Don’t Optimize Your Blog To Death

Do a search for “optimize your blog” or “blog optimization,” and literally millions upon millions of search results turn up. We’ve been hearing for a while now that blogs can play a big part in your search engine optimization campaign, increasing content and giving you a place to address important keywords. And as all savvy marketers know, keywords plus content equal rankings.

• Optimizing your blog
• FAQ: How can I improve my blog optimization?

Optimizing Your Blog

Now that everyone, including your mother (crochet blogs rock!), has a blog, the next big thing is optimizing that blog to get you ranking above your competition and bringing in valuable search traffic. What could be better, right?

Eh, not so fast. A problem arises when your blog becomes nothing more than keyword vomit and loses any sense of personality or human feel. Increased traffic that doesn’t convert has no value. If you bore people with keyword-filled, valueless content, they’ll go away. Susan has the same problem with personality. I keep telling her to add value, and she keeps talking about comic book characters.

Overly inserting keywords will help users find you, and you may see some ranking benefits, but you won’t be attracting new visitors or clients that way. They’ll see through your content and move on.

In layman’s terms, blogs that focus only on keywords provide zero benefit—got it?

Even worse, users may associate you with your dead and boring content and be completely disinterested in what you have to offer. After all, if your blog is boring, your company probably is too, right? Why would I want to pay money to be associated with you? I’d rather go somewhere where the people are smart and fun.

You need to decide what the purpose of your blog is. Are you going to use your blog only as a tool for your search engine optimization campaign, or are you going to use it as a branding tool? Ideally, you want to do both and you need to find a happy medium of keywords and added value.

Everyone has slightly varying objectives for their blog, but to me, at its core, your blog should be a natural extension of your site. It should be a place for you to express an opinion, to educate readers, and to give them a glimpse into who you are and what the feel of your company is. Blogs are more than just another search engine optimization tool. To me, the branding opportunities far outweigh any lift you’ll get in rankings.

Clearly, you should work your keywords into your blog when appropriate. You’d be dumb not to. Attracting new site visitors through higher rankings is great. But just like with your optimization efforts, the goal of your blog isn’t just to bring new visitors to your site. You want them to ultimately do something – to become a loyal blog reader, to dig deeper into your site and learn about your services, to fill out a form, to perform some action. You don’t want them to find you on the SERP, realize you’re just trying to sell something, and then leave. That doesn’t provide any benefit; it may even hurt you. Rankings do nothing if you’re sacrificing the value of your brand.

You really only have one opportunity to convert a blog reader. That impression will be solely based on the content you provide. Using the term “search engine optimization” ten times on the first page is not going to help you convert.

In other words, don’t optimize your blog to death and make it about keywords and nothing else. Let people see what your company is about. You may be about cute puppies, but that doesn’t mean you can only talk about “cute puppies.” Use keywords when appropriate, but don’t overdo it to the point where you’re sacrificing its value. Optimize your blog by making your content and your site stickier. A good blog builds your brand by mixing authoritative content with a touch of personality. Rankings and keywords are good, but the success of your blog and site is determined by how well you convert, not by how many people find you through the search results.

Time to optimize your blog with proven SEO strategies? Let’s talk.

FAQ: How Can I Improve My Blog Optimization?

Optimizing content will increase engagement and visibility on your blog. Blog optimization involves producing engaging, high-quality content. Aim for articles that offer real value to readers while meeting SEO standards.

Understanding Your Audience

Understanding your target audience is the first step in improving your blog optimization. Conduct thorough research to identify your audience’s preferences, pain points, and interests. Use tools like Google Analytics to gain insights into your readers’ behavior, such as the pages they visit, the time spent on your blog, and the devices they use. This information will help you tailor your content to meet their specific needs.

Keyword Research and Integration

Keywords are the foundation of SEO, and integrating them strategically into your blog content is vital. Use Google Keyword Planner to identify keywords with low competition and high traffic quickly, then include these in your blog titles and meta descriptions for increased search engine visibility. This will increase blog readership.

Quality Content Creation

Blog optimization involves producing engaging, high-quality content. Aim for articles that offer real value to readers while meeting SEO standards. Break down complex topics into easy-to-understand sections, use visuals, and provide references to authoritative sources. The longer visitors stay on your blog, the better your ranking and user experience.

Optimizing Blog Structure and Navigation

A well-structured blog is not only user-friendly but also search engine-friendly. Create a straightforward navigation menu and include categories and tags to help users find content quickly. Ensure your blog is mobile responsive, as Google considers mobile-friendliness in rankings. Faster loading times also contribute to a better user experience, so optimize images and employ caching techniques.

Engagement and Promotion

Engage your audience by inviting them to share on social media and responding to their comments, then promote your blog through social media, newsletters and collaborations with influential people in your niche. Building backlinks from reputable sources can also boost your blog’s credibility and SEO ranking.

Improving your blog optimization is a continuous process that involves a combination of technical and creative elements. By understanding your audience, conducting keyword research, producing high-quality content creation, optimizing its structure, and promoting it effectively, blog optimization can significantly enhance its performance. Optimizing is an ongoing journey that takes dedication and time – but the effort will pay dividends.

Blog optimization is a dynamic field that requires ongoing efforts and adaptation to changing algorithms and user behavior. Stay updated with industry trends, and always refine your strategies to ensure your blog thrives and reaches its full potential.

Step-by-Step Guide to Improve Your Blog Optimization

1. Identify and understand your target audience’s preferences and behavior.
2. Perform in-depth keyword research to discover relevant, high-traffic keywords.
3. Create a content strategy that incorporates these keywords naturally into your blog.
4. Produce engaging, high-quality content.
5. Ensure your blog has an organized layout with user-friendly navigation and mobile-responsiveness.
6. Optimize your blog’s loading speed for a better user experience.
7. Engage with your audience through comments and social media.
8. Promote your blog through various channels and consider influencer collaborations.
9. Use high-quality content on your blog to acquire backlinks from authoritative sources to enhance your blog’s credibility and search engine rankings.

Consistency and dedication are key to achieving and maintaining a highly optimized blog. Keep refining your strategies and adapting to industry changes for continued success.

This article was updated on December 6, 2023. 

Lisa Barone is a writer, content marketer & VP of strategy at Overit Media. She's also a very active Twitterer, much to the dismay of the rest of the world.

See Lisa's author page for links to connect on social media.