12 Important Steps some Bloggers Forget

Written by Jeff Bullas - View Comments
Categories: Blog, Blogging, SEO, Search Engine Optimisation, Social Media, Social Media Networks, Social Networks


Writing a blog sometimes feels like a running a marathon.

You need to find topics to write about when inspiration seems to have taken a holiday.

12 Important Steps some Bloggers Forget

Blogging once a month doesn’t cut it, in fact once a week is also a bit on the light side.

If you want to be taken seriously, two to three times a week is maybe approaching optimum.

Some bloggers like to write in the quiet of the morning, others prefer the serenity of the late night hours.

Whichever your preference, it needs to become part of your ritual.

So to be effective as a blogger it requires persistence, patience and discipline.

To be successful it requires serious commitment if you aim to make it a success.

The Writing Sanctuary

There are other elements that are part of the blogger’s environment and creative mix that need to be considered.

The  writing sanctuary is essential and it should be free of distractions and provide the tools to perform research, capture screen shots and publish efficiently.

Good writing requires constructing and wrangling the words into a form that will tempt and tease the reader to revisit and maybe become a loyal follower.

The blogger also needs ideas and headlines spilling into his consciousness that will turn up as a blog post that will entice viewers with big ideas and solutions to their problems.

These thoughts sometimes emerge in the quiet of night between dreams, during reading or arrive while driving a car.

Stopping the car, seizing the pen or tapping the idea into the notes feature on your iPhone to capture the fleeting inspiration is part of a bloggers lot.

You have Written, What Next?

So you have the headline, written the post and wrestled the words into a format that is easy to read for a web audience that is time poor and has a limited attention span.

So your post is done, but that is only half the work!

You now need to optimize and share and ensure that you pursue the tasks of promoting and publishing your blog onto social networks where your audience is!

The real work now begins. Making your article visible.

The Essential Steps for Optimizing and Promoting

The next steps are essential and is required so your audience can discover your inspiring, educational and informative content.

One of the best places to start  to be found in a world of 500 million websites is optimising your blog for search engines.

Getting discovered on a Google search should be a big part of your marketing plans.

A: Blog Optimizing

Search Engine Optimizing (SEO) for Beginners

Search engines should be an important part of any bloggers marketing strategy and I have found it essential. In fact 40% of my traffic I can attribute to search engines!

Step #1. Categories

WordPress includes a section that allows you to enter which topics your article should be categorised as. Generally an article could be included in several categories and these need to be either created (if you haven’t created one before) or ticked.

Categories are vital for SEO

To add to the standard and capable SEO capabilties of WordPress I recommend an additional plugin for WordPress blogs that is titled the “All in One SEO Pack“.

It is easy to install even for non programmers and optimises your WordPress blog for search engines.

Once loaded it will appear at the bottom of your “Edit Post” Screen and will make your article highly visible to search engines.

It includes three sections that are all vital to be completed before publishing (and below are steps 2-4 of your blog optimization process).

Step #2. Write a Title with Essential Keywords

This is what Google (or Bing or Yahoo) will index and place on the results page when someone is searching. It is as important as your headline and will also be your search ”title”. It is best to keep it to 60 characters if possible.

All in one SEO Pack

Step #3. Write a Description

This is also sometimes called the “Meta Description” and will also appear on the search result page and it needs to be written so to tempt people to click on the search result link to take them to your blog or article. The type of information written here will be important as to whether people will click on your link.

Step #4. Enter Keywords

Keywords that you have woven into your writing that people will be using to search for your posts should be entered in this section.

Step #5. Give your Images a Description

Search Engines can’t index or read images unless they are given a text description. This is often called “Alternate Text”

Alternate Text for Images for SEOB: Promoting – The Sharing and Marketing

So you have optimised for search engines now you need to share and promote your content.

Step #6. Publish to Your Facebook “Page”

Take your blog post “URL” (web address) and enter it into Facebook. Make sure that the correct image is selected and then publish your article to your tribe on Facebook.

