Bloggers: 10 SEO Mistakes You Should Avoid

Bloggers: 10 SEO Mistakes You Should Avoid

Search engine optimization (SEO) is vital to any successful blogging campaign. Therefore it should be implemented in the right manner. SEO itself is quite intricate for numerous reasons, but mainly because Google uses an algorithm, which takes several factors into account when ranking a webpage, and they keep changing it.

There are virtually so many SEO myths that it has become very difficult to know what’s 100% true, but I can advise you on which SEO mistakes you should not make:

1. Buying Links

You might get a short term boost by buying links if your website is already popular, but you’re still taking a risk here. Paid links are sometimes flagged by Google’s search engine experts. You may wonder, how will they ever catch me? Well, Google’s bots and a special team at the company search for questionable linking patterns every single day!

For example, if you pay for a few hundred links to be pointed to your website in the very same day, some links will probably be flagged as a sort of ‘irregular linking activity’. Links from totally unrelated categories will seem suspicious as well.

I would recommend the old fashioned method of comment linking, manually — your blog will still be able to grow, albeit at a steady pace. Over time, the end results will be worthwhile. If you are however settled on purchasing links, do not use the same anchor text for all of them; mix it up a bit.

2. Duplicate Content

Many bloggers I know try to target the same topic with a variation of essentially very similar keywords. For instance, ‘make money on facebook’ and ‘making money with your facebook’ are quite similar, and creating a completely different page for each keyword won’t add much value to your site.

How much can you really play with topics or keywords that are essentially identical? If you can’t, then you’ll probably end up writing the same content for both keywords, which poses a risk of a search engine penalty. Instead, you should try to penetrate one original topic or keyword in detail and make an effort to strengthen each post.

3. Chasing PageRank

Don’t get me wrong, PageRank is important for any website’s success. The higher the PageRank you have, the better you rank in search engines, and the more visitors you’ll get. However, it’s definitely not the only metric that’ll help you improve your blog’s success. Furthermore, Google has mentioned previously that PageRank is just one of two hundred (wow!) indicators used to crawl and rank a website. Instead, you should focus on your analytics, ROI, and relevancy as recommended by Google itself.

4. Leaving Title Tags Automated

The title tag is undeniably one of the most important aspects when it comes to search engine rankings. Beginner bloggers usually write a post with a long title that describes the topic in too many words. First, you want to keep the title rather short, (not more than 60 characters) but more importantly, you should aim your focus at optimizing the title tags.

Regular Maintenance is Critical for your Blog

Regular Maintenance is Critical for your Blog:

Do you take a day every week, month or a few times a year to make sure you are doing all you can to maximize your blog?  I believe a successful blog should be treated like a business.  Every so often you should schedule time to regroup and refresh your blog.

Let me give you an inside peek into what I do to stay on top of my blog.

1.  I sign out of my blog,  then I go to my blog site to see how everything looks from a reader’s perspective.  I want to make sure that things pop up correctly, that the page loads quickly and I will leave a comment, to make sure the process is easy.

Free Critique of your Blog

Free Critique of your Blog:

I have gotten so many requests to look over my reader’s blogs that I have decided to create a special opportunity.

I will be putting up another page on this blog.  If you would like your blog critiqued, please place your link on the critique page with a sentence about what you would like me to look at.  It’s fine if you just want me to look over your blog in general because you are just starting out.  If you have a specific question, just write it in the comment section with your link.

Some Secrets I’d Like to Share About Blogging

Some Secrets I’d Like to Share About Blogging:

I would like to try to help those who are either starting out blogging or feel like they have hit the wall.  It’s great to write about how great blogging has been for me, like I did in my last post ways/ but I realize that the article could feel frustrating to read if you feel stuck or overwhelmed.

Below are the best tips I can think of to help you move along in the blogging world. 

1.  Authenticity is everything.  Be true to yourself and do what feels best.  No matter how much advice you read, a blog will take a while to gather steam.  Use this time to learn what you are passionate about.

Tweaking the blog comes with the territory.  You might decide to not continue to write poetry for example, but are loving writing about trips you have been on.  Listen to your heart and follow what makes you feel happy and it will show through to others.  You will also feel more invested and will want to stick with your blog instead of giving up.

Typography 101 For Bloggers

Typography 101 For Bloggers

Do you want to get more readers to your blog?

Of course you do.

There’s thousands and thousands of tricks on how to do that. And just as many blog posts out there.

But this one is easy, but it’s also pretty much overlooked. I’m talking about some basic information design and typography 101 for bloggers.

Interested?

Accept Your Limitations And Get With It

Now, let me tell you right off the bat: I’m no art director. Actually, I’m pretty far from being good at web design myself.

I know this because I work with some very talented web designers and boy, they have talents I’ll never have.

