If you don’t plan on monetizing your blog and/or optimizing it, do you really need search engine optimization (SEO)? After all, the best practices can be confusing and time-consuming, and conditions and tactics are constantly changing.
Keeping on top of the action can be a nightmare. But the answer is yes: No matter what type of blog you have or the goals you have in mind, SEO should be a part of your blog strategy.
The purpose of SEO isn’t necessarily to help you make money as a website owner, although it can be a welcome side effect if that’s your goal. The purpose is to match the most potential readers with the websites that interest them.
That requires SEO because otherwise you might as well have a private blog that nobody reads. If you have a public blog, you want people to read it.
SEO for audiences
If you’re blogging about your low carb recipes, you want to make sure that when someone Googles “low carb recipes corn bread,” and you have such a recipe on your site, it comes up in the first few search results.
If it doesn’t, other sites have probably whipped up something similar and readers will never find your blog or the wonderful dishes you’ve tested and slaved over. SEO is a tool for website owners and seekers to share information.
If you’re “just a writer” or “just want to share your photos,” that’s fine, but SEO still isn’t something that’s optional. Not understanding the basics, such as how to pinpoint the most relevant keywords (which you can get via Google Analytics), or what black-hat tricks are and why you need to avoid them, you might be damaging your online reputation.
Striking a balance
This doesn’t mean you have to depend on the services of an SEO professional or firm, though experts can dramatically improve your SEO strength. But it does mean you need to understand that site design, load time, and quality content with organically placed keywords all matter.
Getting the SEO basics down means you can attract more readers and share the information you’re so diligently posting more effectively. Remember that it’s not supposed to be an extra burden, but a tool that connects you with your desired readers.
Before you write each commentary, select a handful of the most relevant keywords and treat the finished piece as a puzzle into which you will fit them naturally. Spend some time each month improving site design or testing it (for free) on different platforms, and you’ll be on the right track.
