How to #SEOYOURBLOG

I started blogging back in 2012, just before my third child was born. I was at home, on maternity leave, feeling bored and frustrated, and I knew I wanted something for me. Blogging offered me that; little did I know what other opportunities it would provide me and my family.

Since I started blogging, we have been lucky enough to have been offered some great items and experiences, things that we would not have been able to give the children were it not for the blog. A lot of this was due to the growth of my site as I learnt how to promote my posts and get the site seen. 

So how do you get your blog ‘out there’? If you are just starting out, or if you have been blogging for a while and want to push things to the next level, here are my top tips for promoting your site.

• Think carefully about what you are writing. Who is your target audience? Tailor your voice to suit what it is you are promoting, and use appropriate language.
• Structure your posts. Introduce the topic of your writing early on, pop the main point of your post in the middle, and make sure you round things off.
• Proof read. Whether you proof read posts yourself, or get someone else to cast an eye over them for you, make sure the post is read through fully before hitting publish. This limits any mistakes or spelling errors. 
• Optimise post length. Posts should be a minimum of 300 words, and generally no more than about 700-800. Too short, and you don’t get the message across effectively. Too long and readers lose interest. 
• Use internal links. If you have previously written content on the same topic, make sure you link back to those articles in your new post. It encourages readers to explore more of your blog, and helps with online rankings too.
• Keep it up. Write regularly. If you post often, people will keep coming back to your website to see what is new. If you haven’t posted for several weeks, readers will assume you’ve stopped blogging and go elsewhere.
• Make your images work for you. Using Alt tags on your photos ensures they have a text alternative which will show up in search engines. This will help direct people to your blog if they are using an image search.
• Interact with your readers. Allow people to comment on your posts, and reply to comments when you can. If you find that the comments aren’t coming, try ending your post with a ‘call to action’ – ask a question to encourage conversation and debate.
• Get expert advice. If you feel like you need help understanding SEO, and how to make your blog work for you, there are plenty of people out there who can give advice. Click Consult have a dedicated and informative SEO team who can help you to build your brand, make the most of your site’s traffic and become an authority within your niche.