So, what is SEO?

SEO isn’t just for big, shiny businesses anymore (and it certainly doesn’t have to be complicated either)! Simply put, SEO is an organic way for websites to gain more quality traffic.

Authors who utilize good SEO practices can drive traffic to their website and increase book sales and email newsletter signups. SEO can definitely be overwhelming at first, so here are five simple tips to get you started.

1) Do Your Research

Keyword research is, well…key…to developing content that attracts readers. Choosing focused keywords can help you take your blog from zero views to thousands of views. But, how do you know which keywords to include in your website content? Ideally, you’ll want to pick a keyword that isn’t too broad and one that you can most easily rank for.

So, let’s say I’m the author of a couple of chick lit books and I’m writing a blog post about my writing process. Which keywords should I use? “How to write a novel” is way too broad. There are thousands and thousands of people out there who already write blog posts using those exact keywords. But, what if we got more specific? How about “How to write chick lit?”

That’s way more specific and it’s targeting people who are interested in the exact genre I write. So, I’m off to a good start!

Next, you’ll want to research your chosen keywords. One easy way to do this is to use a website like Keyword Tool. While the free version doesn’t show you the search volumes for each term, you can still get a pretty good idea of what’s ranking just by looking at how many phrases show up in the search results.

For example, if you type in “how to write chick lit” into the Keyword Tool search bar, you’ll see that there aren’t a lot of results. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing! Fewer results generally mean you have a better chance of ranking for that keyword.

You can also type your keyword phrase into Google to see what pops up. Which websites are you competing against? Are there millions and millions of blogs using the exact same keywords you’re using? If so, you might want to consider narrowing your focus.

2) Don’t Keyword Stuff

Keyword stuffing is a big no-no in SEO Land. Keyword stuffing is basically when someone tries to manipulate search engine results by “stuffing” as many keywords into a website or post as possible (these often look very unnatural and spammy).

Ideally, you’ll want to incorporate your keyword naturally into your content at least 2-3 times. Additionally, it should appear once in your title, once in a header, and once in your meta description (and there is an awesome free tool that can help you track this, which I will discuss later).

Again, using keywords as naturally as possible here is very important. Don’t try to force keywords if it sounds unnatural. Your readers will notice.

3) Create Genuinely Helpful Content

You can have the best keywords in the world, but they won’t do much if your content isn’t actually helpful.

Continuing with my chick lit author example, what kind of blog posts would I want to create to drive more quality traffic to my site? I could write articles about my specific writing process (i.e. How to write chick lit). Around the holidays, I might want to put together a gift guide of the top chick lit books to give as gifts (and of course include my own book on there!).

The sky’s the limit when you’re creating content for your blog. You just need to make sure it’s relevant to your audience (i.e. people who love to read and write chick lit).

4) Use Free Tools Like Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO is a free WordPress plugin (there is a paid option, however, the free option has worked wonders for me in the past).

One of Yoast SEO’s most helpful features is that it “rates” your blog post on how well it meets good SEO standards. This feature is useful if you aren’t quite familiar with good SEO practices now, or forget some of the basics. There is also a section where you can update your page’s title tag and meta description (great opportunities to include your keyword!).

5)  Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different keywords on your website. Which posts drive the most traffic? Which posts have the most engagement? See if you can expand on them. And if something doesn’t work, try something else!

I’m not going to lie, seeing results from your SEO efforts does take time. However, if you’re already posting consistently (or have several articles already written), it’s very simple to optimize your pages after the fact.

Back to you, writers! Are you using SEO on your website? What tips and tricks do you have? Let me know in the comments!

Manuela Williams is a Las Vegas-based writer and editor. She is the author of Ghost In Girl Costume, which won the 2017 Hard To Swallow Chapbook Contest. Her second poetry chapbook, Witch, is forthcoming from Dancing Girl Press. When she’s not writing, Manuela is busy drinking coffee and spending time with her blind Pomeranian, Redford. You can connect with her on LinkedIn and Pinterest.

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Here’s how you can work toward achieving this goal:

1) Always write with passion – choose a topic you love

When it comes to blogging, never forget you’re not just writing for your audience, you’re writing for you, too. This is why it is imperative to focus your blog topic on something that you find interesting. The topic of your blog needs to be one that is well suited to you (your passions and/or your expertise) so that you can add your own unique flare and make it stand out among the masses.

With that in mind, avoid choosing a topic simply because it is trendy or popular. If you don’t find value in the topic, it doesn’t matter how popular it is, you won’t make it fly. Your readers will be able to tell if your content isn’t genuine. Stick with what you know and what you passionately want to learn more about. Readers will respect this and will be able to better connect and relate to you.

2) Don’t rush quality – take time to build your audience

A healthy blog is one that has a strong community. That said, building a strong audience is so much more than having a large number of subscribers. It’s about growing the number of loyal readers you have who return to your blog and actively engage with it (e.g. comment, share, etc.). This is best achieved by connecting with your audience via effective marketing channels.

As Neil Patel’s guide to building your blog audience points out, this includes more than the potential members of your “blog marketing community” (e.g. your subscribers, readers, the people who comment on your posts, share them, etc.). It also includes reaching potential readers as well as the people who know your potential readers.

Take the time to reach your community via various popular channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, email, etc. Choose the social media channels that are most widely used by your target audience for best results. Building your audience is about quality, not speed.

3) Don’t force your content – it’s okay to post only once a week

If you think you need to post a blog every day to keep your audience happy, guess again. The reality is that posting daily will likely lead to a lot more work with very little reward. Here’s some reasons why posting everyday is a bad strategy.

For starters, unless you have the time and drive to post daily, posting this much can take the fun out of blogging. Instead of creating content you love, it’s forced, and you’ll resent it like a chore.

You’ll also reduce your social proof if you post too often. A post will receive more exposure, and people are more likely to interact with it if it’s at the top of your blog for longer than one day. Plus, if you add content daily, your subscribers aren’t likely to read every post you write.

Instead of posting every day, you might find that you’re more likely to boost your traffic, subscriber count and income goals by consistently posting once a week, on the same day, in around the same time. Be reliable.

4) Stay on top of the latest SEO trends

SEO is vital to maintain a healthy blog. It’s one of the key ways your blog will get traffic, and how potential readers find you. If you think SEO is a daunting challenge, you’ll be happy to know that there are free tips and tools for making SEO easy, readily available online.

A good idea is to check updates on Search Engine Land, which is a daily publication that covers all aspects of the search marketing industry. You can discover the latest SEO trends, discover SEO how-to guides, and more.

The bottom line is that you can’t afford to ignore SEO if you ever hope to find and maintain success with your blog.

5) Take breaks, but stay connected

Ensuring your blog remains healthy and vital means making sure you stay that way, too, both physically and mentally. If you ever reach a point where you feel the need to take a break, do it and do it guilt-free. You owe it to yourself and to your readers.

Keep in mind: taking a break from blogging doesn’t mean you necessarily have to take a break from your audience. There are still other ways you can connect and keep readers engaged and interested, such as social media and email.

Just make sure your followers know you’re taking a break. This way they won’t be left out of the loop and they can look forward to your return.

Above all, remember, forcing content doesn’t work. If your heart isn’t in what you’re writing, your readers will know and your blog’s health will suffer for it.

A freelance writer and avid blogger, Valentine Ferrari is a regular contributor to Socialnomics, VegasMaster and 60SecondMarketer. She enjoys sharing her tips, diverse interests and experience as a writer with fellow bloggers, readers and those who have a passion for writing. When she’s not typing away at her computer, you can usually find Valentine curled up on her couch with a book or planning her next travel adventure.

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