Part of the guide: Blog Traffic
I’ve always struggled at figuring out what to blog about. I recently received some training that has at least given me some direction. I use to think all you did was pick a subject and start writing. I guess the answer was always there, I just didn’t take the time to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
On the surface your blog is there to inform people about what you do, did, think, and want other people to know etc. I’m sure there are some people that would say that is all it is. If you’re reading this blog then you probably know it is all of that and marketing too. The more people you attract to your blog the better the odds they will start following you and purchase something from you in the future.
That being said, how do you get someone to find your Blog? As in any internet search, a person is typing a keyword or keyword phrase into the search engine. If you have good blog titles and relevant content, your blog may show up on page one. We all know that is easier said than done.
When deciding on a subject to write about, you should select a keyword phrase first, then craft the blog content around the keyword phrase.
Here are three simple things I have learned about using keywords in blogs that should help you get a better page ranking and more visitors to your blog:
Start by using Google Keyword Tool External to find a keyword phrase that would naturally fit into your blog subject. When you use the tool, make sure you have selected “exact phrase” before searching. You are looking for a phrase that gets more than 800 searches a month but not more than 2500. If you go more than 2500, you will probably have too much competition.
Once you have met that criteria, you next want to do an All In Title search using Google. In the Google search box, type in allintitle with no spaces followed by a colon, then a space, and the keyword phrase.
example: { allintitle: keyword phrase }. Check to see how many search results come up. Ideally, you want to see under 10,000. If it is much more than 10,000, go back and start over using the Google Keyword Tool External.
If the All In Title is under 10,000, you then want to check the Keyword phrase using quotations in the Google search box. Example using the words “keyword phrase” as the keyword phrase:
{ “keyword phrase” }. You would like to try to keep this number under 50,000 search results.
If the keyword phrase does not match the criteria, start over using the Google Keyword Tool External.
Now that you have found your Keyword phrase that will bring you traffic without a ton of competition, it is time to incorporate it into your Blog. Keep in mind; keyword phrases make good blog titles so make sure you create your blog title around your keyword phrase.
When writing the body of the Blog, make certain you do not overuse the keyword phrase as it may appear to be a bit spammy.
Some people may think that using keywords that get searched less than 2500 times a month would not bring much traffic. If you blog every day using keywords that 1000 people a month search for and you have a good page rank because there isn’t much competition, You will get 1000’s of visitors a month to your blog site.
Leading you to Success,
Scott Grogan
scottgrogan@simplebiz.us
Comments
Jessica Monroe, June 15, 2012, 08:45
This is incredibly helpful! I’ve always struggled with getting my blog noticed, and I think focusing on keyword phrases in the title could be a game changer for me. The way you broke down the process makes it so much more approachable. Thanks for the tips!
Robert Jenkins, June 15, 2012, 09:10
Great advice, Scott! The ‘All In Title’ search was something new to me, and it makes so much sense. I always thought it was just about using popular keywords, but you’ve shown that it’s also about finding that sweet spot where competition isn’t too high. I’m going to try this with my next blog post.
Emily Ross, June 15, 2012, 09:30
SEO has always been a bit of a mystery to me. Your clear instructions on using the Google Keyword Tool and setting specific criteria for keyword phrases have given me a new perspective. I’m definitely going to implement this strategy in my blogging routine.
Mark Thompson, June 15, 2012, 10:00
I really appreciate the practical advice here. Most articles just say to ‘use keywords,’ but your guide actually breaks down how to do it effectively. The step-by-step approach is exactly what I needed to make sense of SEO and apply it to my blog. Thanks for the valuable insights!
Susan Lee, June 15, 2012, 10:20
Do you have any advice on how often we should update our blog titles and content to stay relevant in search engine rankings? I’ve been wondering about this, especially as competition and search algorithms keep changing. Your thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated!
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Start free →David Carson, June 15, 2012, 10:45
This detailed SEO advice is exactly what I’ve been looking for. I’ve bookmarked this post and plan to refer back to it often. The information about balancing keyword use with competition levels is particularly valuable. Thanks, Scott, for sharing your expertise!
