For blog publishers, search engine optimization (SEO) is one of many factors to draw in new followers and expand networks of relationships. While all LexBlog sites are built with a solid technical SEO foundation, you should be familiar with practices followed by search engines today in order to set yourself up for success as you publish content.
Remember these principles:
Good content is key
The differentiating factor for SEO today is good content. “Good” content means content that resonates with your target audience and is endorsed by other influential people online.
Write for people. Search page results will follow.
Every day leading search engines work to make search page results more relevant to each person performing each search. Specifically, for each piece of content search engines ask:
- Would a reader trust the information presented?
- Are the topics driven by genuine interests of readers of the site?
- Does the page provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?
- Is this the sort of page a reader want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
- Does the author have a strong online reputation and authority (endorsed by others online)?
Based on these two principles, you should do the following:
Know what your audience wants to read, then write about it
- Be informative, relevant, actionable, and brief.
- Inspire your audience to share your posts. Let first-hand knowledge of your clients’ concerns lead you to write insights they would value.
- Provide commentary leading influencers in your clients’ industries would share with others.
- Write an engaging headline, include an image, and provide links and citations so content is scannable on a screen.
Cite current leading authorities
Include citations through embedded links to leading online publications to demonstrate you share high-value content in addition to your own writing.
Build up your online reputation
- Share posts you author with your network (LinkedIn, personalized emails) and on social sites.
- Get cited by others as an authority in your field to grow your reputation and earn credibility.
- If you syndicate content to other sites, confirm canonical tags point back to your original posts to prevent duplicate content penalty.
- Reach out to anyone you cited. Chances are, they will share your material in return.