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SEO Basics | And Beyond

This post was most recently updated on August 1st, 2016

SEO BasicsThe SEO basics you need to know are really very simple.

I do not pretend to be an SEO expert, but I guide my students through the essentials on a daily basis.

I also apply them on this blog, as long as my green light (for my SEO by Yost plugin) goes on.

I have great back links on this blog.

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But I do have other websites and have to rely much more on SEO.

As I build up my e-Commerce site, it will have crickets unless I apply more serious SEO methods.

So, let’s get down to the basics.

What is SEO?

First of all, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is really a coordination of strategies.

They are designed for one main purpose… to get your web pages and sites to rank very high in the search engines.

If you can rank your pages high, you will get tons of free traffic.

That’s because search engine rankings are free.

Yet, they unlock the biggest flow of targeted traffic you can find anywhere, even through paid social site and media ads.

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Page Ranking

The ranking of your web pages is critical to your business.

When people visit a search engine like Google, they are looking for something.

Maybe they want to buy a baby monitor, or learn how to run Facebook ads.

They would probably type in “search terms” like these…

“best baby monitor”
“how do I place a Facebook ad”

If your web page answers addresses the need for this information, it will be the perfect place for your audience to find your article and maybe even purchase something through your blog or website.

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Targeted Traffic

In the above examples, the traffic that would find it’s way to your website would be highly “targeted.”

That means, they want exactly what you want.

Exactly.

Just think of it.

If somebody does a Google search for “best baby monitor”… don’t you think they’re probably ready to buy a baby monitor?

If you have an Amazon niche site that is all about baby monitors, there’s an excellent chance that you can sell some of them to this kind of traffic.

That’s because “best baby monitor” is what we call a “buyer-intent” keyword phrase.

The person who types it into their search is probably intent on buying a baby monitor.

That’s great news right?

The problem is, how do you get the traffic instead of your competition.

They want it, too.

The answer, of course, is to do a better SEO job than they do.

Special: FREE Guide… 4 Things I Did To Build My Blog Using Only Free Traffic

On Page SEO

After you’ve defined the keywords you want to use, put them in your title, in the beginning and end of your article, and

several times throughout.

That’s the essence of what we call “on page SEO.”

It means, these are the things you can do on your web page to help the search engines know what your article or blog post is about.

That way, when people search for your topic, the search engines can point them your way.

Now, there’s a lot of other things that you can do to optimize your web page.

You can bold, italicize or underline your keywords, you can give them “h2” tags and you can use them in your image “alt tags” in you post meta tags and in videos embedded on your site.

There’s a lot more, but that’s the basics.

Off Page SEO

This is what we usually talk about in terms of “backlinks” to your site.

If people are linking to your blog or article from other sites, search engines interpret that your information is good quality and authoritative information.

They like that.

If you have no backlinks, it reflects poorly on your page and it will nto rank high.

It’s not just a matter of numbers, though.

You could have a higher ranked page with 5 or 6 very high quality backlinks than you could with 100 low quality ones.

Special: FREE Guide… 4 Things I Did To Build My Blog Using Only Free Traffic

So, you want to go to some of the best sites in your niche to try to get backlinks.

You can guest post on those sites or you can leave comments with a link back to your site.

You can also go on social media sites and share you link so that people will come back to your site from social sites.

That’s a very good way to improve your page rank.

There’s more you can do, but that’s the basics.

What’s really important to know, here, is to NOT buy backlinks to your site.

That’s one method that will almost certainly get your page de-ranked so that pretty much none of your target traffic will find it in searches.

What Kind Of Sites Need SEO Strategies In Place

Any blog or website that you want to drive to should be “optimized” in the ways we’ve mentioned.

The more you’ve “monetized” your site… that is, built into it methods for making a profit… then the more anxious you’ll be to try to get traffic to it.

I’ve recently started working on e-commerce and am in the process of building an e-com site right now.

That means, it’s a site for people to find things they want to buy.

So, I’ll be applying some very strict SEO strategies to it.

Special: FREE Guide… 4 Things I Did To Build My Blog Using Only Free Traffic

I intend to create other such sites rather quickly, and all of them will require these strategies.

If you write a “hobby blog,” such as a blog about your travels and family events… you probably don’t want to be working too hard on SEO.

You’re not trying to drive targeted traffic to it, and probably only share the link with a few close friends, family and associates.

If you have a blog, you certainly want to drive traffic to it, so SEO is a key undertaking.

SEO Management

One of the big problems with SEO is that it can be very, very time consuming.

It’s not easy to locate and contact a whole bunch of authority sites for backlinks.

It’s even harder to get them to allow your link on their sites.

You can spend many hours if not days researching the best keywords.

Then you have to test, re-test, adjust to your competion and even figure out what your competition is using for an SEO strategy.

If you don’t have the skills or time for all this, you can hire an SEO manager.

Just do a Google search and you’ll find tons of them.

They’re not cheap, though, and so it’s mostly very successful money sites that hire them to apply extensive SEO strategies.

There’s also some plugins like SEO by Yost that are helpful.

I’m actually going to be buying a new SEO software that actually manages your campaigns for you, without the need for high priced management.

Special: FREE Guide… 4 Things I Did To Build My Blog Using Only Free Traffic

It will quickly draw data from your top ranked competitors and apply them to your pages.

It can grab backlinks with a click and help you rank your pages high with a bare minimum of effort on our part.

The software does it all for you.

So, it’s a really cheap alternative to the very high priced SEO management teams that your big-shot competitors are probably using right now.

And I’ll bet that with this new software available, most of the management teams will simply use it on your behalf and still charge you their astronomical fees.

Anyway, it’s not for everyone.

If you’re really serious about driving traffic to your sites in a big way, check it out.

If you’re just getting your feet wet with your online business, it’s probably much more than you need at the moment.

Like I said, I’ll be getting in early to take advantage of the special launch pricing.

I’ll let you know how it works for me out in future posts.

Meanwhile, I’ll give you my affiliate link for it right here since it’s in a very short-termed, highly discounted launch period right now, and for just the next few days.

Here’s the link ==>

Sorry, This Program Has Closed

Alternatives To SEO

Now, SEO is not essential to having a very successful blog or website.

The alternative is to build your own following without the help of Google or any other search engines sending traffic your way.

That’s not a bad strategy, and the traffic you get through your own efforts will probably be even better than search engine traffic.

That’s because people will know you a little bit before they even go to your site.

Special: Start Blogging… Right Here

SEO traffic is mostly “cold” meaning those folks have no idea who you are, and are “meeting” you for the first (and maybe last) time when they click your link from a search.

To build your own traffic, social media is probably the best method.

Spend lots of time on social sites interacting with people in your niche.

Give them links to your blog/site every now and then.

Eventually, they may choose to visit your site and become a valued guest and even customer.

Blog commenting works in essentially the same way.

Get a list of blogs that your crowd frequent.

Visit them, comment good and substantial comments over a sustained period of time.

