A quick disclaimer - this is for new bloggers who have started using the blogger platform and very much geared towards food bloggers. If you are an old pro you probably know a lot of this info. Most of my information comes from Google support, so feel free to go right to the source ( Google Support SEO ).
I have additional tidbits that may help as well, if you have time for a quick and informative read, peruse this post. As well, please leave comments on other secrets and tips to help bloggers make the most out of this platform.
Search Description:
This feature is a must for search
engine optimization. Basically it allows you to create a blurb of text
underneath your search results that helps readers decide whether or not that’s
the site they want. For example, the search description for Virtually Homemade
is – “A blog with simple, healthy, family friendly recipes including
an array of gluten free menu items”. Creating a search description is
incredibly easy: log into blogger, click on settings and then search
preferences. In the description box create your blog summary.
Once you have entered the search description for your blog
you will be able to create a search description for each post you write.
When creating a new post you will see in the right hand column “Search Description”. Enter a thorough and creative blurb there for your unique creation. For example, my post for Soft Sugar Cookies {Gluten Free} comes up like this when searched in google:
When creating a new post you will see in the right hand column “Search Description”. Enter a thorough and creative blurb there for your unique creation. For example, my post for Soft Sugar Cookies {Gluten Free} comes up like this when searched in google:
www.virtuallyhomemade.com/2014/.../soft-sugar-cookies-gluten-free.ht...
◦
Cached
Dec 2, 2014 - Soft sugar cookies
decorated in festive holiday sprinkles {gluten free}
Properties:
The properties function for the images on
your posts is essential. You can now easily
add "alt" and "title" attributes to all of your images. To
add these, click on an image in your Post Editor, and select Properties.
A text box will appear where you can add "alt" and "title" attributes to your image. "Alt" attributes are meant to be a description of the image for users who are unable to view the image (due to reasons such as browser compatibility or vision impairment), and the "title" attribute can be used for providing longer descriptions about the image. Once again SEO magic!
A text box will appear where you can add "alt" and "title" attributes to your image. "Alt" attributes are meant to be a description of the image for users who are unable to view the image (due to reasons such as browser compatibility or vision impairment), and the "title" attribute can be used for providing longer descriptions about the image. Once again SEO magic!
Header Tags:
Good headings express the general
idea of the content below them, and search engines use headings to get an idea
of what your post is about. In Blogger, you can now designate text as
"header" text, and the search engine will know that the text you’ve
selected represents a summary of what you’ve written.
There are a few header tags you can add to your text, and all they do is define the hierarchy of the headers and accordingly change the font size. For example, here is a list of headers (in order of largest to smallest). For each of the 5 topics I am covering in this post, I used subheadings (notice the font is larger and bold). This tells search engines I am discussing these topics on my blog.
Recipe SEO:
One of the major drawbacks of
using blogger as your platform is the lack of plug-ins that are readily
available on wordpress. I am not html literate and felt I was at a great
disadvantage for not having a recipe plug-in. I read articles on how to “mark
up” a recipe with html but it was way over my head! So…I finally found
recipeseo.com. You enter your standard recipe information and recipe seo marks
it up for you! After you enter in the ingredients and cooking directions, you
have the option of adding serving size, preparation time, cooking time, etc..
Then you simply hit the format recipe button and you have your html code to copy and
paste into your post. Easy peasy!
Custom Permalink:
This is a key component in
creating a comprehensive and informative post. With an automatic permalink your post
title may easily get cut off due to its length. Be sure to check the permalink before
you publish. If all of the key words are not present, click on custom permalink in the right hand column under links and
add the required words. Each word is separated by a “-“.
Essentially, readers and search engines will know exactly what your post
contains.
I know this is very basic information for some but it did take me a year or two to figure this out on my own. If you are a "newbie" food blogger I hope this helps you get off on the right foot. Blogger can be an extremely user friendly platform, which is why I like it, but you definitely need stay educated on how to make it successful.
