When you are starting a blog with the purpose of monetising it, there are many tasks to be accomplished. Selected an appropriate platform and template? Check. Signed up for affiliate marketing and placed ads on the pages? Check. Installed automation software? Check. Now what?
Don’t forget about optimising your blog. Much the same as SEO for websites, there are certain things you need to do ensure that your blog gets indexed by search engine crawlers. Following is a search engine optimisation checklist of the most important tasks to help optimise your blog.
Meta Tags
Where to put header meta tags depends on which type of blog software platform you are using. For Blogger, you will have to click on “Edit HTML” under Layout and insert the line of code manually. If you use WordPress, I suggest you use a plugin such as the all in one seo pack.
Meta tags for posts are much easier. Simply add relevant keywords as tags and also use keywords for the category topics. You can add metadata by including a custom field for each post, as well.
Remember to add meta tags to the images included in your posts, too. Since search engine crawlers can’t see images, the only thing they can index is text related to the graphic. Add a description that tells the bot what the picture is about. If you don’t care for those ugly captions beneath the image, you can leave that box blank, but do fill in the title box.
The meta description is far more important than keyword meta tags. Place your main target keywords in your meta description and remember to write for readers as well. Since most search engines will place your meta description in 0rganic listings, it is important to appeal to your readers in the hope that they will click on your listing.
Permalinks
A permalink is the permanent URL used to access a particular post. The more keywords it contains, the more it optimises the content. The best permalink structure does not use the date, but simply uses the post’s title; that way the keywords become part of the address.
Set up the permalink structure once and you will never have to worry about it again. Have categories? Pick categories that use your keywords and make the category a part of your link structure and there’s another element covered that can help you to improve your SEO.
Post Links
Every time you write a blog post, include one or more outbound links. Google and the other major search engines are big on assigning page rank according to the number of both inbound and outbound links. Take advantage of this fact by linking specific keywords in the content. Vary them with links to authority pages outside of your site and links to other pages or posts on your blog site.
Excerpts
If you have a WordPress blog, don’t forget to add a few short sentences to the excerpt field. This provides one more places to include valuable keywords and can draw more interested traffic to the post.
Pinging
With a WordPress blog, you can set up an automatic pinging service that sends each post to a number of indexing and directory sites. If you use Blogger, you will have to use a manual pinging service. Try to remind yourself to ping each post immediately after publication.
Making Sharing Content Easy
Want your content to spread virally? Ensure that visitors can easily share your content with their favourite bookmarking and social media sites. No matter what type of blogging platform you use, you will find a widget or plug-in such as ShareThis, Sociofluid or Sexybookmarks that adds a small graphic to each post.
While you’re at, you may want to check the box that allows trackbacks. This is a great way to build links to the post.
Now that you’ve got the search engine optimisation checklist for your blog, make sure you take the time to perform these tasks. Your blog has the best chances for growing, adding subscribers, increasing traffic, and getting indexed if you complete each and every one.
About Sean Rasmussen
Hi Sean
It is great to have a search engine optimisation checklist to make sure you have covered everything if you dont tick each thing of you could miss something improtant, especially when you are new to internet marketing.
A checklist can be a great way to go for any type of strategy Rita. Once all the boxes are ticked, you know it’s all covered. Of course there is plenty more you can do for SEO on your blog, but this checklist provides many of the main points.
That’s perfect Rita. I didn’t think of it as a checklist. I love lists! And getting stuff done without lists is just a nightmare. And when it comes to blog posts it would be fant-diddly -tastic to have a checklist right there. I get so caught up in what I am writing about that I forget a few important things like links!!! I feel so silly when I do that.
Hi Sean
Can you explain the excerpts and how to use them?
You can find more information on excerpts at http://codex.wordpress.org/Excerpt
I believe that there are also wordpress plugins that can automate the creation of excerpts. A simple search in Google should be able to provide some details around which are good one’s to use.
Thanks Cemil
I’ll have a look a report back if I find a good exerpts plugin.
Thanks Sean, Once again I have picked up a new hint on search engine optimisation. I always put more effort into meta tags then the actual meta description but I will be taking more care in future.
Hi Sean,
). But it’s always good to be reminded not to get slack with the basics.
thanks for the checklist. I am on top of most of it already, thanks to the great forum I am member of (you should try it, YOTA really works
Thanks for the info Sean. I created a post checklist for my blog so that I don’t forget to include any vital SEO information each time I submit a new post.
Wow so much to learn — better get crackin.
Plenty of information here.