Link back to your own blog/site.

Eventually, some folks will start clicking your link and visit you.

These same strategies can be used in conjunction with forum visiting, writing ebooks, creating digital information products… in each of these instances, always link back to your site to build a bigger following.

The problem using these alternative should be obvious.

It’s called time.

Your time.

You have a very limited amount of it, so choose wisely how to use it.

My Blogging Mentorship Program

If you have the skills and time to plan and execute your own SEO campaigns and strategies, then you can do that to build your business and drive traffic to your sites.

If you’d rather use your money instead of your time, you can pay someone else to do it.

Consider hiring SEO managers, or you can pay for various plugins or even the software platform I told you about above.

What’s your SEO strategy?

Or do you focus on some of the alternatives that I listed above?

I’d love to have your comments on this topic below, and always appreciate you sharing my articles on your social media sites.

-Donna

Donna Merrill
Donna is a well known blogger and creator of "Blogging Magic" - an intensive guide to blogging. "Blogging Magic" is for beginners who are trying to figure out how to bring their blogs to life with tons of visits, comments and social media interaction. It's even for advanced bloggers looking to reach new levels of authority and engagement with their audience.

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75 Responses to SEO Basics | And Beyond

  1. John Marc Ramirez July 19, 2017 at 2:36 am #

    Hi, Donna, this is a great article about knowing the basics of SEO. I learned a lot from you. 🙂 You are a great blogger, just so you know. Thank you for sharing this one. 🙂
    John Marc Ramirez recently posted..Welcome to SEO Hacker!My Profile

  2. Abdullah
    Twitter:
    April 14, 2016 at 1:01 pm #

    SEO is so important. I’ve been paying a lot more attention to it recently, and been noticing my search engine referrers increasing.

    I think another important thing is internal linking. If you have a keyword that you mention in your content, that was targeted on another post as well, link to that post with the keyword as the text. I try to put several links in each of my posts.

    As far as off-site strategy, I really enjoyed your tips. Another thing I enjoy doing is free webinars. They can be a really good marketing strategy if you give real content throughout the webinar, with a bit of a pitch at the end. Of course the whole webinar shouldn’t feel like a pitch or people aren’t really going to trust you. I really love the live engagement of webinars.
    Abdullah recently posted..The Key to Manifesting Your Desires: Practicing the Law of DetachmentMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 15, 2016 at 1:38 pm #

      Hi Abdullah,

      I do believe that back links do so much better than any SEO. Although we need both, there are so many ways to pump up our articles to be seen.

      The free webinars that you do is a great way to connect with others and market. Give value in them, and then a call to action to purchase a product or service.

      Great job you are doing.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..7 Things Top Bloggers Never Stop DoingMy Profile

  3. ikechi
    Twitter:
    April 13, 2016 at 12:26 am #

    Hi Donna

    Seriously, SEO takes a lot of time and you have to test, adjust and retest. Sometimes, the strategy that you use does not work and other times you wonder what you did to make your page rank no 1. You are so right. The success of SEO depends on one’s time.

    Thanks for sharing the info on the software. I am definitively going to check this out.

    You know as you brilliantly shared, SEO is a must if one wants traffic to his blog especially those who have a monitised site. Social media too works with SEO and there are much benefit when you focus on Social platforms.

    Thanks for sharing. Take Care

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 13, 2016 at 12:04 pm #

      Hi Ikechi,

      When it comes to SEO it is something that takes so much time. Time I don’t have 🙁

      On this blog, I’m not so worried because of great back links and social sharing. But on other blogs I have that are up for monetization quickly, I needed this software. Quite pricey yes…but it sure beats hiring a person to do it for me. 🙂

      Thanks for visiting,

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..7 Things Top Bloggers Never Stop DoingMy Profile

  4. Rachel
    Twitter:
    April 12, 2016 at 3:15 am #

    Hey Donna,

    I was very excited as I started reading the first part of the post. Realising what you had written – I was doing. Do you know what a celebration it is to have confirmation that I am following the rules. Well that is until I get to the second part of your post.

    Back links and key words. Oh the drama and dilemma. I never know what procedures others take, but I thrash out my post and then try and make key words fit my post. By that stage I am more committed to my work than I am to keywords as it would mean I would have to do some serious adjustment. So I’m really not pleased with this part of SEO. Oh I have thought about trying to get around it. And as I cannot, now I am going to take on your advice and spend some real time working on familarising myself with keywords. Thanks for the reminder.

    Rachel.

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 13, 2016 at 12:01 pm #

      Hi Rachel,

      Yes…that drama and dilemma! I don’t like dealing with SEO either. I use the Yoast plugin and I’m good to go. I like writing for the sake of it and not to please Google. But it is important.

      So not to bang my head against the wall, I thought I was doing great with my little plugin, and I am here on this blog because it has so many backlinks of wonderful bloggers. All this supposed to count.

      With other blogs like my e-com sites it needs more juice and quickly. I cannot rely on comments, backlinks and social shares as much there. So I purchased the software to do it for me. I get all confused when it comes to SEO LOL.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..7 Things Top Bloggers Never Stop DoingMy Profile

  5. Dr. Erica Goodstone
    Twitter:
    April 10, 2016 at 9:07 pm #

    Donna,

    So many excellent explanations and tips about improving SEO.

    For one of my sites, I am having the tech team boost the SEO. But of course,
    I have to make lots of changes and add content to the sub pages.

    For a long time I have not paid much attention to SEO. It certainly can
    improve the amount and quality of traffic. With the right SEO in place,
    the traffic will be more targeted toward the people who can most
    benefits from my products and services.

    One of my concerns is that I take on different projects and get so involved
    in terms of energy and time that I cannot devote the attention needed to
    the SEO on my sites. It can be hard to handle many different sites, as I have.

    One thing I can say is that I never get bored. There is always something
    more I can be doing, something new I can learn, and so many more delightful
    people with whom I can connect, like you my friend.

    Warmly,

    Dr. Erica

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 13, 2016 at 11:47 am #

      Hi Erica,

      You sure are a busy lady! Of course you never get bored he he he.

      With different sites there has to be different techniques of SEO. I know the feeling quite well. Here on this site, I rely mainly on the wonderful back links I get from so many great people, like you. With just a sprinkle of SEO I’m good to go.

      But for other sites, it has to be more SEO rich…not necessarily content wise, but title, description, and so on. I’ll never understand it all because I really don’t have the time or desire to. Like you having a tech team to boost the SEO, I decided to purchase this software.

      I am on the same page as you when it comes to many different projects. We do get so involved and don’t have the energy for the tech stuff lol.

      Cheers!

