I read plenty of articles explaining proper SEO, keyword density, image optimization, title tags, backlinks etc, etc… It seems to me, while getting wrapped up in all that, bloggers are forgetting the most important factor of SEO: Your Content.
Article after article I see, while they might have all the right things going on in the background, forget about the human factor.
Sure you might (big might) be able to get up the SERP’s by trying to game the system, but you won’t last there if “real” humans don’t find any value in your content.
“Run out and get as many links as possible”
I see this in SEO and webmaster forums all the time, then a few months later complaints come about that it didn’t work. Yes links are important to getting rankings, but the way you get them is even more important. If you run out and spam comments, post in forums, bookmark at several thousand sites, submit to directories (virtually worthless if you ask me), and exchange links, it probably won’t help you much. That is what I call trying to “game Google“.
Quality content will get other bloggers and webmasters to link to you “naturally”. If you concentrate more on your content than ANYTHING else, I believe you will reap huge benefits.
Don’t forget to link out to authority sites either. Nice Blogger touched on this in his article on Google SEO. So many bloggers are scared to pass “link juice” and end up making their site a dead end, this is utterly useless to the reader (who is human, not a robot).
Keyword density is also old news. Yes, there are some techniques that will help if you have done proper keyword research. But stuffing keywords in your articles without thinking of the readability of your post will not get you anywhere either. And, no, there is no recommended “density level” you should be trying to achieve. The right level is the one that helps the reader find what they are looking for. Again, it is about your actual content being helpful and informative.
Yes, you should be aware of putting keywords in the title, but you should be more concerned with writing a title that will attract readers, and the readers should be able to find what they were searching for on that page.
If you look at how you are going about creating your content, are you comfortable that it is helpful? Are you writing to gain PageRank, or are you writing to provide value? Sure, you can gain some PR by gaming the system, but you are not actually providing anything of use to “real people”.
Don’t be afraid to just be creative, write a story that people will enjoy. People will like it, links will come, and the SERP’s will follow.
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Thank you for this. I am just starting out with my blog and this information will help me out quite a bit.
.-= TCRPMG´s last blog ..No, it’s not for breakfast… =-.
@TCRPMG, Best of luck to you, if I can help in any way feel free to contact me on twitter or through my contact page…
.-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..Is Your Code Validated? =-.
Thank you for linking me here
!
I’ll tweet this post on Twitter …
.-= NiceBlogger´s last blog ..101 articles directories – PR human verified =-.
@NiceBlogger, No problem, thanks for the tweet too.
.-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..Is Your Code Validated? =-.
Thanks a lot. Will do.
.-= TCRPMG´s last blog ..No, it’s not for breakfast… =-.
I think I’m probably just as tired of SEO that ignores the human component as you. While some days I can keep my titles within my desired keywords – other days I say forget that! I refuse to be forced to crammed into a box, so if that means it will take longer for my page rank to increase, then so be it. I can’t have my creativity stifled – so if it seems like I’m ignoring SEO rules on my blog, that’s because I am!
.-= Kiesha @ Highly Favored´s last blog ..A Christian’s Guide to Social Media Interactions =-.
@Kiesha @ Highly Favored, One thing I will do sometimes with my “platinum seo” plugin, is write my title (that is what catches the reader) and then add a different title tag that is similar, but has a keyword or 2 in it. This way I can satisfy the search engine along with a catchy title…
.-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..Is Your Code Validated? =-.
@Keith Bloemendaal, Exactly what I did on DSWM, I’ll elaborate a little below.
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Welcome Aboard Part 2! All The Info You’ve Been Waiting For… =-.
@Dennis Edell,
Hey Dennis – didn’t you have a post from a PhD on your site that tore the SEO myth apart too – basically saying the same thing that you need good quality links and content…
He also said that meta keywords are a waste of time. What do you think about that?
.-= Don Power´s last blog ..Going Local – How do You Use Social Media to Boost Local Business? =-.
@Don Power, Yep, Nicolas.
Yes, both Google and shortly after Yahoo officially came forward saying beyond a shadow of a doubt they no longer use the meta keyword in their ranking algorithms.
The smaller engines might, so if it don’t take you too long you might wanna still pop some in there.
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Welcome Aboard Part 2! All The Info You’ve Been Waiting For… =-.
@Kiesha @ Highly Favored,
Kiesha @ Highly Favored – I thought I was the only one that felt this way.
