Finding Your Words: Search Engine Optimization
Finding Time for Words and Projects in an SEO Search Optimized WORLD.
SEO.
Search Engine Optimization.
What? Wait. Stop right there, you say.
Why does this matter? Well, besides, it’s the techy-weird, computer-geeky stuff that you find confusing and utterly boring.
Am I right?
You want to write a blog post to change the world. Or at least help another person along their journey. So, why should you care about learning SEO?
First of all, I’m guessing your wondering why I posted a photo of a fireplace half finished. An old photo at that. More on this in Part Two of this article.
In fact, as I write ideas, I will share a small amount of information in a larger series.
As I edit this article, two things are becoming clearer.
I know so little about how internet search engines operate.
The “internet of things” seems to change and morph even as I understand a small part of the equation.
So, if you have a blog you have yet to launch, or have created a website last year, or ten years ago, you might want to learn a little of the basics of SEO, so Google, and other search engines like Pinterest or Bing, can find your brilliant ideas, posts, and articles.
SEO is the term for how your website or blog is ranked among all the other websites with similar content, the ease with which your Google searches can find specific posts and offer them as options to potential readers. You can’t change the world, or even help one person, if your page is hidden among the throng of other bloggers clamoring for attention.
Screenshot of my blog posts in SquareSpace Keywords, Long-tail Keywords, and SEO writing.
But there’s more confusing terms to wrangle your brain.
§ Keyword search.
§ Long-tail keywords.
§ Post tagging.
§ And Google analytics management.
§ And so many more that it makes my head spin as I write.
Take a deep breath.
I pray I’m not discouraging you. That is not my intention at all. What you have to say in your writing and your blog is important. As a fellow virtual traveler and writer, I hope you can read on for snippets of insight you can implement.
One step at a time. One baby step at a time.
SEO is important so others can benefit from your words. Unless you are discovered, your words will float around in space and become meaningless exercises that only your friends and family might see. Ouch. I have so much to learn.
Since SEO is the whole of what gets you noticed and sends your content to the world wide web, you can tackle the giant in the room, or rather on the internet, by understanding a few simple steps to transform your site from hidden to flourishing in less time.
Let’s simplify the mystery together
and unmask a wisp of the SEO confusion.
Some experts state it takes around 6-10 months for your site SEO to be recognized by Google, so let’s start now. Remember that your personal steps may be different than mine or other writers and bloggers depending upon the time you have had an online presence.
Depending on how intrigued you are to research and understand the concepts, it could zap all your time and energy away from your devotion to the Lord or to your writing goals. Let’s pray.
“Lord, set my mind and my spirit at rest, and teach me what you want me to learn. Let my ministry to the world be to Your glory. Amen!”
Praise the Lord! Moderation in all things.
I need to repeat this to myself and remember that God is in control!
DEFINITIONS:
I searched online dictionaries and websites for definitions to keyword searching. long-tail keywords, post and photo tagging, as well as category and hashtags.
Here is my shortened explanation:
Ai Alcohol Ink painting 4x6 Full Card Tree Rest Psalm91-1 Patricia Tiffany Morris
Keywords are either single words or phrases that someone might search to find your article or product. Let’s use the example of finding a specific item in my store.
Keywords of this item, in this specific article, are common words which are typed next to the image. Alcohol Ink Painting, Card, Tree, Psalm91, and Patricia Tiffany Morris.
These words are either single words in the subtitle of the Tree painting, or are a complex phrase attached to the image.
Example of Long-tail Keywords would be “Alcohol Ink Paintings”, or “Alcohol Ink tree paintings”, or “Alcohol Ink Tree Card by Patricia Tiffany Morris”. If you search for the longest keyword phrase, you will have a better chance of finding exactly what you are searching for.
This article on SEO, if you would add my name, the type of painting, and the image word, tree, who would probably find this article near the top.
Try it. If you copy the following long-tail keyword phrase, SEO patricia Tiffany morris alcohol ink tree painting, You will find my website and the images of this tree.
But who would ever type all of that when searching? Maybe someone would, but most likely a variety of phrases, which means we can try to think of words people would search.
