3 Simple Things You Can Do to Boost Your SEO
by Laura Eaton
You know you should be doing your “Search Engine Optimization” every time you blog or update our site – but, where do you begin? Here are three simple steps to get noticed by search engines….
1) Rename your images
If you are posting pictures to your blog or site with names like 0001.jpg or IMG_2380.jpg – congratulations, your images might as well be invisible. The internet is filled with millions of images named this way, so Google has no choice but to ignore them. Renaming your images gives Google and other search engines something to grab. If you are posting about a spectacular wedding cake at the New York City wedding, you could name your image:
Wedding_cake_New_York_City_NYC_bakery_designer.jpg
Let look at what is important about this name. First off “wedding cake”- which is the most likely search term a bride would use if they wanted to find pictures of wedding cakes – genius, right? Ok, that was simple – next: New York City – maybe she is looking for a cake for their New York City wedding, or maybe she has been working all day and just typed “NYC,” you’ve got both options covered. “Bakery,” “designer” – why add those? Maybe you think that cake is a “designer” level work of art! But this bride to be might just be thinking “I need to find a bakery” – remember, she had a long day….
The more terms you add, the better – just make sure its relevant to the image and what you are writing about…
(bonus tip: whenever possible, ALWAYS include an image!)
2) Write at least 300 words
Sorry folks, you have to do the work. Writing doesn’t come easy to everyone (including yours truly), but its essential to Google finding you and thinking that you are posting relevant and engaging topics. And no, it can’t just be a bunch of links and filler… speaking of links….
3) Include links to other sites, preferably ones that link back to you
When writing your content, include links, lots of links. Going back to the bakery, include their website, and a link to the venue where it was featured, and a link to the photographer who took the image (that is, if it wasn’t you. And do me a favor, make sure you have permission to use that image if you weren’t the one who took it!). So why does it matter if those sites link back? Google recognizes relationships – they like to see sites that are connected and engage with one another. Does this mean you should go and pester everyone who you include as a link? Of course not, but a friendly email saying “Hey, just wanted to let you know I included you on my post” might just do the trick.