If I get an idea for a post and what “I” think is a catchy title I go with it. I lot of times my inspiration comes from music and song titles. There is this old rap song called Searching for the Perfect Beat (I know I’m dating myself here) and it inspired me to write Searching for the Perfect Tweet. I wrote that post over 2 months ago but it remains my most popular post on my blog among people. And I actually have no idea how I rank for any “keywords”. I just like the post and it’s very rewarding to see that others are enjoying it too.
But I actually admire people that have done great keyword research and it paid off for them. I do a little here and there but I don’t spend more than 10 minutes on it. Maybe that’s why I suck at it. LOL
Thanks for this post Keith.
.-= ileane´s last blog ..WordPress.com is Still The Bomb! =-.
I will admit that some of my posts are specifically targeted for search engine traffic, while others are specifically written for humans. I am currently trying to find the happy medium where I am comfortable with my posts both from an SEO perspecitive and a more social media perspective.
.-= Tom@Money Conversion´s last blog ..Drink Vending Machine | Before You Buy One… =-.
@Tom@Money Conversion, Tom, I firmly believe that if you write for humans it will pay off in the long run, big time.
Nothing wrong with paying attention to some SEO while doing it though, but it should be meant for the reader ultimately.
.-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..Is Your Code Validated? =-.
Well said, I have also seen where bloggers will put their keywords in bold text. Does that help at all?
.-= Ms. Freeman@Baby Steps of an Internet Entrepreneur´s last blog ..You Are Only As Great As Your Community =-.
@Ms. Freeman@Baby Steps of an Internet Entrepreneur, I actually have heard of this, and have done it myself. But, after more experience I learned that using bold, or italics, works well to highlight terms for readers that are more used to skiming articles.
Exactly right! I used to try to tell the story through bolding here and there.
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Welcome Aboard Part 2! All The Info You’ve Been Waiting For… =-.
@Dennis Edell,
Got it. I thought it was a SEO tactic as well. Thanks guys
.-= Ms. Freeman@Baby Steps of an Internet Entrepreneur´s last blog ..Why I Welcome Being Laid Off From My Job =-.
I started to pay more attention to SEO on my blogs, but in a way not leads to lose my reader and there is some difficulties on finding the working keywords after writing a new post!
Some bloggers start from keywords and end up with a post, and some others write a post and then “try” to find it’s keywords! which way you think is better?
.-= Hesham @ FamousBloggersTips´s last blog ..Are You Ready To Work Your A$$ Off =-.
@Hesham @ FamousBloggersTips, Honestly Hesham, I think it would be better to just write a post tinking of the reader, but I know for some of us (including myself) that is impossible.
I think if the article is helpful and something that people want to read, then it will do well reagardless.
.-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..Is Your Code Validated? =-.
@Keith Bloemendaal, This is how I do it every time.
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Welcome Aboard Part 2! All The Info You’ve Been Waiting For… =-.
Hi Keith,
I never use keywords in my title post. I always use this area to “hook” the reader!
I then use the SEO All-in-one plug-in to do the heavy lifting with the SERP’s
About once a month, I will do a piece on SEO and thats when I hit it hard. By explaining SEO to my readers, I can use all the keywords I need to in the piece.
For instance, I always rank high in the SERP’s when I misspell words. So I do a piece about misspelled keywords, I then place keywords that are misspelled in the tags and sure enough, a week later, I’m ranking at the top of Google for the keyword Googgle! My editor at Bloggers Market tells me that the reason for the ranking, is that Google deals with a lot of information that they index from others where the primary language is not English.
.-= Jeffrey´s last blog ..The Weakness Of Social Media =-.
@Jeffrey, That is a different way of looking at things for sure.
.-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..Is Your Code Validated? =-.
Thanks for this blast of common sense and fresh air.
Blind SEO is stupid and loses repeat readers.
Instead, here’s my process:
1. Write about what you want to write about, as a record of what you’ve learned on the Internet.
2. Then, add additional explanation that will make your article more accessible and useful to readers.
3. Add a few keywords that will help (real) people find your article when they’re looking for information on a search engine.
I disagree with trying to get #1 on Google as a primary goal.
I get on the first page of Google for most search queries relating to the articles I write, and I’m satisfied with that. I feel certain that the rankings will rise as I add more articles, and Google sees Digitivity.org as more of an authority as a tech blog.
I also highly agree with linking out. I have many examples of where I link out to the original sources, as well as reactions from blogs, and I am actually ranking higher than the original source!
Where people fall down is they focus solely on PR. Granted, some numerical PageRank might be decreased according to some formula, but wake up, folks! Google has stated that PR is *not* the only factor determining rankings. If it were, there’s no way I could rank higher than the sites I link to.
