This week is a guest blogging week! I’d like to welcome Jen from Flying Penguin PR.
Practicing a little SEO, search engine optimization, is one powerful way to help your blog stand out among the thousands online today. While the topic is deep and multi-faceted, not to mention constantly changing, there are a few SEO basics you can do regularly to help boost your blog’s rankings, especially for those looking for your blog’s theme or your post topic.
SEO works kind of like this: constantly evolving and automated search engine web crawlers are out there looking for relevant content when related to searches people make on those search engines. These robots will look at your data at the top of your post’s page. This meta data, or basically the Cliff Notes version of your post, plays a big part in your rankings, among a few other things. Here is a look at how you can help those search engine crawlers learn about your post immediately and increase your chances of higher rankings during other’s searches.
Keywords
Once you’ve written your post, look through it and identify a handful of keywords (sometimes two and three word phrases can be better). If you were searching for the topic of this post, what would you type into Google? Those are your keywords. More isn’t necessarily better. Be focused.
For example, with this post, I’d use the following keywords: SEO, SEO basics, blogging SEO, SEO tips, boost your blog’s rankings, search engine optimization, and SEO for beginners. My best guess is people looking for the content of this post are going to search for these items.
When it comes to your blog itself, the same rule applies. What are people looking for that you can help them find? Look at this site as an example. Momcomm.com’s keywords are: blogging, mom blog, blogging tips, writing tips for bloggers, social media for moms, social media tips. Short, to the point, and certainly searchable.
If your blog software allows you to add keywords (there are several good, free SEO plugins for WordPress for example), this is where you include in those keywords. There’s argument to how important keywords are but this article breaks down why you should use them.
Title
The title of your blog and each post should include keywords people would most likely use in searching for your blog’s content or a post’s content. For instance, I write a mom blog about how I put my positive discipline training to work at home. I run a positive discipline parenting blog. People looking for Positive Discipline insight will type a part of my title right into their search.
When it comes to posts, you want to take the same tack. This post is titled “Blog SEO Basics for Beginners.” Anyone searching for SEO basics, blog SEO or any other combination of those words will hit on the title words.
I have to admit this has been a hard one for me. I love writing catchy, intriguing titles that will get my readers reading more. But that won’t help the post’s ranking. Use the catchy hooks in your Twitter and Facebook promotions of your post.
Now none of the above will help much if your blog software automatically names your posts randomly, like “http://www.myblog.com/2100-05-24”. Make sure you’ve either set your software to title your posts with your headline, or, if it is offered in your SEO plugin or blog software, enter the post title yourself. You want it to read “http://www.myblog.com/10-great-decorating-ideas” or another way that uses your post’s title.
Description
Many blog software applications and SEO plugins give you the chance to enter the description of your post. This is 150 characters and when your article comes up in a search engine, it’s the description under the post. You’ll also see it pop up when someone posts a link to the post on Facebook. You can be a little catchy here, but be sure to put some of those almighty keywords in there as well. If not, it’ll just take the first 150 characters in your blog post, which may not be relevant like here where Melissa has an introduction to my guest post in the beginning.
Body
Remember those keywords. We’re not done with them yet. You’ve used them to identify the post’s theme and you’ve used them in the title. Now be sure they’re in the post.
To give your post yet another boost, use some of those keywords in the top couple of sentences of your post. Web crawlers will see the keywords, then the title, then the first few sentences. If there is repetition, the post is deemed valuable to those keyword searches.
All Together Now
For me, when writing a post, I find it easiest to just write the post. Then I’ll go back and give it the SEO once over. I’ll come up with the best keywords for the post, edit that first paragraph to put a few in there (you don’t need them all by any means). Then I’ll come up with a title for the post. The last thing I usually do is write a description, because I’ve pretty much got that post nailed down and keyworded well by then.
These few things are only a handful of many things you can do to boost your SEO, but if you only do this to start, you’re well on your way to increasing your search engine optimization!
Jen Boyer owns Flying Penguin PR, an independent public relations, communications and social media firm specializing in branding, reputation management, publicity and crisis communications. She has more than 20 years of experience in journalism, marketing and public relations. In addition to running her company, she is a contributing editor to Vertical Magazine, the director of the American Heroes Air Show in Seattle, and provides social media support to several Deadliest Catch cast members. She’s also a helicopter pilot and a mom blogger.
P.S. It’s Mel again! If you’re looking for some detailed direction on how to use SEO for your blog, you should check out Kelby Carr’s Mom Blog SEO ebook. I have it and it’s excellent! (the link is an affiliate one, yo).
