Have you ever said, “I’m just a blogger. SEO can’t help me.”

This is a popular myth regarding blogging and SEO, and one that we are hoping to debunk.

It is true that the platform from which you blog can greatly impact your ability to optimize your site. Utilizing title tags, meta descriptions and the like is one reason why WordPress is so popular. But there are simple steps like adding ALT tags to images, locating your main content on the left and wisely choosing the words used in a link that everyone can follow, regardless of platform.

Blogging as a “Resource” Site

If your blog posts are informational in nature, such as recipes, crafts or kids’ activities, utilizing your SEO options could steadily increase your blog’s organic search results and total pageviews.

Ways to SEO optimize your blog posts:

–Use strong keywords in your title (and permalink, when possible).

For example, “Easy Lasagna Recipe” is searched locally 27,100 times a month.

–Fill out the title tags and meta descriptions of your posts. Be sure to include your chosen keyword phrase when filling out.

For example, your meta description may begin, “An easy lasagna recipe your family is sure to love.”

–Add bolded section headers where appropriate (or mark them with <h1></h1> or <h2></h2> tags, when possible). Headings and bolded text are more valuable in the eyes of Google. Plus, using section headers makes your posts more scannable, which is helpful to readers.

For example, your post may have a section header for the ingredient list and another for cooking directions.

–Include your keyword phrase more than once in the body of your post. Betsy of Funky Mama Bird is a writer and editor of several online publications. She has a great post explaining how to use keywords and how to avoid keyword stuffing.

–Add ALT tags to your images. Google spiders cannot “read” images, but you can make your photos valuable by adding words to them.

–Link to other relevant posts on your site where appropriate. Search engines favor sites with good interlinking, so referencing previous applicable posts within the body of your new post, is helpful.

For example, a logical interlinking would be a reference to a homemade marinara sauce you’ve posted about before, that could be use with the lasagna dinner.

Blogging as a “Mom” or Life Blogger

If you’ve reached this point and are thinking, “Well, that’s great and all, but I just tell stories about my kids and life. Some of this doesn’t apply to me,” we’d kindly say, “Think again!” Even mommy bloggers can add ALT tags to images, link to previous relevant posts and bold words where appropriate. And if you are a mom blogger on a platform like WordPress, you can choose smart keywords for your permalink and SEO tags, too.

Google has a free and easy-to-use keyword tool that allows you to enter a word or phrase and see how (un)popular it is.  The 27,100 monthly local searches number stated above came from running a query with this tool. Betsy also has a great tutorial explaining how to use the AdWords Keyword tool.

So moms, if you are writing a story about little Susie and little Bobby fighting, you’ll be happy to know the phrase “sibling rivalry” garners 22,200 local searches a month.

You can’t get over the differences between your son and daughter? Consider “boys vs girls” at 14,800 local monthly searches or “gender differences” with 40,500.

Maybe you are feeling so refreshed after a night out with your girlfriends that you can’t wait to share all the details? “Girls Night Out” is searched locally over 60,000 times a month.

As you can see, not only can *just bloggers* benefit from optimizing their posts and sites for search engines, but the steps to do so are simple and require minimal effort.

Do you make a concerted effort to optimize your site and posts? What are your thoughts on blogging and SEO?