"Start with Good Content" - The SEO of Blogging" (Simple, Effective, and Overlooked)

Jeff Turner was kind enough and technically skilled to provide us with a video feed from Dave Taylor's session at BlogWorld entitled "Ten Things You Need to Know About Search Engines & Find-ability." It's 52 minutes long, but it was clearly one of the better sessions during the conference.

I thought I would also share some of my notes and reflections from this session as well, so I'll be spreading it out over the next several articles.

~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~

Dave began with the most obvious and perfect foundational premise:

"Start with Good Content!"

With so many from the real estate industry jumping on the Blog Bandwagon, the clarion call for Good Content needs to be emphasized more than ever before! All too many times we approach blogging like we do printed advertising or static website content. We SELL, and PROMOTE, and BRAG! We take up all available space with our logos and jingles, our slogans and websites, our accolades and glamor shots.

Some (SILVERDALE WA REAL ESTATE) self-proclaiimed SEO expert (SILVERDALE WA REAL ESTATE) sold us a bill of goods, (SILVERDALE WA REAL ESTATE) and told us to stuff (SILVERDALE WA REAL ESTATE) our Internet presence with (SILVERDALE WA REAL ESTATE) relevant Key search terms. These little ploys (SILVERDALE WA REAL ESTATE) may trick some (SILVERDALE WA REAL ESTATE) into accessing your site (SILVERDALE WA REAL ESTATE), but without any good, meaningful content (SILVERDALE WA REAL ESTATE), they'll just click on through.

Dave continued by saying that it's content that drives Google (and by Google, he is referring to all search engines in general). Google analyzes semantic and contextual content to determine themes and topics. Semantics are 'What You are Saying' 'What Words You are Using' and 'How Frequent you Use Them.' Context refers to 'Who Links to You?' and 'How do They Link?'

Take just a moment and look at your blog archive. Look at your past articles through the eyes of today's savvy consumer:

• Are you writing content that is interesting, valuable, and engaging?
• Does your content offer any meaningful, practical advice or information?
• Does your writing reveal anything about your unique personality, perspectives, or passions?
• Is there anything that would compel your reader to return/respond?

I came across one of our member's blogs the other day where they had written nearly 1700 articles! With all that writing, how many comments do you think they had received? A thousand maybe? Several hundred? Nope, only two comments. Two comments in response to nearly 1700 posts!

Now I realize that our ultimate goal here is not to necessarily attract other real estate professionals as readers through what we publish to our blogs. Our intended audience should be potential clients - consumers. However, with only 2 comments over the course of almost 1700 articles, one has to believe that there's something sorely lacking with their content.

If you want to attract more readers, Start with Good Content.

If you want to keep them coming back for more, Start with Good Content.

And, if you want to convert your readers into potential clients, Start with Good Content!

(for the rest of this series, go to:

"Tantalizing Titles are Tantamount!"