Here at Rochester Brainery we love our blog - and we hope you do too! We see blogging as a way to keep you guys updated, introduce you to new concepts, or just share some news around our lovely city of Rochester. Blogging is fun, interesting, and we wouldn't change it for the world! A lot of people see blogging as simply writing down a few fun ideas, adding a couple paragraphs, maybe tossing in a picture (everyone loves pictures!). But in reality there is a lot more that goes in to blogging, at least if you want your blog to be successful (which we certainly do!). Here are a few simple steps to get your blog going!
Choosing Your Platform
When you've decided that you would like to start a blog, the first step is choosing what platform you're going to use. There are tons of options out there (don't be overwhelmed...) and it just takes a little research to decided which one is the best for you. Here at the Brainery we use WordPress. WordPress is great because it gives you the option to create a blog for free, or you can buy a membership if you're more serious about blogging and want more features. WordPress is also good because you don't need to know coding (thankfully!). We wish we could give you all the details of every platform and choose one for you, but we can't. The truth is the best way to find what's right for you is to get out there and experiment for yourself. Learn the different platforms and what you do and don't like, eventually you'll find the perfect one! For more information on blogging platforms, visit here.Search Engine Optimization
One aspect of blogging that many aren't aware of is search engine optimization. SEO can be tricky to understand at first but once you know what you're doing it's much easier. Basically, SEO is a series of steps you take to help your blog be the first link listed on Google or Yahoo when someone types in keywords that correspond to your blog. Because who doesn't love to be first?! :) There is a lot to talk about with SEO but we can explain the basics to help you get started along with the help of this short clip.
Like the clip says, words matter! To make sure your blog post is the best result for someone's search, the search engine will go through your entire post and make sure the information is related to what that person typed in. Therefore, if you only talk about their keyword once, you probably won't appear in their results. But if you include the keyword more times you have a better chance!
Another important part of SEO is title tags. A title tag is the main heading a person is going to see when their search results pop up. This is why you want your title tag to be informative yet creative, so people see exactly what your post is about but also creative enough to interest them. For a little more information on title tags we recommend you visit here.
A third aspect of SEO (and one we find very important and useful) is links. Within your own blog post it is possible to provide links to other sites or blogs that are related to your post. For example, you can see we've led you to WordPress, a site on blogging platforms, and a site on title tags. This isn't to take away from us giving you information, but to provide you with even more resources! (We really are fond of you guys!) By providing appropriate and helpful outbound links you are able to appear higher in search results (success!) However, also be careful. Don't simply link sites just to link them, make sure they are relevant and appropriate or you can be dragged down the search listings as well.
Like we said, we love blogging and everything about it! But it is something you have to learn to be one of those top search results (we know you can do it!) Hopefully these tips help you get started on understanding more about the blogging process. We know we certainly learn something new about it everyday!