Optimizing Your Blog for Search Engines

Anyone who owns a website has their own favorite optimization trick; we are all familiar with keyword densities, inbound links, and things like that. But the question is, would these tricks work for blogs as well? So today, we touch upon the basics of optimizing your blog. The truth is, both website and blog optimization are the same in theory but the difference lies in the system.

Blog Platform

If you are searching for a blog platform, the highly recommended one is definitely WordPress. Some people actually prefer use Blogger, TypePad, and the Moveable Type but personally, I believe that WordPress is the best there is. This is because you can do so much with WordPress that will enable you to make your blog as attractive and as search engine friendly as possible.

The Initial Set-Up

While the initial set-up is not really as important as the plugins and the keyword research, it can help with your optimization efforts as well. If you are serious about making money from your blog, you should get your own domain name and hosting. It is recommended that the domain name you choose should contain the main keyword of your blog.

The Plugins

Plugins are helpful in optimization. Some of the plugins you should not do without includes Social networking plugins, Plug IM, Headerspace, and social bookmarking plugins. Obviously, these plugins will not only aid in optimization, it will also contribute greatly in building the community. You should have at least one plugin that enables your visitors to tag your blog and another plugin that optimizes your blog like a normal website.

Keyword Research

Just like optimizing a regular website, keyword research is essential in blogging as well. Try to use WordTracker in your research because it will enable you to find a list of keywords with relatively low competition. You should pick keywords that you can do the blog submission on. And then write a series of informative articles that your target audience would be interested in.

These are just the basics of starting a highly optimized blog. More tips about backlinks and other promotional method will be available tomorrow.