alt, and it's very important for the flow and SEO of your business.
Wealthy Affiliate - Get started today for free!
Want to learn more about SEO and online business? >Start Here<
In making money writing blogs I explain how strategy is very important when it comes to running a website.
Search engines need to see how your pictures "blend" with your content. The alt text is what they use to identify and process your pictures.
NEVER SKIP ADDING IMAGE ATTRIBUTION!
Make sure the attribution is relevant and relates to the picture well, also add keywords whenever possible.
Make sure every image you use on your site is not copy written.
Want to learn how to add image attribution?
Let Google and Bing know about every post
After you create ANY piece of content that carries a URL you can tell the search engines all about it.
"That's right, instead of waiting in the desert for Google to stop by and read your content, you can drop it off to them."
This will help Google and Bing understand what your website is about, your posts will begin getting ranked faster.
How do you tell the search engines about your fresh content?
- Google search console
- Bing webmaster tools
Once you create your Google or Bing accounts (preferably do both) you can inspect any URL and submit it for indexing.
Get into the habit off submitting your work to search as soon as you have posted. When I am done with this article I will submit it to BOTH immediately!
Just because you are creating content does not mean it will be found by the bots anytime soon. Steps that can be used to let the search engines know about your work should be taken!
Sign up in that nifty floating oval on the right >
No spam, no ridiculous claims, just good blogging advice.
Targeting keywords correctly and with purpose
Think of your actual website as a strong foundation (if it's built correctly) that everything sits on top of, your website is the strong footings that hold up against ups and downs.
Keywords build the articles that are sitting on this "base."
When articles are planned and methodically written they get traffic, have value and begin to "branch out" and reach your target audience.
One of the worst mistakes I made when I started writing blogs is choosing keywords "I thought people would be looking up."
This was a bad move that DOES NOT WORK!
Choosing keywords to target in your articles takes time, I also recommend using a premium keyword tool if possible to get the data you need.
The last thing you want to do is waste time writing an article that targets a keyword that gets no traffic and is basically worthless.
The tool I use is called Jaxxy...
If you haven't already check out my article on niche selection once you find you interests and niche ideas give Jaxxy a shot and see what keywords people are looking for!
You can give it a try right here !
Link internally!
Create a good flow of internal links by linking to your other content when possible within posts.
I personally think that internal linking is one of the best ways to get a little respect from the search engines.
What is internal linking?
Internal linking is just as it sounds, you add links inside of your pages and posts that direct the reader to another one of YOUR pieces of content.
Take this article for instance, as I create content I always have a plan to create more articles that explain what I'm talking about in more detail.
From this paragraph here I already have plans to direct my readers into another post that dives DEEP into internal linking.
Interested in getting that article sent directly to your inbox?
Sign up in that nifty floating oval on the right! >
No spam, no ridiculous claims, just good blogging advice.
When your site is new and fresh make sure to create some posts that can have several smaller posts attached to them.
One example is my post "What is a blog and how does it work" This post is a piece of what is called "cornerstone content."
Cornerstone content is a piece of content on your website that acts as a "home base" this bigger article feeds into many new posts that revolve around subtopics covered in the cornerstone piece.
Make sure your site has essential pages
Essential pages should always be on your website... Period.
One of the first things to get started on when building your website is getting all of your pages in order.
Every website should have the following pages ...
[ About page ]https://wornbee.com/about
[Privacy policy]https://www.wornbee.com/privacy-policy/
[ Contact page ]https://www.wornbee.com/contact/
There are a few other pages to think about later on, however these are the necessary pages to get you running well in terms of SEO.
Remember, Google loves a site that has good structure and flows nicely.
Another thing I want you to understand is that your about page is important!
Don't make the mistake of skipping this page and putting little effort into it, this is your introduction to the world! Put your personality and touch on it!
Build authority in your niche
This is by far the one of the most important things to understand when it comes to building a profitable blog or website.
The short version?
You need to build up a reputation of someone who knows your niche, and knows it very well.
"Be the person they trust on the topic, this is how you gain an audience. This is what Google is looking for when ranking content."
BIG BUSINESS
Don't forget search engines are BIG ...
Really ...
Really ...
Big businesses.
The search engines need to give people what they want, when they want it to stay on top.
If you are trying to fool Google (which is pretty much impossible) or you are creating crappy content, you will have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than ranking.
"Starting a website is like opening an ice cream stand in the middle of the desert next to 1,000 other stands."
Focusing on creating great content around your niche is the best way to start blogging.
This leads me into the next tip ...
Write great blog posts
Well I guess this one is more motivation than acual tip but it is wildly important none the less.
Blogging after all is blogging, that's what it should be about for you going in.
Falling into the black hole of theme choices, fonts. colors, and every other destraction is common. I know because I wasted a TON of time with this stuff before I got back to blogging first and designing last.
Write and create with passion
Find your niche and start writing the best stuff you can about it.
It's hard to discount an author that really is engaged in what he or she is writing about and people will pick up on that fast.
- Create content that you are proud of time after time again.
- Absorb everything you can about blogging to learn and grow.
- Research your niche
- Have fun!
Really it's all about staying the course no matter what, keep posting and keep growing!
Comments ()