Archive for » September, 2009 «

Sep

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a HUGE topic. So large in fact, many blogs are dedicated to just that. Books are written about it, and some businesses are built around it.

In the comments of the Readers vs Bots, Making Everyone Happy post, Patricia of Patricia’s Wisdom asked if I could write more about SEO. I promised her I would.

A search engine optimization expert, I am not, but I do know if bloggers want to get search engine traffic, some degree of SEO must be used.

Today”s Lesson

In a nutshell, here’s what I feel is true about search engine optimization.

If we are targeting readers who are searching for widgets, then we need to write about widgets.
If we are trying to get search engine traffic to a article (or a blog) which is about widgets, but we go off track and start writing about shoes (for example), the search engines aren’t going to send us people who are looking for widgets. Our posts need to stay on topic.
We can rank high with one search engine, but not on another.
Many bloggers concentrate on ranking high with Google, however Yahoo, Bing or another search engine may be a better choice. With Google currently being the biggest search engine, it may be best to concentrate our efforts on getting more traffic from the smaller search engines where there may be less competition.
Search engine optimization can change the way we write.
If we want search engine traffic, we need to tell the search engines we have a relevant post about a specific topic. This is done by using keywords and/or keyword phrases. Although those posts may need to be worded differently than how we normally write, challenging ourselves to write for the search engines (and our readers, too) may help to gain a larger readership.
Every post does not have to be search engine optimized.
On this blog, I seldom use SEO. It’s not that I don’t want search engine traffic, but I either forget to include it, I get lazy, or I’m not sure how to optimize a specific topic. Having said that, just having a handful of posts that are optimized can help to keep search engine traffic coming our way.
Catchy titles can attract the wrong audience.
In a previous lesson we learned how using catchy titles can deceive our readers and the search engines. Although we may get traffic based on the words we used in our title, chances are we are not reaching our target audience.
Even the most carefully optimized post may not get found.
Because the search engines use parameters other than just optimization of posts, even a perfectly written post may not get highly indexed by the search engines. Search engines consider page rank, inbound links, the credibility of a site (plus other algorithms), therefore, if our post is on a subject in an already saturated market, search engine optimization could all be for naught.
When we pick keywords or keyword phrases, we’re just guessing others will use the same terms
If we look at our stats and see how others find us, they often use search terms we wouldn’t even think of. Although we can’t possibly know what search strings people will enter, it’s important we consider possibilities other than the obvious.

So there you have it, my seven simple tips on SEO.

Today’s Assignment

Do you use search engine optimization in your posts?

If so, do you have any tips to share with the class?

If not, what about SEO confuses you?

Raise your hand and share your thoughts.

And now, seven fabulous resources on search engine optimization:

SEO Tips For WordPress Bloggers (Video) by Matt Cutts (a Google executive) – posted on John Hoff’s blog. I strongly recommend watching this video in it’s entirety.
Google Webmaster Central
Yahoo.com. Log into your account and search “help” for webmaster resources.
Bing.com/webmaster plus their toolbox
Best SEO Practices for Creative Writers – courtesy of Jan Geronimo
SEO and Accessibility by Joe Dolson
101 Great Blogs You Should Be Subscribing To Starting at number 36, Kevin lists 12 blogs which specialize in SEO

Category: Blogging, Blogging Lessons, Increase Traffic, Keywords, SEO 73 Comments

Sep

Blogging Etiquette – Write The Wrongs

Barbara Swafford

The term “blogging etiquette” might suggest we HAVE TO follow some type of rules when we blog.

That’s not the case, at all.

A blog can be anything we want it to be and we can act however we choose while online.

To me, blogging etiquette equates to taking the time to writing responsibly, showing respect to other bloggers and caring how I am viewed in blogosphere.

Today’s Lesson

When I wrote the post, Blogging Etiquette, – The Unwritten Rules, I expanded on what I saw as blogging etiquette and included things such as,

Write original articles
Check and recheck your grammar and spelling
Give credit where credit is due
If you comment on other blogs, do not alienate the author with derogatory comments.
If you allow comments, let your commenters know you have read what they wrote (even a short thank will do)

Just as there’s a certain decorum in real life situations, and all of our actions can have consequences (good or bad), the internet is no different. It’s just the audience is much larger.

Based on what you see in blogosphere, here is your chance to write the wrongs.

Today’s Assignment

If a book was being written on blogging etiquette, what you you like to see included?

Raise your hand and share your thoughts.

Category: Archives, Blogging, Blogging Etiquette, Blogging Lessons, Writing Tips 93 Comments

Sep

When Real Life Friends Don’t “Get It”

Barbara Swafford

Bloggers are very proud of what they post.

Being a published author makes their heart sing.

Bloggers travel through blogosphere, leave comments, tell their cyber-friends about their latest article, Tweet their work, link to it on Facebook, ask for Stumbles and love when others pay them a visit.

When comments are left on their posts, they feel validated.

However, most of those who leave comments are technically strangers.

Today’s Lesson

I’ve lost count of how often I’ve seen comments or posts stating “my real life friends don’t read my blog and/or comment”.

In fact, Robin of Let’s Live Forever just stated that in her comment on the Write Responsibly Right From The Start post.

PS – I’m jealous that Vered had a few close friends reading her blog in the beginning :=)

This appears to be a recurring concern for bloggers. They have found a hobby they’ve come to love, but their real life friends and family don’t “get it”.

Those in their real life show no interest in reading their writings nor do they want to hear about their blogging milestones.

