The Blog Herald

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How to Find Keywords For Blogging Posted: 03 Jan 2014 04:33 AM PST If you have any inclination about SEO when you’re a blogger (which you should, as SEO can help increase your blog’s traffic and engagement), then you know that being sure you use the right main keywords when you are writing blog posts can help people find your content when they are searching for it via search engines. You should only choose one or two keyword phrases (and make them related, not just reworded versions of eachother) and only use them naturally. For instance, if I was writing a post on YouTube Optimization, I would word my title so it would contain a phrase someone might search for to find the type of information that I will be writing about: “8 Great YouTube Optimization Tips,” where ‘YouTube Optimization’ would be the keyword I am optimizing for. If you aren’t sure how or where to find keywords for blogging, these resources may help. UberSuggest This free tool helps you find longtail keywords (which are phrases that are more than two words) based on a list of keywords you input. It’s mainly random, but the provides a long list of related words. It’s a great brainstorming tool, since it’s not based much on actual research or data. Analytics If you don’t have Google Analytics set up on your site, get it done ASAP! It’s free and fairly easy, and if you have a platform like WordPress, there are free plugins you can use that help you install the code. Even though Google Analytics removed much of the data it gave users in 2013 (and replaced keywords with (not provided) in data reports), you can still use analytics to see some keywords, as well as the top visited posts on your website. If your guides to building furniture are always a hit, use that as a catalyst to create keywords for future topics. Google and Bing Webmaster Tools You can still find tons of keyword data on Google and Bing Webmaster tools. The setup process is just as easy as Analytics and every blog should be verified on both platforms. Webmaster Tools gives you reports on how people got to your site, who is linking to your site, and some search data. It’s a good place to use in tandem with other tools in your arsenal. Paid Tools All of the above tools are free, but many paid tools like those by Moz and SEMrush can offer valuable data on not only your own website, but your competitors’. While I don’t advocate copying everything that your competitors do (ingenuity is what makes websites and businesses successful), it’s interesting to see similar keywords and the strategies they are using. All these tools not only provide data, but can also serve as a brainstorming session for figuring out the perfect keyword(s) for each of your blog posts.   photo credit: minifig via photopin cc The post How to Find Keywords For Blogging appeared first on The Blog Herald.

2013′s Top 5 Book Blogs Posted: 02 Jan 2014 11:36 PM PST Just as Yelp helps shoppers and diners choose where to spend cash, blogs help busy people decide the best ways to spend their free time. This is no insignificant contribution. In commercialized world, it can be hard to decipher the “good” from the “well-promoted” (two qualities that are ever more mutually exclusive), and time spent deciding between movies, books, or video games is time spent working, not playing. Since you’ve spent the last four weeks in hot pursuit of the best holiday gifts for everyone on your list, give yourself a break and check out a list that’s just for you. These excellent book blogs are guaranteed to save you time and get you geared up for the next big read. 1. Bookslut Will appeal most to: Former and current English majors, book snobs, readers who would only see the movie first if it was based on a Stephen King novel, the manic and passionate daily reader. Special because: This blog offers highly intelligent reviews that do more than praise or ridicule. They provide insight and context to enhance the reader’s experience. It’s almost like going to your own private literature seminar. 2. MobyLives! Will appeal most to: Current or would-be booksellers, publishers, editors, and otherwise industry afflicted individuals (and their loved ones), librarians, writers, and Herman Melville fanatics. Special because: Rarely can a publishing house (in this case Melville House, named for the author of the blog’s eponymous Moby-Dick) produce an industry blog that achieves independent success and avoids blatant self-promotion. MobyLives! is truly an exception, and anyone interested in the future of the book industry would do well to follow this daily blog with fervor. 3. In Which I Read Vintage Novels Will appeal most to: The literary scholar, fans of the word “’twas,” individuals with a passion for yellow-stained pages containing that special “old book” musk, folks who want to read the classics but don’t know where to begin, the everyday reader. Special because: It manages to gracefully toe the fine line between elitism and education. Surely, not an easy balance for a blog dedicated to the classics of literature to strike. The host and guest reviewers for this blog are both intelligent readers and everyday people. No one will feel condescended to or manipulated after reading these honest and forthright assessments, and don’t worry, they come with spoiler alerts. 4. The Deliberate Reader Will appeal most to: Beach readers, airport impulse book-shoppers, mystery lovers, non-fiction fanatics, and folks who prefer a fast-paced thriller to a slow meditative monologue. Special because: Let’s face it, it can be hard to get a recommendation for a book that isn’t necessary “literary,” especially in a bookstore (don’t get defensive, all you highfalutin bookslingers, you know it’s true). This blog fills that gap, reading all the those mystery series, self-help guides, and self-published novellas that you aren’t likely to find on the Staff Picks wall at your local seller, and reviewing them with candor and panache. 5. HTML Giant Will appeal most to: Hipsters, fans of street art and formless poetry, would-be Beats, lovers of surrealist parlor games and all things Dada, those who’ve read everything and want a mainline into what’s hot on the literary scene today, experimental writers and artists of all walks. Special because: Edited and maintained by indie author Blake Butler and friends, this blog features input, interviews, and rants from some seriously up-and-coming literary darlings. We’re not talking yawn-inducing, formulaic novel producing graduates of the Iowa Writers workshop. These fools write from their guts, and sometimes the result is bloody. For anyone wondering where the lifeblood of literature is pumping, HTML Giant will be a tremendous relief.   The post 2013′s Top 5 Book Blogs appeared first on The Blog Herald.

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