The document outlines 12 best practice blogging principles aimed at optimizing and promoting blog posts for increased website traffic and improved search rankings. It emphasizes the importance of owning your domain, conducting keyword research, and producing authoritative content, while also offering strategic tips for post planning and social media engagement. The guide is structured to help bloggers create content that establishes expertise, drives backlinks, and enhances overall readership.

1. 12 Best Practice Blogging Principles for Better Search & Social Results A step-by-step guide for optimizing & promoting your posts for more website traffic, better rankings, higher readership, & more time spent on site.

2. Before You Blog: Get your Own Domain Own content verses renting Builds authority for your domain not Blogger or Wordpress.org Has trickle down, and/or up effect when tied into your main company site Perceived as more professional Avoid deletion (Geocities, Yahoo! 360, AOL Homepage) Sellable ( you can’t sell another’s network) More traffic & tracking opportunities Flexible designs & functionality (Free WordPress themes, plugins, Drupal designs & modules) Where? Godaddy.com, Networksolutions.com

3. What a Blog is Not Good for: Press releases >>Put in Company News Section Discount offerings & pure advertorial pitches >>Put in Newsletter (only 10% of the content) Company-only Success stories >>Put in Case Studies Section

4. What a Blog IS Good for: Exhibiting expert status >Think of yourself as a publisher for a trade magazine in YOUR industry. Getting PR – Interviews, quotes Attracting backlinks >Offering highly valuable resources, and compelling information for customers, industry people, and “Linkerati.” New blog posts are a reason reach out to those on your social networks: Twitter, Facebook and filter back to website.

5. Using these Methods

6. 1) Benchmark Where You Start On Day One Set up Traffic & Keyword Tracking: Install Google Analytics http://www.google.com/analytics.com Set up RSS Feed Subscription Tracking: Sign up for Feedburner http://www.feedburner.com On Day 30 after ten posts Using rank measuring software http://www.sheerseo.com Twitter & Facebook badges

7. 2) Have a Goal with Every Post Initial Social Media Traffic Social Media pass-along number Backlinks Long term search traffic Rankings Set up your post for success Don’t accept status quo

8. 3) Blog About What’s In Demand Find what’ s “hot” all the time – Evergreen Topics Example: eHow.com Use keyword research tools Wordtracker Google AdWords keyword tool “Exact match” ONLY Be very specific Popular, but not too popular Blog about timely events only AFTER you have a large following

9. 4) Do Your Keyword Research Right Pick a relevant subject within your theme Pick five-to-seven word goal phrase Keyword stemming Keywords with intent

10. 5) Go Long, Deep & Narrow with Topics Longtail traffic Be an expert in one niche not jack of all trades (search engines like that) Pick five-to-seven word goal phrase Keyword stemming Keywords with intent

11. 6) Location, Location, Location- Keyword Placement The headline or title is the “center” of your on-page SEO efforts Sub-heads are the offensive tackles reinforcing your efforts The body content is the rest of the team Your also have categories (only pick one, max two) Free tagging, tag clouds Unique meta title from headline

12. 7) Write with Authority BE the authority by providing more info than any other listing 750 – 2000 words Always cite credible sources, according to… Start with a lead for stories – 5 Ws State your points clearly & w/confidence No waffling or emotional affect ranting Make your post deserve top 10 placement

13. 8) Plan Your Posts Ahead of Time Keep an entire playbook of well-researched headlines/blog topics Think of holiday, event-based, and seasonal topics which happen every year, you can pre-write now. Post –date entries for automate posting.