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Why Your Blog Isn’t Loved by Google
Remember way back when we threw in a secret little slogan in our write up? Yeahhhhh, that was pretty fun.
Cause, we did it again. So, good luck. If ya find it, let us know in the FB Group!
Anyway, back to biz. We’re tuning into our fav teachers at Marketing School, Eric Siu and Neil Patel. They’re going over why Google just doesn’t give a dang about your blog. And of course, the actions to remedy it.
Got your pencil handy? Class is in session.
- (00:40) Biggest blogging blunder (yeah, try saying that 10 times fast) that needs your attention asap is using blog.yourdomain.com, which is a subdomain.
- (00:55) Two options you should be using:
- A blog on your domain like yourdomain.com/blog
- Simply use your homepage, then it’s just yourdomain.com
- (01:25) Eric’s company switched from a subdomain to a subfolder (subdirectory) and found a 5-10% traffic increase from that change alone. Neil, on the other hand, saw a 40% increase when he ran his own experiment.
- (02:30) Making the change. Switching from a subdomain to a subdirectory isn’t an easy breezy beautiful kind of easy.
- All internal links must change to that subdomain
- You have to 301 the links plus change the internal links to the new one
- Make sure images and files are pointing to the subdirectory
- (03:00) Use Screaming Frog to make sure things have been switched over correctly. Then go live!
- (03:30) Keep an easy-to-follow excel sheet that maps every single page over from a subdomain to a subdirectory. This can help engineers! Watch Eric and Neil’s Youtube video of this episode for a glimpse of the excel sheet prepped for Kissmetrics at (4:15).
- (03:45) Subdomain versus Subdirectory. Subdomains are seen as a separate website!
- (04:50) The need to go post by post in your excel sheet. In doing this you can clean up content. Delete old or irrelevant content to boost user experience.
We know what you’re thinking. Sounds like a crazy ton of work that you don’t have time for. Yeah, you’re not wrong. But we aren’t marketers ’cause it’s easy.
Do the hard thing. Because that end game is put your feet up worthy. Besides a chance at a 10% increase in traffic. You bet your marketing bum we’d take that deal.
Okay, okay, okay. So there are plenty of other reasons why Google may not love your blog.
If you have an SEO problem, need help figuring out what it is and how to fix it, let us know. The company behind the Daily Carnage is a full-service agency. Our SEO crew kills it when it comes to sorting out Google issues that prevent you from ranking.
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How to Build the Best Editorial Style Guide in 10 Steps
No, this isn’t a “wear this, not that” style guide. It’s closer to a “write this, not that” style guide.
Actually, we’ll just use CoSchedule’s definition to explain what it is:
“A content style guide is a document that outlines the expectations and brand standards that every piece of content needs to meet. This should describe everything from grammar and spelling to design elements, like proper header use and logo placement.”
Got it? Good. As a content marketer, you’ve truly gotta have an editorial style guide for a few reasons:
- It’ll help you and your co-workers understand the standards that all content should live up to.
- A good style guide will make sure that your content is consistent.
- It’ll also teach current employees, new employees, and guest writers how to write content for your brand.
Moving right along…it’s time to build your style guide. CoSchedule has all the tips there too, and we’ve listed them below.
(We didn’t have the room in this email to explain them all so we just listed ’em. Click the individual step for more info on it. Or click the “Read Now” below this section for the full article.)
- Step 1. Consider Following AP Style. We’re not gonna explain this. Just do it.
- Step 2. Establish Guidelines For Tense, Voice, And Point Of View.
- Step 3. Translate Jargon Into Customer-Friendly Language. Do this! Create a chart where one side has the jargon, and the other has the simple explanation.
- Step 4. Explain Writing Best Practices For Different Formats And Content Types. How you write differs from email to social media to video scripts.
- Step 5. Identify How Branded Terms Must Be Spelled And Formatted
- Step 6. Define Your Brand Voice And Tone. In case ya didn’t know, brand voice and tone are c-r-u-c-i-a-l
- Step 7. Establish Standards Of Performance. What standards do all posts need to meet?
- Step 8. Establish Formatting Guidelines.
- Step 9. Define Photography Guidelines. Yes, photographs matter.
- Step 10. Include Guidelines For Design Elements. This will cover things like colors, typography, and logo usage.
You know what to do now ↓
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Find the Remarkable You
So here’s a big brand we don’t typically mention…Macy’s. They did something pretty cool with their latest ad.
To introduce snippets of their summer fashion lines, the ad featured several actors going through a nifty little change from shadows to sunlight.
Who would’ve guessed a little sunshine and a new set of clothes could make someone’s personality pop!?
Sounds kinda strange, we know. But it totally worked. Otherwise, we wouldn’t talk about it.
Why it works:
- First of all, the song they chose is called Oogum Boogum. That’s all we gotta say about that.
- It’s uplifting and well executed. The actors in the film have different personalities that can inspire any woman.
- The tagline, Find the Remarkable You. This is the season to show off your best self through style.
Bravo, Macy’s bravo. Ya just gotta watch this one for yo’ self.
