How many of you take the time to check how well your “keywords” function for your blogs/websites? To round-off my weekend’s work, decided to test my own, with surprising results. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is an important aspect of Search Engine Optimization– it’s what makes your website easy for both users and search engine robots to understand. Although search engines have become increasingly sophisticated, in many ways they still can’t see and understand a web page the same way a human does. SEO helps the engines figure out what each page is about, and how it may be useful for users.
The first step toward ranking high in the results for the most common terms that people search for is to have the right keywords as part of your online presence.
Image courtesy
therenegadeblog.com
- You have to get on the first or second page of search results. If you are not on the first or second page of search results, it is almost like not being there at all.
- Shorter search phrases are searched for more often. Usually more searches occur for marketing than for online marketing and both of those terms are searched more frequently than small business online marketing.
- It is usually more difficult to get ranked on the first or second page for popular searches. Because people know that marketing is searched more often than small business marketing, more people are trying to get onto the results for marketing and it is usually more difficult to get highly ranked for the more frequently searched term.
For a quick test, I submitted the following with these results:
The title-Deliberately Debbie-Oddly enough, only listed two webpages, both from a previous website: deliberatelydebbie.com/index & Mispoetic
Using my name, Debbie Stevens, was a hit and miss but this because the name is quite a common one across the internet-went through 2 Google pages and then it only appeared via my Linkedin profile. After many variations, the best results came when using these keywords: Blog, Debbie Stevens, Deliberately Debbie-a full listing on the first Google page.
Keyword Example: writing tools–http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/search.html
But then I wondered, what about the actual articles I post? What words would be serving them the best possible result? This is where a Keyword research tool comes into effect, and thankfully found quite a few already whislt putting this article together.
Try using one of the many free SEO keyword research tools to help you design the best words.
http://www.wordtracker.com/
So what about your Blog? What keywords have you tried with success?
Ask yourself these questions:
- Is the keyword relevant to your Blog’s content?
- How likely will visitors find what they are looking for when using these keywords?
- Will they be happy with what they find?
Think about how many more people find your blog posts through Google searches or keyword searches using their preferred search engines. There are so many ways for people to find your blog, and most of those ways are highlighted by your blog post titles, not the content. Your post titles must be compelling or no one will click through to visit your blog and read your content. That means if your blog post titles aren’t compelling, you’re losing potential traffic, and if you want your blog to grow, you don’t want to lose that incoming traffic!
Try using one of the many free SEO keyword research tools to help you design the best words.
http://www.wordtracker.com/
Here’s another handy tool which helps boost your ranking by using your links and/or profiles. Especially useful with Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Google+
Branding tool: http://brandyourself.com/
But remember, as much as keywords play an important role in your visibility, they are better served when placed within the content of your post. Another way to think of this is that you want your keywords to be denser towards the top of your article. If your page is about teal ribbons, then the first mention of them should be in the title and first sentence.
Submit your Blog/Website – for better traffic and SEO results.
- Bloglines.com
- Boingboing.net
- Technorati.com
- Blogcatalog.com
- Bloggernity.com
- Blogs.com
- Globeofblogs.com
- Blogs.botw.com
- Blogdigger.com
- Bloggapedia.com
- Blogpulse.com
- Blogrankings.com
- Plazoo.com
- Redtram.com
- Weblogalot.com
- Bloghub.com
- Blogged.com
- Blogville.us
- Topblogarea.com
- Poweredbywp.com
For the complete list: http://makealivingwriting.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/185-free-blog-directories-to-submit.html
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