CONTENT USABILITY

Usability, as it relates to online endeavors, can involve everything from site structure to color choices. With respect to written content, we will primarily be concerned with constructing posts that comport with readers’ preferences and expectations for written materials.

Internet readers tend be “scanners.” They generally scan a page or post and then make a determination as to whether or not to invest more time and effort in reading the material carefully. If their scan does not provide them with something to grab their attention and interest, they are more likely to click away than they are to continue reading.

Thus, content should be offered in a way that is easy for users to scan. It should also be provided in a way that encourages online reading. What does this mean in terms of practical considerations?

One should offer text in a size that is easily read. They should also offer content in the form of shorter paragraphs and make use of “white space” to make scanning easier. Long paragraphs are not as well-received as shorter ones.

The choice of a font should be based on readability rather than on whether or not one feels it possesses some greater aesthetic value.

Content usability is important and any blogger truly interested in maximizing the comfort and value of the user’s experience. That attention to detail can increase repeat visitation and total page views.

BONUS TIPS

1. Show Off! Although your blogging software will archive your old posts, they probably won’t be seen by visitors who didn’t find them via a search engine. That might be fine in some cases, but occasionally you will have written a real gem that you would love to keep right up in front for all to see. If you want to encourage visitors to take a longer look at your blog (and to keep coming back for more), consider creating a blog “highlight reel” on your blog’s sidebar. You can provide a few links directly to some of your best work and maybe even provide a tempting excerpt along with the link.

2. Write it down! Writers are often in the habit of having a notepad and pen around at all times. It’s a good idea for a blogger, too. Frequent updates are important for a blog’s traffic success, and there is nothing more frustrating than experiencing a case of “blogger’s block” when you sit down in front of the keyboard. If you have an idea for a great post, make a note of it somewhere. If you don’t, you are sure to forget the idea when the time comes to add more content to your blog.

GETTING INTO THE SEARCH ENGINES - OVERVIEW

In order for your blog to come up in search engine results, the search engine must know it exists. Getting discovered, and indexed, by search engines is a critical first step to securing search engine traffic.

Contrary to the beliefs held by some, a search engine cannot simply “find” your blog on its own. It must be led to the blog in some fashion. There are two general ways by which this can happen. You can either tell the search engine about your blog, or you can devise a means by which it will find you.

At first glance, it seems like just telling the search engine would be the optimal solution. At one time, this strategy was the easiest way of getting indexed. However, it is no longer the best way to go about things.

You can directly submit your blog to Google, for instance. However, it may take the search engine months to get around to your request. At some point, in frustration, you might be led to submit the information again. There are fairly credible reports that frequent submission of a blog directly to the search engine may actually lead to a penalty. They would prefer to find you all by themselves. I have personally not noticed any problems with direct submission to MSN’s search engine. However, considering the variety of ways by which one can be found without utilizing direct submission, it does not seem necessary to tip off MSN in that manner.

WAYS TO BE DISCOVERED

All it requires for a search engine to find you is a link to your blog on another site. Eventually, the search engines will spider that link and discover the blog. You can increase the likelihood of being found quickly by getting multiple links for your site out there and by trying to get links that are likely to be spidered quickly.

Large, popular sites are frequently spidered and a link on a site of this sort can lead to your blog’s inclusion in the search engines relatively quickly. A link from a frequently indexed site could lead to your blog’s discovery within as little as a day.
Any of the link-building strategies mentioned in this ebook can be used to lead the search engine to your blog. Things like link trades, sigging, articles and directory listings can do the trick.

Remember, building these links not only encourages necessary indexing, it also serves as a way of improving long-term traffic, as every link can be helpful.

LESSER SEARCH ENGINES

Right now, the search engine field is dominated by three players: Google, MSN and Yahoo. These are the three search engines that matter and care must be taken to make sure all three index your blog. There are, however, other search engines out there. Some are rarely used relics that have managed to hold onto a small chunk of cyberspace. Others are paid-for-inclusion engines that are little more than ways to separate a blog owner from his or her money.

None of these smaller search engines will produce a great deal of traffic. However, it is often very easy to submit to the free search engines. Additionally, there is some information to suggest that inclusion on a lesser engine may lead to inclusion on a bigger one. There is very little harm in direct submission to smaller search engines. It is unlikely to be a huge manufacturer of traffic, but it takes so little time that you may want to consider it. Just use one of the popular search engines to search for other search engines. Then, visit a few of these places and look into submitting your site.

BLOG SEARCH ENGINES

The tactics mentioned above apply to websites of any sort. As a blogger, you can make use of them. However, the growth of blogging has led to the creation of blog-only search engines. You would be remiss if you did not submit your blog to these engines.

A simple Google search for the phrase “blog search engine” will yield many additional opportunities to get your blog noticed. Realize that often the terms “blog search engine” and “blog directory” are used almost interchangeably and can overlap a great deal.
Information about many blog directories that also have search functions is included in the “Directories” portion of this ebook.
There is at least one blog search engines that warrant additional discussion–Technorati, which can be found at http://www.technorati.com. Technorati is a widely used blog search engine. Getting your blog listed at Technorati can increase your traffic more than most other blog search engines. Technorati also supports a tagging function whereby you can “tag” your posts with descriptive keywords making them easier for other Technorati users to find.

There is some debate over the value of Technorati in terms of traffic and with respect to some customer service issues the site apparently experiences. However, serious bloggers would be remiss if they did not take a long look at Technorati and consider making it part of their traffic creation arsenal.

There are other services offering a tagging function that seem to be developing an avid following and may be worth investigation. These include FURL and Del.icio.us among many others.