I don’t automate this as research seems to indicate that manual posting is more effective (it only takes seconds to do this manually)

The power with Facebook like any social network is in the number of Facebook fans. The more fans the better.

Secondly the more engaged they are and the more frequently they like, comment and share is also vital for content to spread. The best indicator of this is the “Talking about this” stat.

Making it easy for people to “like” your Facebook page from within your blog  is very important and I have found that the WordPress “Facebook Social Plugin” is  great for this.

It is my main driver of Facebook “likes”.

Facebook Social Plugin

Step # 7. Tweet it to your Followers

Tweeting once is not enough. A new post needs to be given a few tweets on its day of publishing.

So don’t “Tweet” once but several times on the first day.

Remember Twitter is a stream not an “inbox” so you need to toss your link into the Twitter torrent a few times to get noticed.

Step#8. Share it on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is often forgotten in the social media sharing equation but it is a business focused network where content is passed around. This platform with 150 million members drives traffic, especially for a B2B focused blog.

Step#9. Post it onto StumbleUpon

Research seems to give substance to the re-emerging power of StumbleUpon, so post your article onto this social network.

Step #10. Share Images on Pinterest

If you have cool images such as “Infographics” on your blog posts from time to time, don’t forget to share them on your boards on Pinterest.

Here is some proof from my WordPress “Referrer” stats page. It does drive traffic.

Pinterest drives blog traffic

Step #11. Share on Google Plus

This may not be a big traffic driver at this stage but it is still an emerging major social network that should be in your mix. Publish to Google Plus

Step #12. Email it to Your Subscribers

Email is still a powerful marketing medium and in the era of the shiny new toy of social media networks this is still essential. This marketing channel used to be the only way bloggers could get their content out before the arrival of social networks!

Make sure that you are capturing emails on your blog and then email your blog post out to those subscribers. As this is permission based with subscribers “opting in” it will provide you with a loyal band of readers.

You will be surprised how many people will be waiting for your blog post to arrive in their inbox to consume with their morning coffee!

So What About You?

Do you just hit publish and then go and make a coffee and hope your blog will one day be discovered?

The Mantra here is

“Optimise then Share”

You need to be everywhere from Google to Facebook.

How do you optimize and market your blog?

Look forward to hearing your stories.

More Reading

  • Past Present and Future of Blogging: 3 Infographics
  • How to Get Targeted Twitter Followers
  • How To Write A Mind Blowing Headline For Twitter So People Will Read Your Blog
  • 50 Ways To Optimize Your Blog
  • 20 Simple Tips for Writing a Blog Post that Begs to Be Read
  • 50 Social Media marketing Tips and Tactics

    • Image by charlie llewellin



    Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks Jon for your comments and insights. Twitter does require focus and this link you may find usefull in achieving that
      http://www.jeffbullas.com/2010/10/18/todays-twitter-tip-how-to-get-targeted-niche-followers/

      On the matter of blog posts they should be emailed to your “opt in ” list every time you publish.

    • http://andynathan.net Andy Nathan

      These are some great strategies! I just started using Pinterest about two weeks ago and am starting to see the results, but nothing like yours yet. That is cool to know there is more there. 

    • http://links.marczewski.me.uk/index.php/2012/02/21/links-for-february-21-2012/ Links for February 21, 2012 « Andrzej's Links

      [...] 12 Important Steps some Bloggers Forget | Jeffbullas's Blog [...]

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks Peter for visiting my blog and glad you found them useful!

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks Salim for your comment. Yes, Twitter is often thought of as an inbox, which stops people using it effectively.

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks for the comment. Many people are distracted by the shiny new toy of social media and forget to build their content foundation which starts with a blog or website.

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks Eric for your comment. For most people “very late” when the house is asleep is the best time but if you are an early riser or start tossing and turning every morning at 4am. Don’t waste it and write while everyone else is sleeping!

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks Paul for your comment and glad you found it useful

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks Owen :)

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      If they are “opting in” they want your content! Give it to them when it is fresh and new.