Alice Bennett, June 15, 2012, 11:00
Thank you for simplifying something that often feels overly complex. The examples you provided, especially around keyword selection and competition analysis, make it easy to understand and apply to my own blogging efforts. I feel much more confident moving forward.
Tommy Harris, June 15, 2012, 11:20
Finding the right keywords has always been a struggle for me. Your guide has given me a clear, actionable method to follow. The emphasis on balancing search volume with competition was a real eye-opener. I can’t wait to test this out with my next post. Keep up the great work!
Jessica Monroe, June 15, 2012, 08:45
This is incredibly helpful! I’ve always struggled with getting my blog noticed, and I think focusing on keyword phrases in the title could be a game changer for me. The way you broke down the process makes it so much more approachable. Thanks for the tips!
Robert Jenkins, June 15, 2012, 09:10
Great advice, Scott! The ‘All In Title’ search was something new to me, and it makes so much sense. I always thought it was just about using popular keywords, but you’ve shown that it’s also about finding that sweet spot where competition isn’t too high. I’m going to try this with my next blog post.
Emily Ross, June 15, 2012, 09:30
SEO has always been a bit of a mystery to me. Your clear instructions on using the Google Keyword Tool and setting specific criteria for keyword phrases have given me a new perspective. I’m definitely going to implement this strategy in my blogging routine.
Mark Thompson, June 15, 2012, 10:00
I really appreciate the practical advice here. Most articles just say to ‘use keywords,’ but your guide actually breaks down how to do it effectively. The step-by-step approach is exactly what I needed to make sense of SEO and apply it to my blog. Thanks for the valuable insights!
Susan Lee, June 15, 2012, 10:20
Do you have any advice on how often we should update our blog titles and content to stay relevant in search engine rankings? I’ve been wondering about this, especially as competition and search algorithms keep changing. Your thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated!
David Carson, June 15, 2012, 10:45
This detailed SEO advice is exactly what I’ve been looking for. I’ve bookmarked this post and plan to refer back to it often. The information about balancing keyword use with competition levels is particularly valuable. Thanks, Scott, for sharing your expertise!
Alice Bennett, June 15, 2012, 11:00
Thank you for simplifying something that often feels overly complex. The examples you provided, especially around keyword selection and competition analysis, make it easy to understand and apply to my own blogging efforts. I feel much more confident moving forward.
Tommy Harris, June 15, 2012, 11:20
Finding the right keywords has always been a struggle for me. Your guide has given me a clear, actionable method to follow. The emphasis on balancing search volume with competition was a real eye-opener. I can’t wait to test this out with my next post. Keep up the great work!
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The exact numbers in a guide like this are the part most likely to have aged out of relevance, while the sequence of steps is the part still worth following.
Arthur’s caution generalizes to most SEO advice from this era. The durable part is the concept — long-tail targeting, lower competition over raw popularity. The specific numeric cutoffs are just a snapshot of one moment in a search landscape that’s since moved on.
Small correction: the Google Keyword Tool referenced here was retired years ago and replaced by Keyword Planner, which requires an active ad account to get full search volume data rather than being freely open the way the old tool was. Worth knowing before anyone goes looking for a tool by this exact name and can’t find it. The three-number method described still works conceptually with the newer tool, just with an extra account-setup step in front of it.
Priya’s correction is useful, so let me update the actual steps for anyone trying this today: 1) find a phrase with a reasonable but not enormous search volume, using whatever current tool replaces the one named here, 2) check how many pages are already competing directly for that exact phrase, 3) build your title and content around the phrase once the first two numbers look winnable rather than merely popular. That’s the whole transferable method once you swap out the specific tool name and the specific numeric thresholds for whatever the current equivalents happen to be. What’s missing from the original post, and still missing from most updated versions of this advice I’ve seen elsewhere, is any mention of how often you should actually re-run this whole check, because a phrase that was winnable when you wrote the post can stop being winnable eighteen months later without anyone circling back to notice.