What is Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the best ways to boost your blog's online presence. SEO is the process of improving the chances that not only will your blog show up in a search, it'll show high up in a search—if not in the first five results, then at least on the first page. This involves many techniques, the installation of various tools and applications, and does not happen overnight. In
short, there is no waving of a magic wand, unfortunately.
Be patient and realistic. To increase your online presence and popularity
takes time and more importantly, takes effort! You'll want to keep working
on it, day after day, following the advice and tips you will find throughout
this chapter.
Be consistent and realistic. Don't make it a chore that you have to do every
day if that's too much for you. Instead, make it a “task” and one that you
can achieve—daily, weekly, twice a week—whatever schedule is realistic
and attainable. You have to make it fit your lifestyle, but you do have to
make the time to blog!
Keep these tips in mind when posting:
Visit and post on other sites or online groups and communities. Join online
groups, such as Yahoo groups in your specialty. Comment regularly on
those sites and use your blog's address in your signature. Ask to be a guest
author or featured blogger on another's site. It may be worth doing this free of charge in exchange for a link back to your blog. Increasing the number of
links back to your blog helps improve your visibility on the Web.
Socialize! Use Facebook and Twitter to help build your presence, and reach
even more people who would not have found you otherwise. Use
Facebook's “Find Friends” capabilities to help you reach out to new,
potential followers. Have your blog posts automatically post to your
Facebook page or Twitter account (to be covered in the next chapter).
Take advantage of Google's search and tracking Tools—Google AdWords,
Google Webmaster Tools, Google Site Submission, and Google Analytics
(all to be discussed in this chapter). You can also use (and pay) other sites to
submit your blog to search engines monthly. I've used www.EnterURL.com, but
there are many others out there as well. And there are some where you
download the software and submit your site to search engines yourself. One
of these I can highly recommend is Dynamic Submission
(www.apexpromotion.com/ad/dynamic_submission.htm).
Consider purchasing online or print advertisements to help promote your
company and site, such as Facebook Ads, ad space (such as a banner ad) on
other related or popular sites, or print ads in magazines or local newspapers.
Yes, this is costly but may help increase your blog and company exposure.
Make sure to use your blog's URL (address) in your e-mail signature. This
way everyone you e-mail has a link to your site!
Use a newsletter to direct traffic to your site. Simply create articles and
include a “Click here to learn more” link that goes to a post or page on your
blog.
Post often. Posting to your blog consistently and on a regular basis (a few
times a week) has proven to increase popularity and traffic to your blog.
This is because your subscribers get your posts and may forward them to
friends who then may subscribe to or visit your blog; visitors may comment
on your blog posts or link to them from their site; or they may use the social
networking share buttons to share your information with their Facebook
fans, Twitter followers, or MySpace friends. So, as you can see, a post may
travel far and be seen by many!
short, there is no waving of a magic wand, unfortunately.
However, here are a bunch of tips to get us started and to brainstorm about ways to help improve
your ranking:
your ranking:
Be patient and realistic. To increase your online presence and popularity
takes time and more importantly, takes effort! You'll want to keep working
on it, day after day, following the advice and tips you will find throughout
this chapter.
Be consistent and realistic. Don't make it a chore that you have to do every
day if that's too much for you. Instead, make it a “task” and one that you
can achieve—daily, weekly, twice a week—whatever schedule is realistic
and attainable. You have to make it fit your lifestyle, but you do have to
make the time to blog!
Keep these tips in mind when posting:
- Post consistently and regularly.
- Post about relevant content and be sure to include keywords in your
- post.
- Write about what interests your readers, something they'll enjoy and
- want to share with others.
- Label each post with keywords (labels in Blogger, categories in
- TypePad and WordPress).
- Place keywords in the post title. Try not to use “fluff” words like The,
- Great, Good.
- Keep the title short, less than 40 characters.
Visit and post on other sites or online groups and communities. Join online
groups, such as Yahoo groups in your specialty. Comment regularly on
those sites and use your blog's address in your signature. Ask to be a guest
author or featured blogger on another's site. It may be worth doing this free of charge in exchange for a link back to your blog. Increasing the number of
links back to your blog helps improve your visibility on the Web.
Socialize! Use Facebook and Twitter to help build your presence, and reach
even more people who would not have found you otherwise. Use
Facebook's “Find Friends” capabilities to help you reach out to new,
potential followers. Have your blog posts automatically post to your
Facebook page or Twitter account (to be covered in the next chapter).
Take advantage of Google's search and tracking Tools—Google AdWords,
Google Webmaster Tools, Google Site Submission, and Google Analytics
(all to be discussed in this chapter). You can also use (and pay) other sites to
submit your blog to search engines monthly. I've used www.EnterURL.com, but
there are many others out there as well. And there are some where you
download the software and submit your site to search engines yourself. One
of these I can highly recommend is Dynamic Submission
(www.apexpromotion.com/ad/dynamic_submission.htm).
Consider purchasing online or print advertisements to help promote your
company and site, such as Facebook Ads, ad space (such as a banner ad) on
other related or popular sites, or print ads in magazines or local newspapers.
Yes, this is costly but may help increase your blog and company exposure.
Make sure to use your blog's URL (address) in your e-mail signature. This
way everyone you e-mail has a link to your site!
Use a newsletter to direct traffic to your site. Simply create articles and
include a “Click here to learn more” link that goes to a post or page on your
blog.
Post often. Posting to your blog consistently and on a regular basis (a few
times a week) has proven to increase popularity and traffic to your blog.
This is because your subscribers get your posts and may forward them to
friends who then may subscribe to or visit your blog; visitors may comment
on your blog posts or link to them from their site; or they may use the social
networking share buttons to share your information with their Facebook
fans, Twitter followers, or MySpace friends. So, as you can see, a post may
travel far and be seen by many!
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