Although some friends and family may show an interest in the beginning, even that quickly wanes.

Short of begging to get our friends to read our work, what other methods can we use?

One thing that worked for me was to have my husband proof read an article I wrote for my (rarely updated) “green” blog. I had written a post that described how we recycled waste wood products, and because I didn’t want to publish incorrect information, I asked him to verify what I written.

Ironically, when he saw the article published online, he began to “get it”.

The fact our offline friends don’t seem to care about our online work is hurtful for some.

So what’s a blogger to do?

Today’s Assignment

Do your real life friends/family read your blog?

Do you care, if they do, one way or the other?

Do you have any suggestions others can use to engage their real life friends to show an interest in their blogging endeavors?

Photo Credit: tapasparida

Category: Archives, Blogging, Blogging Lessons, Comments 112 Comments

Sep

Write Responsibly Right From The Start

Barbara Swafford

Most of us still remember those first days of blogging.

We believed no one would be reading our first attempts at blogging so we either envisioned an imaginary audience or proclaimed “we’re just writing for ourselves and for our friends and family”.

However, when we hit the publish button on a public blog, strange things can happen.

Search engines find our words and offer them up for those who are searching online.

Today’s Lesson

When I was rereading my Interview With Lorelle VanFossen – Part 3 – Content: Is Good, Good Enough, Lorelle left a comment that make me think.

She said, in part,

I just referenced one blogger in an article I published who came back to say that it wasn’t a fact, he was just talking out loud and assumed no one was reading his blog. As an expert in the subject, I took his words seriously. Now he says he will put in a disclosure statement when rambling.

You never know when someone is reading and paying attention. Write accordingly.

That’s fabulous advice.

When we blog, we often don’t think about who is reading our blog other than those who leave a comment.

We often don’t think our mentors or those whom we admire may silently be taking in our words.

And, if we’re new to blogging, we certainly don’t think someone may link to a post, claiming we’re an expert on the subject.

Because we’re not seeing past that which we believe is the case, we often forget how what we write could affect others.

How what we write not only gets found, but creates our online resume.

It’s time to ask, “Who is paying attention to your blog?”

Do you know?

Do you care?

Today’s Assignment

Is there someone “out there” you wish would be reading your work?

If you knew they were, or if you knew they would be linking to your posts, would you be writing differently?

Raise your hand and share your thoughts.

Category: Archives, Blogging, Blogging Lessons, New To Blogging, Writing Tips 80 Comments

Sep

Tapping Into A Larger Audience

Barbara Swafford

When we start blogging, it’s easy to assume other bloggers are just like us.

You know, they write, they visit blogs, read the works of others, watch the videos, listen to the audio, and when life calls, jump up from their desk.

But that’s not the case.

Many people who blog and who read blogs are living with disabilities.

Today’s Lesson

Although the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) does not require personal and commercial websites to be compliant (yet), by not considering those who have disabilities, we may be leaving a large sector of the population untapped.

The deaf depend on their eyesight, but may not be able to hear the audio portion of embedded videos or audio. By providing a written transcript (or a link to it), the deaf will gain insight into what’s being said.

To read websites, the blind may use a screen reader or a refreshable Braille display which translates standard text into Braille. Those who are visually impaired may also use their browser to increase the size of the type on web pages.

Contrast between the background and the lettering is an issue for some, and those who are colorblind, will see things much differently than someone with normal eye sight.

For those who prefer to hear what’s written, the use of software that converts text to speech (TTS) may be used. Some of the free options include:

Click Speak – an addon by Firefox
sds Talkr
NVoice
Voz Me
Odiogo

In the ADA Tool Kit – Website Accessibility article, they spot several situations which could be easily corrected to make our sites more accessible by the disabled. One example is:

Problem: Documents Are Not Posted In an Accessible Format

State and local governments will often post documents on their websites using Portable Document Format (PDF). But PDF documents, or those in other image based formats, are often not accessible to blind people who use screen readers and people with low vision who use text enlargement programs or different color and font settings to read computer displays.

Solution: Post Documents in a Text-Based Format

Always provide documents in an alternative text-based format, such as HTML or RTF (Rich Text Format), in addition to PDF. Text-based formats are the most compatible with assistive technologies.

They also suggest adding an “alt” tag to images. For those who use text converting software, images cannot be seen, therefore by adding text we can describe what is included in the image. Note: Search engines cannot “read” images, either.

To give users of our blogs the option to change the font size, the wpchangefontsize plugin can be utilized. Although it is not compatible with all themes, it’s a great start to provide our readers with another option.

For those of you who want to test your site and see how those who are color blind will see it, check out the Colorblind Web Page Filter

Want to know if the colors you’ve chosen for your site are “compliant”? Have a look at the Colour Contrast generator

When I started blogging I was so wrapped up in all there was to learn, I didn’t consider if those who live with disabilities could easily read my blog posts, but the more I blog, the more I realize I need to remember anyone who has access to a computer is a potential visitor.

How about you?

Today’s Assignment

Are you tapping into this sector of the population?

If so, how?

Other great sites worth checking out:

Enlightened Webmastery offers a tutorial on Odiogo (text to speech software), or try it for yourself on George’s blog, Tumblemoose Writing Services.
Big Fork Web Development’s Is Your Website Color Conscious?
Another color analyzer is provided by, Vision Australia
And for a blogger who lives with disabilities, Paul Maurice Martin has a wonderful blog and book both named Original Faith

Photo Credit: jyyne_2000