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..7 Things Top Bloggers Never Stop DoingMy Profile

  6. Kathryn Maclean
    Twitter:
    April 10, 2016 at 7:01 pm #

    Hi Donna,
    Certainly a popular subject.
    When I started out I knew nothing about keywords or SEO. When I did learn about this by taking many courses I learned about using these search tools

    MarketSamurai.com
    SwissMadeMarketing.com
    Moz.com
    Google Trends
    Google AdWords Keyword Planner Tool

    It is important to get traffic to your blog, website, or article of course.
    How you go about doing so depends on what type of site it is. As you so eloquently pointed out for your e-commerce site getting cold traffic “These people have no idea of who you are before they click your link from a search.” For this type of traffic, a service such as Nimbus would make excellent sense. I visited the site and It is web-based in the cloud so works on any browser. Interesting site.

    As you said for this blog you use comments (a lot of them) and people leave their links as well on the page. On page SEO and Off page SEO.This was very informative information. Building our own traffic from Social Media will take time, interacting with people in your niche. Supplying them your links to your blog/sites in a causal nature way. ” Visiting forums, groups,
    writing your own ebooks, creating digital information products… in each of these instances, always link back to your site to build a bigger following.”

    So if you have the social marketing skills and enough time to plan and execute your own
    SEO campaigns and strategies, you will be able to build your business and drive traffic to your sites.

    However should you have the money to spend instead of your time, you can pay someone else to do it for you or you can use tools that you buy, various plugins or the software you mentioned. Excellent information on SEO also from your visitors comments.
    Kathryn Maclean recently posted..Best Facebook PostsMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 13, 2016 at 11:11 am #

      Hi Kathryn,

      On page and off page SEO – Which one works better or should we have both. I say both. Here, there is a lot of backlinks and social sharing, but I still need my plugin Yoast so when it gives me the green light I’m good to go. Plus I do get a lot of backlinks here from some amazing bloggers and that also counts.

      Because of my e-com sites, I don’t want to wait the time it takes for organic SEO to grow, so I did decide to go with the software because for me, time is money lol.

      -Donna

      P.S. I just have to tell I love your comment.

  7. Monna Ellithorpe
    Twitter:
    April 9, 2016 at 5:23 pm #

    Hi Donna,

    Great post on SEO. I do have to admit that SEO still baffles me at times and then I think I’ve got it and something changes.

    As usual, you have given some expert detailed information that does help a lot.

    Thank you again.

  8. Edward Thorpe
    Twitter:
    April 9, 2016 at 10:24 am #

    Hi Donna,

    You write the greatest sales letters!

    I mean, this was a great post, filled with accurate and useful content, yet as a sales letter, it was brilliant. I Like That!
    Edward
    Edward Thorpe recently posted..Life Is What You Make Of ItMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 9, 2016 at 2:32 pm #

      Hi Edward,

      He He He…you got it my friend. Indeed, there is useful content here, but also an offer. Some may want it …some may not. I deem it helpful for me and others.

      This is what I often teach my clients to do some native advertising on their blogs. You may or may not get a sale, but you probably will get some emails on your list. All in all it is the way I roll. lol.

      Thanks for noticing.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  9. Joan M Harrington
    Twitter:
    April 8, 2016 at 6:41 pm #

    Hi Donna,

    Awesome post on SEO! By reading your post, I am understanding how important SEO really is for your site and how it can benefit your business for a long time 🙂 I have learned so much, thank you for sharing your knowledge of SEO. This tool Nimbus looks really cool and would help anyone who is not well-versed in SEO 🙂 Sounds like a great deal!

    Would love to hear how it works for you and how fast it helps you 🙂

    Thanks for sharing your valuable tips!!
    Joan M Harrington recently posted..How To Use The Powerful Marketing Strategy of Storytelling In Your BusinessMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 9, 2016 at 2:12 pm #

      Hi Joan,

      Glad you enjoyed this post. You know me well and I don’t rely much on SEO. When that green light is on in my back office by Yoast, I’m good to go.

      Because I’m creating e-com sites, I do need that software. I don’t have time to learn SEO 101 lol. When Nimbus came across my desk, I looked into it well and I will let you know how well it is working after a short time. It takes at least 90 days for me to be sure of my stats.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  10. Ben
    Twitter:
    April 8, 2016 at 6:04 pm #

    Hi Donna. Most of my traffic and all of my buying traffic comes to my website through Google search, so SEO has been very important to me. SEO was the first way that I learned to get traffic when I started online 8 years ago. I read a statistic a month or so ago that said that more than 50% of people still use the search engines to find products and information.

    I think your product determines whether you should put for focus on relationships through social media and blog commenting or on SEO. Blog coaching seems to me like it would work best through social media because that’s where bloggers already are, and it is a relationship game. The people looking for what I sell are usually already familiar with the company and the products and are looking for a distributor, so they use the search engines.

    Thanks for sharing the information about the SEO platform. I’m going to check it out.
    Ben recently posted..Can Magnets Help You Sleep?My Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 9, 2016 at 2:04 pm #

      Hi Ben,

      You bring up such an important topic here. Since I blogged without paying much attention to SEO here on this site, I really didn’t need it.

      But, having a niche site sure does need powerful SEO strategies. I had one a long time ago selling a baby monitor. I had to rely on SEO like crazy. I grew tired of that because it was one specific thing.

      Now…with other e-com sites I’m building SEO is required. People do search those products and companies. If we want to get ahead on line, we do need SEO strategies.

      Thanks so much,

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  11. Michael
    Twitter:
    April 8, 2016 at 11:17 am #

    Hi Donna,

    Excellent post with practical tips.

    There is one thing one could do to improve the SEO ranking. In the blog post, referring to a government website or highly reputed organization and quoting them can also improve the page ranking. It has worked for me.

    As you mentioned, leaving comments on other highly ranked blogs within the same niche brings in traffic and improves page ranking.

    –Michael
    Michael recently posted..529 College Savings Plan: OverviewMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 9, 2016 at 1:57 pm #

      Hi Michael,

      Thanks so much for mentioning that. Indeed, referring to a government website or highly reputed organization, quoting them sue does improve your SEO.

      I have seen many people do it in their blog posts while I’m blog surfing.

      Thanks for mentioning that one!

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  12. Raphael Udonna
    Twitter:
    April 8, 2016 at 11:11 am #

    Hello Donna,

    I remember when SEO used to be the most complex word i heard in the blogosphere. I was so scared of it and worse was that i didn’t even have money to hire someone to do it for me.

    Many thanks to Yoast SEO plugin, many thanks to bloggers like you who wrote on this topic, because as i began reading articles and doing research on the SEO subject, i found out it can be summarized as ‘Creating Quality Content’.

    I can proudly say that i’ve gotten a few of my posts to rank on Google’s #1 page, but SEO never stops so i’m still seeking ways to do it better.

    I’ll love to use you software when its ready for the public, yeah i clicked the link already 🙂

    Have a lovely weekend Donna

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 9, 2016 at 1:52 pm #

      Hi Raphael.

      SEO used to be so complex until that little plugin came along for us to use and Content was more important than keyword stuffed articles.

      It is so great that some of your posts ranked on Google’s first page.

