SEO Blog

A blog is a fantastic tool for any website or company. It provides a very public mouthpiece that can be regularly updated. This generates traffic, expands your content and allows you to develop your link profile.

All of this is great for SEO. As a process that relies heavily on links and content, the more you have, the better it will perform. But there are ways that you can go over and above the standard blog; taking your SEO efforts to the next level.

First of all, if you want people to find your content, you have to give it a name that fits in with searches. Therefore you need a title that is keyword optimised, preferably with the keywords near the beginning, and fits with their enquiry. A ‘how to’, like this post, or ’7 tips for…’ are good ways of getting some attention. These provide useful information that people are likely to be looking for.

Optimisation doesn’t stop there though. Whilst your content should be natural, it is also important that you reference your keywords and phrases to really hammer home that SEO strength. Don’t get carried away, just make sure that they are included where they fit and perhaps include a couple of (H2) sub-headings.

Links provide the search engine crawlers with a clear path through a site. Strength can be passed from one page to another helping to create a circular effect, with all individual pages benefiting. So make sure that you link out to appropriate sources, cross reference past posts and use embedded links to shepherd folks to your money pages.

Never forget about your money pages. Whilst the blog is separate, there is no reason why you can’t use it to help strengthen the SEO of other areas of the site.

You should also include a Meta title and description. This is another opportunity to optimise and ensure that a post will stand out on SERPs. WordPress has a subsidiary theme called Thesis. Not only does Thesis allow you to quickly edit the look of a page, it will also allow you to make the aforementioned Meta changes. There are equivalents of course in other blog hosting sites, so just look to do what you can wherever you are.

To get your blog seen, you need to get your content distributed. Social media is excellent for this. A simple tweet on Twitter or message on Facebook can help to make a real difference in generating traffic. Okay, so this isn’t SEO, but it is marketing of your content, which is equally important.

The more people who read what you have to offer, the more likely somebody will find something they like and be inclined to link to you. This is perfect SEO.

Blog directories like Technorati and Blogcatalog can also help you to find targeted readers. By including your stream of content within related sections you can generate links and interest.

So optimising your blog for SEO is actually relatively straightforward. It follows the principles of your website content, albeit with a little more artistic freedom. Build interest, use keywords and don’t be shy with your linking. This is how to get your blog to start performing.