According to SEOmoz, by 2012 there were 70 million WordPress blogs! It would be all too easy to get lost in such a crowd and never be seen, much less manage to rank on page one of Google. It is more essential than ever to find effective ways to enhance your blog to help you stand out and get good traffic and high page ranking. With some good techniques that both readers and search engines like, you can be a successful blogger, even in the face of such stiff competition.
1. Content Rules the Internet
Knowing this, you already post quality articles. So how can you enhance your great content even more? Study authoritative news releases related to your blog topic. Note how they write, and how they use sources for their facts. Then write your own content with the same meticulous attention, and cite your resources.
Publish content that is reliable enough to be quoted by journalists and online news sites. It takes more time, but will pay off with helping you establish authority.
2. Write about Real World Events
Relate your content to the offline world, like events in nature, medicine, politics, the news, and to real people's daily lives. This will give your articles immediacy and relevance that rehashed online content can never have. Stay current with events related to your niche that impact your targeted audience's lives. That's what they really care about.
3. Choose Images for Your Blog that are Intimate
Don’t hesitate to display genuine emotional content. This helps your reader identify with the article on a feeling level. And always incorporate images into your articles, because a text-only post looks like hard work, while photos grab attention.
Happy people, sad people, a dramatic moment, striking beauty, something mysterious - all will capture your reader's interest. Keep your photo camera with you because you never know when a perfect moment might present.
4. Keep your Blog Tightly Focused and Purposed
Anyone landing on your site should know right away what your blog is about. Have a mission statement. Who and what does your blog serve? Does your content support that? Every article, every bit of content, every outgoing link, should serve your focus and purpose, and your readers' needs.
5. Post Frequently, and be Consistent
This can be a challenge, and bloggers often commit to frequent posting but soon become overwhelmed with the task of continually producing fresh content. However, if you want to be seen as an authority, indeed, actually become an authority, then you must post often. Some of the most high traffic blogs even post daily. Keep your eye on current events for a supply of fresh content.
6. Post Videos
The search engines love videos, and that is because people love videos! Even if the videos you put up are less than a minute long, they keep visitors on your blog longer. Keep a camera with you, and be ready to record when an opportune time appears.
It can be about anything related to your niche, or just your daily life in a way that adds a personal touch. And let your imagination have free rein. You never know when you might capture a million dollar moment.
7. Pay Attention to the Physical Look of Your Content
Look at how this article you are reading is spaced out on the screen. There are small paragraphs, separated by blank lines. Content is organized with headings, sub-headings, and lists. Bold fonts identify sections. Arrange your content so it is easy on the eyes, and doesn't overwhelm the reader with compact text that runs together.
We all remember days in school when we were forced to read Dickens with hundreds of tiny words jammed on a page...painful! Use at least a 12 point font or even 14 point, and avoid exotic fonts.
8. Use an Attractive Theme and Layout
Put some thought into the visual impact of your site. You only have a few seconds to make that first impression. Aesthetics matter! You may even want to have it done professionally or purchase a premium theme. Don't blanket your content with ads. This can be distracting. Give your visitors a positive, visually pleasing experience and they will linger. This definitely increases ranking.
Fine tuning your blog, in both its content and look will increase visitors' enjoyment and satisfaction. You can compete with the millions of blogs online when you commit to frequent posting of accurate and focused authoritative content, emotionally rich images, relevant video, and beautiful aesthetics.
On the whole, use these effective ways to enhance your blog and stand out in the crowd. Meanwhile, if you'd like to focus more of your efforts in improving your blog's SEO for small business purposes, then you should go beyond the pieces of advice listed in this blog post, and go for a real and reliable SEO expert.
About the Author: Andrew Scherer. You can find more of his work at a company providing SEO for small business.