And what if someone types the words “greeting cards” and doesn’t type my name? Much less chance of getting results. Yet, over time, those connections with keywords will be enforced as more people search.
This article doesn’t mention the word greeting cards. Well, it does now. So, what we want to do is add the word “greeting cards” as a keyword or tag the photo and the text somewhere near the photo or image. (I won’t add it now, but do you get the idea?)
I can see several places I can add the words “greeting cards” in this article and all over my website, and how to make a long-tail keyword with “alcohol ink greeting cards” as well as type the words in the description, the title, and basically everywhere throughout your website. This is why, if at this point, this seems overwhelming, many people hire others to manage SEO.
But it doesn’t have to be difficult. Although this takes time to add the keywords to your articles and photos and match the titles and description so that we don’t confuse the search engines about the content of your article.
So, I find a combination of techniques causes your articles and products to rise to the top of the searches. I’ll list them below and go into more detail in future articles.
1. WRITE FROM YOUR HEART. WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW.
Write what you know. Write from your heart and your readers will be blessed. But what does this have to do with SEO and keywords and optimization of your website? It does and it doesn’t. But you must first realize all the keywords in the world won’t help your readership if your writing doesn’t move your readers. And if you force SEO for popular topics, your readers will not see your heart. And google will certainly wonder who you are.
So many people are saying write for SEO. I know. I get it. I think. But if you tailor your topics for SEO terms, you just might lose your voice and your enjoyment.
2. TAKE NOTE OF TERMS AND PHRASES SPECIFIC TO YOUR WRITING.
Writing naturally on your topic will produce keywords and common phrases specific to your niche, product or services. What does this look like? Look at your content and find common key words. Attach them to photos, to other links in your website, and to descriptions in your posts.
3. RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH.
Research Keywords for Categories, tags, and long-tail keyword optimization. It’s observation and research which will help you understand which words are unique to your content.
4. REVISE YOUR BLOG NAME AND REFINE YOUR NICHE
Did I really say revise your blog name?
What I meant by that statement is to make certain your blog name is consistent with your content. Google and the Web are picky about such things. They favor names of websites which include those same words in the content. For example, if your blog name is On FIRE for the LORD: RESCUING Believers from the MUNDANE. But you don’t have the word fire in your content, or you don’t write about rescuing believes from mundane, or even have those words more than once, google might get confused. You may end up on page searches for fire rescue and wonder why spiritual content blog searches can’t find you. I know, it’s a silly example, but I hope you see the point.
5. KEYWORD LOCATIONS
Keyword research has only just begun. That’s okay. You can continue, and should, keep verifying to understand if your keywords are effective through the years. But now it’s time to place those key phrases and words on your site and in your blog posts. Before publishing your next blog post, try these helpful suggestions. Yes, changing keywords might confuse google for a while, but an overall consistent approach will work out in the long run.
Finding Your Words and searching for Key Words and phrases. SEO Search Engine Optimization and mapping keywords and long-tail keywords.
Well, That’s enough for today. I’m still learning and understanding many of the technical aspects of the ranking and analytics, but I find the process fascinating.
I hope you enjoy trying out a few of these suggestions.
Your assignment this week, should you choose to accept, is to look at some of your photos on your website. Verify and add keywords and long-tail keywords of the specific article and add some of the words in your article to the photos.
Lastly, try adding you full name and/or your blog name on each and every photo on your website. This communicates with Google that your photos belong to your blog and that your articles have relevant photos and keywords for the type of phrases people might search to find your specific article or product.
Even more, I hope you will show mercy to a geeky new writer and blogger who is still finding her way in the world of virtual strangers and connections.
Drop your comments below and share what has worked for you and your blog.
Written by Patricia Tiffany Morris
MY PLATFORM:
I have a small website, and have been studying SEO, social media, brands, and niche creation for just under a year. Some days I can hardly wrap my mind around the internet SEO concept myself. Let alone implement all the strategies, but my hope and prayer is that you would be blessed by learning a few tips to make your online journey a little easier. But most critical is that you take time to pray and ask the Lord how much time He would have you invest. I trust he will guide and direct you.