Running a blog is a labour of love. You’ve got a story to tell, and a passion to share with others – but there’s something getting in the way of your success. The issue is, you can’t figure it out! There’s nothing more frustrating than knowing you’ve got amazing content, but it isn’t getting the traffic it deserves. Are you struggling (or failing) to get the views or conversions you’d like, regardless of the effort you put in? There’s a simple solution: SEO. But what is it, and how does it intertwine with your blog?
What does SEO do?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation and aims to push your site to higher positions in search engine results. It centres around increasing the amount of traffic to your website, AND the quality of those visitors, by making incremental improvements. Implementing SEO makes your site more readable to search engine robots while improving the human experience.
How much does it cost?
SEO by nature is free! It costs nothing to make the necessary changes to your site yourself. There are a lot of excellent tools and resources that are either free or only cost a small amount. An SEO course can be quite affordable, especially when comparing outstanding, proven results to a minimum spend. Corporate SEO can (and should) cost you thousands, each and every month. If you don’t want to get too hands-on with your site AND you’ve got cash to burn, then paying an SEO company may be the right choice for you. Follow Google’s guide to hiring an SEO to spend your money wisely.
What do I have to DO?
SEO isn’t as simple as making one change and being set for life. Bloggers should consider SEO as a way of life – it should be the first thing you think of when producing any content for your site, and before making any technical changes. While it sounds daunting, it quickly becomes second nature and you’ll constantly build on skills as you go. Fully optimising your blog involves many things, like adjusting your content to include keywords (and properly researching them), using correct image sizes, having a great hosting company, improving user experience & making use of tools & plugins. Once you break SEO down into its smaller, more manageable tasks it suddenly becomes a lot more approachable!
How soon will I see results?
For some things, instantly! Sometimes, rankings can jump in a matter of minutes after making a significant change. Your audience will also benefit from some changes right away, such as quicker load times and improved usability. Improving site speed also has long-term benefits – as Google repeatedly notices a faster site it will improve rankings over time. There is a range of other optimisations that have both short-term AND long-term effects. Every little change is linked to another potential positive result, and the more you make in one area, the more it’ll help you in another. Patience is key, as even Google recommends running an SEO campaign for 4-12 months to before seeing significant results.
While some effects are felt straight away, improving the health of your site, traffic and revenue is a long-term process. SEO is an integral part to your blog’s success, and the sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll be running the blog of your dreams. Take a peek at why social media isn’t the be all and end all of a successful blog, or head on over to our community!
