The document provides an overview of search engine optimization (SEO) strategies for blogs. It begins by defining SEO and explaining why bloggers should focus on it. It then discusses important SEO terminology, techniques like keyword research and creating an SEO-friendly blog structure, and tools that can help with SEO like plugins. The document also covers topics like blogging frequency, blog post optimization, link building, and using analytics to measure results. The overall message is that SEO is an ongoing process that requires learning strategies and consistently applying techniques to help a blog rank higher in search results over time.

1. SEO For Blogging: 101
SEO IS A MARATHON,
NOT A SPRINT, PEOPLE.
Presenter: Alicia Magda
Nepa Blog Con 2012

2. SEO: Another acronym for me to learn?!
Search Engine Optimization (SEO):
 The science of applying tried and true techniques to your
blog and blog marketing to increase your blog’s visibility in
the natural search engine results.
 The art of crafting those techniques in a manner to be
engaging and interesting to both human visitors and search
engines.

3. SEO = Au Naturel Search Engine Results

4. But why should I stay and listen?
70-80% of users ignore the paid ads, focusing on the
organic results. - SearchEngineLand.com
75% of users never scroll past the first page of
search results. - HubSpot.com
Companies that blog have 434% more indexed
pages. And companies with more indexed pages get
far more leads. - SearchEngineJournal.com
81% of businesses consider their blogs to be an
important asset to their businesses. -
SearchEngineJournal.com
A study by Outbrain shows that search is the #1 driver
of traffic to content sites, beating social media by
more than 300% - SearchEngineLand.com
Statistics gathered from
http://www.searchenginejournal.com/24-eye-popping-seo-statistics/42665/

5. Before you can run, you need to learn how to walk.
Know the terminology:
 Organic/Natural/Nonpaid search engine results
 Search engine algorithm
 Search engine spiders
 Keywords
 H tags
 Meta tags
 Sitemaps
 Anchor text
 SEO copy
 Link building (Backlinks)
 Web analytics

6. Keyword Research – your starting line.
Keyword Research Tools:
 Google Keyword Suggestion Tool (free = yay!)
 https://adwords.google.com/o/KeywordTool
 SEMRush.com (freemium)
 Wordtracker.com (paid)
 KeywordDiscovery.com (paid)
 SEOmoz.org (paid, within their Pro Tools)
 WordStream.com (paid)
Using the tools:
 Type the keyword phrase into the tool.
 Use “exact match” if the option exists.
 Select “closely related keywords” if it exists.

7. It’s all about balance.
Strike a balance between:
 Monthly Search volume
 Depends on industry. “Moderate” in some industries may be
9,000. In others, it could be 150.
 Competition volume
 Also depends on industry. “Moderate” in some industries may
be 700,000 results. In others, it could be 125,000.
Oh, there’s that thing called relevancy.
 No matter how good a keyword seems, if it doesn’t directly
relate to your products, it’s a no-go.

8. …And we’re off.
Blog Platforms:
 Wordpress, TypePad, Blogger, Moveable Type, Tumblr, etc
 (FYI: This presenter prefers Wordpress for SEO.)
Choose a domain name + hosting.
 Choose reliable hosting w/ “1 click” blog installation.
 Choose a memorable domain name. Think about keywords,
but these days, memorable matters more.

9. The gear doesn’t make the blogger, but it sure helps.
Top SEO Plugins: Top Social Media Plugins:
 Platinum SEO Pack  The Floating Social Bar
 All-in-One SEO Pack  Get Social
 Wordpress SEO by Yoast  Share This/AddThis
 SEO Ultimate  Socialize
 SEO Wordpress  SharePress

10. Take the hand off the mouse…

11. Success is in the structure.
First, create an SEO plan for your blog.
Keep keywords in mind:
 Blog title/headline
 Static blog pages
 Posting schedule
 Blog categories
 Blog post tags
 Blog post urls
 Meta tags

12. Shakespeare, you’ve got this one wrong.
What’s in a name? That which we call a blog
By any other name would be…just a website.
What’s in a blog name and headline?
Everything.

