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Search Engine Optimization is a process whereby websites and blogs are configured in order to gain top ranking for search results on Google, Yahoo, Bing or any other search engine. It also involves promoting the site through back-linking or having the links of your blog or website posted on higher ranking websites and blogs.
What good S.E.O. is supposed to do is to give your website or blog high visibility in searches for key words contained in your blog. If you target the right key words and manage to get into the top 10 of searches for those key words as well as the right back-links, the desired result should be a good amount of traffic or visits from people.
S.E.O., in itself, can be stifling. The search for the right key words and the right websites to link to will take some time and a lot of skillful analysis. But, if done right, it can be rewarding.
Fairly established and popular blogger will not be too eager to admit it, but they do fret over S.E.O. and their visitor statistics.
When I encountered the term S.E.O. for blogs, a lot of people were marketing the idea that the right S.E.O. could "explode your traffic" and "get you tons of leads, subscribers, etc". Back then, it was an enticing prospect and I bought into the idea.
By reading through all the material I could find, I managed to understand enough S.E.O. and apply what I've learned on my own website.
But after months of using a writing style that accommodated S.E.O., I realized that I was writing in a rather odd way; quite different from the conversational style that I try to manifest in whatever I am writing about.
I am not saying that writing in a conversational and engaging manner is not possible with S.E.O.
What I am pointing at is that, personally, it's something that I'd prioritize next to last so that I can get my writing groove on. Dealing with a writer's block is bad news enough by itself. Dealing with a writer's block and having to construct an article with S.E.O. in mind is even worse.
Between writing a good blog post and writing a good article with S.E.O., the new blogger ought to choose to focus on coming up with enough quality content to make a good blog post.
Why?
After people find your blog post, the next thing they'll do should be to read it. There is not much sense in having your blog post found through great S.E.O. if the next thing they'll do is hit the 'back' button and skedaddle of to another site or blog.
How does one come up with a good blog? Here's a proven approach to creating a blog and blogging that is so basic and yet works so well.
Step first: Have a definite idea about what your blog will be about
The first thing you should do is to decide on what your blog will be about. Your blog can be about one subject or topic or several topics. However, in my experience, blogs that focus on just one topic have a higher likelihood of getting good quality traffic than blogs that have a multitude of topics.
One of the reasons for this is basically human behavior when it comes to searching for things. When searching for things, most people will always look first in places where they expect to find what they are looking for and even after finding what they are looking for in one place, they'll continue on searching the place for similar or related things.
The best and most productive exercise you can do even before you buy a domain name, a blog platform, and get a web hosting service is to write your "about" page.
The "about" page will not only tell people visiting your blog what it is about, it will also help you keep you stick with the main subject of your blog.
Step second: READ
Reading up extensively on your subject is crucial if you want to become authoritative when writing about it.
Beyond this, making sure that you get the latest information about your subject is key.
In the blogging world, as with the world of mainstream news, there is a high premium placed on information that is new, substantial, dramatic, first-hand and not freely available or exclusive.
But, since not everyone can get such information all the time or at all, the next best thing is to come up with a blog post that discusses any new information with depth and analysis, which brings us to Step Third:
Step Third: THINK
Critical thinking is key to writing any good article. A good quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln by a friend says, "Give me six hours to chop a tree and I'll spend the first four hours sharpening the ax."
Critical thinking involves a process which involves examining information, checking personal biases, and making decisions.
The quality of one's thinking will always be reflected in the quality of one's writing.
Step Fourth: WRITING
The easiest and best way to come up with a title for your blog post is to include words that would simply yet accurately describe the content of your blog post. You can be as creative and interesting with the title as you want, but make sure that you include words or a central phrase that will tell the reader what the blog post is about.
The first paragraph of your post should include an interesting proposition, but keep it short.
The body of the entire document should be organized depending on the type of article you are writing. It is best to be adept at using the structures of essays, fiction writing, and news writing.
Others blog by donning a 'persona' and this can have interesting results.
But at the end of it, what people will be looking for is not just information or entertainment, but rather ideas and experiences that will help them come up with their own ideas and experiences.
After all, blogging is about fulfilling the human need for self-expression and connection.
