Blog Tips, Blogging, Blogging Success |
Beginner On-Page SEO for New Bloggers
SEO can be complex but having the beginning steps easily written out is a great way to start. Here are some basic on-page tips that can help get you started.
What is On-Page SEO?
On-page SEO is basically how you set up your website page or blog post using certain tactics to make your website more search engine friendly.
What steps should I complete on every blog post?
Before you even begin to write, there are a few things to think about.
Content
- Content – your posts should be a minimum of 750 words but Google prefers 1,000 – 1,500 words per post/article.
- Value of your content. What will you write about that will help solve another persons problem? Or, if your content is purely a story of experiences, how do you keep the readers attention?
- Keywords – if you are trying to be found, what keywords are people searching?
Keywords
You have a post idea, now let’s do some keyword research. We will use the topic of teeth whitening for example. If you are a product reviewer and want to post about teeth whitening, you need a more specific keyword as teeth whitening is a highly competitive term which would be hard to rank. You will need to go after the low hanging fruit. This is where long tail keywords come in. A long tail keyword is just a longer version of the keyword you are trying to rank. Here are a few examples of teeth whitening:
- How teeth whitening pens work
- Which teeth whitening method is best
- Legitimate teeth whitening reviews
A great place to find topic ideas is AnswerThePublic.com. Another way is to search on Google. Start writing a keyword and you will see Google auto-suggest what others are searching for. See the screenshot below:
If your topic is popular, you may be able to scroll down in the search results and find a list of questions that people also ask.
Then, scroll to the bottom of the search result page and you will find searches related to.
Now that you have some keyword ideas, you may want to check how competitive they are. I use an extension for Google Chrome that is called keywords everywhere. I believe you can use it in Firefox as well. Every time you do a search you will see the information in the red box and the yellow (screenshot below). It will provide search volume, competitiveness, and other keyword ideas. A “1” means that it is very competitive. Stay away from those exact terms although the search volume is appealing. You will want to find keywords that have a lower search volume and less competition.
On-Page
Now that you have your content written, it’s time for your on-page SEO. If you are using WordPress, get the Yoast plugin or another SEO plugin. I use Yoast. If you do not use WordPress, there should be SEO options available that you will want to use.
On-page keywords
You should have a few keywords in mind that you want to use. You don’t want to over-optimize so here are some tips on the use of keywords.
- Use your primary keyword in your title if possible
- Use your primary keyword in your header but change the wording (example further below)
- Use your keywords a few times in your content but change them around. Here is a good tool that you can use to check your keyword density: http://www.visiospark.com/keyword-density-checker/
Yoast
There are a few important things that you should utilize with Yoast. Some people believe that they need a good Yoast Score to fully optimize, but the truth is that you do not. For example, I do not fill in the focus keyword. There is nothing wrong with filling it out, but I prefer not to because I don’t want to focus on just one keyword. I like to use multiple keywords. The things I always fill out are the Title, slug and meta description.
Here is how I fill in my Yoast settings for a blog post that I have on my Midlife Single Mommy blog:
My primary keyword for this post is “mistakes singles should avoid on social media”. This is a long tail keyword and also happens to be the title of my blog post. You will see that I have the keyword in the title and in the slug. The slug is another name or your URL (website page address). If you can get your keyword into your slug, you should.
See, although a long tail keyword with little to no search volume, I am ranking nationally in position #5!
I do not recommend having the same exact keyword in the meta description as well although you can reword it if you would like.
Headings
Headings help Google bot understand what your page is about. As you will see below, the text before the post is large and explains the title but the words are mixed in a different way. This is an H1. Below the next paragraph is a bold title for the following paragraph, this is an H2. These are set up right above in the settings area. You may see the word “paragraph”. That is where you change it to be a header.
Categories and Tags
Make sure you have categories set up for your blogs to keep them organized by topics. In addition, be sure to add tags. These should be keywords related to the post. You can add as many as you would like but I try to stay under 10.
Images
Now that you are ready to post, do not forget to add an image or two and optimize it. What I mean by optimizing a picture is to add an “alt attribute” with a keyword. Here is the picture that I used for this post and the alt text that I added:
Internal Linking
Make sure you link to your home page, contact page and/or another blog post. If you can add an outgoing link (a link that points to an external website) do that as well. See how I have a few links throughout this post? That’s what I mean.
