ABOUT WEBSITES AND BLOGGING - PART II

POST 16

 Elaine

Louis Tigh, veteran of the United States Marine Corps and website designer, is the founder of Prometheus Design (www.prometheusdesign.com). Louis graciously 

donated his time to participate in the following Q&A about websites and blogging. This is part II of my Q&A with Louis. 

4) One of the biggest challenges for the aspiring writer/blogger is to attract an online audience. There are many useful tools that can enhance Search Engine Optimization; what would you classify as the number one most important blogging tool?

I believe you can learn a lot about how people find and interact with your website or blog by looking at the numbers. The best way to gauge this traffic is by using Google Analytics, a free tool offered by Google. It may seem intimidating at first, but I always encourage my clients to explore this tool to discover the viewing habits of their audience. For example, if you make a change to the site and people stay on that page longer, it may be wise to incorporate similar changes throughout the site to increase the amount of time people spend there. These numbers represent the culmination of direct marketing and you can quickly test and implement changes that will improve a users’ experience.

5) How often should a blogger add new content to a blog?

Realistically, I believe any regular interval is better than never adding new content. I have found that most people write one post per week, or one every two weeks, or even once a month. The important thing is to find an interval that works for you and stick to it. Before you know it, you will have added a large amount of content!

6) When a blogger provides a link to a website that is relevant to their own, does this help move their blog up the search engine train?

It may, however you usually want other websites to have links to your content. This not only looks good from a search engine perspective, but it will also lead people from their website to yours.

7) It's well-known that tagging helps link posts to the Internet. How does one go about selecting a relevant keyword or tags? What's the appropriate number of tags to add, and is there such a thing as adding too many tags?

Tags or keywords can boost your search engine ranking. To select keywords, compose a theme or a central idea behind your blog post. Choosing a few key terms that are associated or support this idea should be used. I would recommend no more than five tags per post.

8) Is it important to add images to a blog? What is “alt” text and why is it necessary?

Yes, I believe it's very important to add pictures because they break up the monotony of text. 'Alt’ text is short for alternative text and is used either because the image cannot load or the web user cannot see it, in which case their web browser will read the ‘alt’ text. ‘Alt’ text is also a great way of sneaking in some extra keywords that relate to your post.

9) Lastly, what role does social media play in optimizing a blog's exposure?

Social media is a great way to spread the exposure of your blog or website. While some people may feel comfortable trusting Google to provide them with the most relevant information, other people prefer to rely on humans instead of computer algorithms. By sharing your post or website on a social media platform, you effectively reach an audience you might otherwise have missed.

Louis, a veteran of the United States Marine Corp, is the founder of Prometheus Design launched in 2014. The company prides itself on offering powerful web solutions to small business owners throughout Southern California. In addition, they focus on providing timely service, cost-effective solutions, and outstanding customer service. Prometheus Design will sit down with you and combine imagination, strategy, research, and experience to craft a unique solution to fit your needs. To view a portfolio of their work go to