Post on 19-Oct-2014
description
JOHN DOHERTY DISTILLED NYC
Blogging and SEO SEO 101
@dohertyjf
Today we are talking about blogging and
SEO.
@dohertyjf
But before we talk about SEO, we need
to talk about blogging.
@dohertyjf
Because often the priorities get reversed.
First, why should you
listen to me?
@dohertyjf
@dohertyjf
Well, I am a professional SEO with
Distilled.
@dohertyjf
And a longtime blogger
@dohertyjf
Who is starting to see solid success
Let’s get real.
@dohertyjf
What is SEO?
@dohertyjf
@dohertyjf
SEO is the process by which great
content gets found by search engines and
new users.
@dohertyjf
So what is great content?
@dohertyjf
Great content compels the reader to
keep reading and share it with others
before coming back to read more.
@dohertyjf
“The key to good writing is to make
your reader read the next sentence.”
- CopyBlogger
But great content isn’t
just text.
@dohertyjf
@dohertyjf
It can also be images.
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/
@dohertyjf
And combine all three, you get the most
links. My friend Casey found that on
seomoz.org, the posts that earned
the most links had a combination of:
• Text
• Images
• Video
Image source:
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/what-
makes-a-link-worthy-post-part-2
Which helps SEO.
@dohertyjf
Don’t forget about
branding.
@dohertyjf
@dohertyjf
Let’s talk about blog branding for a
minute.
@dohertyjf
My boss’s site is this way. http://essays.tomcritchlow.com (his main site in on
the Svbtle network)
Keep it simple
@dohertyjf
http://michaelhyatt.com has the same layout for his site and his emails. He also
uses the same username across the Internet. Check out this post about
personal branding.
Be consistent
@dohertyjf
The better your site looks, the more likely people are to trust it.
Design matters
@dohertyjf
I didn’t think so. 1998 called, it wants its web design back.
Would you link to this?
Now onto the SEO part.
@dohertyjf
@dohertyjf
Since we are talking about blogging, let’s
talk about onsite SEO first.
@dohertyjf
Both users and search crawlers need to
be able to access your site.
@dohertyjf
And luckily, what’s good for your users
will also be good for the search engines,
especially on a personal blog.
Blogging and SEO Onsite
Best Practices
@dohertyjf
@dohertyjf
This helps you brand yourself, plus you have control over the SEO if you use
Wordpress. You’ll have to get hosting as well, which is usually a/b $6/month. I
use Moniker for buying domain and Bluehost or Dreamhost for hosting.
Buy your own domain name
@dohertyjf
Reason: These are terrible for SEO. They rarely rank for important keyword
terms.
Don’t use a .blogspot or .wordpress.com
@dohertyjf
This post tells you what you need to know: http://www.seomoz.org/blog/are-
your-titles-irresistibly-click-worthy-viral
As does this one: http://www.copyblogger.com/magnetic-headlines/
Write Descriptive Titles
@dohertyjf
Make those “clean” as well. Wordpress does this out of the box; other blogging
platforms you have to finagle a bit.
And put keywords in your URLs
@dohertyjf
You should never write for search crawlers. Write for readers first, not the
other way around.
And in your text
@dohertyjf
Just a couple links and some social activity, and I rank #4 for “seo for
photographers”. I already see traffic for this term!
This stuff works
@dohertyjf
If a huge site like CNN can have a simple navigation, so can you. A simple navigation
with links to the most important pages is good both for users and for search
crawlers, as it prioritizes these pages in the search crawler’s eyes.
Have a simple navigation
@dohertyjf
http://bit.ly/KtQhMB and http://www.johnfdoherty.com/minimum-viable-keyword-
research
Learn to do keyword research
@dohertyjf
Interlink Your Posts
Both in-context and with a Related Posts plugin/option Interlinking between your posts serves these
functions:
1) Flow link equity to important pages;
2) Good user experience;
A few other points
@dohertyjf
Consider using Google+ to get your author snippet showing in the SERPs.
http://www.blindfiveyearold.com/how-to-implement-rel-author
Don’t use Flash or too much Javascript.
Think about what pages matter to users. Block tags and archives (usually).
(How to do this in Wordpress)
Link out to others (adds value to users, can use to build relationships)
Consider guest bloggers, because they’ll spread the word about their content.
@dohertyjf
Now go create useful and interesting
content so the next part is easier.
Linkbuilding and SEO
@dohertyjf
@dohertyjf
In a nutshell, the more links you get
from stronger websites, the more likely
your website is to rank for more and
more competitive keyword phrases.
@dohertyjf
I love linkbuilding with a blog because
you get to make friends.
@dohertyjf
Remember, people, not websites, link to
you.
@dohertyjf
Do you use these?
@dohertyjf
You should be. Don’t be
afraid to tweet at people who
would be interested (don’t
annoy them).
Also, think about priming the
social pump before your post
is published. That’s how I get
influencers to share my stuff.
Do you push content out on them to
relevant people?
@dohertyjf
Twitter: https://followerwonk.com/
Google+: http://findpeopleonplus.com/
Do you follow relevant influencers and seek to
help them out?
@dohertyjf
Old school linkbuilding involved trying
to wrangle others into linking to you.
@dohertyjf
Begging for links doesn’t work. It’s
high output, low return, and I think it
sucks.
But there is a better way!
Essentially, you were begging.
@dohertyjf
New school linkbuilding focuses on
providing so much value that people can’t
help but share.
@dohertyjf
But you need to target the content
curators and other bloggers to get on
their radar.
A couple important
linkbuilding queries
@dohertyjf
@dohertyjf
“[keyword]” “roundup”
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“[keyword]” “day in”
A few more odds and ends
@dohertyjf
@dohertyjf
Track Everything (Google Analytics for sites, Bit.ly for social)
@dohertyjf
A variety of sources is good (organic, social, direct)
tl;DR
@dohertyjf
@dohertyjf
Find your voice through blogging
consistently. Write about what you know
and be an expert.
@dohertyjf
Blogging is best learned by blogging...and
by reading other bloggers.
George Siemens
@dohertyjf
Make friends in your industry who will
share your writing if it’s good enough.
@dohertyjf
Connect with influencers through social
media and their blogs. Provide them
value. Don’t be afraid to recommend your
writing if it’s good!
John Doherty
SEO Consultant at Distilled NYC.
Traveler.
Rock climber.
Company Blog: http://www.distilled.net/blog/
Personal Blog: http://www.johnfdoherty.com/
SEO Consultant – Distilled john.doherty@distilled.net
http://twitter.com/#!/dohertyjf
@dohertyjf
JOHN DOHERTY
Thank You
Questions?
Distilled NYC