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks for the comment. The biggest driver of traffic for me apart from SEO is Twitter. It is the fastest way to create a global targeted tribe of readers.

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks Katie for your feedback on your experience on automated Facebook posts. I only manually post to Facebook!

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks for the comment and a lot of people think that they will be discovered because they publish! A blog post is like a book on a shelf, it needs to be shared and made “visible”.
      Glad to hear she is blogging like a maniac :) She will learn so much by the “doing” about herself and the world.

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks Travis, I am glad you are enjoying the blog :)

    • Blaine

      Excellent summary and good reminders – even for those of us who have blogged for a while.  Two things I didn’t see discussed – TAGS and TRACKBACKS.  Do you just use categories and ignore tags?  My understanding is they are indexed separately so you want to use both on each post. 

      In regard to Trackbacks – how do people use these today to be most effective?  Maybe you can explain in more detail how these work and should you be doing anything proactive in this area?

      Finally, any other SEO hints for your site other than the SEO Pack?  Thanks…

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      The SEO Pack keyword section is “tags” so that is covered. Trackbacks are useful to see where you are being “Linked” from which can provide an insight into the importance of the site that is linking to you and whether it is worth your time to reach out to!

    • Blaine

       Thanks – very helpful.  So you don’t use “Tags” in WordPress, only the ones in SEO Pack?  I have tried to use both when I can – maybe that is redundant to the search engines or are they read differently?

    • http://www.wasimismail.com Wasim Ismail

      Sharing your content online, is all about trying to get your post
      to go viral. The more places or audience you share your content with the
      more exposure it will get.

       

      Sharing on Pintrest is something new with all the recent attention
      it has had, it’s something I’ve started to do to, by adding a Pin Board
      called “My Articles”…lets see how that performs, figures will tell soon.

       

      Thanks for all the other tips Jeff.

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks for your comment Baine. I don’t think it matters whether you use the WordPress “tags” or the SEO pack. If you like a braces and belt approach then put tags in both :)

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks Wasim for your comments and insights. It would be great to hear back from you in the future to hear more about your results, once you have some meaningful time has elapsed and reveal some stats!

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks Rachel. As they say, a picture is sometimes worth a 1,000 words. As for the Twitter torrent replacing the “inbox.. go for it !! :)

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks Lisa for participating in the conversation and glad to be of service :)

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks for the comment Nischala. Optimizing is sometimes the last thing you want to do after the agony and the ecstasy of the writing of the article. In the end when 40% of your traffic shows up because you can be found on Google then it makes it worthwhile! It takes time, patience and persistence.

    • Wethty

      Please do not tell others how to blog, or what they “need” to do. We all do it differently, and not all of us want to make money or gain popularity from it. It is a form of expression which has, like art, music and dance, become a grab for cash by desperate people.

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks Wethty for your comment. This is not prescriptive article but some ideas for bloggers who want their blog to be the best it can be.
      You can ignore, enjoy it or apply it. The choice is yours :)

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks Wethty for your comment. This is not prescriptive article but some ideas for bloggers who want their blog to be the best it can be.
      You can ignore, enjoy it or apply it. The choice is yours :)

    • http://blog.intigi.com/maintain-a-rockin-blog-for-your-startup/ Maintain a Rockin’ Blog for your Startup

      [...] Promotion: Once you post to your blog it’s important to promote your work to your target audience. It’s very demotivating if you write a thoughtful post and no one reads it. In contrast,  if you write a post and it goes viral on social media, this can give you a real high. There are a myriad of places to share your work. Our favorites are Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, as well as HackerNews, Reddit, Digg, and Newsvine. For more on content promotion: 12 Important Steps some Bloggers Forget [...]

    • http://watershedstudio.com/blog/2012/02/ten-social-media-reads-vol-9/ 10 Social Media Reads, Vol 9 – Watershed Studio

      [...] 12 Important Steps some Bloggers Forget (Jeff Bullas) [...]

