SEO Tips for blogs

by Khan Babar Consultant

Have you been blogging for a while but still get just a little traffic? Isn't that discouraging. Thinking about quitting? Don't. Not yet. People will come to read your content only if they know about it. You need to get the word out. The SEO optimization of your content will be of huge help. Giving your content an SEO boost will improve your search engine ranking, more people will be able to find your blog, they in turn may share your posts, cross pollination happens and that's when traffic starts coming.

Let’s start from the basics. Rule number one is keywords. Keywords are words or phrases people use when looking up stuff on search engines. Decide which ones you will try to rank for. The shorter the keyword phrase, the more effort it will take to rank but it is worth giving a shot. However tempting it may sound to use them multiple times in your post, we do not advise it as search engines ban keyword stuffing. So, think wise and place them strategically. Near the beginning and at the end of the article is a good place to start. Then every 300 words or so, include them again. The Yoast SEO plugin may come in very handy in this regard, definitely worth adding that one to your site. Another good one is All-in-One-SEO.

Here are additional tips to optimize your blog posts for SEO:

* Add several pictures to your content, with captions, alternate text and description. And give the pictures relevant names whenever you are uploading them to your site. IMG005698.jpg is a no-go if you want to make any kind of SEO effort but sailing-hawaii.jpg adds value to your SEO.

* Hire somebody to make cartoonized pictures. Readers find them interesting and like to share them on social media. This will get you additional traffic.

* Add short videos – Google likes multi-media content especially videos.

* Encourage readers to comment. Ask them questions, include Calls to action etc.

* Mention your blog posts in your newsletter to reach an even bigger audience.

* Include quality links whenever you are referencing other blogs, articles, link to previous blogs and articles of yours whenever possible.

* Have visitor friendly URL. These are easy to read and describe the content.

Last but not least, broaden the reach of your content with the help of social media. Target the channels your current and potential new customers are using, then focus on those. Share your links and snippets on social media and invite the audience to read more on your blog. Programs like Hootsuite make this super easy, just a couple of clicks and the link to your new blog post will be published on all your social media accounts. They even let you schedule content ahead of time.

All of the above does not mean your content should be robotic and full of keywords. Your writing is ultimately the most important thing, however you need to follow our tips and tricks to get the attention of search engine algorithms. Once you write the blog post, read through it to make sure everything is SEO friendly and you are ready to hit publish.

Good luck!

PS: To contribute your own ideas and thoughts, visit the original post at http://bit.ly/blogs-seo1