OPTIMIZING BLOGS
Blogs are basically web sites in a different format, the same principles of site optimization and configuration apply, including the need for inbound links and cross-promotion on social media services.
Integrate your domain name with your URL or buy a separate, related domain name (yourblog.yourdomain.com or yourcompanyblog.com), even if a third-party server hosts your blogs. For SEO purposes, you must own your own blog domain name. A blog at www.MyCompanyBlog.Blogspot.com or www.TypePad.com/mycompanyblog isn’t acceptable.
Blogs are primo link bait. The casual sharing of relevant, text-based links within posts, the use of blogrolls (blogger’s linkable recommendations of other blogs), and related thematic material attract inbound links. With all that link juice, plus rapidly updated content, many blogs quickly zoom to page one in search engine results.
Review all requests for inclusion on your blog roll or reciprocal link offers. Make sure that the requesting site is relevant, has a decent page rank, and is one that you feel good about recommending.
Different blog platforms operate somewhat differently, leading to some confusion on the part of bloggers trying to optimize sites for search engines. Whatever your platform, the same methods you follow for web sites still apply, with a multitude of additions:
. Include keywords from your primary list in your blog name such as YourCompany.com/social_media_blog. The blog name should appear with an HTML <h1> tag on only the front page. On other pages of your blog, the heading level can be as low as <h3>.
. Include keywords in individual titles for each post. Use these keywords in the title metatag in the source code for that entry, as well as in the page URL. Put those titles at the HTML <h1> level.
. Include primary keywords in the first sentence of content, which becomes the description metatag by default, unless you write one manually. Use your secondary keywords in the body of your post.
. Fill out the tag box with your keywords.
. Incorporate search terms in anchor text for links on your blog.
. Use <alt> tags, captions, and descriptions with search terms for any images or media you upload to your blog.
. Post rich, appealing content with search terms regularly and often.
. Make sure search engines can spider your blog easily by including a side navigation column on all pages, and offering access to archives and previous posts from all pages of your blog.
. Include a linkable, keyword-loaded, breadcrumb trial.
. Provide internal text links to your own related posts.
. Submit your blog to blog directories and RSS submission sites. An excellent list is at www.masternewmedia.org/rss/top55.
. Use your blogroll as a source to request a backlinking or reciprocal appearance on other people’s blogrolls, just having a blogroll is not enough.
. Get backlinks to your blog with trackbacks (automated way of notifying other bloggers that you’ve referenced their blog) or by posting comments on other blogs. Not all blogging hosts support trackbacks.
. Create an XML site map and submit it to search engines, just as you would for your web site.
. Use permalinks (permanent links) to maintain blog URLs permanently.
. Use analytics tools to monitor traffic and user behavior.
If you need quick suggestions for good blog keywords, install the free tool at : http://labs.wordtracker.com/seo-blogger. It sits next to your blog editor on the screen so that you can consider keyword suggestions as you write.
Long blog pages, with lots of responses, may end up with too many links. You can place an HTML nofollow attribute in the code just before links from comments.
INCREATING YOUR BLOG’S RANKING IN GOOGLE SEARCHES
SEO experts do agree that the following factors affect your blog’s ranking in Google search results:
. Incoming links : People want to link to great content, and they like to link to
content written by bloggers with whom they have established
relationships.
. Posting frequency : The more content you write, the more incoming links your blog
gets.
. Quality of content : The better the content is that you write, the more incoming
links your blog gets.
. Quality of incoming links: The more authoritative sites that link to your blog, the higher
your blog’s page rank.
. Relevancy : Content that includes relevant keywords (without keyword
stuffing) is ranked higher than content without those keywords.
CHECKING YOUR BLOG’S GOOGLE PAGE RANK
Many sites provide tools for you to check your blog’s Google Page Rank. Although the ranking might mean less to Google these days, it still holds weight for advertisers and others who want to get an idea of how popular your blog is. Therefore, it can’t hurt to check your blog’s Google Page Rank, so you know how it’s perceived by others.
PR Checker is free and easy to use. Follow these instructions to check your blog’s Google Page Rank using PR Checker:
1. Visit http://prchecker.info. The Check Page Rank page opens.
2. Enter your blog’s domain name in the text box in the middle of your screen after the http:// text and click the Check PR button. The page expands revealing an antispam text step.
3. Enter the antispam text string in the text box provided and click the Verify Now button. Your blog’s Google Page Rank appears on your screen.
USING GOOGLE TRENDS FOR SHORT-TERM TRAFFIC BOOSTS
Google Trends provides a great way to find current buzz-worthy topics to blog about. Just visit www.google.com/trends/hottrends to find a list of the top 20 keyword phrases people are searching for at any time.
Use those keywords to write your own blog post in an attempt to attract some of that search traffic.