Double check your work before posting and send it to be indexed using your webmaster tools. If you do not have webmaster tools, learn how to set that up.
While this post may be a little basic, I will be offering detailed, over-the-shoulder, video training on how to optimize and rank your blog in the near future. There are big changes for 2019 that you don’t want to miss!! Please sign up to my mailing list to get updates for when the training goes live. I also offer services, like keyword research for example, to bloggers. Check out my services page to learn more!
This article was originally posted on MomMarketingCoach.com
Photo Copyright: designer491 / 123RF Stock Photo
Blog Tips, Blogging, Mompreneur |
Do You Wonder How You Will Do it All? It’s Possible!
The world is filled with moms who simply want more. They want to give more, do more, be more – and most of all, live more! This is common and in no way means that life is unfulfilled. In a sense, it means that there is more of you to give.
As a mom, life is filled with moments of joy, laughter, surprise and aha moments. On the other side of the coin, there is the anxiety, unexplained tears and the urge to get more out of life. There is a world of untapped talent out there and blogging is the perfect tool to knock down those doors. Bloggers have such big voices and are influential in the lives of many. The balance of being a mom, blogger and an entrepreneur is easily confused with skill. It’s less of a skill and more of a passion. You’re passionate about being a good mom, a consistent blogger and a successful entrepreneur. The passion is there, but the balance – the balance has been a struggle.
Let’s take a look at a few ways to find balance and brilliance as a blogger.
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Start the Day with Your Kids
Every parent is different but most importantly, every child is different. The primary goal of most moms is to spend as much time with their kids as possible. Their ages will determine how much time they actually want to spend with you (there will come a day when your kids simply won’t have time for mommy). Begin the day with your kids to get a dose of love and happiness to start your day. Doing so frees your mind to concentrate on other things throughout the day without feeling the guilt of neglecting your kids. With a free mind, you can focus on creating great blogs and your business.
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Stay Focused
Many mom bloggers work from home, the sunroom, the neighborhood coffee shop or anywhere there is good Wi-Fi. It is essential to remain focused on the end goals. Don’t allow daily distractions to take you away from the important stuff. It’s easy to log into Facebook, Instagram or other social media to check out the latest updates. If you’re like me, those email alerts sound-off throughout the day, and you check them on every hour. I’m not telling you to ignore business emails, that is by no means the takeaway here. But don’t become side-tracked by the email blast that Old Navy sent about that sale that ends at midnight. You know the one that runs every week. Restrict checking personal emails to certain times of the day. Make sure that you adhere to the schedule each day.
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List It
This goes back to the basics. Make a list of things to do, but this time – DO THEM! This list could change daily. Write down everything that must be done for the day and make sure to add at least one thing that is a goal. The opportunity to cross things off your list will give you a feeling of accomplishment like never before. It reminds you just how gratifying the little things can be.
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Set Realistic Goals
While it’s true that you can do anything you set your mind to, there are some things you have no control over. A sick baby, aafter-schoolactivities, unexpected guests and other similar occurrences can happen at a moments notice. When they occur, it sometimes puts a wrinkle in our plans. This isn’t a sign that the goal won’t or can’t happen, only that it will happen later. Don’t be yourself up for having a minor setback. It may not be part of your plan but it’s obviously the way things are intended to happen. One of the most positive aspects of being your own boss is that you can always reschedule that appointment you missed with yourself. Loosen up and live to “goal” another day.
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Implement a Routine
Every successful business has an opening and closing time. Even 24-hour businesses close occasionally for inventory. Create a routine for day and night hours. This gives an opportunity to work on your business and give your family the attention they need. Don’t be afraid to enforce bath or bed time rules. It will give you the time you need to take care of yourself, your blog and your business.
These are only a few suggestions to help mom bloggers get a rhythm in life. There are no rights or wrongs in living life as a blogger. However, if you want to build a life as a great mom, brilliant blogger and aspiring entrepreneur, you must balance as you build!
This article was originally posted on MomMarketingCoach.com
Photo Copyright: lightfieldstudios / 123RF Stock Photo
Blog Tips, Blogging, Marketing Tips |
Types of Bloggers
Blogs! Blogs! Blogs! Everyone is talking about them. Every media station or platform seems to follow the trendiest blogs. Even analysts get a large portion of their data or insight from blog reports. There must be something pretty special about these things. What’s even more interesting, everybody seems to be blogging these days! Well, maybe not everyone but almost everyone with a laptop and a voice.