      The software here is quite costly, but cheaper than hiring someone to help out lol.

      -Donna

  13. lisa thomson
    Twitter:
    April 8, 2016 at 1:47 am #

    Hi Donna, what an informative post! I have Yoast on my site. I noticed you spelled it YOST. Is that a different plug in? For the most part, I don’t really do much for SEO except for key words and ensuring photos also have keywords. I was at a site recently where the woman said the same phrase over and over and over…It was painfully obvious she was writing for the search engine more than for her readers. That’s a little irksome. Still, I appreciate you advice here and I’m always learning new tactic from an expert like yourself.
    lisa thomson recently posted..Music HealsMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 8, 2016 at 2:50 pm #

      Hi Lisa,

      Yoast…yost same thing just spelling error lol. Oh man, I didn’t think there was anyone left on the planet that wrote keyword stuffed articles anymore but you found one! It can drive you crazy and it always makes no sense at all. That is so five years ago!

      It is always best to write for our readers and sprinkle in a bit of keywords if we are content writers and love to engage with others.

      I think keywords are important for those who have stagnant websites that are monetized like an e-com site. Then one has to do so much research from keyword strategy to competition. But never write anything that is keyword stuffed!

      -Donna

      P.S. I’m still on your blog post Music Heals listening to Johnny Cash as I write this lol
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  14. Kim Willis
    Twitter:
    April 7, 2016 at 11:41 pm #

    Hi Donna

    Every time I feel like doing SEO, I have one simple remedy:

    I lie down till the feeling goes away.

    To me, SEO is a mystery wrapped up in a riddle.

    Of course, some people love all this SEO stuff, like your commenter, Akaahan. My initial reaction to his opening comment, ‘I love SEO’ was ‘yeah, like I love botulism’, but he redeemed himself with some common sense suggestions. Power to him.

    I try and read those mega posts from people like Neil Patel, but invariably my eyes glaze over, and the urge to sleep consumes me.

    But your post is different

    A no BS simple explanation with plenty of useful tips thrown in. So thank you muchly for this.

    I do use Yoast SEO cause it’s simple and easy.

    I also received an email from you about that new seo thingy, SEO Master Software. After reading this post I’ll take a closer look, although not sure how suitable it will be for bloggers like us who play the engagement game pretty well.

    Thanks so much for this post – it is excellent

    Donna, you rock!

    Kim
    Kim Willis recently posted..Business Posture: How to Play the Posture Game and Crush Your CompetitorsMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 8, 2016 at 1:49 pm #

      Hi Kim,

      You have me rolling with laughter on the floor. Thanks for your candid comment because I can resonate with it. Some people just love SEO…I get the same reaction like you if I read those complicated articles. I love your remedy and mine is to slam down the laptop and do something else he he he.

      SEO is needed, but why re-invent the wheel when there is plugins and softwares for us to do it. I’m not bashing SEO lovers, but It is just not for me.

      I never paid attention to SEO, but since I have plugged in Yoast, I call it my green light thing in the back of my blog…. it is all I need here for this blog.

      You know me by now and I like to take a subject and make it simple so that people can pick up a thing or two and use it.

      For my other blog which is not relying too much on engagement the software is a must have for me. When I found it I just had to share it.

      Thanks again for putting some life into this blog post.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  15. Muhammad Ahmad
    Twitter:
    April 7, 2016 at 11:32 pm #

    Hi Donna Ma’am,
    An informative post, it is!
    Thanks for gathering all the essential parts of SEO in it 🙂
    It looks like you did a lot of research on it.
    Thanks for sharing!
    ~ Ahmad
    P.S. I just updated the look of my blog TutorialsFist[dot]com, please do have a look and share a short feedback with me 🙂
    I’ll be waiting.
    Muhammad Ahmad recently posted..5 Best WordPress Portfolio Plugins 2016My Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 8, 2016 at 1:42 pm #

      Hi Ahmad,

      Actually I didn’t do much research at all. It is all part of being a blogger for a long time lol. I use my own analytics in order to see what works and what doesn’t. Not an SEO expert but know many who are and read their blogs all the time. So I picked up some knowledge from my blogging buddies.

      Because I’m not much of an SEO person, I use the Yoast plugin on my blog and when the green light goes on I’m good to go.

      Because I’m building an e-com site and some of my clients have e-com websites, I did have to do a little digging. When Nimbus came to my attention and I looked into it I knew it would be a great time saver. And time is money. lol.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  16. Joy Healey
    Twitter:
    April 7, 2016 at 8:47 pm #

    Hi Donna

    Ineresting post, thanks – and a great demonstration of that SEO tool in the video. I wish I had had that some years ago when I had my other blogs 🙂

    Like you and many of your readers here I rely on the little green traffic light from the Yoast plugin for this blog 🙂 Other than that I don’t think much about SEO because it seems such a mountain to climb!

    However you have reminded me that I bought another tool some time ago that I should start using again!

    I’ll look forward to hearing how Nimbus helps with your other site. Good luck with it 🙂

    Joy – Blogging After Dark
    Joy Healey recently posted..Premier Cashback Ruby QualificationMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 8, 2016 at 1:28 pm #

      Hi Joy,

      Yes, the green light has it! Yoast seems to be the winner here for many of us. Glad I reminded you of a tool you purchased in the past. We need to use these things lol.

      I too wish I had Nimbus in the past. This blog could have skyrocketed so much sooner. But, I’m not in a rush and it has been good to me – I’m grateful for that.

      On my other site…which I am presently building Nimbus is a good fit because it is a highly competitive e-com site. Being around for such a long time, I know the ins and outs of things. Doing a bit if e-com added to my repertoire can be such a fun thing to do. But I don’t want to waste time researching so I’m relying on this software.

      Thanks so much,

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  17. Rachel Lavern
    Twitter:
    April 7, 2016 at 4:32 pm #

    Hi Donna,

    Thanks for this very informative post. Like you, I never claimed to be an expert in SEO but I did know the basics…back then. I think that I gave up on keeping up with the constantly changing SEO, so I began spending a lot less time on keywords and more time making sure that my blog maintained a consistent tone.

    Oh yes, I also look for the green light on the Yoast plugin 🙂
    Rachel Lavern recently posted..Your Inner Wisdom vs Your Inner CriticMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 8, 2016 at 1:17 pm #

      Hi Rachel,

      SEO used to drive me crazy. Anytime I ever read SEO topics my mind would wander out the window.

      But…it is needed and yes…when that green light goes on we are good to go.

      It has come up with my clients so many times, I had to break it down so they too wouldn’t go into panic mode or feeling guilty they weren’t paying attention.

      Clients that do have e-com sites do need to focus more on SEO because the blogs/websites are not as interactive like this one.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  18. Sonal Talwar
    Twitter:
    April 7, 2016 at 6:04 am #

    Hi Donna

    A very informative post!

    It tells us all we need to know about SEO

    After reading the post, I think I need to work a lot on my SEO.