John
Hello Sean,
Permalinks, Post links, Excepts, Pinging, Trackbacks, affiliate marketing, Sociofluid – so many great ways to get your blog on the SEO track. Looks like you remembered everything including the kitchen sink
I am so blown away with a) how much you know b) how much you are willing to share! I am off to check out as many links as possible. Have already checked out the “Affiliate Marketing” link and amazed what you are offering for a low price. So much value, such a small price 
Cheers
Lisa
I may even throw some information about the “wordpress kitchen sink” into my next article Lisa
I have to highly recommend Sexy bookmarks… not just because it sounds Sexy but because it is unique, easy to install, it has ALL the social sharing buttons that you could ever think of and more, it doesn’t take up that much space – and it adds some colour!
Allowing readers to share your posts is the best thing – digg & retweet alone are awesome!
Nice one Samantha – I also have Sexy Bookmarks on my site.
The only thing is that I have had to only display a limited amount of social bookmarking buttons as I have noticed that using a large number of button increases the page load time – which I have heard will be the next ‘big thing’ in SEO.
I recently watched a video from Matt Cutts from Google speaking about page speed, from what he says it will not be something Google will take into account for ranking. Although, it’s wise to consider it for your visitors.
Oh my, oh my – that’s interesting Sean & Cemil!
My only concern was that I had too many choices for my visitors that it may turn them off. And the other thing is I don’t know ALL of them – never heard of alot of them. I haven’t visited Reddit yet to know anything about it but I did include that as a choice on my Sexy Bookmarks.
Didn’t even think about page loading issues!
My main problem is whether I remember to check the checklist. Sometimes I don’t and when I don’t I usually find something I forgot. It’s a 50/50 shot whether I fill in the all in one seo info first or hit the publish button first. I guess I will get better with practice.
Hi Wal
It’s just a matter of making it a part of our routine. If there are certain steps you follow every time, after a while, it’ll become a habit. A lot of internet marketing is about doing the same things over and over. Because after a while, you realise that’s it’s all about developing a set of good habits, that bring you results over a period of time. Sometimes, it can happen very quickly. All the little things count.
Hi Sean,
Thank-you for such a great search engine optimisation checklist. I’m pretty comfortable with my SEO but I can always do it better. I think it’s just a matter of applying what I’ve learned and continuing to work on it.
I think that the YOTA forum is the best place for anyone who wants to learn to use SEO effectively. Or anything else related to Internet Marketing for that matter.
Hi Sean,
You make SEO really easy to follow, I think I have a good crasp on SEO now but your checklist will ensure I have not forgotton anything. I find that having a checklist keeps things simple and reminds me why we need to dot our i’s and cross our t’s………. ; )
Hey Sean,
Some more great content. Although, at this stage, it still all sounds a little double Dutch, written in English.
One question I do have, though, is what’s the difference between a permalink and a regular link?
Just a thought!
Cheers,
Pete
No difference Pete, a permalink is a link to an individual article, and not the home page
Woah. Gone over my head but will print up for later review when i’m closer to that stage!
Ta,
Sue
Hi Sean
Oh ’tis a grand thing this SEO checklist. I love checklists. I spend ages writing them up and then forget where I put them or forget to use them! (just kidding).
I am definitely a person who needs lists or my head is just like a pot of vegetable soup.
In the past couple of weeks, with all this information flooding in, I have really started to understand this whole IM process and feel alot more confident in pushing forward. Thanks Sean for all these great posts.
Blessings
Elly
wow intense! I don’t even understand most of that today- but tomorrow maybe better! I find that after I read these action-packed articles a 2nd time, they sink in better. I hope that I am able to incorporate some of that now and some of that later but all of it is great value! This is the best online resource for success in blogging- stoked to be here and the comments left by the other bloggers have been just as key for my development so thanks not only to Sean but all the others with some helpful tips and tricks- thanks!!
It will all come together for you Erika. I’m glad you are reading the articles you are interested in a second time, it’s easy to miss a lot of important points if we just skim information once.
That’s a great checklist to remember the most important things you have to do to have good SEO. It’s a lot to remember, but with each post you put out there I get it will become more “natural”
Thankyou thankyou thankyou for these tips and the explanations. Optimizing is so important and I want to make sure that I have ticked off all the boxes and have done as much as I possible can to get my on-page SEO near perfect.
Hi Sean,
Slowly the information is sinking in. Having a Search Engine Optimisation checklist for blogs is certainly a good idea. It creates good habits and a checklist makes it much easier to apply the learning.
Pete, Thank-you for asking the permalink question.
A checklist always seems to come in quite handy Jill, glad it’s helped you