5 Solid Ways to Fine-Tune a Blog

searchrovrdemo on February 28, 2018

We’ve done a lot of WordPress blog optimization work – this last year in particular. Here are 5 solid ways to fine-tune your blog.
fine-tune-a-blog


  1. Make it fast!


    Yes, users expect your blog to be fast. Faster blogs generate higher engagement, more page views, and are much better at driving that blog traffic to your primary “Calls To Action” and services.



  2. Be intentional with your blog post SEO


    Your blog is a marketing tool but how do you generate good, new traffic to your blog? This is a very weighty topic, but being intentional with your blog post SEO is key to generating more organic traffic to your blog.



  3. Interlink blog posts


    Interlinking blog posts is a great way for you to tell Google what your content is about. It helps to tell Google that this post is a valid and authoritative source of information on the “linked topic” (the text that you used as the link. Like “Interlinking blog posts” in the sentence above.)



  4. Have interesting imagery


    Let’s face it, we’re very visual creatures. Yes, the content of your blog is what’s important, however, having strong and engaging visuals helps to get people pulled in and connected with your content. Not sure where to start finding good imagery? Check out our post on how to find good blog images. (see what we did there? #2 above)



  5. Drive towards a goal.


    Why do you have a blog in the first place? For some people, the blog content engagement is the goal. To have users engage with and share the content is the primary goal of the site and layout. For example, that is the case for Rachel Shultz and her blog “On Homemaking” or Jim Cutler’s Vlog. Your site may have many secondary (but important) goals like: pageviews, ad revenue, brand exposure, building an email list, selling an eBook, etc. etc.


    For many businesses, the blog is just the starting point for the “what’s next” that they would like visitors to pursue. Not establishing and driving towards a goal is a waste of your blogging efforts. Ultimately, you want a customer, an advocate, and brand loyalty – not casual bystanders that have no push towards further engagement with you.


tune-a-post-like-a-guitar

See how easy it is to enhance your blog without adding fluff? Now that you’ve read these quick tips, take a look back over this post. Can you see how we used these exact tips to bring a little more power to this post?

Need some blog optimization done by seasoned professionals (hint hint), contact us and give us the scoop on your project. 

4 Quick Tips for Getting into That Elusive Blogging Groove

Josh Mallard on September 20, 2016

We’ve been blogging on LimeCuda’s blog every Tuesday for almost 3 months now. Add in our personal blogs, Social Media, and our new favorite child, Fewer Than Three – and that’s a lot of posts! (30+ by my count).

In the spirit of “here’s what’s working for us” I’m sharing 4 tips for getting in that elusive blogging groove.

getting-in-blogging-groove

1. Make it a regularly scheduled “habit”

We’ve committed to publishing a new post on LimeCuda EVERY Tuesday. We share the load yes, but sometimes we’re fighting over who gets to publish as much as we’re fighting over who has to fulfill this duty. Knowing this is a non-negotiable for us has helped us “own it”.

For you this might mean daily (aka Chris Lema Beast Mode), weekly, monthly, or 4 times a year.

Make it a regularly scheduled non-negotiable! 

2. Always be capturing ideas for new blog posts

Get  in the frame of mind where you are constantly looking for new stuff your audience might benefit from. I find myself scribbling post titles on a piece of note paper during client calls. We have at least a dozen partial drafts sitting in our WordPress dashboard right now.

Or, if you want to go even further… when inspiration strikes, take a few minutes and just jam out a post while it is fresh in your head!

3. Not every blog post needs to be long or earth shattering

Don’t avoid blogging because you don’t think you can write “enough”.

A powerful thought shared succinctly is better than that same thought spread over 20 rambling paragraphs. 

Don’t avoid blogging because you’re worried about not contributing an “original thought”. First, those are as rare as unicorns – Second, it might be new information for your audience! Just the practice of forcing yourself to share will mean you better grasp a subject.

For instance…

I took time over the weekend and wrote an absolutely enthralling post on the nuances of migrating a WordPress site to HTTPS. Granted, what is enthralling to some is mind numbing to others…that aside, while forming a teaching tutorial on something I’ve done dozens of times it helped me better understand the process and my own skill was bolstered.

4. Obsess over the analytics

I take this to an unhealthy level but there isn’t an addiction support group yet…

But seriously, reward yourself by watching your traffic grow. Make it a guilty habit to monitor your Google Analytics. This is the long game, don’t be upset if it takes 3 months to see results. Rarely does any worthwhile success happen overnight!

Please share your big and little tips in the comments.