Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for your website

Are You Selling Out If You Optimize Your Blog?

The Right Brain says,

“Wait a minute. I’m uncomfortable telling bloggers to optimize their post-

ings with search-targeted keywords! Shouldn’t a blog be a bastion of personal expression and

entertaining writing? Shouldn’t the blogosphere be free of the marketing mentality that pervades

the rest of the Web? We’ve seen it time and again: Good writing can really take a beating when a

marketing agenda is attached to it.”

The Left Brain says,

“Right,and bloggers are all out there working on their own personal time,

with no need for the luxuries in life like food and shelter.Heck,no! Blogs are well beyond the days

of being just for fun; they are truly a business now.And as such, they have a legitimate need for

SEO, just like any other business website.I would never counsel a blogger to dilute their message

or change the blog’s subject matter based on conversions—just as I don’t give that sort of advice

to any other website owner.But creating highly readable headlines that are compelling and

clear—that’s just common sense.And isn’t “search-targeted keywords” just another way of saying,

‘Use the text that makes the most sense to your audience?’After all, what good is a message if

nobody gets it?”

Challenge: Domain Considerations

One of the reasons blogging is so popular is

the availability of free blog hosting services. But while free hosting is a great idea

for personal sites like “The Knibbe Family Thanksgiving Web Page,” it could work

against your blog’s SEO potential. Not only will a URL like

knibbefamily.blog-mega-

service.com

reduce your linkability, it may also leave you subject to the advertising

choices of the provider. Other bloggers will be more likely to take you seriously—and

link to your blog—if you aren’t using one of the free blog services that forces you to

work within one of their domain names.

Advantage: A Venue for Personal Touch

Any salesperson will tell you that making a

sale is about trust. If you are trying to sell something through your blog, you have

a great opportunity to give your audience a chance to get to know and trust you.

Aaron Wall of

www.seobook.com

is both a blogger and expert search marketer. His

blog is one way that potential customers find and purchase his e-book. But it’s also

a comprehensive, information-rich site that both helps others and bolsters his repu-

tation in the industry. His advice to bloggers getting started and looking for SEO

strategies: “Learn your community well, find and use your real voice, and link out

early and often.”

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