Best Blog Post Practices – Examples

Best Blog Post Best Practice Example #1

So why does this post work? There are 3 solid reasons. #1 – Tech Crunch tweets it posts on Twitter to its large and ever growing group of followers.  #2 – They use an existing controversy and add their own twist. They link to the people who started the controversy to enlist support. #3 – They are not afraid to aim “uphill” and take on bigger issues (like Facebook) than themselves. To win long term, you must do that consistently. Your blog always starts small and the only way to make it grow is to take on big issues. Don’t be afraid. Just be right.

Now on to a real estate related example or two.

Best Blog Post Best Practice Example #2

This post on the Jay Thompson’s blog is great because it is IMO a new way to paint a picture for an audince of what life in Phoenix is all about. He acknowledges the hot summers and then explains the other good parts of like there. From a purely SEO point of view, he did a good job of linking out to local sites and attractions in his post. Does that help? Yes. It networks you in the local business community and that is invaluable.

There are two main sources of links for a REALTOR. There are the “watercooler” type of links you get by networking with other REALTORS that are so common. Then there are the links from other local businesses. They are less common, but more valuable, because they come from folks who can actually buy a home. (Believe me, Jay does a great job of earning the watercooler kind of links as well. He works hard at it and deserves it.

Last example of a well thought out post IMO. This one is from Jay as well. Before you go thinking “Why is he glossing Jay so much?” Simple. It is because he deserved it for this post.

This post is a perfect example of what you do ONCE you have some readership, but it also is how you get readers and links. Yes, the $15,000 got cut back…but Jay was actually beating the newspapers to the punch on the actual sausage making that was in the bill. He was posting it blow by blow. Using the strength of his blog, he was ranking on Google for all sorts of terms like “$15,000 tax credit” “$15,000 tax credit phoenix” and tons of others. This was newsy. It was one that news junkies would come back to and connect with him on. **and link to as well** It is exactly what blogs were designed to do…shorten the news cycle to non-existant and profit from getting the jump on the papers.

Ok, now it’s your turn. Send me some examples of great posts (even if they are yours…grin) I promise that I won’t tell anyone that you sent them to me! If I can use them here on EricOnSearch(or elsewhere) to demonstrate great blogging, you’ll get a link and some notoriety!

Blog Coaching: Less posts… More Substance.

I hear two common refrains when it comes to doing “the work” of a search engine optimization campaign. The first? “I don’t have time to blog and do all of this.” (even to the point that folks are happy to pay people to do it for them)…the second is “How many posts do I have to write on this blog before it will rank well?”

Have you ever found yourself in the “I do not have time to write on my blog” trap? I think we all have. This is especially true if you have bought into the notion that you have to write a post every other day or some such.

Is blogging work? (yes.) Does it take effort? (yes.) Is there some magical formula when it comes to blogging and SEO about how many posts you need to have? (NO!)

My high school english teacher, used a great analogy that applies here. When I asked him how long an essay needed to be, he said there was no assigned length. but gave me the following crucial advice.

“Like a miniskirt. Long enough to cover the subject, short enough to keep it interesting.”

Jeff Peckler

Bottomline? Write QUALITY and not QUANTITY. Write stuff that is newsy, well researched and that people will link to, quote, pass on to their friends, and so forth. Seriously.

If I see one more real estate blog with 600 posts about every single subdivision in town and why they are the greatest place to live, I am gonna hurl.

A single post, well structured, well written and ESPECIALLY well promoted and marketed can rank at the top of the search engines for a relevant subject. Search engines crave this relevance, but they don’t crave contrived crap. They want the RELEVANT stuff.

I can understand why Joost De Valk said in a recent presentation, “If you are gonna bait. Use the good stuff.” His powerpoint slide to illustrate this was NATURAL fishing bait. Good old fashined, aromatic, smelly, stick your hook through it type of stuff that fish love because it is REAL.

Write less posts and articles. Write better quality. Take the time to promote each one like its own mini book tour. Folks will link to you. Folks will traffic your blog. You will be very glad that you did.