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks for the comment Simon. This may help you with more SEO tips
      http://yoast.com/articles/wordpress-seo/

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks for the comment Donna. The thing to remember with blogging is just liked like life. You get back what you put in. Nothing is for free!

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks for the comment Stephanie.

    • http://ariherzog.com/ Ari Herzog

      I’m surprised you don’t streamline the promotional tips into one tip.

    • Dave

      Hi Jeff, great tips ! quick question, i use network blogs to auto-publish my blog to facebook- is it better as you mentioned not to do it that way, and just re-post the URL link for that blog post, and completely eliminate network blogs automation?
      thanks Dave M

    • http://www.bostonparkplaza.com/ Boston Park Plaza Hotel

      The search engines and Ask have do not use Meta Key terms in their position methods. Involved them is not value the power.

    • http://www.bostonparkplaza.com/ Boston Park Plaza Hotel

      The search engines and Ask have do not use Meta Key terms in their position methods. Involved them is not value the power.

    • http://www.jonloomer.com/2012/02/24/shedding-light-on-social-media-feb-17-23/ Shedding Light on Social Media (Feb. 17-23) | JonLoomer.com

      [...] 12 Important Steps some Bloggers Forget – Jeff Bullas Description: I do a lot of these, but still great reminders about how to drive traffic after hitting “publish.” [...]

    • http://socialmediaheadhunter.co.uk/archives/2858 Social media includes blogging. Get these 12 tips for success | SOCIAL MEDIA HEADHUNTER

      [...] There’s much more to this post by Jeff and its very good. Read the full article at jeffbullas.com [...]

    • http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/03/13/10-must-have-wordpress-plugins-of-2012-every-blogger-should-know-about/ 10 Must Have WordPress Plugins Of 2012 Every Blogger Should Know About | Jeffbullas's Blog

      [...] 12 Important Steps some Bloggers Forget [...]

    • http://freelanceblogwriting.com/important-steps-you-need-to-take-with-your-blog/ Important Steps You Need to Take with Your Blog | Freelance Blog Writing

      [...] only means you have to keep learning about blogging and marketing so your blog turns good profits.When you get into Internet Marketing one of the first things that people will tell you is that you n…that you don't learn is how it is a lot more involved than just posting some mumbo jumbo each [...]

    • http://seoebooklab.blogspot.com/ Ram Babu SEO

      WOW JEFF, yes i do mistakes sometime not to including keywords in the title. . it is something more briefly expressed each points which i should keep concentrating to work on and improve my blogging skills 

    • http://thetweenandme.com/ Paula

      Hi, Jeff, love your insight!!  As a newly recommitted blogger, I found your tips to be spot-on.

      I do have a question about the “ALT” text for images.  What should that be exactly?  I try to make my image titles as descriptive as possible, including details about the picture.  Should I put that same info in the alternate title space, or something different?

      Do you have an example I could see?  Maybe that would help me understand it better.  Maybe I’m just being blonde or something!

      Thanks again for all your great tips!  You’re a great resource!

      Paula

    • http://headhuntersblog.com/?p=31 Headhunters Blog – Social media includes blogging. Get these 12 tips for success

      [...] There’s much more to this post by Jeff and its very good. Read the full article atjeffbullas.com [...]

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks for the comment Paula. Just a question to help me answer that, Do you use WordPress? If you do you add the alternate text when you are uploading and embedding the image. :)

    • http://entirelinkmarket.com/wp/?p=122 Maintain a Rockin’ Blog for your Startup | ENTIRELINK MARKE

      [...] Promotion: Once you post to your blog it’s important to promote your work to your target audience. It’s very demotivating if you write a thoughtful post and no one reads it. In contrast,  if you write a post and it goes viral on social media, this can give you a real high. There are a myriad of places to share your work. Our favorites are Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, as well as HackerNews, Reddit, Digg, and Newsvine. For more on content promotion: 12 Important Steps some Bloggers Forget [...]

    blog comments powered by Disqus