16. Tips for Posting
Keep in mind, we read content online differently than we do in person with print media. You
must make an effort to write posts that readers will start and finish.
Make your posts scannable so online readers can skim them. Use short paragraphs, lists,
headings, bold and italics to draw the reader’s eye through the post.
Break up longer posts into a series of posts. A series fills more slots in your editorial calendar
and is easily read. Series work best for narratives or tips that can be broken up into smaller
pieces. Use cliffhangers with your series so readers will want to come back for more.
Start strong. Your first paragraph should creatively use keywords to draw readers into your
narrative.
End strong. What do you want your reader to do at your end of your post? How do you want
them to engage? The last paragraph of your post is a chance to use a clear and concise call to
action. You can ask readers to leave a comment, read another post, sign up for your newsletter,
visit your Facebook page, buy your book or product, or visit your web site.
19. Search Engine Optimization
Keywords are the main terms you use in your search. If you’re a blogger, keywords are the words
spiders associate with your web page. Use keywords in your blog. Think about how someone
would search for the information on your blog and use those keywords as tag words and in your
blog name, your posts, your pages and your links. This will increase your chances of getting
associated with those keywords by the spiders and land closer to the top of the search results.
For example, if someone wants to start a blog, they might type into Google, “how to start a blog.”
So, if your blog is about blogging you will want to use that exact phrase in some of your posts,
pages and links. Make sure not to use too many keywords to the point that your posts no longer
sound conversational or your blog feels unauthentic.
Once they are posted, never change your permalinks. (In other words, once a blog post is
published, do not edit your slug.) Your permalink structure determines what your URLs will look
like for each of your posts. This is one of the most important optimization settings because your
permalink structure will directly impact your SEO.
Let’s get some key words straight. Domain = www.lc.edu. URL = http://www.lc.edu. URL +
permalink = http://www.lc.edu/green. Changing the permalinks (aka slugs) of a blog will result in
broken links. Your permalinks should reflect your post title for the best SEO.