The thing is, people, relate to bloggers because many give a personal perspective on their topic. It’s pretty cool because almost every genre has a blog following. Food blogs, travel blogs, fashion blogs, medical blogs and so many more are among the many in existence. If you’re in an industry or business and don’t have a blog, you’re missing out on some of the biggest opportunities and possibly clients in your industry.
Blogging Basics
Bloggers are not only business building professionals. Many of us are simply people with something important to share or discuss with other like individuals. Everyone doesn’t blog for the same reason. Whatever your reason, you should feel invigorated about the chance to share your insight or platform with others. What are you gaining from your blog? Is it personal gratification, supplementary income, industry contribution or something different? Bloggers dominate a significant portion of content that individuals read daily. People rely on bloggers to keep them up to date on the newest trends, best tasting foods, new music, celebrity gossip, parenting tips, and the list goes on. There are some bloggers who had no idea they were blogging until they were deep into the game. You’re wondering how that could possibly happen, right? Let’s see what everyone is blogging about. Keep reading.
Incidental Bloggers
I’m sure you’ve encountered a life-altering event or traumatic occurrence in life that changed you forever. No matter how hard you tried or how much time had passed, you just couldn’t talk to anyone about what had happened. The only outlet you could trust was between you and a pen or laptop. You started to express your frustrations, anger or sadness through words and before you knew it, you were blogging. Sharing small excerpts from your writing on social media was how it started. People begin to respond and relate to your circumstances. You honestly had no idea that so many others had experienced situations similar to yours. As time passed, people begin to look to you to share more about your story. You became an overnight inspiration to others through no intent of your own. In fact, you were seeking an emotional outlet and ended up being an incidental power source for others. Mom, you are now a blogger! That’s right. Everyone clings to your words and an entire community of like individuals eagerly await your next post.
Business Bloggers
As an entrepreneur, you constantly seek ways to grow your business. Marketing experts suggest that all businesses, especially small businesses should blog. This is how you stumbled upon life as a blogger and it’s been a straight and narrow path since you started. Businesses build success and increased clientele through blogs. People rely on certain businesses to give them insightful information about things going on or changing in the industry. As a business owner, talk to your clients to find out what topics interest them, what questions they have and what motivates them. Take their answers and blog about them. This adds a personal touch to your business and helps to depict the personality behind the CEO or company owner. Blogs help to generate more traffic to your business websites and could potentially increase your revenue.
Travel Bloggers
The travel industry has become quite lucrative. There is a rise in the number of independent travel agents and not to mention, families that travel. This also means that more and more people are hitting the road, friendly skies, ocean waves or train tracks to reach their destinations. What’s one of the first things people do when they travel? Snap that selfie to say so long and post it to social media. Some people post pics of every event, food spot and hotel they visit. Eventually, a simple trip has become a travel blog. Frequent travelers who like to share their journey are often coined as travel bloggers. They give an up-close look at other cities, states and countries are like. Many people rely on the information and pictures of travel bloggers to choose their vacation spots.
Wedding Bloggers
Décor, flowers, colors, bridal gowns, grooms attire, and everything wedding is on your list of favorite things to do. This leads you to one of the most exciting journeys of all, wedding blogging. Brides, planners, and consultants turn to blogs to get their ideas and inspiration. It’s an exciting and rewarding blogging opportunity. Social media, brides and wedding sites are constantly seeking info regarding the biggest wedding trends of each year. Wedding bloggers provide this information from a neutral place. They update their blogs with the best pictures, centerpiece ideas and much more. It’s the passion for weddings or happily ever after that inspires most wedding bloggers.
So, there you have it. People are blogging about almost any topic imaginable these days. The best part of it all is that others are reading it and they want more! Blog about what makes you happy. It’s even okay to blog about the sad points in your life. Blogging can be a career, therapy, a passion or just something to do in your spare time. But most importantly, it should be rewarding and give you a feeling of excitement.
What do you like to blog about?