But I’m not talking about highly creative skills here. And if I can learn basic information design, so can you.

Let me highlight this with a short story:

When I studied at the university, I took a 10 week course named Information Design. And I sucked at it.

At the very end of the course, we voted for who had produced the most beautiful information designs during the course. I don’t remember the name of the girl who won, but from what i could tell—she was talented.

Of course, some fellow douchebag thought it was a good idea to also have a vote on who had done the most terrible design.

Battle of Blogging Titans: WordPress vs. Blogger

Battle of Blogging Titans: WordPress vs. Blogger:

WordPress and Blogger – if you have been an ardent blogger, you probably have heard these two names zillions of times. And you might be aware of the battle of these titans as well. Being posed with two of the most popular blogging platforms, bloggers are at time perplexed with the big question- which is superior of both the blogging platforms? Both platforms offer a plethora of benefits but if you have recently ventured into the blogging arena then probably you are awaiting for an answer to choose a favored platform to write upon.

Top 10 Reasons Why People Blog

Blogs today have become an essential part and need of the most part of generation worldwide. It’s raining blogs. Life was never so tech savvy before this. Whether one needs advice, needs to share a personal experience, be aware of the views on any topic, all one needs is to gear up and punch in a few keys and write a blog. With the birth of blogs conventional writing has taken a back seat. Ink is replaced by the keyboard and readers are targeted globally.  Blogging gets you the reactions from worldwide. It provides a place to say it and be heard.

In general, ‘blog’ used to mean a personal online diary, typically concerned with boyfriend problems or techie news. But after September 11, a slew of new or refocused media junkie/political sites reshaped the entire Internet media landscape. Blog now refers to a Web journal that comments on the news — often by criticizing the media and usually in rudely clever tones — with links to stories that back up the commentary with evidence.

How to Find Guest Bloggers to Write Guest posts on your blog?

This is a part of Question and Answer round. If you have any question on Blogging, WordPress, SEO, shoot me an Email at admin[at]shoutmeloud.com.

This question is asked by Rahul:

Hi harsh, I want guest bloggers for my blog. Can you suggest how I may get guest bloggers?

Guest blogging has it’s own advantages and disadvantages. Though the no. of advantages outrun the disadvantages and many bloggers have started offering guest posts on their blog.  By guest posting, most clear advantage for guest author is they will get free backlinks, free traffic and subscribers. Here I’m sharing few points which work for me and should work for you to appeal bloggers to guest post on your blog.

Where to find guest bloggers for your blog?

Build a community:

Six Ways You’re Cheating Your Blog’s Readers

Hey there Mr. Bigshot Blogger, it’s time for a few home truths. You might think you’re successful, authoritative and devilishly handsome. But you’re not. No, what you are, is a cheat.
Why? Because, whether you know it or not, you’re cheating your blog’s readers. They’re giving you adulation, adoration and probably a lovely wad of cash too. And in return you’re boring them, ignoring them and leaving them dazed and confused on the sidewalk.
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So here’s the deal. I’m going to tell you how you’re cheating your readers and how you’re going to change. And in return, you’re going to make your blog even better.
How you are cheating your readers?

Where To Spend Money For Your Blog Growth

I’m a strong believer of proverb “Money makes money“. You need to spend money to make money. Be it blogging or any business, money which you spend is always an investment. We all know, blogging is also a business, if you are making money and if you are not doing anything to promote, grow your blog, you are not doing justification with your blog business. To start a blog, there are few initial investments, which are necessary but after a time, you need to do few things to take your blog to next level.

6 ways to earn money from Internet without investment

Few years back, when ShoutMeLoud was growing, and I had enough money to spend on my blog growth, I was stuck. I had no idea, where should I start from. I had a handful of money, and I wanted to invest it on the best ways possible. That’s like 2 years back, and since then I have spent money on daily basis, and some of them are still giving me best return of the investment. If you are one of those blogger, who is working hard on your blog and now looking to take your blog to next level, here are few ideas which will help you to grow your blog.

What Kind of Content Drive Traffic and Natural Backlinks

Traffic is the most desired thing that unites all bloggers, whether beginner or expert. But the question is : which kind of articles should you write in order to get a high number of backlinks and increase traffic to your blog?

Questions like this are a classic in the daily work of a blog writer and owner : the vastness of the web and the overabundance of content in it produce a cut-throat competition, ensuring that only the most interesting and noteworthy content can generate a significant traffic. Therefore, you can take inspiration from these different ways to receive traffic, backlinks and online visibility : provided, of course, that you follow the correct rules.

How to increase traffic from Email subscribers

3 ways to increase traffic to your Website

Content which drives traffic and Backlinks:

1. Increase Blog Traffic with Collection of Resources

How Much it Cost to Start a Self Hosted WordPress Blog?

