- J. J. Hanna
Author Websites: SEO
Updated: Oct 18, 2021
Let's talk about Search Engine Optimization (SEO). As soon as you start talking about websites, this phrase will appear, and it's vital you understand what this is as you go into building a platform.
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Simply put, SEO is how good you've done at making your website easily found by search engines. The websites with the best SEO are the ones that show up on the first page of Google. That is where you want your site to be.
The higher up in search results you end up, the more likely people are to find you when they look for you or someone like you.
And, like most things on the internet, the point of being on the internet in the first place is so people can find you.
But how do you increase your SEO? How do you get onto the first page of Google?
There are a few options you can try if you're not finding yourself when you search for yourself (or have a friend search for you).
Option 1: Make sure you're linking to yourself on other sites that aren't your own.
We're talking social media links, other websites, anywhere you have a chance to self promote your website, you should, with a link.
Each link to your website that appears on the internet is a mark in the internet's system of credibility. The algorithms are programmed to assume that the more people who link to you, the better your content is. Search engines want to give their searchers the best information possible, so they follow this as a good sign.
Option 2: Create good content.
It's possible your website is hard to find because you haven't convinced the algorithms it's worth finding. Like I said before, the algorithms are aiming to bring the most helpful content to their searchers in the least amount of time possible. If there isn't any content on your site for it to search or recommend, your site won't seem reputable, and it will appear lower in the search results.
Option 3: Maximize your content.
Your content should be using specific keywords that relate to the topic. Those words should be used often enough in the content that it is clear to internet scanners what the article is about, but those scanners are smart enough to know that if you put the key words over and over again in a row, you're trying to trick them, and it will actually count against you. That is not what you want. So don't try to trick the algorithms, just be sure to work with them in a way that's mutually beneficial.
Option 4: Link from your site to other, related sites.
If you're writing a blog post about a historical figure, it is completely desirable for you to link to another established website that has information about that figure. For example, since this post is about SEO, it makes sense for me to tell you that you can find more information about SEO at The Beginner's Guide to SEO. Again, this creates an interrelated web of links to and from your website that gives your site more credibility.
Option 5: Centralize the topic of your site to make it cohesive.
This is something I've been working on for the last year. In order to best present myself as an expert in writing, I've narrowed my blog and my writing down solely to talking about writing, publishing, and stories. This creates a databank of interrelated keywords and helpful articles that search engines can look at ad identify your site as. At this point, my site is becoming more noted within search engines as a good resource for writing, editing, and publishing. The more your topics interrelate, the easier it is to get people to your site and keep them browsing on your site.
I hope you've found this discussion of SEO helpful! If I missed something that you know and wish to share, please put it in the comments so we can all learn from it.
Until next time,
I'll see you then. ;)
J. J. Hanna is a Professional Writing major at Taylor University. In her spare time she creates YouTube Videos and Comics, and practices Karate at a local dojo. If you have a writing question, she'd love to hear from you! She is also looking for freelancing work, so if you have editing, beta reading, writing needs, a conference speaker, or would simply like to chat in a consultation, please let her know. Like what you see and want to get more content like this, or have your specific questions answered? Check out how you can support her on Patreon for as little as $3 a month.
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