Lyndon Antcliff, over at Cornwallseo.com, gives us a masterful post about his “tips for publishing a great SEO blog.” With the title “SEO Bitchfest”, I just had find out what he had to say. I wasn’t let down. Lot’s of great (deep) ideas in one post.

He begins by commenting on Michael Gray’s suggestion that some SEO people just need to stop blogging. Their drivel just adds noise rather than useful information. At first I thought to myself that this comment is missing the point that everyone has their own spin … their own ideas … their own contributions. It’s this extension of ideas and how it impacts the long tail of search that has so greatly expanded the world of business thought sharing and the value of organic SEO. After reading more, I realized he didn’t miss the point. He pegged it. There truly ARE tons of blogs that are created only for the sake of content dumping and regurgitation. With these low value blogs, there’s no real added value.

So, how do you avoid this trap? Here’s Lyndon’s list of tips. My comments are in italics. You’ll need to go to his post to read all of his comments.

1. Have a goal. Goals might include; increase traffic 100%, network with 5 new industry professionals this month, target 2 new niches, get invited to speak at 1 new event each month, increase newsletter signups by 50% … the list is endless. Notice how the goals are specific and measurable.
2. Publish unique information. Like the Duke used to say, “It don’t mean a thing if you ain’t got that swing.” Doo wop, do wop, do wop, do wop. Find your voice. Be bold. Be fearless. Stand out from the masses!
3. You are unique. This is the realization that allows you to pull off #2. If you don’t stand for something powerful and special, you’ll find it hard to differentiate.
4. Read less blog more. A slight adjustment to the wording … “Read ‘the appropriate amount’, blog more”. Someone with 25 years’ experience needs to read less than a newb to stay on top of their game. It’s a fine line, but the point being made is DON’T get consumed by reading other people’s sh…stuff, if doing so impacts your ability to blog your own ideas and slows your participation in the blogosphere.
5. Blog your convictions. Like Mr. Miyagi said in The Karate Kid, “Daniel-san, must talk. Man walk on road. Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk down middle, sooner or later, get squished — just like grape.!” Nobody is moved by conservative or vanilla. STAND for something!

Our focus is not just on SEO. We’re about brand and marketing and creative business development. My point in re-posting Lyndon’s content is NOT to regurgitate … it’s to extend, add value and to get this great message out to the rest of the business world. Here’s some more for you to absorb;

1. Consider your knowledge. A question I often ask people who are initially hesitant about blogging is, “If I were to chat with you only about your products/services and your experience, how long could we talk without slowing down or repeating what you have to say?” The answer is invariably “several days”, or “wow”. In that moment, they realize they have thousands of pages of unique experiential content sitting, untapped, in their brain. The best place for that content is not in their grey matter, but on a blog. Posting for 15-30 minutes every couple of days does just that.
2. Don’t be afraid. It doesn’t matter if you’re a professional writer. In short order, you’ll find your voice and style. Jump in, the water’s warm! There’s a belief that a blog without mstakes is too sterile, too contrived, less “real”.
3. Connect with people. A trap new bloggers fall into is posting without connecting. Trackbacks, comments and hyperlinking will expand the value of your blogging efforts by many powers of 10.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 21st, 2007 at 8:02 am and is filed under Blogging. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.