Momcomm gives blogging chicks practical, can-do tips for writing, blogging and using social media (and sometimes a snarky rant).
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I'm a mom who loves marketing, photography and all things social media. I have two boys whose claim to fame is that they were born on the same day... three years apart.
Twitter: mommyhoodmemos
says:
Thanks for another great post. I am just now starting to get interested in SEO and know that it’s for my own (blog’s) good… so thank you for some really easy and practical tips. Appreciate it a lot. I especially like your tip about writing and THEN going back through to adjust the first paragraph, post title, etc and tweak things to make it more SEO friendly. That takes a lot of the pressure off and seems to be a logical flow to editing. Perfect.
adriel recently posted..peekabooby! a GIVEAWAY
I totally like that suggestion from Jen too. It’s much less stifling that way!
Twitter: soupiton
says:
This info on SEO Basics is extremely helpful for a newbie blogger like myself.
Your tips since I have been following your blog recently have been excellent.
Thank you for all you share.
The Souper
The Souper recently posted..Meatloaf – with new spice combinations
Twitter: mommyofamonster
says:
Thank you for this! It’s extremely helpful and easy to understand!
I just stumbled it and am also including it on my Sat. post of my favorite blog posts of the week!
Off to tweet it!
Natalie recently posted..Here’s to a Happy Fit Me!
Wow awesome Natalie! Thanks so much!
Twitter: KadburyIs
says:
I was searching the ‘net for just that topic when your tweet came up! Lol, next time, I’ll just search your site first : )
~Kristin
That’s too funny– yay for tweeting!
Twitter: extremejohn
says:
Search engine optimization through the use of keywords is a good way to increase your page rank and generate more traffic to your site. But one must also put in mind that over optimization or putting too much or too many keywords in a single article can be dangerous because it seems that Google and other search engines are not friendly with over optimization and it might result to poor page ranking.
Extreme John recently posted..HTC Thunderbolt Review
Twitter: alexcampbell11
says:
SEO is like my arch nemesis. I have such a hard time with it. I even purchased Scribe for the month of March & used it part of the month & then stopped when it would tell me I didn’t have any keywords. I think my problem might be that I write like I speak. I try to make everything catchy. If I’m writing about a tantrum my kid threw I might only use the word tantrum once & use other words for tantrums other times. Does that make sense? Should I just try to pepper my post a little more with keywords instead? And also WP has an option where you can change the permalink for the post. Could you use a catchy title but make the actually link what people would search for?
Alexandria recently posted..12 things I could do before the world ends on Saturday
Twitter: SayWhat_Savings
says:
I do the SAME thing! Whenever I proofread my posts, I will actually swap out words for others that mean the same thing so as not to sound monotonous! Guess I’m doing it all wrong. When I go & look through what posts I’ve been found through Google with… It’s always the shortest, simplest posts, with the most straight-forward names! Lol
Twitter: RoxanesDays
says:
Thank you for this. I’ve been trying to decode SEO for a while and it hasn’t made much sense until now. This post rocks!
Roxane recently posted..RemembeRED – Where Do You Draw The Line
Thanks! This was VERY helpful. I’m wondering if there is a specific SEO plugin you would recommend for word press?
Lindsey
Lindsey recently posted..Mountain Biking with Kids Get a Trailer Bike
Great advice! I am still trying to learn more and master SEO but there is so much to learn. This was full of wonderful resources and ideas!
Tina @ Life Without Pink recently posted..Sleep Battles Tips from the Playground
Twitter: frillycoconut
says:
Learning about SEO is nearly endless, isn’t it? This is a GREAT post for beginners though, most definitely. I’ll be sharing this with my clients who need a little guidance.
Jessica recently posted..How To: Schedule Posts for Blogger & WordPress Users
Oh yes, it totally is! Glad the post will help clients- yay!
Twitter: AbbyOTR
says:
This was super helpful, Jen & Melissa. I’ve spent the past few days searching for something like this and was discouraged to find most of the info WAY too technical — and I’ve been blogging for 5 yrs! This breaks it down into simple, basic, easy-to-implement steps. Thanks!
I’d love to know what your favorite WordPress SEO plug-in is.
Abby recently posted..Meet Parent Coach Meghan Leahy
This put things the clearest yet for me on a topic I am (was) thoroughly confused about. Thanks! Any specific tips-related posts for Blogger users?
Melissa recently posted..alert! alert! the DEFCON mommy warning system
Wow that was odd. I just wrote an very long comment but after I clicked submit
my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again.
Anyway, just wanted to say superb blog!
Charlene recently posted..Charlene
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Twitter: callherhappy
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pinned
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