I recently did a guest post over at Danger & Play. Mike edited the post a bit and showed me some tips that going to share with you right now.
1. Link to old posts
By doing this, you decrease your bounce rate by keeping people on your site longer, this helps SEO and search engine positioning. I call it the “Wikipedia” effect. Ever go to Wiki to look something up and end up opening up a bunch of other tabs to learn about those things as well?
Link to your old posts so your visitors can do the same. This also allows them to explore your site better because linking this way provides more context for the older material and connects everything.
Write such that layers reveal layers.
Links to old content show how you connect your thoughts
2. Use your keywords in the post, but keep it at a very low percentage so you don’t get penalized by Google.
Google has all sorts of search engine updates that people are constantly fighting. One of the latest is “over-optimization” of on-site SEO. Stuffing your site and posts with SEO keywords and other on-site optimizations at a high density will probably lead to you getting bitch-slapped by Google.
Write for humans first. Search engines second.
3. Insert relevant pictures
Pictures give the brain a “rest” from reading text and often times explains things more concisely. Pictures + text = whole brain engagement.
4. Build your email list early
Nothing online, from a business and networking standpoint beats having an email list. Think about it. You can lose your website, your Google search rankings, your host might cancel your account. But as long as you have an email list that you regularly backup, you can bounce back quickly.
People may not read your blog posts every day, but they skim their inbox daily. Be at the top of their mind so they want to read your emails. Give value, deliver value, and value will most likely be returned to you.
5. Solve problems
Speaking of giving value, what is more valuable than helping someone solve a problem? One of the best ways to get people to listen and respect you is to solve a problem they desperately want to get rid of.
6. Have a performance-based website
A) For WordPress users this means getting a premium theme, I recommend Thesis. Genesis is cool if you don’t mind a drop in performance and ability to customize.
B) It means not having your site’s header full of JavaScript and extraneous garbage (Thesis and Genesis both avoid this, unless you bloat your site with plugins).
C) This (usually) means using on a few plugins. Most of the things you use plugins for can be coded and allow your site to be that much faster. Yes, you might have to learn some code. For example, if you need a contact form, go with Ninja Forms or Gravity forms, they only put code where it’s needed and not on every single one of your site’s pages like most plugins.
D) Once your traffic grows (and your hosting bill), you’ll probably want to switch over to more reliable hosting than HostGator or Bluehost. You’ll also want to compress your images, use a cache plugin/service, and move your content over to a CDN (content delivery network).
7. Clear and concise writing
Create posts that are valuable and concise. Clarity opens the door for taking “right action.” Mike told me in a quote, “Do not write so that you can be understood, write so that you cannot be misunderstood.”
A subtle but powerful distinction deserving of more contemplation.
Till next time…
Thrive in freedom.
Stick around and check out some of my older posts:
Nootropics for Stress Relief and Anxiety Part 1: Rhodiola rosea and L-Theanine
Nootropics for Beginners: What to Take
Pills or Powders?
