Am not an SEO expert. That said, I try to use as much Search Engine Optimization as possible from the little knowledge I have garnered over the years. While we have our Facebook groups and Twitter following and other social media to promote our posts and bring in as much traffic into the blog, the power of search engine traffic should not be underestimated.
My traffic source overview - Google Analytics |
Here’s why :
- While referral traffic is limited to number of fans, followers etc…, direct traffic is limited to the number of folks who know your blog URL, the audience from search engines is “literally unlimited”
- If posted appropriately, search engines bring in major mass of the traffic into the blog, as can be seen in the above graph
- People who search and come into the blog are genuinely looking for the information) you have posted (assuming the content is relevant to the keyword(s) that brought in the hit). This is likely to increase the bounce rate.
- New posts may have only seasonal readership if promoted only through social media. However, posts in archives can be treasures and can continue to bring in more traffic than new posts if optimized for search engines. An old post of mine on decoupage still is the most read post every month. Thanks to Google.
So, if you say, “I don’t write for search engines”, think twice ! You don’t have to write for search engines. But if you can make your content friendly enough for search engines to pick up, there is much more readership your blog can enjoy. Agree ? Don't agree ? Leave me a comment.
P.S. In the pie chart that you see above, search engine includes Google, Bing, Yahoo, Ask, AOL and few others.