7 Warning Signs That Google Can’t Find You

By: | March 21, 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , |
Google Glasses Poster

Are your keywords optimized so Google and other search engines can find you?

If you are looking to build your readership, you want Google and other search engines to be able to find your blog.  If you check your stats, readers that find you through search engines are a source of your traffic.  They are a special source.  They are full of potentially new readers to your blog, and therefore, they are key to growing your readership.

It doesn’t have to be Google, mind you.  Even search engines that your blogging platform can’t recognize will show up in your stats as “unknown”.

Since search engines are looking for content, why not make yours easy to find for potentially new readers?

According to Blogging Wizard‘s Adam Connell, every half second a new blog is born.  However, there are many ways to optimize your blog to make it easy for search engines to find yours.  This is called search engine optimization, or SEO.

 1. Are You Filling in the Title Field Correctly?*

Screen shot seo

Filling in the Title Tag: Of all the descriptions of your image, this is the most important.  Many bloggers skip filling it in all together.  My advice is to fill it in and choose your words carefully.  What would readers search to find your content?  This should be your title.  Since my post is about how to optimize your post for search engines, I called my image’s title Search Engine Optimization.

According to Yaro Starak at Entrepreneurs-Journey.com, you will have concrete proof if your title improved your SEO rankings.  Don’t fill in the image title, and then find your blog post on Google.  See where you rank.  Then, edit the image and include a title.  Then, go back into Google, and see if your ranking improved.

Heads up–readers will be able to see your image title, so choose your words carefully.

 2. Are You Filling in the Alt Text Field Correctly?*

Looking at the screen shot, find “alt text”.  Clearly, this stands for “alternative text,” but many have no idea what this is.  The search engine doesn’t have eyes and can’t see your picture.  If you describe the picture in the “alt text” box, search engines will be able to “see” it and make sense of it.  I called mine “Google glasses poster” since that describes my image, and I was able to incorporate one of my key words, Google.

Alt. Text is especially useful if your image combines words with a picture.

Many skip the “alt text” box believing it’s not important.  If you want new readers to find you through search engines, it’s important you fill it in.  Don’t skip this important step.

 3. Do You Have Internal Links?

Several readers write and comment on my internal links.  There are several reasons internal links are important.  First of all, if the reader feels the post linked to gives supplemental information on the content of the post they are reading, and they click on it, you just received more traffic to an old post.  Even more important, internal links will move you up through the page rankings on search engines.

How to insert internal links is explained in my post  
The Complete Guide to Hyperlinks.  You need hyperlinks so you can have links going in and out of your site.  Both of these help your search engine rankings.

Did you see what I just did?  Within the context of my content, I just linked to another post within my blog.  This is called an internal link.  I used a keyword in the link as well.  We are trying to help search engines find your post.  Do not type “Click Here.”

Word of caution: Do not overuse your keywords.  Search engines may get wise to the fact that you are trying to attract new readers.  What if you are unable to follow these instructions?  Easy!  Look at the bottom of this post.  Have a Related Posts section.  WordPress provides this, but I don’t want to wonder what related articles they will offer, and I like the internal links.

4. Do You Have External Links?

Every 400 to 500 words, try and have an external link.  If you link just for

SEO Laptop

How to optimize your blog post for search engines.

the sake of being found in search engines, it will be obvious, and your content won’t make sense.  However, if there is an influencer who has offered content that supports yours, why not link to him or her?  It provides support for your content and will help your SEO ranking since you have an external link.  Also, won’t it be nice if they share the content they are mentioned in which would provide promotion for your post?

Did you notice my external link to Yaro Starak at Enterpreneurs-Journey.com?  Don’t overdue it.  More than two is considered overdoing it.

5. Does Your Blog Have Enough Substance?

If you should have an external link every 400 words, and two is considered an appropriate maximum, logically, your post should be 800 words long.  That is considered a minimum to be content-rich.  Many blogs that host guest authors require a minimum of an 800 word post, and many require 1000.

6. Are You Using Keywords?

Try and anticipate what readers would type into search engines.  These should be your keywords that you type into “tags”.  Try and put them into your title, preferably at the beginning.

Since I predict readers will type into a search bar, Google, I got it into my title and reasonably early.  Actually, no prediction is necessary.  My post 8 Easy Steps to Increasing Blog Traffic Using Google AdWords explains how to know what keywords people are typing into Google and how much competition for your readership there is.

7. Are Your Keywords Long Enough?

My post How to Grade Your Blog asks you to assess your blog according to certain criteria provided by Neil Patel at QuickSprout.com.  (Okay, if you are counting, I confess; this is my third external link.)

One of the criteria to effective keywords for Search Engine Optimization has to do with the length of your keywords.  The longer tags are called “keyword tails”.  It’s like they have tails on them due to their length.  This post has keywords ranging from one to four words.  I got the four-word tag from Google AdWords where I found the competition for that keyword tail was low.

Once you start implementing these techniques, they will become habit, and the new sources of traffic will flow.

*This information is for WordPress users.  If you are blogging on Blogger, you will find the instructions at http://kidbloggernetwork.com/2012/08/14/1349/.