    Thanks for sharing!
    Sonal Talwar recently posted..Govt’s gift to its people to Control DiabetesMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 7, 2016 at 11:12 am #

      Hi Sonal,

      I usually don’t work much on SEO myself, but use the plugin Yoast to make sure things are properly set. It is not the best way to do SEO, but enough for this blog.

      If you have a WordPress site, the plugin works so well.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  19. Timothy Gagnon April 6, 2016 at 1:47 pm #

    Hey,

    Awesome article! It really breaks down the basics of SEO into bite-sized chunks for us to understand. I have been studying SEO for awhile but, as some other people mentioned, my eyes glaze over when I see complicated terms and charts.

    I think I understand the basics now but I still need to figure out how to find good keywords. I usually start writing about whatever is on my mind and like randomly target keywords… something tells me that’s not the best strategy to use though, ha.

    Do you recommend any keyword tools? How do you find keywords?

    Thanks for sharing!

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 7, 2016 at 11:11 am #

      Hi Timothy,

      Welcome to my blog. I do try to break everything down into bite size pieces when I write so readers can easily understand the message. Guess it’s because I too get glazed eyes when I read something complicated with charts and percentages lol.

      When it comes to a keyword search, I don’t use them much myself, but here are a few places. There are so many out there that are paid versions too.

      Google AdWords Keyword Planner Tool
      Google Trends
      Moz.com

      I’m currently using a higher price keyword finder because it not only finds keywords, but does so much more. Yes, it is pricey but I do want to get my other sites noticed quickly.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  20. Donna Merrill
    Twitter:
    April 6, 2016 at 12:15 pm #

    Hi James,

    No…SEO is not the end all. But it is important to sprinkle in some of it this way it is all congruent to the message.

    I myself was never a fan and never used it. I like targeted traffic myself and plenty of conversation in the comment section.

    When it comes to other things that go along with SEO, like finding out keyword research to see what “competitors” are doing with an e-com site and things like that, I do like this software. I wanted to share it with folks who are looking for that type of thing.

    -Donna
    Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  21. James McAllister
    Twitter:
    April 6, 2016 at 1:10 am #

    Hi Donna!

    My first few blogs relied almost solely on SEO traffic. It wasn’t my intention, but they weren’t really in competitive markets so it wasn’t long before more than 95%+ of my traffic was coming from search engines.

    When I entered into the MMO market that number just about flipped and it took forever to get anywhere with search engines. I got really good at working with the alternatives you’ve mentioned here to get by. For a long time I didn’t focus really on SEO, and I still don’t all that much – I keep it in mind, but don’t switch a whole lot in attempt to pull organic traffic. Although I do realize its power and the massive numbers it can bring.

    So I do think this is an important article for people to read but I’ll never consider SEO to be the ‘end all be all’ simply for the fact that it’s not 100% controllable. I’m sure you agree!
    James McAllister recently posted..Turn Every Email Subscriber Into A Buyer With One ChangeMy Profile

  22. Lea Bullen
    Twitter:
    April 5, 2016 at 8:46 pm #

    Hi Donna,

    I remember when I just started out. I thought any kind of traffic was ideal. I just wanted people to look at my site. But over time I realized that targeted traffic is much better, even if it’s less. I do a combo of the items you mentioned, adding them on piece by piece.

    Love your One on One banner in the post. It looks great!

    ~Lea
    Lea Bullen recently posted..Who’s Life Are You Living?My Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 6, 2016 at 12:11 pm #

      Hi Lea,

      I too remember those days lol. We used to get so excited if someone came to us and commented. If they shared it…it was a great day. We have come such a long way!

      Doing a combo will do the trick!

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  23. Don Purdum
    Twitter:
    April 5, 2016 at 5:47 pm #

    Hi Donna,

    When I first started Unveil the Web (UTW) I chose not to focus on SEO at all and instead to focus on the basics of networking.

    As my message solidified guess what happened to my search rankings?

    Yep, every month since August 2014 I saw more and more traffic coming from Google.

    As you know, I keep up with the advancements of artificial intelligence and Google recently informed us of RankBrain, their AI.

    While Google is not 100% AI, it will be in the very near future. Already, we’re seeing that the AI understands our message and meaning just as much as it does keywords. I’m certain in my studies that in the near future the things that are considered basic SEO will not matter.

    The AI will fully understand our messages and their relevance to any given search query, and searcher based on their search history and lots of other factors.

    As a result, SEO is already predicted by many to not even be something that we can manipulate in our websites.

    That’s all the more reason in the age of content shock (as Mark Schaefer put’s it) where more content is generated now in one day than in all of human history up to 2014, we must be vigilant to create relevant and compelling messages in one piece of content, for one person, who has one problem/need/desire.

    Hyper specificity is our friend moving forward.

    Thanks for the reminders Donna, I’m suggesting we minimize whatsoever anything you wrote. In fact, I use Yoast as well and it’s a great tool that has helped me immensely.

    But, as in all things technology, if we aren’t aware of what is coming we’ll all be ill-equipped when it gets here.

    Have an awesome evening and week Donna!!!!!

    ~ Don Purdum
    Don Purdum recently posted..How to Stop Looking Successful and Become Successful!My Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 6, 2016 at 11:07 am #

      Hi Don,

      Thanks so much for adding value to this discussion. I too was never a fan of SEO. Maybe it is because when I first came online everything was keyword stuffed and many things I tried to read didn’t make sense at all. It created an aversion to anything SEO related.

      So I wrote and wrote and engaged with others. I found myself on the first page of Google many times. One article I have written in the past was on that first page for 2 years – I had to close the comments because after 300, I just couldn’t keep up. Sounds crazy? Yes…at that time I didn’t have the knowledge how to monetize. I was just engaging banging my head against the wall. But a good lesson learned.

      I often said I’m my own Google! But hey, I got over it and used Yoast that was sitting unplugged in my back office. The green light goes on and I feel confident.

      I am so glad Google has changed and will be getting better at reading content.

      When it comes to e-com sites that just sell, software is a must to get started quickly. Some of my e-com buddies have passed this software on to me and it is a time saver. When running a few websites, I needed this one. Not for this blog but for others.

      Thanks again for your awesome input,

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  24. Brenda Pace
    Twitter:
    April 5, 2016 at 5:17 pm #

    Let me tell you, Donna, I rank SEO right up there with the Google Penguin. Bleh! haha

    I know it’s important to use SEO, however, how did those people manage before SEO even came into the picture? I’m very curious.

    You’ve laid the basics out pretty good. Yoast recently published YouTube tutorials to help those who use it, learn how to set up each individual tab. Very helpful I believe, because I think the Yoast plugin can be a bit much for those new to SEO.

    Thank you for sharing these tips! Happy Tuesday!

    Bren
    Brenda Pace recently posted..Client Appreciation is Important to MeMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 6, 2016 at 10:30 am #

      Hi Bren,

      I used to turn my nose up at SEO. I said I’m my own Google. But then I got Yoast and it was so easy to do. I seen my readership and optins increase.

