If your ecommerce website design includes a blog, you may be wondering exactly what to do after you hit publish on your first post. Simply putting a blog post out there isn't enough to ensure it gets seen. Here are six items that should absolutely be on your checklist.
- Make sure the post has a Pin-able image, meaning one that people will want to add to Pinterest. Ideally, each blog post should have two Pinterest-optimized images, and one of them should include the title of the post. Canta is great for creating simple images for free.
- Add both a title and alt text to all images. This will help them to appear in search results. Keep in mind that the alt text will be your default description on Pinterest, although you can change it if you like.
- Pick a focus keyword and include it in your title, copy, and meta title and description. Also, it may be possible to use the focus keyword as a hashtag on social media. Be specific rather than general. In the text, the focus keyword should be above the fold, meaning above the spot where a reader would have to scroll to continue reading. If you can get the keyword in the blog post naturally, reconsider the focus word or phrase you chose.
- Add internal links to other content on your website. This increases SEO and keeps someone on your website longer - every click counts! Try to add an internal link to one instance of the focus keyword. For example, in the sentence, read more about Pinterest marketing, link Pinterest marketing instead of read more.
- Add affiliate links when you write about something you recommend. Amazon affiliate program is great for this because they have everything from food and furniture to downloadable music and electronics. Don't overstuff the blog post with links, though, and only link to products you genuinely recommend. Love a certain product? Find out if they have an affiliate program.
- Add a call to action at the end of each blog post, like a question. You want to encourage people to interact with your post.
Whatever you do, always remember to proofread! You should read your post three times: once after writing it, once after posting, and then a final time after publishing.