Blogging provides SEO value from two distinct vantage points. By now you know about blogging and maybe even have a blog of your own. From a search engine optimization perspective, having your own blog provides a significant boost to your SEO efforts over time. I’ll also show you how to leverage other people’s blogs to build inbound links and increase your search engine rankings. Let’s begin our review of how to use blogs for SEO purposes by talking about setting up your own blog. Although creating your own blog isn’t necessary, it does have a number of benefits that can’t be overlooked.
Once you create your own blog and that blog earns a positive Google PR, you can start adding links and passing authority to any site you choose. For example, a number of years ago, I started “The Marketing Blog,” which is now ranked number one on Google for the term “Marketing Blog.” Anytime I launch a new website or want to give a client some extra link juice, I simply make a post to the third-party website.
Essentially, by creating your own blog you are developing an authoritative resource you can use to pass authority and value to any site you are optimizing! This is a great long-term strategy that comes in handy when you want to quickly increase the rankings of new websites you are trying to get to the top of search result listings.
A number of years ago, after hearing about the popularity of blogs and learning about the multiple benefits of creating one, I set out to start my own blog. By doing some research, I found a number of popular websites that actually let you create and host your blog for free. What’s even better is that the process of creating your blog is incredibly fast and easy. I suppose that’s why blogging has become so popular.
Step 1: Choose a Purpose or Topic
One of the most important things you can do to ensure a quality blog is to determine the purpose and the topics you will be writing about. For example, a number of individuals who host blogs simply want to share their ideas on a particular topic. Others are looking for an outlet to make posts on just about anything without a real agenda. Often these latter individuals are seeking to create an online journal or even generate revenue with Google AdSense (pay-per-click advertising), advertising, or promotion of affiliate products. Regardless of the purpose you choose, select a topic that allows you to contribute on a regular basis. You’ll often develop ideas for the next post based on comments readers submit. This is one of the best ways to develop new content that is relevant to readers and keeps them engaged.
Step 2: Select a Blog Provider
There are a number of websites that offer free blogs. The two largest and easiest to use are Blogger.com and WordPress.com. These sites have millions of users and have been offering free blogs for a long time. The benefit of using established blogging hosts is reliability and functionality. I personally use Blogger.com for my marketing blog where I offer a variety of search engine optimization tips and information. I’ve also launched a number of blogs using WordPress which is now the blogging standard. You can host a WordPress blog on your own site (WordPress.org) or use their hosted service (WordPress.com). If you’re not sure which to use I suggest you visit YouTube and start watching videos related to blog setup. There you can get some insight into the different blogging platforms that are available.
Step 3: Launch Your Blog
If you’re selecting Blogger.com to launch your blog, all you do is create an account, name your blog, and choose a template. From there you can begin posting to your blog immediately. Many providers like Blogger.com give you the ability to choose from a number of basic templates. Advanced users can design their own blog templates to customize look and feel. WordPress.com, another blogging tool, is also very simple to use. After creating a username and entering your e-mail address, you create a blog name and title. You’ll receive a confirmation e-mail that provides instructions on how to begin. Once you’ve launched your blog and made a number of posts, you should really focus on generating traffic. Not only will traffic support any online business you may have, but it can also improve the overall quality and Google PR of your blog. To know more about Blogging/SEO or anything related to Digital Marketing, Enroll at Digital Marketing Course in Delhi
Some simple techniques for generating traffic to your blog include:
• Register your Blog with DMOZ, Google, and other blog directories (Technorati, etc.).
• Design your blog for SEO using on-page optimization techniques.
• Generate links to your blog via link exchange, article marketing, and traffic exchanges
• Update content on a daily or weekly basis.
• Use ping services like Ping-o-Matic to recognize new posts.
One thing you’ll find about starting your own blog is that blogging is both simple and fun. As you develop a loyal readership, you’ll find blogging to be a great learning experience as well. Simply put, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t start blogging today. Once your blog is up and running, place a link from your blog’s homepage to the website you are trying to optimize, including the keywords you are optimizing for. This will obviously help your Google ranking via the inbound link-building strategies we’ve been discussing, but you should wait until your blog has an established Google PR before linking out to other websites. This can take a number of months.