      Now with this new software I’m sharing …which is not for everyone…I can get my e-com sites out there more swiftly.

      As to how SEO ever came into the picture? Your guess is as good as mine lol.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  25. Marquita Herald
    Twitter:
    April 5, 2016 at 4:32 pm #

    Thanks for the great review and tips Donna! I confess, for a long time I completely ignored SEO – snubbed it actually – because as a ‘writer’ I refused to create for the Google gods. Well, the more experience I got under my belt the less full of myself I became and finally started learning – and you are so right about the time factor – but once I got a system going it really wasn’t bad at all.

    But here’s what I discovered, it is SO worth the investment! My first priority is still my reader, but I use Yoast’s awesome plugin to help me optimize posts, and now I optimize every single image I use. The bottom line is I consistently find my posts on the first page when I search my keywords and that has definitely made it worth the effort.
    Marquita Herald recently posted..Has Stress Become a Way of Life?My Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 6, 2016 at 10:17 am #

      Hi Marquita,

      i was an SEO snob too! I write for my readers so who the heck needs to waste time on SEO. Then came Yoast and I seen the effect it had on my blog. At first I struggled, but when I got that first green light I jumped for joy that I learned something new lol.

      Now I have to get more serious about SEO because of my other sites which are e-commerce. I have to get ahead of “competition” So I found this cool software and just had to share it in case any of my buddies here is in the same boat as I am.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  26. Corina Ramos
    Twitter:
    April 5, 2016 at 2:28 pm #

    Great information you shared here Donna.

    I remember when people were buying backlinks…it sounded just as bad as buying twitter followers.

    I love SEO by Yoast. It easily let’s me know what I’m missing in my blog post to get the green light. At first, I wasn’t too sure about SEO but the more I read about it the better understanding I have and the importance of it. I also incorporate some of the other alternatives you shared like interacting with other bloggers in my niche and including their links in my post as well as in my newsletter.

    While I was reading your post I hopped over to Google and did a search for work-from-home. I popped up on the first page but it was because of a post I shared, not my blog…still my mug was on there. 🙂

    That tells me I have work to do to improve it.

    Thanks for telling us about the SEO Management software. I hadn’t heard of it before and will check it out as soon as I post this comment. 🙂

    Like you said, I might not purchase the software but I am curious as to what they have to share about SEO.

    Thanks for always providing valuable advice!

    I hope you’re having a great day!

    Cori
    Corina Ramos recently posted..Blogging: The Good, The Bad and The UglyMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 6, 2016 at 10:06 am #

      Hi Cori,

      I love that green light too by Yoast. It is the only time I ever paid attention to SEO he he he. I am too lazy to do keyword searches, competition searches and all of that other stuff one needs to do if they are trying to rank.

      Rather, I depend on writing something that can be of value to my readers. And reading other blogs and commenting. That’s how you seen yourself on Google lol. It is natural and organic traffic via our blogs and social media that brings attention to us.

      But when it comes to monetizing, marketing there is a whole lot more one needs to do. I have a few sites other than this one that are e-com niche specific ones. My latest I’m building as I write. This is why I just had to purchase this plug in so I can get some juice to it quickly.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  27. Sherman Smith April 5, 2016 at 1:07 pm #

    Hey Donna,

    That word “Time” can be a killer for a lot of bloggers.

    This is why SEO can be one strategy we can implement so that we can focus on other things.

    SEO is great to get that organic traffic to come visit our blogs or even subscribe to our blogs. It may be cold traffic at first, but if they really like your content they can easily become loyal followers.

    Besides that, with SEO you can attract customers that already know what you want. On top that f if you have social proof and your target market actually see’s you in different places, this will help to build trust among them, and the likelihood of your sales conversions will go up.

    I don’t know use SEO on all of my posts. Lately I implement it on posts where I’m either promoting a product/service or if I really want to increase my subscribers using content upgrades. Besides that I’m more focused on improving my content and paying more attention to my audience using comments and analytic tools.

    Thanks for sharing Donna! Have a great week!
    Sherman Smith recently posted..Diversify Your Shares With The Social Warfare WordPress PluginMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 6, 2016 at 10:01 am #

      Hi Sherman,

      Time is a huge issue for me. This is why I rather have a good plugin to do that work for me.

      I too like to write content for my readers. Especially trying to simplify things for others. There is so much out there especially for newcomers to this wacky internet world of ours, that can cause confusion.

      I like to take one thing at a time and make it simple for people to understand. This way they can take something and use it for themselves.

      Indeed SEO can attract customers we want and if we have social proof, it sure does build the trust factor.

      I’ve always relied on comments…now called backlinks lol. So far it has served me well. But for my other sites I do need a plugin that does all the work for me.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  28. Robin Khokhar
    Twitter:
    April 5, 2016 at 11:23 am #

    Hi Donna,
    It was a complete post about SEO. Containing all the basic about On-page and Off-page SEO. And in the end, the alternates of SEO. Enjoyed reading the post.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Robin Khokhar recently posted..Quick On-page SEO techniques which you must be knowingMy Profile

  29. Mandy Allen
    Twitter:
    April 5, 2016 at 9:17 am #

    Building a following is my preferred way, as you mention this. I am a complete novice when it comes to keywords, SEO, ranking etc. I have done what I do for 6 years plus now and siply never got the hang of those things. I have had others take a look before and make recommendations but to be honest I just want to write, have a bunch of people read it and enjoy it and then write some more. I guess if you are wanting a paying business from your online writing then it is much more important, but for me it is the quality of the visitors that is important.

    Enjoy the journey!

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 6, 2016 at 9:48 am #

      Hi Mandy,

      I never go the hang of SEO myself Mandy. Just used my Yoast plugin and when the green light went on I knew I was OK. Just a matter of writing from the heart and making sure the image, title and first paragraph was all cohesive.

      But…for people who want to monetize, especially for e-com sites, this is a handy way to do it saving time.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  30. Dana
    Twitter:
    April 4, 2016 at 8:40 pm #

    Hi Donna,

    Timely post for me.

    I’ve spent time focusing on my content, message and connections, but I haven’t put a lot into SEO.

    I do use the Yoast plugin, but in all honesty, that’s about it.

    I’ve spent more time developing relationships. I’ve personally felt better doing business this way because of the trust factor. Plus, I’d rather support someone I know than someone I don’t.

    But I know that SEO is important.

    You had written a post a while back about using your blog as your business card. That hit home for me, so that’s the direction I’ve gone in.

    I’ve also put more time into Instagram lately. There’s a lot to learn with all of this, but I’m cool with it 🙂

    This is quite helpful though and I’ll keep it pinned for reference.

