All Entries Tagged With: "optimization"
Should You Run Videos On Your Blog?
Videos are great content to add to any blog in any niche, but there are some things you should consider before you just go off and start adding video content like crazy wildfire. First, too much can be as detrimental as not enough. For several reasons.
No. 1, the more videos you have on your blog the slower your load time will be. Videos can be a drain on a server, especially if you have limited bandwidth. But there are two ways you can slow your page load time with videos.
- Host the videos on your own server – This requires bandwidth. If you use excessive videos on your site then you’ll slow down your page load time by clogging up your bandwidth. To speed things up again you’ll need to purchase more bandwidth or expand your hosting plan.
- Embed your videos from another site – One popular method of including videos on a site is to embed from another site. YouTube is the most popular video host on the Internet. The problem is whenever you embed a video on your site a web browser must go to that other site to get what it needs to show a video to your site visitor. That takes additional time. Usually, embedding is not a problem but if you have an excessive number of videos on a page then you can expect a slower load time.
If you do use videos, try to stay away from autorun videos. People find them annoying and you’ll lose credibility with your audience quickly. If people leave your site because they find your content annoying they won’t be back.
If videos are the only content on a page you probably don’t have a well optimized web page. That will hurt you in the search engines. Learn how to optimize your video content for search. To do that best, you need relevant supporting text on your web pages and blog posts.
Video content is a good way to attract new readers and keep old readers interested. Just don’t overdo it.
Blog SEO: As Simple As 1-2-3
I’m going to let the secret out of the bag. Blog SEO is as simple as 1-2-3:
- Make sure you write a great blog post that uses your most important keywords in just the right amounts
- Include a link or two with the right anchor text pointing to the right page on your website
- Optimize your blog post title with your keyword in the first three words of the title
That’s about it. And as an additional measure, you can tag your blog post with the right keyword tags and place it in the right category as well. There’s nothing wrong with writing a blog post that appeals to your readers either.
Blog Consulting: Learn What You Need To Know When You Need To Know It
From time to time we get a contact form from somebody who just wants us to consult with them. We’re always happy to help someone who wants to learn how to blog, even if it’s just on a short-term basis. If If you have a small budget and can’t afford the monthly blogging service or you’ve tried the monthly blogging service and found that your sales cycle is longer than you’d expected or your ROI isn’t what you thought it would be then we can consult with you to help you write better blog posts. Here’s what a consultation will cover:
- Setting up a blog – If you want to set up your own blog then we’ll spend some time going over the set up process with you to help you get a good start.
- Choosing a template – Choosing a template involves more than just going through the list of what is available and selecting one you like. You aren’t picking curtains for your living room. A good template must be optimized. We’ll teach you how to go about discovering whether you’ve got the right template or not and how you can fix it if you don’t.
- Setting up your link structure – The link structure between your blog and your business website is very important. We’ll show you how to set up your link structure properly for the maximum SEO benefits.
- Optimizing your blog post – Properly optimizing a blog post is more than tossing in a few keywords here and there. We’ll show you the elements to look for and how to incorporate them.
- Writing effective blog post titles – It’s an art. Anyone can write a blog post title, but not just anyone can write one that gets attention. We’ll show you how to write blog post headlines that get people to read.
- Social bookmarking – Social bookmarking is a new social tool that bloggers can take advantage of to spread the word about their blog and business. We’ll show you to get the most from your bookmarking efforts.
There’s a lot more we could teach you too. There is so much to learn about effective blogging that it would be hard to put it all into one blog post.
When it comes to blogging for business, expectations can get the best of you. I’ve talked to business owners who thought that after two months of blogging they should be getting more business than they can handle. Would you have the same attitude if you opened up a hardware store on the busiest street corner in your neighborhood? If so then you may not understand business. There is more to it than simply throwing up a sign and opening the doors. There are certain things that have to take place and many of them require time to fully germinate.
For a blog consultation, call 786-317-8774 or visit Blog Content Provider.
See, I Told You So
Everyone needs validation, right? Well, ghostwriter Crystal Smith recently gave me mine. She said the same thing that I’ve been saying for a couple of years now, since I started writing online. And it’s almost word for word. Here are a few snippets of brilliance from Crystal’s article on blogging and article writing:
Firms that specialize in online marketing will tell you that search engine ranking is of critical importance. To compete in your industry you need to rank well on Google and, to a lesser extent, on Yahoo and MSN.
OK, so it’s not genius level. It’s a repeat of what you’ve heard a million times. It never hurts to hear it again, does it? The fact is, search engine rankings are the most important measurements of online success and have the potential to drive your business to the highest levels of achievement. It’s getting there that is the battle.
There are two keys to ranking high – optimized content and link popularity.
Once again, two things that drive your rankings. Need I repeat them? Sure: optimized content and link popularity.
The main factors involved in optimizing content are keyword relevance and volume. Keywords are the terms used by people searching the Web. If your site is particularly relevant to the keyword term, it has a better chance of ranking well in the search engine results.
Keywords are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, if you mismanage them you could get a reputation as a spammer. On the other, you’ll be limp and ineffective. Proficient optimization requires the proper use of keywords throughout your content such that your writing appears natural but has the effect of feeding search engine spiders with the necessary food to elevate your web pages in the rankings.
To gauge whether your site is relevant to a keyword term, search engines need to see a lot of content. Pages should be between 400 and 500 words long.
There is no optimal length for web pages or blog posts, but you don’t want them too small. Anything less than 400 words in today’s competitive market is too small. Feed the spiders!
You should have a page for each keyword term you want to rank for, and the keyword phrase should appear about 2% of the time on that page. But you have to avoid spamming, that is, having the keyword just appear for no apparent reason. Keywords have to be used in context.
One aspect of optimization that many inexperienced Web writers miss is the semantic language aspect. Search engines now have the ability to analyze your content and make judgments about it regarding context. Synonyms and synonymous phrases can work wonders. It makes your content look natural and less contrived. Filling your content with keywords just to rank higher will likely not achieve the goal. I do believe in optimal keyword densities, but I would not go less than 2% on any page. Going higher depends on your content, the level of competition, the specific keyword phrase you are targeting, and your ability as a writer to achieve the necessary results.
The best way to manage the keyword ratio is to write well. Don’t just try to fill space.
Didn’t I just say that?
If there are lots of links pointing to your site, you are seen as an expert in your chosen field. As people figure out the tricks of keyword optimization, inbound links are becoming increasingly important to good search engine rankings.
People don’t realize it, but all you have to do is write good content and you’ll be linked to. If you don’t have other bloggers within your niche linking to your blog after three months then you are probably not writing good enough content.
Content for this blog post was taken from an article by Crystal Smith: Crystal Smith is a professional writer who specializes in search-engine-optimized Web site copy, article writing and blog posts. Writing samples and more information are available at http://www.tigerlilymedia.ca
Want to know more about blog optimization techniques and how to use your blog as a pre-sales tool with SEO benefits? Contact Blog Content Provider today.
