Tag Archives: Google

Optimizing Search for Blog Posts

Congratulations: You’re doing a blog. You’re thinking about search engine optimization (SEO). You have the machinery in place to consistently produce a couple of posts per week on topics that will interest customers and prospects. Now: How will they find you?

Blogs are great search engine bait

One of the reasons I favor blog posts and other content is that it is search engine bait. When someone is searching on a problem they have that you can solve, your content is the most likely way they will find you and see you as the solution to their problems.

Here’s a video from Rand Fishkin of MOZ on how to make it a practice (key concept!) to make your blogs (and other content) appeal.

Some key ideas for optimizing search for blogs:

  • Make your content unique and valuable. Are you solving a customer problem?
  • Think about who you want to reach (executives? coders? bakers? managers?); what you want them to gain; what you want them to do as a result.
  • Pick 3-5 search terms as your target for this article. All should have same searcher intent and be juicy terms that people actually search on, are reasonably unique, and have great click potential.
  • Look at who else appears for those terms and readjust of you realize you can’t compete.
  • Now: Make your posting, armed with knowledge about what will work.
  • Do the appropriate technical tasks and keywording.
  • Watch your results so you can learn and adjust.

Use HTTPS for Higher Search Ranking

A couple of days ago, Google announced that it would favor sites that encrypt via HTTPS. Should people with websites — including smaller sites — be doing something about it? The answer is yes, and here’s why.

What is HTTPS?

httpsYou may have noticed that when you use certain sites, especially major sites like Google and Facebook, and financial and e-commerce sites, a padlock icon appears. If you’re a keen observer, you may have also noticed that the first letters of the web address (URL) changed, adding an “s” to the “http://” that precedes most website addresses.

The “s” stands for secure. It means traffic between you and the website is encrypted. If someone out there (say, at the coffeeshop or hotel whose wifi you’re using) intercepts network data, it is much less likely they can listen in.

While using HTTPS on large sites that handle financial transactions is obviously important, the Internet community would really like to see it used everywhere because the bad guys are piecing together small bits of data  (such as where you live) and use it to gain greater access.

What Google is doing

Google says it will elevate search results for sites that use HTTPS. What does that mean? If someone is searching for your product and your competitor is using HTTPS and you are not, your competitor is more likely to appear higher on the page, assuming all other factors are equal.

It probably will be a small advantage at first but it’s likely to become more significant, given how Google addressed page speed. Years ago, Google announced they’d give preference to faster sites. That advantage started small but over the years, it became greater. Then, as now, Google was using its power to encourage website owners to make the web better, and to deliver better sites to their users. I’d wager that they will do the same thing for encrypted sites and increase the incentive as time goes on.

What should you do?

If you manage a commercial site of any size, add HTTPS. It’s not a do it yourself activity, for most people. Your webhost or the techies who built your site should know how.