This article was originally posted on Mom Marketing Coach.com
Photo Copyright: grinvalds / 123RF Stock Photo
Blog Tips, Blogging Success, Marketing Tips |
Moms Finding Success as a Blogger
To clear the smoke screen before it develops, there’s no other way to be a mom than doing it full-time. It’s what we eat, breathe, sleep and most of all, it’s what we love. There are other areas in life that bring us fulfillment and perhaps helps us to become even better mothers.
Most mommy bloggers have found this to be a tool of emotional, personal and professional completion. The benefits can be small or enormous, but for most, it is somewhat rewarding. A celebratory moment for many bloggers is the moment they discover their passion can actually become a successful career that doesn’t take them away from their children, family, and other important life issues at the most critical times.
The Beginning
Think back to the days when blogging was just a thought or a desire you had but were afraid to go after. Remember the times when you were only reading the blogs of others wondering how they managed to pull it all together. Oh, what’s that? This is you right now, at this very moment? Well, guess what? You’re at the peak of your success as a blogger.
The fear that you feel in the pit of your stomach is the fuel that will cause you to pour every ounce of your creativity, personality, and experience into your blog. You are building your blog based on that one thing or things that you are passionate about. You will base your posts, research, and videos on experience, relationships, failures, and successes. People will respond to your blog based on the effort and compassion you put into it. As passionately as you read the blogs of others, you must pour into your own. You become a successful blogger when you’re not only blogging for others but to fulfill your very own desire to get things done.
Let’s take an up-close look at a few ways to grow your blog into a full-time success.
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Time Management
Let’s begin by removing the false concept that to be successful as a blogger, you must work at it 24 hours per day! Doctors, teachers, lawyers, military personnel and many others are successful, and they have personal lives that reflect that success. It is crucial to managing your time effectively as a blogger. Make schedules and stick to them. Coordinate calendars for kid’s school, extracurricular activities, social gatherings, family time and mother. If it must be done, it needs to be added to the calendar. Designate specific hours of the day that are dedicated to efforts toward your blog. It doesn’t have to be the same hours each day or the same number. It is wise to set a goal of hours per week, allocate those hours and work to achieve it.
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Realize the Consequences
This is one of the most important steps to becoming a successful blogger. Create boundaries for yourself and most importantly, for others. NEVER allow anyone to downplay the importance of your commitment as a blogger, especially if this is your career. Everyone reads blogs, but not everyone appreciates the work that goes into them. During those preselected hours of research, posting or reviewing, do not let others convince you to put it off until later. Most importantly, you must advocate for your position harder than anyone else. It’s easy for your friend to run out for lunch and ask you to join her for an hour, but if it’s not your lunch hour, it simply won’t work! The end result could easily be you postponing your blog contribution time to later regret it because you’re behind schedule. Your friend will eagerly meet you during her lunch hour but will return to work on time, because she knows the consequences of failing to do so. As a blogger, realize there are consequences for your actions also.
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Create Quality Content
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is falling victim to the click-bait trap. You begin to lose yourself and everything that motivated you to start blogging in the first place. There is a load of viral content out there and it seems everyone is reading it. Well, you’re right! People do read it, but they recognize it for what it is, viral. It spreads quickly, has no valuable substance and eventually fades away. As a mom blogger with valuable insight and information that others want and need to hear, create quality content. Use valuable sources and always accredit those sources for their contribution. Take tips from other bloggers who have grown successful over the years.
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Expand Your Product Line
Blogging is not a one-way street. There are many avenues that lead to many places in the world of blogging. Professional services, products, crafts and much more can become a part of your blog. This is a major part of growing the following of your blog. It requires strategy and marketing concept but can be done effectively. This is another step in the process of success that many bloggers discover as they grow. It doesn’t matter at what rate you grow, the point is to grow consistently.
As a mom and a blogger, I know and understand the challenges that present themselves. I know how easy it is to give into anxiety and fear of not gaining immediate success. Most importantly, I also know how easy it is to turn all those fears and anxieties into the ammunition you need to help your blog grow in the direction you would like to see. There are no overnight success stories to be told and no magic potion to help you succeed. But there is a process to your success as a blogger and a full-time mom, and I’m excited to help you grow into your best years as a blogger!
This article was originally posted on Mom Marketing Coach.com May 2018
Photo Copyright: marysmn / 123RF Stock Photo
