Raising the (Boss) Tone

A couple of weeks ago, I locked horns with the ska band The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. In my post 'Lowering the (Boss) Tone', I set myself the fun and lofty challenge of increasing this blog's Google ranking when people searched for the term 'The Impression That I Get'.

To recap, here were just a few of the ways I outlined to achieve this:

• Incorporating keywords naturally into the post
• Displaying the music video
• Encouraging feedback

Where did I go from there?

At the time I posted the article, my blog came up on the sixth page of Google hits. Not so brilliant. SEO is a tricky task because there are so many competing websites out there on the internet. So perseverance (and good SEO) are key.

After writing the article, I had the brainwave of revising my meta description (the website description you see in Google). This gave me the chance to slip in some more keywords. 

I took another look at related terms too - such as 'lyrics the impression that i get' and 'guitar chords the impression that i get' - in the Google keyword tool. This create the opportunity to add more keywords and bring the page up for related searches.

How did I get on?

Sounds like an episode of Blind Date, doesn't it!

The blog jumped up from the sixth page to the fourth page for 'the impression that i get'. Better still,it hits page 1 of Google if you type 'the impression that i get blog' or 'the impression that i get blogspot'.

What happens next?

Chuffed as I am with my progress, there's still a bit to go before I give myself any congratulatory pats on the back.

One of the key ways to optimise a blog or website is by providing fresh content. Having written today's post, seized the chance to repeat some of the original keywords and interlinked the two posts, it should climb even further now.

From there I'll reanalyse the post and the blog until I either topple the Bosstones or at least am up there sitting pretty with them. Sometimes if you can't beat 'em, joining 'em ain't so bad! But only sometimes...

Lowering the (Boss)Tone

When I started this blog, some 5 or 6 years ago, it seemed a great way to share my take on the world, do some writing and gain work experience, all in one. (It still is.) Remembering the title of one of my favourite songs, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones' 'The Impression That I Get' felt perfect for my blog too.

Problem is, when you type "the impression that I get" into Google your query is more likely to bring up results for the song - either lyrics, guitar chords, video and other 'impression that I get'-related searches - by these one-hit-wonders of ska than for my blog. 

So today I've set myself the challenge of knocking the Mighty Mighty Bosstones off the top spot on Google (sorry, guys, love the song but SEO is a serious business!).

So how do you topple the Bosstones?

First I've gotta go with keyword phrases such as 'Bosstones', 'Mighty Mighty Bosstones' and 'the impression that I get'. 'Bosstones' receives the most searches, so I'd best try to optimise with this. By slipping each term into the headers and into the copy where possible there's a chance that when people type them into Google my blog pops up in the search results too. 

Weaving keyphrases into texts is an art form in itself, however. Writing '"The Impression That I Get" by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones"' at the start of every single sentence would be about as subtle as a sledgehammer. Instead, you should blend your keywords or keyword phrases (in this case 'the impression that I get') into the copy naturally. 

Write for the reader first, then write for Google second.

How Else?

Hey, why not include a Mighty Mighty Bosstones music video? Preferably of 'The Impression That I Get'. Then you can see why I like it so much.

 Source: You Tube /Vevo

Of course, there is something of an ulterior motive here as well. While sharing the song with you for your listening pleasure, I'm also optimising the blog. Popping this Mighty Mighty Bosstones video in my post is a chance to provde good content; good content attracts more traffic to a blog (visitors and visits to the website); and more visitors means a higher Google ranking. 

More importantly, of course, it also increases the chances of my blog appearing when you type in 'Bosstones', 'Mighty Mighty Bosstones' or 'The Impression That I Get'. Yippety bippety!

What do you think?

Another angle I can attack the Bosstones from is to simply ask my readers what they think of the content. Interacting with the reader... engaging them... is one of several ways to optimise your site. 'How to'-type articles are a great way to do this, since they give readers the chance to offer tips and recommendations on different topics and share related content.

Smart approach two is to take part in discussions on other people's blogs. Then I can link my post on their blog back to my own. If Lady Googleluck is on my side, they'll take a peek, enjoy the content and comment. Go on, you know wanna!

How the Mighty have fallen

These are just a few ways I can try to optimise my blog and hopefully knock the Mighty Mighty Bosstones off their firm Google perch. Hopefully, thanks to some nifty SEO, I'll be uttering these immortal words some day!

And of course, these tips don't just apply to my site. You can implement them to slay your own particular Goliath. Not literally though, please!

Let me know how you go.

Spice up your life - or search engine optimise it!

I work in two areas: copywriting and customer service. Part of copywriting involves what we marketers call search engine optimisation. That's SEO, for short.