13. Some things will never change.
And that’s okay! Embrace static blog pages.
 Use for “About Us”, “Contact Info”, “FAQ”, “PR
Friendly/Media” , etc
 Integrate keywords into page titles and copy
 Ex: “About Nepa Copywriter”, “Contact Freelance Writer”

14. One of the hardest parts about blogging is,
Blogging.
 Create a consistent posting schedule to keep your blog alive
for readers and search engines with fresh content.
 Set calendar reminders, alarm alerts, post-it notes, tattoos,
etc – whatever will keep you posting!

15. Can’t I just make categories as I go along?
Creating SEO-friendly categories from the start
gives search engines the time to crawl and index
them, upping the likelihood your blog will rank for
relevant keywords in…this lifetime.

16. Tag, you’re it!
Blog post tags + keywords = <3
 Does your blog allow for tags? If so, I’d better see you using
relevant keywords – tags were made to be used for
keywords!

17. K.I.S.S. (Keep it short and sweet.)
Blog post urls should be no more than two
“folders” deep.
Preferred:
 DomainName.com/Blog-Post-Title/
 DomainName.com/Category-Name/Blog-Post-Title/
Only one url should exist for each page.
 Check your chosen SEO plugin for this option.

18. Tagged, again?!
Meta tags:
 Meta-title
 Meta-keywords
 Meta-description
Have no fear, you have options.
 Can let your SEO plugin pull from the post’s content.
 Can create custom meta tags for each post:
 Ex. Meta-title: Blog Post Title | DomainName.com
 Ex. Meta-keywords: keyword phrase 1, keyword phrase 2,
keyword phrase 3, keyword phrase 4, keyword phrase 5
 Ex. Meta-description: Two attention-grabbing sentences meant
to give searchers a reason to click your search result. Your only
chance at ad copy in the natural search results.

19. Write, and then think.
Do keyword research before you write,
But write before you even think about keyword
usage.
 Insert keyword phrases appropriately after you write the
post, otherwise it may not sound natural.
 Use 1-2 keyword phrases per paragraph
 Use 1 keyword phrase as “anchor text” per paragraph
Cardinal Rule: Never sacrifice blog post quality for
keywords.

20. [Cue ominous music.]
Welcome to the most
difficult part of SEO:
Link Building.

21. Make some friends.
It’s all about the connection.
 Personally email, Facebook comment, or tweet related
bloggers and ask them to mention (link) to you.
 Let them know you’d love to also link to them / mention them
in a blog post.
 Offer to write a guest blog post for their blog, limiting the
work they need to do.
 Compliment their work & thank them for their time.
 If they don’t respond, let it go.

22. Say hi to your blogosphere neighbors.
Comment on other blogs, whether the links pass
value or not.
 Contribute thoughtful opinions – not comments just for the
sake of a link.
 Can potentially increase links and traffic to your blog.
Be an active social media contributer.
 “Like” other blogger’s Facebook Pages, “Follow” on Twitter
 Comment/@reply/retweet their social media posts
 Regularly post interesting content on social media sites
 Link to your blog posts via social media

23. Be brilliant.
The best way to gain links? Create link-worthy
content.
 Think: Would I link to this?
 Write for you – not anyone else.
 Do “blog post round-ups” to highlight other bloggers
 Create a blog post series based around a newsworthy topic
 Create a top 10 list of related bloggers/websites

24. No one reads my blog.
Really? Bet you’re wrong.
Install Google Analytics (made easy via Wordpress
plugins) to your blog.
 Check “Traffic Sources” to see:
 Direct Traffic: Visitors who type your site name directly into their
Internet browser to access your blog.
 Referring Traffic: Visitors who access your blog by clicking on a
link to it from another website.
 Nonpaid Traffic: Traffic from the natural search engine results.
Can drill-down to see what keywords they searched on.

25. And now, it’s time to run.
You've learned the tips,
you've got the gear, and
you've mapped out a
plan– so SEO it!
Questions?