Search Engine OptimizationDelta Goodrem and SEO don’t have much to do with each other – unless you can be creative and link the two to a topic for your website or blog. Waaaaay back in 2007, I attended a workshop about starting your online business and one of the sessions was how to get your site listing well.  In this session, we were told that if you could tie your topic to a current trending news topic, it was a great way to get traffic….

Whilst I’ve seen the technique used over the past years – I’ve even used it myself on a few occasions, I saw it used really well this week with the furore over Delta Goodrem engaging with a group who dressed up as The Voice judges.  Now ….. I’m not going to make any comment on that – but I am going to talk about how savvy site owners can use a news wave to drive traffic.

During the week, I came across a fairly large blog / news site and saw an article that was a comment on the Delta furore. Not so uncommon, but what caught my attention was the fact that they had started the article using  a search phrase that many would be targetting… in this case “Delta  Goodrem racist” …. in the first paragraph of the post.   It’s an effective technique and has resulted in the site ranking incredibly well for the search term.

The art of Search Engine Optimization is to target the terms, or phrases, that a person will enter into the Search Engine to find a solution to their problem.  By being creative, you can certainly benefit from current events to drive traffic to your site.

What thought do you give the terms you target when you write a blog post?  Do you give it any thought at all, or do you just write?  I know that writing content can be challenging (or time consuming) and that the thought of picking which words to target may leave you cold, but if the result is an improvement in your search engine rankings, don’t you think it’s worth the effort?  If you can then piggy back on a wave of ‘current news’ to raise your traffic and rankings, all the better.

Whilst using a current event is a good idea, you do need to take care that your content is relevant to the title and description that is found by the Search Engines.  It’s no use targeting a current event and talking about something completely different (and you may be penalised for it).  If you can make it relevant, then use it and use it effectively.

The Art of Search Engine Optimization

Here are a few ways you can use current events on your blog.

SEO Tip 1: Create a discussion about the topic 

Quote a snippet from another site – make sure you attribute it – and discuss the topic.  Provide your opinion / thoughts and ask your readership for their thoughts. Be prepared for the trolls though – remember everyone has an opinion.

SEO Tip 2: Scam Alerts

I’ve used this method quite successfully when the messages about Facebook becoming chargeable etc abound.  Being timely is the key here – a day could make all the difference to the traffic.  If you know there is an email or social media status doing the rounds in your niche and that it’s a load of rubbish- share it on your blog.

SEO Tip 4: Features Updates

Do you blog about different products?  If a new feature is about to be released, or has just been released – blog about it. Let people know what it is, why it’s good, how it will help (or not, as the case may be).  Some examples of what may work well:

  • iOS / Android updates on your phone. What was your experience?  Did it bork your phone, change the layout, did you love it?  Why is this of interest to your readership?
  • Plugin / Software updates – not just limited to tech bloggers.  If a piece of software in your niche is updating, what does it give to the users?  What does it add, what’s lost?

SEO Tip 5: Celebrity Power (Delta Goodrem and SEO)

Has a celebrity been seen in the news wearing something you blog about, commenting on the latest movie, using an app… anything that you can spin to match your niche, topics and products?  Write about it and use their name – but be sure the content is relevant to your niche.  This can work particularly well for Fashion, Wellness, Weight Loss and Fitness bloggers. For tech bloggers, keep an eye out for what the celebs are using and share it – tell people why it’s awesome or why it’s not.

This was exactly the technique I saw used this week – never underestimate the power of celebrity!

SEO Tools you can use

There are a heap of tools that are available and ‘sold’ as the next best thing since sliced bread to help you optimize your posts for the Search Engines.  Most are pretty good and to a large degree, whether you choose to use a tool and which one you choose becomes personal preference.

In selecting your keywords, targeting the phrases that are used on social media updates is a good idea.  I also use the Google Adwords Keyword Tool for a double check.  The idea here is to find the words that people are entering in to the search engines – not what you think they are entering.

Other tools that I really like and give me a great result include WordPress SEO by Yoast (the analysis and immediate feedback on the amount of on page optimisation is awesome) and SEOPressor (in addition to WordPress SEO).  Whilst I spend a bit of time tweaking my posts to improve the analysis on both these tools, I don’t get so tied up in it I don’t post.  There is a distinct balance between getting a great score and getting the content out there – and you need to keep that top of mind whenever you post to your site.

Get Ranked - The Art of Search Engine Optimization

Still Confused about SEO and your blog?

Get Ranked: The Art Of Search Engine Optimization

If you’re interested in learning more about how you can optimize your website for Search Engines, check out my Kindle book – Get Ranked The Art of Search Engine Optimization.

About the Author Charly Dwyer

Charly has more than 30 years experience in the IT industry ranging from hands-on technical, to high-level business management, Charly has installed and configured computing equipment and has managed business contracts in excess of $25 million dollars.

As a result, Charly identifies the best way to integrate solutions and technologies for the most cost effective way to achieve a businesses outcome.

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