Select Page

Search Engine Optimization for Bloggers(SEO)

Unfortunately, writing great blog posts isn’t enough these days for readers to find a site. Search engine optimization (SEO) is needed to ensure that sites are indexed properly by search engine spiders. If a site is fully optimized, it will receive many more visitors than one lacking in proper SEO techniques.

Here are some tips for increasing SEO.

SEO for Blog Headings: Use Post Titles to Describe Yourself

The heads of a blog post are just as important as the article in terms of SEO. Writers who would like to get established in a certain area should use their personal blog posts to describe something about themselves. For example, if the writer would like more jobs related to pillow stuffing, titles could contain “Pillow Stuffing Expert Jane Doe Gives Tips” or “Jane Doe Talks to Class About Pillow Stuffing.”

The more this combination is used, the more it is picked up on the Internet. Then, when someone searched for “pillow stuffing expert,” Jane Doe would show up in search engines, along with her articles on the subject. Writers should use this example, changing out “pillow stuffing” for whatever area they are (or want to be established as) experts in.

SEO for Photos and Graphics

Readers are just as likely to find a particular article based on a photo as they are the articles themselves. Photos and graphics don’t just add to a site’s aesthetic beauty, they also provide additional elements for SEO. Bloggers should name their photos using keywords. For example, in the above example, a blogger could use the words “pillow stuffing” to name a photo rather than a general “photo123” or even “pillow.”

SEO for URLs

The way bloggers name a particular post can be crucial for SEO. Always use a dynamic rather than static URL.

An example of a dynamic link would be:

  • http://www.your site.com/lla-572/hap.pl?id=5&view=sample

Whereas the more optimal static link would be:

  • http://www.yoursite.com/5/sample.html

The additional characters throw off search engines and should be avoided if possible. Many blogging sites will allow users to adjust this setting. If not, it may be worth hiring a computer expert in your area for a few hours.

WordPress SEO Plugins

Bloggers on the WordPress platform can easily improve their SEO by installing one of many SEO plugins. Plugins are available at the WordPress site, or by searching for “seo” on the plugins directory of any WordPress blog.

The social media guide site Mashable listed ” 20 of the Best SEO Plugins for WordPress”. Plugins such as “Automatic SEO Links” and “Google XML Sitemaps” can assist bloggers with keywords, phrase linking, and anchor text. These plugins can help even veteran bloggers with their quest for search engine optimization.

Website Grader Increases SEO Quality of a Blog

For those unsure if their site is SEO friendly, the free service Website Grader may be of use. Bloggers can enter their blog or website address into Website Grader, and have a grade based on the 100% scale returned.

The grade examines the traffic levels of the site, number of posts, and quality of links. It also provides a total for how many pages of the site are indexed by Google, the average reading level (college, undergrad, etc.), and how many other sites link to it. The more sites that link to a site, the better the SEO.

Bloggers today have many powerful tools to increase traffic to their site. By working smarter, bloggers can optimize an existing site or get a new one off the ground more quickly.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

1 × 4 =

Share This

Share This

Share this post with your friends!

Share This

Share this post with your friends!