    Thanks for putting this together.
    Dana recently posted..Food Hacks to Make Healthy Living Fun (Plus a Review for Correxiko Products)My Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 6, 2016 at 8:54 am #

      Hi Dana,

      Yep, I rely on Yoast and that it for me when it comes to SEO for this blog. I too rely on relationships. But for a new e-com site, I needed this plugin. I know the price is low for now but is going up very quickly.

      I just wanted people to know about this new plugin because it does all the research and brings up competitors in a specific niche. I have zero time to do that one lol.

      -Donna

      P.S. Enjoy Instagam…
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  31. Mark
    Twitter:
    April 4, 2016 at 5:17 pm #

    I absolutely love it when an expert can make it plain Donna!LOL!

    And your excellent does just that. And you offer two
    viable alternatives, just in in case there are some DIY’s
    in the house!

    And this latest piece of software looks like it may be the way to go!

    Because, there is no way I’m going to waste my limited time trying to go head
    head to head with the men & women that earn they keep providing SEO
    services!LOL!

    I prefer to let the software do the extremely heavy lifting!Thanks for pointing
    us in the right direction & demystifying it!
    Mark recently posted..When And How It Makes Perfect Sense For Small Business Owners To Work With National Companies!My Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 6, 2016 at 8:51 am #

      Hi Mark,

      Because I am not a pro at SEO, I don’t think I ever wrote about it before. I know how to DIY, and it works nicely, but I don’t do the research and all the other “stuff” one needs to get it to work.

      I know there are so many people out there that will SEO content for you before publishing, but it just doesn’t work anymore.

      I like using my Yoast plugin – get the green light and I’m good to go. But this other one is great because it does so much research. I think the cost goes up very high by the end of this wee or so. This is why I wanted to pass it along to others that are like me, and may be interested in it.

      I especially need it for the e-com sites. There is no action there yet lol.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  32. Mi Muba
    Twitter:
    April 4, 2016 at 3:01 pm #

    Hi Donna

    Very informative post and you have summed up about SEO in a very comprehensive manner. That shows your vast knowledge on this topic.

    I recently updated one of my posts on SEO and while updating it I was so surprised how things are changing fast in every aspect of SEO be it social media sharing, organic optimization, guest posting or content diversification.

    I once heard somewhere that online world is a little challenging than the off-line world because here we need to keep happy both search engines and people while in off-line we simply have to serve people only.

    Conveying our message with the best medium to most accurate target of our audience is the biggest task in online success and for this purpose we have to avail every option be it SEO or SMO to expand our outreach and bring most relevant people on our blog.

    Many thanks for sharing this complete guide on fully optimizing our contents.

    Have a great week ahead.
    Mi Muba recently posted..How to turn your flop product into a best seller?My Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 5, 2016 at 12:22 am #

      Hi Mi Muba,

      Many people have been asking me about SEO lately. It is quite confusing when trying to add a bit of it and not overdo it

      Backlinks, others sharing, time spent and so much more goes into our ranking. A bit of SEO is still needed. But there has to be a balance.

      I do like what you mentioned that we have to please people and search engines lol. So true!

      On this blog, I don’t have to crawl up the ladder because it is optimized quite well. However, on my other sites such as e-Com, it does require more research of my “competitors” to get some attention to it. This is time consuming and more work that I don’t like to do. It is why I found this product to help me out. I had to pass along the information because it is a good deal for now…..the price will go up very fast and would be unaffordable.

      So for people like me, I think it would be a good fit.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  33. Ryan Biddulph
    Twitter:
    April 4, 2016 at 2:06 pm #

    Super breakdown Donna.

    You know why? Because you hit on basics without going all SEO-speak on us LOL.

    I zone out when reading heavy SEO jargon and also, the thick tech stuff beyond a few tags and bolding text and the like. You did a fine job stressing the basics for the basics are all we need to do A-OK in this game. Any thing more and, if you care not for SEO, you’ll find yourself trying to game the system, which is a big time boo boo. Not me. Anymore, at least.

    I focus on some guest blogging and more blog commenting these days with a dash of social to get solid backlinks. I also write naturally as best I can because Google is bigger on natural, free flowing writing these days. No sense cheezing off the Big G.

    Thanks Donna for the smart post.

    Ryan
    Ryan Biddulph recently posted..3 Things Molly the Wonder Kitten Taught Me about BloggingMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 4, 2016 at 2:39 pm #

      Hi Ryan,

      I zone out too. Especially in the old days where everything was so SEO rich in content. What content? I couldn’t ever figure out what the hell people were writing back in the day.

      But a dash of SEO IS important.

      But what if someone has a website that is an e-com with no backlinks, no rapport? Many of us do have ’em and do have to rely on SEO. For me, it would take too much of my time and my brain cannot work that way. This is why I found this little goodie to be that part of my brain and save time so I can continue to produce what I love doing.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..7 Ways You Can Market OnlineMy Profile

  34. Chery Schmidt
    Twitter:
    April 4, 2016 at 12:43 pm #

    Hello and Happy Monday Donna! Just as Peter has share above I to need to do some more work on My Search Engine Traffic! SEO has never been a top priority for me even though I do know the importance of it all!

    I did purchase the SEOPressor plug-in a few years back and of course count on this to help me get the most important things done such as keywords as META keyword tags and such.

    Once again your post was very helpful.
    Thanks Girlfriend and do have an amazing new month/week ahead..
    Chery :))

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 4, 2016 at 1:29 pm #

      Hi Chery,

      I too had to pay more attention to SEO, especially those Google searches that I want to compete with. On this blog I do fine because of all the action of back links, social sharing and so on. I do have a plugin that gives me the green light when the SEO is good enough.

      But, I need more information especially on my e-Com site. Its going up this week and I don’t want to wast time. I was going to hire someone to pump it up but then I cam across this plugin. Woo Hoo

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  35. Nirmala April 4, 2016 at 12:09 pm #

    Hi Donna,

    I’m visiting your blog after a long gap and it is due to my time constraints.

    You have crafted a nice post and its Title nudged me here.

    SEO strategies have a changed a lot. We need to work in a smart way, keyword stuffing kind of SEO has dead.

    Getting reliable backlinks is most important and yes, both on-page & off-page SEO matters a lot.

    Your “SEO alternative” section is useful. It would be good to learn the traffic driving methods other than Google & other search engines.

    Thanks for the nice write-up, have a great week ahead.
    Nirmala recently posted..A Complete WordPress SEO Guide For High RankingsMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 5, 2016 at 12:24 pm #

      Hi Nirmala,

      I am so honored you have visited me and liked this post. I know you are a master when it comes to SEO.

      Yes, the strategies have changed so much and thank goodness the keyword stuffing is dead.

      Backlinks are important these days.

      Research is also important if one wants to rank, but it takes so much time. This is why I like a good plugin that does all that for me.

      Enjoy your week,

      -Donna

  36. Atish Ranjan
    Twitter:
    April 4, 2016 at 6:03 am #

    Hello Donna,

    Always good to read about SEO. SEO is necessary for almost all types of websites. Early days’ SEO has been changed completely, and now we need to focus more on the on-page stuff. Once, your site is well optimized, then go ahead, and build some quality backlinks in a natural manner.