Everyone knows that hosting your own blog is a costly affair and this question comes to everyone who just started with Blogging or plan to start with their own self hosted blog. How much it’s going to cost to create a self hosted WordPress blog. In this post, I will point out some of the cost which is involved in the process of set up a WordPress blog.

Cost to starting a self hosted WordPress blog

WordPress is one of those platform, where you can start at minimal cost. WordPress software is free and you can download it for free from WordPress.org page. Though, there are some requirements like a domain name, a hosting space which you have to pay for. after that it depends upon your requirement, how much you wish to spend on customization, SEO and other factors.

If your interest is just to start a blog on WordPress, you can start with minimal cost of $60 for an unlimited hosting and domain with Bluehost and Dreamhost. You can learn about all such hosting which is best for WordPress here.

Domain: Cost: $10

Why You Should Not Migrate From Blogger To WordPress ?

WTF! read the title again.

Doesn’t it sound unique, the heading is just opposite to the ones you might have read on other blogs. In this article we are going to discuss the benefits of  Blogspot platform. We will go through the points in which blogspot is better than WordPress.

Ask a professional blogger, which platform should I choose?

Most of them will suggest you to choose self hosted WordPress. I don’t want to say they are wrong but with all due respect they are not totally right.

If you blog for fun or you are just a beginner then choose blogger but if you want to go professional then choose WordPress. We have already got the reasons covered and if you missed it, here are few articles to help you:

Why WordPress is better than BlogSpot platform

Why WordPress is best Blogging platform at this moment

Most bloggers live with the above thought. WordPress is an open source CMS (content management system) for blogging which is used by millions of bloggers and it’s everyone’s first choice but BlogSpot platform has its own benefits. Before going through my favorite features let us see a few facts about Blogger.

Number of blogs = 100 blogs per account.

Number of labels = 2,000 unique labels per blog, 20 unique labels per post

Number of pictures = Up to 1 GB storage and all the images are stored in Picasa

Number of posts = Unlimited.

Static Pages = 20 stand-alone pages.

Authors = 100 per blog.

Size of pages = Individual pages (the main page of a blog or archive pages) are limited to 1 MB

Size of pictures = Pictures are scaled to 1600px

Migrating from Blogger to WordPress

Hey everyone! 

This all feels so strange. After 4 years of dedication to Blogger, I have decided to make the leap (..slow, tedious dragging of my feet) to WordPress. It was extremely agonizing at first – mostly because I was so terrified of losing content but also because I didn’t want to lose any my followers or my SEO rankings.

But I put my big girl pants on and here we are! Starlit Corner* on WordPress. HOORAY! 

First things first.

Content transfer is pretty easy because both Blogger and WordPress allow for easy export/import. So if you’re thinking about migrating like me, don’t worry too much about that. When it comes to picking a theme, remember that you can’t customize the width of your columns in most themes so pick carefully! Especially if you’ve uploaded photos – I found that some themes would cut off my photos or change the image size and distort the picture.

Step by step.

1. Open a WordPress account and set up your profile and domain.

2. In your dashboard, navigate to ‘Tools’ and select ‘Import’.

3. Select the ‘Blogger’ option and authorize permission for WordPress to collect and copy your files.

4. A list of your Blogger blogs should appear and you select which you would like to import.

Now the difficult part. Obviously when you transfer your blog, your links change and you lose your stats and Google rankings.

I have found a couple websites showing me how to redirect traffic from my Blogger page to here but I want to be sure about it before I start fiddling with the HTML template. So if anyone knows of a reliable site to direct me, I would reeeeally appreciate it.

5 SEO IDEAS FOR WORDPRESS.COM BLOGGERS

I live a life inspired. That is my self-governing mantra. (Om.) I recently thought, ‘Hey, why not live like…I’m freshly pressed?’…Then after that, I just chuckled, rolled over and went back to sleep.

Honestly, though, this idea of living freshly pressed isn’t actually a bad one, or even a bad concept for that matter. Okay, so it’s a bit cheesy, but for those who write and write and write only to achieve deafeningly silent rooms, those who feel they can dig their way out of that hole with their pencil, keyboard and shovel in hand yet still to no avail–it’s a laugh-less and unfulfilled dream…is that you? That’s certainly me. (Ouch.)

Here is a fun statistic to summarize two or three unnecessary paragraphs that I could have chosen to write about your woes but won’t:

As of 2011, neilsenwire.com reports that there are over 181 million blogs from all around the world.

This sounds like a lot of eyes, but this also means even more foreshortened attention spans.

