Search engine optimization is a key component of any successful blogging campaign. It must be implemented thoughtfully and meticulously, with one eye always on the intricate and ever-changing SEO landscape. Even the most talented bloggers and SEO firms still make crucial mistakes when blogging— here’s a sampling:

1.       Indexing Every Page – Pages such as “email this page” are essentially without content, and should not be allowed into search indices. Others, like “printer friendly” pages are too similar to others and also should not be indexed. Use the site: query operative to search your indexed pages in Google; use robots.txt file to remove undeserving pages.

2.       Not Hand-Crafting Title Tags – An ideal post title is rarely an ideal title tag, so don’t let the blog software auto generate titles— your blog’s name will not be tacked on the front. Optimize your post title or category name with multiple verb tenses, synonyms, and so on, that offer broader keyword and search engine optimization appeal— tools like SEO Title Tag can help on WordPress. If you must use auto-generated title tags, hand code the home page title and tack the blog name on the end of title tags throughout the blog.

3.       Failing to Maintain Keyword Focus on Category Pages – When a category is selected due to keyword research and search engine optimization benefit, there must be stability in the keyword focus. New posts within a category should align with old ones that have fallen off. “Sticky” posts that stay at the top of the category page allow you to incorporate focused keywords, regardless of a post’s age.

4.       Keeping Multiple Blog Homes – (Also referred to as “canonicalization.”) In search engine optimization, it pertains to web content that has more than one possible URL. This causes problems with search engines, which only consider one URL in determining search results.

5.       Not Organizing Archives by Keyword – Most blogs organize by month which which is real misstep as these archives have clumsy, number-based text. Sorting by keyword makes your anchor text SEO friendly, as does implementing tagging and tag clouds across your blog.

These are just a few of the many mistakes made by bloggers and SEO’s at firms across the country. Another important consideration is your URL: be sure it has relevant keywords, few slashes, and does not contain the name of a domain you do not own (i.e. wordpress.com or blogspot.com). To learn more search engine optimization and blogging strategies, please contact Fasturtle today. We offer complete web design in Scottsdale that includes meticulously crafted blogs and comprehensive search engine optimization tactics. Call (888) 468-8785 or Contact Us Online to speak with a digital marketing pro in Scottsdale.