Related posts:

How to Increase Your Blog Traffic Using Google Analytics

How to Get Noticed Online Without Looking Like a Spammer

Readers, if you found this post helpful, please share with others.

What experiences have you had with Search Engine Optimization?  Are there any tips you can pass on to my readers to enhance search engine’s ability to find your post?  I look forward to your views.

 

 

  1. john doe

    You are becoming a blogging guru where do you get the time to find all this wonderful information that you provide to us

    • Janice Wald

      Guru–LOL. I read when I can and where I can! Thanks for the compliment.
      Janice

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Katie!
      Thanks, as always, for your nice comments. They bring a smile to my face. The validation means a lot.
      Janice

  2. Paula Reed Nancarrow

    Janice: I was confused because the first two points are about maximizing the SEO value of the image you use with your post. When you say “title” at first, I assume it is the actual blog post title. (I see that you use the word “picture,” but I’m just not quite absorbing that on the first round.) When you start talking about Alt-text, then I’m fully on board with the fact that you’re talking about the image. But wait – the rest of the points are about the text! All in all, a very helpful post, but I need to be a bit more nimble as a reader to navigate your synaptic leaps. I’ll be back, though; you’re clearly reading a tremendous amount more than I have time for, and I appreciate your willingness to share with the rest of us.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Paula,
      I reread my first point after reading your comment. My screenshot shows the “title” of the image (Search Engine Optimization, which was not the name of my post), and I discussed the image’s “title” toward the end of point #1. Next time, I’ll use an arrow in my screenshot, which I have done before. I am sorry you were confused. Hopefully, you found the rest of the points valuable.
      I hope you know how highly I think of you. Thanks for saying you’ll return to my blog.
      Janice

  3. Rena McDaniel-Alz Caregiver

    Thank you for this wonderful information. I pinned this as well as shared. I had no idea about the Alt text box. I will definitely have to fix that.

    • Janice Wald

      You are so supportive Rena, both here and on Twitter. Thank you. Thank you for sharing as well. I will look you up on Pinterest.
      Janice

      • Janice Wald

        Hi,
        I followed you on Pinterest. Do you want to know what was strange, though? I never got a notification that you pinned my pin. I saw it on your board, so I know you did. But, I wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t told me. I get others’ notification that my pins get pinned. I wonder how many others I’m not getting. You’re active on Pinterest. Do you know a possible explanation? Thanks, Janice

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  5. clara

    Thanks – I am going to start incorporating all of these points (the ones that I don’t do already) and see how it goes! There is always so much to learn in the world of blogging…

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Clara,
      Thanks for writing me today. The more I write, the more of my own advice I seem to take. Writing it helps me remember it. Now, I am more routinely filling in the picture descriptions, using Google AdWords, and so on. Thanks for sharing that you found the advice valuable.
      Janice

  6. eatexerciseeat

    This is such a useful post and there is lots in here people can benefit from especially me!!!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi,
      I’m so glad, I thought the information was helpful (and I thought my picture of the eyes looking through the glasses was cute) so I couldn’t understand why there weren’t more comments on the post. Thank you for the reassurance, and again for yesterday’s follow.
      By the way, I like your dog. I am a huge dog lover.
      Janice

  7. Power of Mum

    I can say I didn’t know about ‘alt text’, that’s one thing I’ve learned today, thanks

    • Janice Wald

      Hi,
      I haven’t memorized the information and keep forgetting it when I am rushing to tag my image, LOL. However, I do remember to fill in every section. When I get to Pinterest, if the image doesn’t have hashtags, a call to action, and my site name, I edit it first.
      I hear a THANK YOU is in order! I woke up this morning (I’m in California), and saw you are a new blog follower. Thank you, and welcome!
      Janice

    • Janice Wald

      Thanks. Others have said that to me lately too. I’ll try and focus more on that. Thanks for coming over and giving me feedback.
      Janice

      • Sahar

        My pleasure! And I’m intrigued by the fact that you haven’t had a lot of visitors, this seems to be the kind of post bloggers would *want* to find!

  8. Sahar

    Hi Janice! I reread your post again, and two more thoughts. One is that you have a few typos that take away from the ‘seriousness’ of your post. The other is the formatting is a little off–a couple of the lines are broken halfway through the sentence and there is a big gap in the middle of one of your paragraphs. Ironing those details out would probably help a lot!

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  11. Terri Webster Schrandt

    I found this, Janice, after reading today’s post. Great info and I can use it! Another good point about filling in the alt text for the image, is for Pinterest. With rich pins, your pins can have a long alt text which gets shown on the pin. Nothing more annoying on a pin is seeing nothing written or two words. A lot of people do not know this. Thanks again for all your great posts!

  12. Mark

    Thanks for sharing some proven insider info Janice!

    Any blogger and or online marketer, wise enough to consistently implement
    your proven insider advice, will consistently start to get noticed by Google
    and all the other major search engines as well!

    But they definitely need to understand, i definitely takes time, because their
    competition is extremely fierce!

  13. Bella D. @ Self-Publishing Made Easy Now

    I find this article really helpful. It is good to know about these warning signs that Google can’t find you. This gives us an idea on how to do proper optimization. Thank you for sharing your knowledge about the topic.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi!
      I have a post on proper optimization in the planning stages.
      Janice

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