Substance, Authorship And Social Media.
With all of the latest Google Webmaster Guideline Updates and Changes, it’s no wonder that the blogosphere is scattering to make improvements to their content and site structure. Of course, they own more than 65% of the search market, so abiding by what they say may be a good idea. Likewise, it’s been proven that search giants like Bing and Yahoo have mimicked the way Google has done things for years. Yet, their version of “best practice” blogging and content development is consistent of common sense, mostly.
When you’re trying to reach a specific crowd, I’ve learned that there are few really helpful techniques. First and foremost, you should always present some form of contact information, whether it be via twitter or a simple e-mail address. Users like to verify that what they’re reading is coming from an actual person. Similarly, they like to know that this person has a bit of an “expertise” in what they’re writing about. Bounce rates aren’t only the after effects of a poorly designed site; they’re certainly dependant on authorship. If you aren’t represented as an authority on anything, nor have you really made a name for yourself in that particular niche, you’re probably not on the right path to successful blogging.
And as I mentioned before, Twitter can be greatly useful to demonstrate authority and authorship. At the same time, it can be a great tool for spreading the word about your writings. The same can be applied for Facebook – I recommend updating statuses and sending out media regularly to your followers. Google + claims it has over 25 million users currently, which means it’s certainly worth exploring as well.
Last but not least, you want to not only reach the right crowd, but also deliver something of substance. Don’t tell your readers the same thing that everybody else is saying, and certainly don’t post the same thing twice. It’s important to avoid paraphrasing, repetition and keyword stuffing for the pure sake of increasing traffic. If you’re content is noteworthy, people will find it. Accompany it with images and videos to solidify return rates and represent your blog as a real authority on the matter.
So again, if you’re an authority on something, and are helping to spread the word about this important matter, you’re golden. But remember, people won’t always trust you and your information if you’re not making your contact details available to them.