This means designing, writing and structuring websites and their content in such a way so that they rank highly when you search for a certain product, service or piece of information on Google. The purpose is to attract lots of visitors to the website and then, once they're there, persuade them to buy the company's product or hire its service. 

But I feel you can apply some SEO aspects to life too and have a little more fun. Here's how:

Keywords
When people search in Google, they search for something specific. SEO specialists identify the most popular terms used in searches for specific items, services, etc. and tailor the website and the content, or part of them, to these searches. In SEO, we call these terms '(meta)keywords'.

So what are you searching for? A new job? A new home? A new love? What is it about them that would make you happy? Identify the important aspects - these are your 'keywords' - and base your project on them. Once you know what you're searching for, you can optimise your own search. In other words, you can tailor it to achieve the best results: to live a happier life.

Links

Links are a great way to optimise your website. Ideally, your links should be to good quality websites or to benchmark websites. If these link back to you, they'll optimise your website even better: Google puts quality before quantity. Of course, the more high-quality links on your website, the better. And these links may even generate more links.

We all have friends, family and workmates or colleagues. These are our 'life SEO' links. Live a happier life by spending time with family and friends (the high quality links!). Visit them, go places with them, have fun with them. They can introduce you to new 'links': new friends, new experiences or even a new love.

Looking for a job? Chat to workmates. See who or what they know, what links they can offer. Do that and you may just increase your happiness on the work front. 

Headings 

All good copywriters know that headings are crucial for copy, especially on websites. Internet users scan text before they read it (a kind of internet look-before-you-leap equivalent!). Breaking up a text with headings gives it structure, and makes the text easier for readers to scan and go straight to what they're looking for. A whopping big block of text, on the other hand, will frighten them away.

SEO-wise, headings are a chance to slip in some good ole keywords and optimise your site further! They make the website more useable in the eyes of St Google too.

But what do these headings mean for your life? Well, you should never let one part of your life absorb all the rest. 'Family/Partners', 'Friends', 'Work' and 'Education' are just a few of our life SEO headings or sections. Try to split your time up evenly.

If you work or study a lot, find time to play, for the other headings can disappear if the links aren't strong enough. If you spend lots of time with your friends, be sure to always find time for your partner too, and don't let your social or personal life interfere with your work.

Ultimately, try to find balance.

Alt Text

This SEO term refers to the text beneath images that describes the image content for the visually impaired. 

How the Dickens (since he's topical at the moment!) does this apply to life, you ask. Well, take plenty of pictures and capture as many of those special moments as you can. Then you can enjoy explaining your adventures when you show your friends and family the photos.

If there's one thing I've sometimes regretted, it's that I didn't bring a camera with me to certain events (like the Motley Crüe concert, darn it!). The ones I have brought it to, I've loved looking back over the photos. 

Okay, so I stretched that last SEO analogy a bit... but hey, aren't we here to have fun? 

And if you're an SEO specialist, or even if you're not, perhaps you can optimise my joie de vie with some of your own SEO lessons for life!

Blog-o-sitting

Read an interesting blog article by copywriting titan Bob Bly, in which the intrepid wordsmith discussed one of the dilemmas of blogging.

Mr Bly was worried about the time he'd been away from his blog and how, by not posting for several months, fewer people were now commenting on his blog posts. He was asking if you should blog frequently, even if you have nothing to say, just to keep people coming back to the blog. Hmmm...

Content is...

King. We all know that on Planet Wordsmith. To keep people returning to a blog you need to create content that people enjoy. (It optimises your site as well because people link their sites to it or share it with their friends, and if you're skilful enough they'll do both).

Lousy content drives people away, whereas good content attracts loyal followers who frequently return for more. One of my favourite bloggers hasn't posted for six months, but I still go back to it, hoping a new post will crop up. One day she'll grant me my wish, though!

What are you going to do about it?

My advice is don't worry. Think of the cinema and literature trilogies we follow. J.K. Rowling may have taken a while between Harry Potter novels, but people still clamoured to read them. Lord of the Rings fans hadn't found something else by the time parts two and three came out on the big screen.

Don't forget how disappointed we feel when a novel feels rushed or robs us of a good ending. There's nothing worse than a spy novel, detective novel or thriller which wraps up with a cavalry-coming-over-the hill-style finale. Aaaargh!

That said, don't neglect your blog for too long. Keep your eyes and ears open for blog-worthy material. Everyday thoughts, statements, things we read and events can all trigger good content. Just a question of being observant and being creative.

Oh and don't forget to throw some keywords into your posts. They'll help you take care of the blog by attracting new followers in searches while you're away.

We can do that. We're bloggers and that's what we're here for!