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How to build your blog’s traffic with SEO

It’s useful to start learning about SEO as early as possible. But as bloggers are also learning simultaneously about many other important aspects, like digital marketing and running a business, it can make SEO feel like a burden. And it’s true, we travel bloggers are not just specialists in one area, we have to master many marketing techniques and tools to succeed. For most, search engine optimization can start with simple steps, like activating the Yoast plugin on WordPress. However, Yoast is just the beginning. As most of your competing travel bloggers also utilize the same plugin and the basic SEO features it offers, you won’t be able to set yourself apart from your competition.

In this how to post for Bloggeries, I explain the basics of selecting winning keywords, something Yoast can’t teach you. A year ago I started a travel blog called Dream Work and Travel, which I used to practice web design and SEO, before I started offering these services professionally to clients. Since I write about travel, we’ll focus on the travel blogging niche but these principles are applicable to all bloggers.

What are good keywords for travel bloggers?

Travel bloggers are in a competitive market, as we compete against large organisations, such as tourism boards, travel operators and popular destinations. For a new travel blogger, it’s important not to choose keywords such as “London” or “New York”, because these keywords have been used online for decades. It’s unlikely that you can get past New York Times on Google’s first page, unless you target more specific keywords. Another aspect to consider, is monetizing your blog and if the keyword indicates “buying intent” or not. Someone searching for London on Google is more likely to search London related news or events in the city, than to search for the best little dog park in the zone 6, behind that particular supermarket. That’s why you should aim for “buying keywords”, such as “where to buy tickets for Thames ferry”. Such keywords are also known as long tail keywords. 

Search volume and competition online

Now that you have established that a new travel blogger should aim for long tail keywords instead of super competed destination names, you need to check if there is actually interest towards your chosen topic. This is one of the most important steps for blogging from the SEO point of view. Why do you need to check the keyword’s search volume then? Let’s imagine the following scenario: thousands of runners have prepared for a marathon. They have invested time in their training and they have invested money in their travel arrangements. When the day comes, the runners gather at the start line. And when the race begins, suddenly everyone covers their eyes.

A few start running in a circle, some trip over, only a few make it to the finish line with their eyes covered, and that’s mainly because of luck or because they have completed the same race a 100 times before. This is exactly what happens, if you are not sure about your blog post’s search volume or existing competition, before you write the post. You may write an awesome piece and as Google says, you need to write good content. But what happens if the content is great but nobody is interested in reading it? By checking the Google search volumes in advance, you can maximise your chances that the right kind of readers see your post. The ones with immediate buying intention.

How do you check the data before writing a blog post

There are different tools for this purpose. Google Trends seems to indicate some search trends, but the data may not be accurate enough. A pro SEO tool called Ahrefs can check the search volumes and existing competition for you, but Ahrefs is so robust, that it does a million other things too. Other tools that you can check out are called Moz.com and Majestic. Some of these tools offer you a chance to try them for free. When choosing a tool, you need to be able to check the volume of Google searches as well as the current competition. Add 50-100 keywords, chosen from your keyword list for each blog post you write. This should bring you organic traffic, even after your social media traffic has died long ago. 

How to improve your old blog posts

You should also keep an eye on your Google Search Console. Log in to check the queries, clicks, impressions and your position in Google searches. It’s good practice to keep going over your old travel blog posts, adding lots of keywords from your Google Search Console results to the blog posts and re-publish the article with the current time and date. Search engines love up-to-date content and by improving your old posts, you show that you are making sure your website stays current. 

Thanks to Raisa for the post, besides her blog, be sure to also follow her on Instagram.

Dads Online Blog Review

Dads Online is a blog dedicated to the ever growing group of Single Dads and court dictated ‘Weekend Dads.’  Peter, the owner of Dads Online started this website as a result of the unspeakable pain he suffered from being separated from his daughter after divorce.  Taking everything he has learned, it seems he has been able to capture it all and put it in his website.

Peter posts several times a week regarding a full variety of issues and subjects that include everything from activities all over (in Australia) to kid issues/ dad issues to recipes for healthy eating with your child.  All of his posts are interactive, encouraging the reader to comment.

The home page of Dads Online has a very pleasing aesthetic look to it.  The format is easy on the eyes and allows the reader to easily understand what Dads Online is all about and what it offers.  Posts include topics such as “Cyber Bullying” and “Windy Road Ahead bu Keep Going“.  The Facebook block allows the reader to ‘like’ and stay connected for all new activity is they wish.  It is also nice to see that his page is not filled with a bunch of advertisements that distract from the site itself.

Impressive also are the two sections: Activities and Meals.  The activities page covers events, places to go and other interests for things all over Australia.  The Meals section includes recipes for dads that cover all three major meals, as well as snacking.  He also encourages the reader to submit their favorite recipes for other dads/ kids.  The Meals section can use more content but there are enough recipes there to get started with.

In summary, Dads Online is a well thought out blog run by a dad for dads.  Considering this site only kicked up in February, there is an incredibly vast amount of information  available to the reader.  There are articles, E-books, links, resources and even a section named S.O.S. for dads in distress with links and information from AA to Kids Helpline to Depression help to financial help.  On the Brag tab, it is easy to see how many dads are ecstatic to be able to come to Dads Online for enjoyment, understanding and support.

I recommend moving the Facebook fan page widget to the first fold so if people are impressed, they can quickly like it for later and get updates in their feed. Content wise, adding a ‘humor’ or ‘funny story’ tab about dad/ kids and what kids do would be very complimentary to the existing material and layout. Could even build a page that let’s dads submit anonymously…

I’d also recommend that the website build a blogroll to start networking with other blogs in the space, add a “Share Bar” to each post making sharing easy, write guest posts on larger blogs in the niche and make a newsletter (Mailchimp is free) to catch those who are interested but don’t spend much time online. All these will increase the reach of the site and get the word out.

Finally,  move the search near the top of the site and also move the categories from the bottom to the right sidebar and make them easy to click, not all browsers support the current method and it’s too out of the way.

This blog gets a 4.1 out of 5.0. It’s a good blog but with a few tweaks and continued dedication could be great.

Good luck!

It Sux to be Fat – Blog Review

This blog “it sux to be fat” could best be described as a personal account of a lady named Jennifer trying to lose 100lbs. Besides the personal nature which is this ladies journey to weight loss, it also acts a bit as a resource sharing nutritional information, recipes, reviews etc…

It Sux To be Fat is updated quite regularly with several updates a week showing on the front page. The design is really nice and the blog has a professional feel to it which is a nice mix with the very personal nature of the content. Jennifer has published over 100 posts and if you’ve been keeping score, she’s losing weight.

Several recent posts include: Fiber One Brownies Review, How To Lose 4 Pounds In A Week and Two Bags of Rocks – Weekly Weigh In. It’s nice how on the front page it has not only personal content that reinforces integrity regarding the weigh in, a product review and an informational page. Believe that this mix is a good one for the blog.

I’d recommend Jennifer start networking more and a powerful way to do so would be to add a blog roll and start contacting other bloggers she respects in the niche. This will help increase the visibility of her blog to readers in the niche. Would also suggest that perhaps she keep a counter on the page to mark the progress and how long it took as a symbol of credibility and inspiration to others.

Finally would also recommend doing some research into what are popular search queries for the industry and targeting some of the relevant ones with posts on that topic. If she meets her goal and builds a community, perhaps an e-book on the topic could come later as there are countless ways to lose weight and she seems to be doing it.

This blog gets a 4.6/5, it’s a great blog it just needs more light to grow.