I came across this post about manually maximizing SEO for WordPress.com blogs. I got to thinking about the world of WordPress, having finally understood that WordPress.org is where the big kids do their fancy BMX bike tricks; and I realized that there is nothing to be ashamed of about my training wheels. It all just comes down to the mere fact that you and I-we share something, we have a VOICE. And with that human capability that is so common and trending in the blogging community, that fact further reduces itself to your necessity to be heard. Now that’s something worth pressing about. 

Don’t ditch your tricycle just yet. Here are 5 things that I would recommend for my fellow WordPress.com bloggers:

1. Interview other reputable figures in your area of interest. You would be astonished at the inspiration, insights, and wisdom you would acquire just by having your questions answered. Derek Halpern of Social Triggers also recommends doing this because having the face of someone well recognized appear beside yours in a sense builds your blog’s esteem and its credibility for both the blogger and the blog reader. I look at it this way: when people see you are connected, they want to stay connected to you.

Which Do You Prefer: Blogger Or WordPress?

I have friends on WordPress   who also have blogs on Blogger. I would like to know, which one do they prefer?

I will admit that when I was over on Blogger, it was very easy to navigate around the features. I didn’t need to know much about programming and it was very easy for me to launch my posts into the worldwide web.

I will also admit that Blogger  would be rather easy for those who are first time bloggers, because the account is easy to set up and it can be up and running in less than five minutes’ time.

In regards to WordPress, it would take the newcomer a little while before they can manoeuvre themselves around WordPress’  settings. I must add that it took me awhile before it all sank in.

The truth is: I never regretted making the transition from Blogger   to WordPress; the migration was worth it; Renard Moreau Presents   said, “Goodbye,” to Blogger   and said, “Hello,” to WordPress.

I am also curious to know if it is a regular occurrence for people on WordPress   to bring their blogs over from Blogger  via importation. I doubt that I am the only one who removed their blog from Blogger  and planted it firmly in WordPress.

I know for a fact that many of you on WordPress  who once held blogs on Blogger  deleted them or simply ignored them and started new blogs from scratch.

I had no intentions of throwing Renard Moreau Presents   in the figurative trash-can; it would have been crazy of me if I made a move like that. After all, it was filled with great articles — articles that I wrote and started compiling in the year 2009.

I must say that the themes on WordPress  are professional-looking.

The themes on Blogger   are nice too, but I prefer the look of WordPress’   themes.

How to Schedule A Post in Blogger

How to Schedule A Post in Blogger

Well I think now you already know how to make a sticky post in blogger and importance of a sticky post. So I decide to show you another basic blogger tip. That is “How to schedule a blog post”. Under this topic I will discuss about the importance of scheduling blog posts and how to do it.

First you should know what is meant by scheduling of a blog post. Just imagine that you are going to a faraway place for few days for your vacation. At that particular place you are staying, have no internet access. What will happen to your readers? The visitors are coming to your blog regularly to check whether there are any new posts to read. But if they don’t have to read any new post they will forget your blog. So it is important to post regularly to retain your regular visitors.

Then the question is how you can post regularly if you don’t have internet access for few weeks or months. The solution is simple. You can schedule your posts with blogger. That means you can write a post and schedule it to be posted on your blog in a future day.

Well now let me explain how to do this. I have used some screenshots to explain it very clearly.

1. First visit your blog Dashboard >> New Post

2. Then give your post a title and write down your content of the post

3. Now go to the bottom of the page and press on “Post Options” as I shown in following screen shot.

Easy How to create a Blog using blogger.com

Blogs are another kind of website. You can create it and also organized it’s content. If you are looking to create your own personal blog using Blogger.com, here is a step by step introduction to get you started & learn how to register for an account, pick your blog name, design your page and create blog entries with photos, hyperlinks and various fonts.

Follow the next step and create a blog.

Blogging Basics – Tweet With Style

Most bloggers want their posts to stand out and become a shining example of whatever topic they are writing about. If a blogger wants their message heard, amplification is the name of the game. When I began blogging I immediately began reading everything I could find on what amplification is and how it works.

Amplification:

 

A statement, idea or narrative expanded beyond your website.

The basic idea of using various amplification techniques is to help get your message into the “sight” of more people.

Twitter is one of my favorite amplification tools but a tweet does not do any good if no one ever reads it. Any blogger knows that there is never-ending stream of tweets. Learning to use twitter effectively is one of the blogging basics.

Why blogs aren’t suited for discussion

Over at Rands in Response Michael Lopp makes the case that after BBSes and forums in the  1990s there has been little innovation and newer tech, like blogs, Facebook and Twitter don’t lend themselves to discussion. I particularly like his  “simple rules of communication among a digital population”: Add something to the conversation. Stay on topic. Don’t be a jerk.

But more on topic: there is a reason why blog posts and comments don’t create the discourse we are used from forums: In forums the initial post is just a spark and all subsequent posts are presented as equals. After a while there is little that sets the initial post apart from following posts.