.-= The Digital Life & Tools Blog´s last blog ..After the iPad: the Google Tablet? =-.
@The Digital Life & Tools Blog, I think linking out helps everyone involved, I have written about that before too.
Sounds like you have a good system going.
.-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..The Part Of SEO You Are Missing =-.
Keith,
Great article. Its nice to see someone mention the other side of SEO. You can have thousands of links coming in and going out, but if you have no content duplicate content, and your titles are crappy, then you are going to have go results with the search engines or with readers sticking around to read your latest work.
.-= element321´s last blog ..Tips to Help With Time Management =-.
@element321, Thanks man, I really get tired of all the same stuff on the internet about SEO, and the “secrets” to get you up the rankings, just seemed like no one talks about the readers anymore.
.-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..Does Your Blog Stand Out? =-.
Very well written Keith.
When I write the article I pay very little attention to SEO; I write for the reader from title to conclusion, through and through.
My title is always a reader hook, keyworded or not. I usually post it in question form; this followed up with the same as a call to action at the end both reals them in, then “forces” them to comment.
When the post is complete it’s time for proofreading and SEO. I add and delete-bold and italics where appropriate including keywords, always making sure it does not mess with the reader experience.
Then it’s time for the search engine title and description in the Platinum SEO plugin; formally AIO but I switched to the better.
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Welcome Aboard Part 2! All The Info You’ve Been Waiting For… =-.
@Dennis Edell, Sounds like a well balanced system. Keeping the reader first and following up with SEO. Very similar to how I do it too.
I don’t write my posts with SEO in mind and my titles are something that I think is catchy. Result, I don’t think search engines think much about my blog. I know I am missing something here but I always figured that content would rule. I never even think about keywords. I guess it shows!
.-= Ralph´s last blog ..Success is a process not a destination! =-.
@Ralph, Time will help you with the SERP’s, I don’t rank for very many keywords here yet either, that is why I relentlessly promote my site.
Brother I’m going to email you at some point for some more pointers as this is exactly what I need, search engine traffic is giving me more, but I want it to give me a lot more
.-= TheInfoPreneur´s last blog ..I Have Wrote 4 Posts Today, Why Haven’t You? =-.
@TheInfoPreneur, Feel free to email me anytime James!
.-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..Is Your Code Validated? =-.
I am totally agree with you that Quality content is the one of the most key factors to get come more readers and link on your blog or site. Submission in directories and link exchange have less worth in front of informative content.
@data recovery software, I personally think link exchanges and directories are almost worthless, if not harmful to your site.
I like to write headlines that are catchy for my immediate reader, social media traffic. After the post gets a bit older and the social media traffic dies down I’ll go in and change the headline to something a bit more relevant to the page content: ‘the number 1 secret to traffic generation’ could then become ‘joint venture traffic generation tips’ as a quick guide.
Just a bit more juice to squeeze out of an older post.
Regards,
Karl
.-= Karl Foxley´s last blog ..Who Else Wants More Traffic And Backlinks? =-.
@Karl Foxley, Great advice to bring some life to an older post!
You’re absolutely right. Content must be the cornerstone of any blog.
However, smart promotion works well. As long you’re not spamming and providing some real value, commenting on other sites and forums are an excellent way to get the word out.
@Gabe | freebloghelp.com, Yes, yes, and yes again Gabe! I think getting out in your community of colleagues (they are not your competition) and commenting is THE best way to promote your site.
Thanks for dropping by!
Be real, make a connection and keep at it and eventually, with time in place things will actually fall into place as they should.
Easier said that done but very possible.
.-= Eric´s last blog ..Real Or Robot =-.
Our ultimate aim is to get human traffic to our site so that we can convert it into sales. So, we must concentrate on giving value to the readers, rather than only writing to get advantage in search engines.
.-= Rohit Sane@SEO Tips´s last blog ..My 3 Biggest SEO mistakes of 2009 =-.
I just learned something about two weeks ago that I am not sure if many people do or not.
We all know that blogs get ranked in the SERP’s great, but why? It’s because of all the different pages of quality information on the blog. Now has anyone realized that they can do this with regular websites also?
One of my regular websites that I have, I was having problems getting ranked for a top keyword, then it dawned on me, why not re-write the main page and target some of the relevant keywords related to my main keyword. So I made three new pages optimized for related keywords, added the new pages to my sitemap, re-submitted it to Google, three days later my placement for my main keyword jumped 36 places.
SEO can do wonders for any website, not just blogs. Keep at it, and good things will come.
I agree with the part “LINKS”……more the backlinks more your site gets ranked for a keyword