One of the easiest ways to organically increase your Google search rankings is by publishing new blog posts on a regular basis. Search engines will reward sites that are consistently posting new, original content. After you've written your blog post, you want to be sure you are fully optimizing it before publishing. Here are some things to consider and tips for making the most of your site's SEO (search engine optimization).
Keywords and Search Phrases
Are you using relevant keywords and search phrases throughout your post? Whether you're sharing a 300 word post or a 1500 word article, you want to be sure you have keywords and search phrases naturally incorporated into the content. The keywords and phrases should be relevant to your site, business and content. Each phrase should be between 1-4 words. The more unique and specific the keyword, the less competition you'll have and the better your post will do. Not sure what keywords to use? Hubspot shares a beginner's guide for doing keyword research.
Adding Alt Text to Images / GIFs
Google cannot "read" your image of GIF. Alt text, also known as "alt attributes" are used to describe what the image / GIF is about. You're essentially telling search engines what is in your image, helping them to appear in relevant searches, which could result in increased site traffic. To add alt text to an image in the Wix Blog, single click on the image to open the menu bar, and then select the "Settings" icon. This will open up a side bar menu, giving you the option to create the image Title and add the image alt text. Be sure to click the blue "Done" button after filling out your fields.
Left Side Menu
After you've completed writing your post, you'll notice some options on the left side menu.
Option 1: Post Settings - The first option is "Post Settings". When you open it, you will have the option to set your "Display Cover Image". This is the image that will appear with the title on your Blog page within your website, and also when shared on social media. If you need to backdate your post for any reason, you would do that here. Choose the author, and then toggle on if you want to feature your post or not. You would only need to set a "featured post" if you have the option displayed somewhere on your website. If you select the "Advanced" tab, you can add an excerpt to the post. This is the text that will appear as a preview on your blog feed. If you have other similar content published, you can choose "related posts" to appear at the bottom of the blog you will be publishing. Within this tab is also where you can enable or disable commenting.
Option 2: Post SEO - The second option on the left side menu is "SEO". Here you will be able to change your post slug, title on search engines and description.
Post Slug: This is the link to your post. Be sure to include a keyword or phrase. Make it relevant to the content.
Title on Search Engines: This is the first thing people will see within search results. The ideal blog post title length is 60 characters.
Post Description: Describe your post using relevant keywords. You want to be sure to make it clear what your content is about, while at the same time encouraging readers to click.
Option 3: Post Categories - If you are splitting up your content throughout your site, you will want to create categories. You don't want to have too many categories, and be sure to create simple and unique labels.
Option 4: Tags - The next option from the left side menu are Tags. These tags are solely for internal use within your blog, and won't impact search engine results. You can tag your posts with relevant keywords, and these tags will appear at the end of your post so readers can easily access similar content on your website.
AMP
AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) allows your blog posts to load faster on mobile devices. If your site doesn't have AMP, Google is less likely to display your content in mobile results. To enable AMP, go to your Wix Dashboard and select "Blog" from the left menu. Then, click the white button in the top right corner that says "More Actions" to access your "Blog Settings". Scroll down to the "SEO Settings" section and you'll see a toggle option to turn AMP on or off. Be sure that it's enabled. Then, select the blue "Update Logo" text, to add your logo. This will allow you to appear in the Google AMP carousel. You will only have to do this once and it will apply to all blog posts.
Schema
Google uses schema to help decide which pages are added to carousels. Adding schema to your website helps direct search engines to site information that they can use to display rich snippets in results. Rich snippets have a higher click-through rate because the result is giving that user more information. You can enable schema in your blog under your "SEO Settings," right below the "AMP" section.
Do you have any questions on how to best optimize your blog or other inquiries on SEO? Contact us today for a free consultation.
Stay tuned for part two, will share information on how to make the most of your blog content and drive organic traffic to your page.
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