Comments on: Are You Ready to Get Serious with Your Blog for 2009? Learn WordPress SEO

By: Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

Michael Martine, Blog Consultant — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 03:01:51 +0000

@Randy – whenever you hear the worlds “built-in SEO” just run the other way. It’s B.S. All that means is that the capability to add certain information exists, such as a meta description. It does not magically convey upon the blogger the knowledge about how these features should be used. WordPress is no more superior to TypePad in this regard. SEO exists between the blogger’s ears, not in the blogging software.

Having said that, WordPress is still superior for the sheer magnitude of customization options that exist.

By: Randy

Randy — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:47:22 +0000

This is a question about WordPress and SEO in general. I am just starting to set up a WordPress blog but then a webmaster I am dealing with tells me that TYPEPAD is much superior over WordPress for SEO. He says that the SEO is already built into the system with TypePad. It’s hard for me to believe that WordPress would have an inherent SEO weakness. Could you comment?

By: Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

Michael Martine, Blog Consultant — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 03:13:07 +0000

@Bill – You’re correct, but only up to a point. “SEO is good content” is a pithy saying, but it doesn’t explain anything or help anyone. What’s good content? The answer might be: whatever your audience wants. So then the question is: what does your audience want? The answer to that suddenly starts looking an awful lot like keyword research and other SEO activities.

Basic marketing/business is to find a need and meet that need in exchange for money at a profit. People literally search for what they need online: they go to the Google box and type in some words. So, if those words weren’t consciously woven into your blog content, then your post doesn’t show up in a search. If people can’t find your site, you basically don’t exist online.

So… yes, good content is the best SEO, but it would be more accurate to say that good SEO is good content.

SEO is no shortcut, my friend. It’s a fair bit of work. There’s a hell of a lot more than people realize that goes into “good content.” You can’t build a loyal user base if the users can’t even find you online.

Hope that helps explain the content/SEO relationship. They’re two sides of the same coin.

By: Bill M

Bill M — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 02:33:57 +0000

The best SEO is good content, its the best way to build your loyal user base and blog network. There is no short way.

By: Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

Michael Martine, Blog Consultant — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:09:06 +0000

@Derek – On the one hand, you’re right about all the normal ideas on how to run a great business are a part of blogging. On the other hand, most people actually don’t know what those ideas are, and those ideas have to manifest within the entirely new framework of the internet. So, that still makes it a little difficult for people.

I do have a list of the best SEO plugins for WordPress in SEO-Nomicon, so it’s deliberately not comprehensive. (In fact, I’m teaming up with WordPress SEO plugin master Joost de Valk on something special to coincide with SEO-Nomicon. Shhhh…)

By: Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

Michael Martine, Blog Consultant — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:00:48 +0000

@Reveal – Kindly observe my comment policy, thank you. Next time, your comment will be deleted.

Without seeing your admin backend or your membership area, it’s hard to say. The problem with anything bespoke is the maintenance and redesign costs. I don’t see anything off-hand that couldn’t be done with a WordPress-as-CMS situation. If you’re happy with the results, don’t worry for now, especially if you have in-house or readily available developers/designers.

By: MRHYPERPCS

MRHYPERPCS — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 23:01:17 +0000

I think this information will be an invaluable resource to anyone who expects to get the very best possible return on their investments. What I mean by this is simply that if your using WordPress as a blogging platform or CMS as a means to draw organic search result to your website and it’s content you need to know this information and encourage peoples efforts to provide it to you. Bravo!

By: revealrealestate

revealrealestate — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:38:21 +0000

Started a wordpress blog late 2006 – Then launched a website using bespoke CMS 2008 on same domain. Question: should we incorporate the blog into the website CMS moving away from wordpress or leave on worpress despite having full CMS on rest of site? (current situation: http://www.revealrealestate.com (main site) and http://www.revealrealestate.com/blog (wordpress)

By: Derek

Derek — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:29:58 +0000

Do you want to know whats funny Donny? There really isn’t that much to know about blogging. It is all normal ideas about how to run a great business. Yet, people still approach it the wrong way because they’re looking for an easy way out. They want to start a blog and find overnight success, which is ridiculous.

I just started in the business blog niche and I on average spend 4-6 hours per article. And you know what else? I spend even more time trying to build relationships outside of my genre. Unfortunately, people don’t want to hear this. They want to have the 4-hour work week.

@Michael You should consider creating a master list of wordpress seo plugins. I know there are a few out there but many of them are outdated.

By: Donny Gamble

Donny Gamble — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 06:21:56 +0000

I think 2009 will be a huge year for bloggers. I think many bloggers will be getting some world fame due to their success and knowledge of blogging