Most of the Blogger templates are not very well designed when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO). In fact, it is easy to spot even the most elementary mistakes if one bothers to open the template in the html view.
Thus, every blogger who wants to make money online should read some of the SEO guides available. It is not necessary to read any difficult theory or thick books, as there are some very simple to follow tutorials available on the Internet.
One of my favourites is the Complete SEO Guide for Blogger Templates. After reading the short tutorial, I was able to do some important tweaks in the templates I use.
I warmly recommend you to read the tutorial. If you, like me, use Blogger for your niche blogs you certainly should do the necessary tweaks to be sure that as many readers as possible can find their way to your blog.
Showing posts with label SEO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SEO. Show all posts
Monday, 13 April 2009
Monday, 23 February 2009
Content, content, content or SEO, SEO, SEO?
There are basically two contesting views about how to write a niche blog. According to some, it is imperative to think only about search engine optimization. Others tend to think that "content is the king".
Three challenges of a niche blog: Content, content, content
As you probably have noticed from my earlier articles, I tend to see the content as the most important thing for finding readers for the blog. SEO can certainly make it easier for people to find the blog, but you need fresh, unique content to keep the customers coming back.
It just is not enough to have an optimized web page that nobody bothers to read.
Three challenges of a niche blog: SEO, SEO, SEO
In retailing business, the three most important things that affect the sales are location, location, and location. The store just hast to have a good location to make good sales. In a way, SEO is the same thing for any web site. You need an optimized web site to make business. But it is not enough.
Search engine optimization is both an art, a science, and a business. So far I have not read very widely in the literature about optimizing the web site but I think I have grasped the most important things like 300 words rule, using keywords in the site URL, article headers and bolded in the text. But I certainly have a lot to learn about SEO. But that is exactly one of my main reasons for starting this blog.
A few years ago, there were many important search engines. Most of them are nowadays forgotten as Google grows bigger and bigger. I very rarely get any visitors to my other blogs from other search engines like Altavista. And Altavista was in fact the big player in the last decade. The changes in Internet business environment are a lot faster than in the "real world", it seems.
Maybe I should in the future just use GO instead of SEO? If it really is Google that is the only thing that matters, we should probably speak and write about Google optimizing.
Google, content and SEO
In fact the three points (Google, content, and SEO) are intertwining. Good unique content is needed for SEO and Google. Otherwise I just don't get a decent page rank, a top ranking in the Google search results and most importantly, the customers stay away from the blog.
I need Customers. Without them I won't make any money.
Three challenges of a niche blog: Content, content, content
As you probably have noticed from my earlier articles, I tend to see the content as the most important thing for finding readers for the blog. SEO can certainly make it easier for people to find the blog, but you need fresh, unique content to keep the customers coming back.
It just is not enough to have an optimized web page that nobody bothers to read.
Three challenges of a niche blog: SEO, SEO, SEO
In retailing business, the three most important things that affect the sales are location, location, and location. The store just hast to have a good location to make good sales. In a way, SEO is the same thing for any web site. You need an optimized web site to make business. But it is not enough.
Search engine optimization is both an art, a science, and a business. So far I have not read very widely in the literature about optimizing the web site but I think I have grasped the most important things like 300 words rule, using keywords in the site URL, article headers and bolded in the text. But I certainly have a lot to learn about SEO. But that is exactly one of my main reasons for starting this blog.
A few years ago, there were many important search engines. Most of them are nowadays forgotten as Google grows bigger and bigger. I very rarely get any visitors to my other blogs from other search engines like Altavista. And Altavista was in fact the big player in the last decade. The changes in Internet business environment are a lot faster than in the "real world", it seems.
Maybe I should in the future just use GO instead of SEO? If it really is Google that is the only thing that matters, we should probably speak and write about Google optimizing.
Google, content and SEO
In fact the three points (Google, content, and SEO) are intertwining. Good unique content is needed for SEO and Google. Otherwise I just don't get a decent page rank, a top ranking in the Google search results and most importantly, the customers stay away from the blog.
I need Customers. Without them I won't make any money.
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
300 Words or Quality Content for SEO?
Much has been written about the "300 words rule for SEO" during the last years. In short, it is usually adviced that bloggers and other content authors should write posts that have at least 300 words. This should be the optimum or at least the minimum for getting the web site a good ranking in the search engine results.
Three hundred words are not much especially when one writes in English. Every text has lots of "meaningless" words that do not carry any meaning that is used for web searches. With these meaningless words I mean for example articles ("a", "the"), prepositions ("in", "at", "of" etc.) and very common words like the verb "to be" ("is", "are" and so on).
I have not read anything very specific on this topic but I tend to think that as author I should concentrate on using words that have a meaning, words that add to the content of the blog. I doubt there is any point in just trying to make the articles longer by adding meaningless words to it. After all, what is the point of writing a blog? Is it just to make money by providing a platform for Google Adsense advertising? Or should I think my readers as customers who have needs that have to be addressed?
If I think my readers as my customers I have to provide them something that is worth reading. In my opinion this is best done by writing lengthy blog articles that have some point and answer the problems of my readers - or problems of my customers. If I think my readers as my customers I must concentrate on the quality of the service I provide. Only so will the customers return to the blog. Otherwise they will just read a few lines and never return back unless Google sends them here again with some new combination of search words.
Another point in providing quality content is the fact that even if I would not earn any high AdSense revenues I myself learn all the time. I learn about many things, not only about SEO, blogging or AdSense, but at least as importantly about writing in a foreign language. All of these are skills I can use elsewhere.
I am convinced that in order to keep my readers happy I have to be ready to work. Otherwise the blog is not worth reading. And at least as importantly I will not learn anything.
Three hundred words are not much especially when one writes in English. Every text has lots of "meaningless" words that do not carry any meaning that is used for web searches. With these meaningless words I mean for example articles ("a", "the"), prepositions ("in", "at", "of" etc.) and very common words like the verb "to be" ("is", "are" and so on).
I have not read anything very specific on this topic but I tend to think that as author I should concentrate on using words that have a meaning, words that add to the content of the blog. I doubt there is any point in just trying to make the articles longer by adding meaningless words to it. After all, what is the point of writing a blog? Is it just to make money by providing a platform for Google Adsense advertising? Or should I think my readers as customers who have needs that have to be addressed?
If I think my readers as my customers I have to provide them something that is worth reading. In my opinion this is best done by writing lengthy blog articles that have some point and answer the problems of my readers - or problems of my customers. If I think my readers as my customers I must concentrate on the quality of the service I provide. Only so will the customers return to the blog. Otherwise they will just read a few lines and never return back unless Google sends them here again with some new combination of search words.
Another point in providing quality content is the fact that even if I would not earn any high AdSense revenues I myself learn all the time. I learn about many things, not only about SEO, blogging or AdSense, but at least as importantly about writing in a foreign language. All of these are skills I can use elsewhere.
I am convinced that in order to keep my readers happy I have to be ready to work. Otherwise the blog is not worth reading. And at least as importantly I will not learn anything.
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