As we enter the new year of 2014, blogging is becoming more of a critical SEO activity. Gone are the days of simply logging into your blog and posting a random piece of information when you
feel like it. The search engine algorithms now require us to create interactive posts with thought provoking content on a routine basis. In essence, blogging has become a lynchpin in a successful SEO strategy and it should be one of your top priorities for allocating the resources to do it. In this post, your South Carolina SEO consultant, PalmettoSoft, will cover some of the most important tips for producing quality and timely blog content for your website.
Frequency:
At minimum, upload a blog post at least once every two weeks. And, try to evenly space the time between the posts. For example, your blog schedule may the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month. If possible, a weekly post can be even better, but you need to have the availability and initiative to do so. Warning: Don’t create too many blog posts because they can be viewed as ‘uninspiring’ and cause you to lose subscribers to your blog.
Length:
Shoot for between 300-350 word posts. For weekly uploads, I recommend between 200-225 words. Basically, if you are posting twice a month, write longer posts and put a bit more thought into them.
Keyword Density:
There is a raging debate these days concerning whether or not you should directly target keywords in SEO. Remember this: At the end of the day, the search engine must be able to associate a web page, social media post, blog upload, etc… with a keyword. In 2014, the key is to not overdo it (too many mentions of the keyword) and have it look unnatural. I recommend inserting the keyword at a 1% density (every 100 words).
Title:
The title can be up to 80 characters in length and mention the keyword once; within it.
Image:
Try and find a unique image which is relevant to your post and upload it. You can use your own photography, purchase it from low cost image providers such as http://www.istockphoto.com/, or you can create your own custom graphics. Pictures tend to ‘warm up’ posts and make for a better user experience. Because of this, the algorithms will give you special positive attention when you include at least one withing your post.
Secondary Keywords:
For all you advanced bloggers out there, you can mention your secondary keywords at least one time in the writing. Be careful to make your work read natural (not to many keywords) as it is much more important to build a human audience first—and the algorithm second.
If you would like to learn more about effective blogging tips or how our South Carolina SEO consultancy can help your business, please contact us today.