what bloggers need to know about search engine optimization

What Bloggers Need to Know About SEO

(Search Engine Optimization)

Beth Hayden

Blogging with BethAugust 31, 2010

What We’ll Talk About Tonight

Deciding what keywords to rank for What you can do on your own blog (on-page

factors) What you can do on other sites (off-page

factors) Tools and tips Checking your progress

Search Engine Optimization

Why is it important?• Search is the most common online activity

after email• Searchers are highly motivated• Search is highly competitive – ignore it at

your own risk• There are relatively easy steps you can

take that will put you light years ahead of your competition

Keyword Research

Your goal is to find keywords in the sweet spot between lots of searches and lots of competition.

Examples:

Bad keyword – “Cruises”

Better keyword – “Alaska Family Cruises”

Your New Best Friend

Google Keyword Research Tool

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

Tips for Research

Actual search volumes are likely between one and three times higher than what tools indicate.

Think about questions - “How do I...”, “Where can I...”, “How to...”

Look for specific keywords (or keyword phrases) that don’t have a lot of competition.

Start with three keywords or keyword phrases to target.

Where To Put Your Keywords (on-page)

(In order of importance)

1. Page Titles2. Page Text (content)3. Permalinks (page slugs)4. Metatag Page Descriptions5. <H1>, <H2>, <H3>6. Link titles and anchor text7. Image Titles and Alt Tags

A Word About Metatag Keywords

There are two schools of thought on metatag keywords (per page):

1. Google has stated that they don’t current use them for calculating page rankings – therefore you should ignore them.

OR

1. Other search engines MAY use them, or Google should START using them again – therefore you should add them.

Where To Put Your Keywords (on-page)

Create a sitemap for your blog• Wordpress: Use the XML Sitemap

Generator plugin• Typepad: Create a sitemap using the

SEO settings in your dashboard.• Blogger: Create one using Google

Webmaster Tools.

Using Your Keywords (off-page)

Get links - You want as many incoming links (backlinks) as possible from high-ranking blogs.

When possible, get the incoming anchor text to include your keywords.

Create the absolute best content you can. The better your content is, the more incoming links you will receive.

Post as often as possible without killing yourself. The best way to get big bloggers to notice you is

to comment on their blogs in meaningful ways.

Using Your Keywords (off-page)

Link to your own content!

• Use related posts plugin for WordPress. – www.LinkWithin.com

• Create a “Top 10” or “Best Of” List within a post or in your sidebar.

• Link to previous posts from within the content of each post.

SEO No-Nos

1.Buying links – Don’t do it. Ever.2.Emailing an a-list blogger and inviting them

to trade links.3.Buying into a link farm (see #1)4.Paying a snake-oil SEO salesman $10,000

to optimize your site.5.Doing anything you think may get you

banned from Google.

Tools and Tips

Google Webmaster Tools All-in-One SEO Pack for WordPress Typepad SEO Tips IttyBiz SEO School e-book Google Keyword Tool Wordtracker Scribe for SEO

Check Your Progress

Keep an eye on these vital statistics as your continue your SEO efforts:• Your Page Rank• Your incoming links• What keywords people are using to find you

– Google Analytics is a great tool for this• How often you are being indexed by Google

Need Help?

I can help you optimize your site or blog!

Beth HaydenBlogging with Beth

303-888-4999beth@bloggingwithbeth.com

Upcoming Blogging Classes

Thursday, Sept. 2nd – “Basics of Blogging”. 6-9 PM, Instructor - Beth Hayden

Tuesday, Sept. 7th – “WordPress – Managing Content”. 1-4 PM, Instructor – Bethany Siegler