E020: Tips for a Solid SEO Strategy

Podcast / SEO

In this episode, we learn that using SEO efficiently is a must for every blogger. With the upcoming Google update, the time to make sure you’re comfortable with all things SEO is now. SEO expert Casey Markee offers up some great and valuable insight in this weeks podcast that will help you develop an SEO Strategy to stay on top of Google’s ranking system.

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In this episode, you will learn:

Utilize Google Analytics and Search Console for organic traffic and core web vitals
Improve user experience and site navigation with core web vitals
Use Key Search for keyword optimization and ranking insights
Choose Big Scoots for affordable hosting and strong support

What’s Next?

You can connect with Casey Markee on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

About Casey Markee

Speaker, writer, and trainer Casey Markee is the founder of digital consultancy Media Wyse and a well-known SEO professional with 20+ years of experience. Casey has trained SEO teams on five different continents, spoken at over 100+ conferences, and has worked with thousands of bloggers in the Food, Lifestyle and Travel niches. He also collects comic books, enjoys watching trashy reality TV with his wife Tifany, and believes bacon should be its own food group.

Casey Markee’s Website
Casey Markee’s Facebook

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TIPS FOR A SOLID SEO STRATEGY

Developing an SEO strategy is crucial for bloggers who want to see their blog pop up on Google’s first few pages. Doing so leads to a higher traffic count as well as the attention that all your hard work deserves.

Although using the right words to boost your SEO is important, knowing how to manage and navigate Google’s core system is vital as well. With the big Google update coming, which will forever change how Google sorts content for its users, it is really important for bloggers to know what will be in store for them.

Casey Markee Discusses All Things SEO

Casey Markee is an SEO expert with decades of experience who works with food and lifestyle bloggers. His expertise has led to countless jobs helping others become smarter when developing their blogs and when navigating all things SEO.

According to Casey, there are important factors that influencers need to consider when dealing with with SEO. The first is that marketers, who can control your blog’s exposure, look for blogs with content that is of good quality. Authenticity is also a must; your brand should really resonate with your viewers in a unique way.

Influencers should also become familiar with the concept E.A.T. (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness), which is the algorithm Google uses to sort content for its users. Using the concept of E.A.T. allows for a blogger to show their knowledge and skills, be linked and/or featured by others, and develop a good standing with followers and others. Also, know that Google’s algorithm is always changing- what was okay for bloggers to do in the past might not be in touch with what Google looks for today!

What bloggers also need to keep in mind is that Google’s algorithm is always changing. What bloggers did a few years ago may not be in touch with what google looks for in blogs today!

SEO Optimization Tips

An SEO Optimization Tips that Casey Markee shares is that Google provides a lot of data using tools such as Google analytics and Google console. Some of the most valuable data to be obtained is your blogs organic traffic count. Knowing this can give you a big push in the right direction.

Next, bloggers want to track core web vitals. Core web vitals are the metric that helps improve page experience for users. With the new update, Google is really scouting out blogs or websites that provide easy-to-digest content for its users as well as sites that are easily navigable and mobile friendly. Luckily, Google search console provides a core web vitals report of your blog for you to take a look at.

Casey also suggests some tools that would benefit a new blogger navigating SEO. One such tool is Key Search. Key Search uses Google API to pin point words that are trending on Google. Not only is Key Search is easy to use and is inexpensive, the system shows you how well you rank on Google, in terms of key words and content, and then compares your rank against other content on the first few pages of Google. This helps you grasp an understanding of what your blog needs in order to rank higher.

Another area of focus that bloggers should look into is hosting. Big Scoots is a hosting site that us very good for new bloggers who are just getting into the realm. It’s cheap and provides you with a lot of support as a blogger.

“When it comes to hosting, you really need to look into [your options].”

Some More SEO Tips

The biggest of the SEO Tips provided in this podcast to remember is that the upcoming Google update is basically seeking out the pages that it deems are most useable. If your webpage is easily perceivable and accessible to your users, then you’re on the right track.

Another SEO Tip is to fully understand the metric system that Google uses. This includes Google’s core web vitals and legacy metrics. The biggest core web vital that new bloggers often struggle with is the CLS core vital. This vital has to do with the visual aspects of a page and can let you know if your page font or visuals are being implemented into your blog correctly.

Develop an awareness for your blog’s interstitials. Google is looking to hammer down on anything that is intrusive to a user’s experience. Make sure your blog is responsive to user needs and is free from spam or clutter.

All-in-all Casey Markee predicts that Google will ultimately continue to hammer down on web experience. It will prioritize sites that provide the most for its users. In an attempt to prevent content from becoming bloated, things such as copy content will be regulated more. If you’re not producing unique content for your blog, especially if you’re using content that a number of other blogs use, then you’re only hurting your blog with this new update. There will continue to be more core updates overtime. As a blogger you need to make sure you stay up to date with them so that you can continue to increase your rank on Google.

“[SEO/blogging] is part science with a lot of art combined.”