    Site’s loading speed is now crucial in SEO, thus choosing a good web hosting, and fast loading theme is also important.

    Glad to see you writing about SEO. Keep it up.
    Atish Ranjan recently posted..Top 6 Cool Lock Screens for AndroidMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 4, 2016 at 12:39 pm #

      Hi Atish,

      I know how much you love SEO, and how much I’ve learned about it from you in the past lol. Back in the old days it was so important, but things have changed.

      Naturally we do need a bit of SEO, but must consider back links, and fast loading especially – Thanks for mentioning that.

      On this blog I do fine with all that, but when it comes to my E-Com site, it is a different story. It does need more SEO searching my competition on a specific product. I cannot rely on backlinks and social sites as I do here. It’s a whole different strategy and I’m loving it.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  37. Peter Beckenham
    Twitter:
    April 4, 2016 at 4:56 am #

    Hi Donna,

    SEO has always been a bit of a mystery bag to me so your post today was a perfect solution for me …at long last.

    Search engine traffic is definitely something I need to do some more work on.

    Up until now I have relied on some simple plugins to help me especially with on page SEO.

    However, when I thought about page ranking and backlinking I realized I needed to do something extra.

    So I have already used your SEO Master Software link and registered with Nimbus.

    One very key issue you made that really hit home with me Donna is that I can continue to attract targeted traffic to my blog with my social media nad blog commenting activities….but as you said it does take lots of time.

    So for more targeted traffic purpses alone I will definitely look into that software option.

    However, as far as blog commenting is concerned, its something I never want to stop doing.

    I actually enjoy contributing what ever value I can to the posts of selected people in my niche.

    It’s got nothing to do with traffic and everything to do with constantly learning and building lasting relationships – things that SEO cannot possibly do for me!

    Many thanks for again Donna sharing your expertise so simply and so easy to understand.

    Awesome!

    Best wishes from the remote Thai village marketer

    Peter
    Peter Beckenham recently posted..Get Started Online the Smart WayMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 4, 2016 at 12:45 pm #

      Hi Peter,

      SEO has been a great mystery for me too he he he. I never liked researching all that stuff. Just wrote what I wanted, relied on commenting and back links and social sites. Google+ has been kind to me.

      I have sprinkled SEO by my Yoast plugin, but that’s about it.

      When it comes to my other sites, there is not much action to be taken except to purchase something. So I found that Nimbus was a perfect fit. It is a real time saver for me and that is worth it because for me time is money lol.

      Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week,

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  38. Harleena Singh
    Twitter:
    April 4, 2016 at 2:55 am #

    Hi Donna,

    Informative post indeed 🙂

    Oh yes! We cannot get the real traffic without SEO, and we all need to do the very basics, as you mentioned so well in this post. However, as Akaahan mentioned above, it’s more about pleasing your readers than the good old SEO placement of keywords we used to do earlier.

    Google keeps changing, and we need to change with it as well. I think what works best is to be very natural in your content, though cleverly incorporate the keywords, and never overdo them. Instead, try variations all through your content, that works better.

    On the other hand, I’ve some posts that rank on the first, second pages of Google, with no SEO!! So, some things work, and some don’t – and yes, we need to try and test what works best for us. I can say this as I use no software nor tool, have never done so to date, and it seems to be going well. More so, there are SO many of them in the market, you really don’t know which one will really work – nothing like Google’s Keyword Tool. It’s the content that you write that matters, and of course, the basic keyword research we all have to do, for those who seek those words in Google, isn’t it?

    Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead, and we meet now once I’m back after my little Spring Break with some goodies! 😉
    Harleena Singh recently posted..How To Achieve Self-Mastery By Leveraging Your MindMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 4, 2016 at 12:34 pm #

      Hi Harleena,

      I love Akaahan’s comment on this because he is an SEO expert. As you know from reading my posts and comments on other blogs we both visit, I’m not an SEO person per se. However I know we need to sprinkle in some keywords in our title, content and image. If it is all congruent, great!

      SEO has always puzzled me since years ago when it was saturated and I’m so glad the algorithms have changed because I could never get through a blog that was saturated with SEO.

      However, if one is doing an e-Commerce site, there won’t be the usual backlinks we, as bloggers receive. It isn’t that social, so some savvy SEO is needed. Also a strong title that beats the competition is also a factor.

      I have 4 sites and when it comes to my e-Com one, I do need something to help me with. I would hire someone, but it is too costly, so I found this little helper. It does so much from crafting a post on a product and so much more.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

  39. Akaahan Terungwa
    Twitter:
    April 4, 2016 at 1:36 am #

    Hi Donna,

    I love SEO – and have written an entire book on it – ‘SEO 101: Search Engine Optimization For WordPress Beginners’ (available on Amazon). Accordingly, this is one topic I am truly an authority on.

    To begin with, the best SEO strategy that has always worked for me is to COMPLETELY FORGET ABOUT SEO! Accordingly, I have since uninstalled the Yoast SEO (and other related) plugins/softwares.

    Now, that’s strange…how on earth do you advocate that your students and readers forget about SEO when they’re intent on ranking?

    It’s simple – and the reason is rather obvious: Google and the plethora of search engines have moved from ‘technical SEO’ to ‘the art and science of pleasing readers’. Accordingly, time on page, bounce rate, social shares etc. all contribute in a huge way to get one up the SERPs…if you neglect them, your site is already dead meat!

    Does that mean that we should all forget about keywords, authority or trust?

    The answer is no…but by all means, the days of placing premium on them (and succeeding) are clearly over. For good.

    That’s my style, Donna. That’s what works for me and that is what I teach.

    Do make the day great!

    Always,
    Akaahan Terungwa
    Akaahan Terungwa recently posted..White Hat SEO Techniques To Drive Huge Organic Traffic To Your Blog/Website FASTMy Profile

    • Donna Merrill
      Twitter:
      April 4, 2016 at 12:27 pm #

      Hi Akaahan,

      Excellent points you’ve made here.

      I really like the “Forget about SEO” approach because that’s always been my favorite tactic, too.

      Forget the technical aspects and FOCUS on delivering high quality information and content that real reader want to read. The time on page, bounce rate etc stats will tell Search Engines if people are really digging your content.

      If they are… you just leap-frogged over hundreds of technically sound SEO’d sites because they’re not resonating with their folks.

      That’s why social media is so important, blog comments etc.

      BUT… as you also point out “forget about SEO” doesn’t mean to TOTALLY forget about it. The keywords, tags, backlinks especially… all that is still very important and you really should not forget about it altogether, just make it your secondary consideration, not your primary one.

      But, sure, do your SEO. It’s important.

      But #1 is to reach people who want to read your stuff and give them a great experience.

      -Donna
      Donna Merrill recently posted..Build Momentum And Ride The WaveMy Profile

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