Lost in Space? 5 Great Tips To Make Your Blogs Findable On Google
Do you find yourself wasting valuable time writing blogs and then they just sit there on your website and do nothing for your bottom line? Well, guess what? They can be powerful marketing tools – and there’s a lot you can do to make your blogs findable on Google and get the sales process going while you’re working on other things.
Despite the meteoric rise of social media and apps, Google is still at the heart of most buying behavior. When people want to make a purchase, they’ll start research on Google. And when they’re referred to a business, they’ll first check it on Google. In fact, by the time someone contacts your business 60% of the buying decision has already been made.
So, how can you make your blogs findable on Google, vastly improve your website’s visibility, and get tons of new ideal customers through your website? Here are 5 tips that work:
5 Great Tips To Make Your Blogs Findable On Google
Tip #1: Answer Your Most Commonly Asked Questions
What does that mean? Picture your ideal customer going to Google and asking a question that you are the perfect person to answer. The customer finds your blog, clicks over to your website, and gets their question answered by you. They are now aware of you and that’s the top of the sales funnel – awareness – and all you had to do was publish the right blog.
Power Tip! Keep a running list of questions you are asked by your top customers and use them as blog topics. Think about it: if your ideal customers are asking you those questions, there are probably hundreds of people (just like them) asking the same questions on Google.
Tip #2: Replicate The Exact Way Real People Search
What does that mean? When someone performs a search, their eyes quickly scan what comes up on the screen. They’re looking for an exact match to what’s going on in their brain. It’s the same for customers when they need your help.
Power Tip! Use Google Suggest to see how people actually ask the questions your blogs provide the answers to. Enter a question into the Google search bar that feels like the one your ideal customer will ask. You’ll automatically get many more options based upon how most people search. Here’s an example:
Here’s how: Create a blog that will be helpful and informative to your ideal customers. Always focus on your readers first! Once you’re happy with the blog, go back and work-in your focus keyphrase (from Tip #2). A good rule of thumb is to insert the key phrase in the title, first paragraph and in a header (that’s the H2 option). Then two or three or more times in the body of the content and once more in the conclusion.
Power Tip! Got a WordPress site? Great! Download the free Yoast SEO plugin. It’s the best SEO tool available right now and helps you insert your keyphrase in the right places, enough times, and more.
Tip #4: Share Your Blogs All Over The Place
Why? One way to make your blogs findable on Google is to get more website traffic. The more people visit your website, the more your site will be displayed. That’s because Google wants to deliver valuable content to their users and one way they do it is by choosing popular websites. Your blogs can make your website popular – but not if they just sit there collecting dust. So, here’s what to do: after you publish share your blogs on social media sites where your ideal customers hang out. And don’t just share them once, share them all the time (Twitter is great for that).
Then email your blog posts to your list. Be sure to include a call to action to attract ideal customers to your website. You’ll need those website visits to make your site popular. That’s why you see so many free eBooks, checklists, quizzes, etc. these days. But people also love to watch videos, listen to podcasts, download infographics, and more.
Power Tip! When emailing a blog post the subject line doesn’t have to be the same as the title. You’ve already established a relationship with the people on your list so the subject line can be cheekier and more fun than the blog title. On Google – the blog title needs to pop-out. With email, it’s the subject line that will entice people.
Tip #5: Don’t Search For Your Own Blogs
Why not? Google is smart. It personalizes the results you get when you search. You could perform the exact same search at the same exact time as your next-door neighbor and get much different results. So, if you search for your blog over and over again to see if it shows up you’re just confusing Google. A much more accurate assessment of your blogs’ performance shows up in your website analytics.
Power Tip! Install Google Analytics right away if you don’t have it already. You’ll be able to see how many visits your site is getting, where visitors are coming from, how many visits each blog gets, and even what type of devices people are using to view your site.
Here’s the bottom line: Time is money. If you spend precious time writing blog posts use them as marketing tools and to fill the top of your funnel. A few extra steps will make your blogs findable on Google and attract the right people who show up excited and ready to buy.
If you found this information helpful, please share. Thank you!
Fabulous information as always, Betsy! I’ve started adding specific questions to my running list of blog topics and it’s really helped. The general topics are great but the questions are even more specific and help keep me focused on a specific issue when I’m writing.
I’m so glad this is helpful!
It might just be an issue on my end, but thought you’d like to look into just in case. I’m unable to open the link for the list of free images.
Hi Debbie, It’s not on your end…it was a broken link. Working now. Thanks so much!
Here’s the correct link, by the way: https://bevisible.co/a-huge-list-of-places-to-get-free-photos-for-your-blog-2/
Betsy