Are you search optimizing, or SEO’ing, your blog posts correctly in WordPress before you hit that Publish or Schedule button?
Pre-publish optimization in WordPress is SO important, I can’t even stress how much.
It’s almost a crime to spend all your time producing a wonderful piece of content around a focus keyword, just to let it get published without optimization in WordPress first.
In today’s video, sit down with me at my computer and watch as I show you EVERY step I take before I publish a blog in WordPress, in my WordPress blog post optimization checklist for SEO.
From how to switch to “text editor,” format your subheaders properly, to knowing if you should use H4s or not, to “should I worry about the Yoast smiley face color?”… I answer it all! ✅
Watch this detailed, practical video to learn how to optimize your blogs before you hit Publish or Schedule on WordPress.
Time and time again, I see a clear pattern — #1 SEO rankings for blog posts that have a focus keyword comes from how much effort you put into your pre-publish optimization. The devil is in those details, and that couldn’t be truer for WordPress blog optimization.
My 8-Step WordPress Blog Post Optimization Checklist for SEO (Video)
If you follow each of the steps I share in this video, you’re much more likely to see results from your SEO content, especially if you publish regular blogs on WordPress, which is my personal favorite platform. I’ll even share with you an example of one of our content pieces, optimized following these exact steps, ranking at the top of Google for a major keyword in just 30 days. Let’s get going!
[bctt tweet=”Before you hit that Publish button, are you sure that your blog post is in its perfect shape to climb up to the top spot? @JuliaEMcCoy teaches you how to optimize content with her 8-step Wordpress blog post optimization checklist. ✔” username=”ExpWriters”]
Make Sure Your Site Foundations Are Right (Pre-Optimization Step)
Before we get into the checklist, a quick word of advice:
It helps to have a fast, clean site. Just like you can’t build a strong house if your foundations are shaky, you simply cannot expect to publish an optimized post on an icky website and see great results.
So, disclaimer: as you head into these tips, if you don’t have a strong, fast, secure, beautiful website, with page load speeds under 3 seconds per page, a beautiful, seamless experience for your end-user, you won’t see results. I recommend working with a top-rated freelance website developer to help get all your tech issues fixed, if you think you might have foundational site issues to fix first. Check out my recent Write Blog guide on how to rank in the top of Google.
Let’s head over to my computer and I’ll show you, step-by-step, the 8 steps to use every single time you schedule a WordPress blog. First, here’s the checklist itself.
How to SEO Optimize Blog Posts in WordPress: 8 Steps
Load the Blog: Edit, Proofread, Upload All Corresponding Images
Add & Proof-check Subheader Optimization for Readability and SEO
Check All Links to Open in New Windows
Include CTAs
Add Easy One-Click Social Shares
Add Meta Title and Description with Yoast
Upload SEO Alt-Text Feature Images in the Right Spots
Optimize Your Blog for Social Sharing with Yoast
Additional Bonus Tips on SEO Optimization:
The permalink (URL) for your blog should be your focus keyword. Keep it to five or less words!
Categorize your blog in one clear category. Avoid too many tags. 1-5 tags describing the topic, as long as they don’t duplicate the category, are fine.
1. Load the Blog: Edit, Proofread, Upload All Corresponding Images
Load your blog in WordPress. Edit and proofread the content as you upload and insert any corresponding screenshots, images, etc.
Images for blogs should be at most 1 megabyte, unless you’re uploading an infographic or a key high-res image that absolutely has to be at the resolution it was created at.
2. Add & Proof-check Subheader Optimization for Readability and SEO
Now that the post is in, you need to properly add subheaders — H2s, H3s.
Adding subheaders and making sure the content is readable are the top two considerations so people (and search engines) can read and understand your post easily.
Go in the Text editor of WordPress to make sure all H2s, H3s, etc. are coded correctly (use WordPress’s formatting!).
Proof check them all on the Visual editor to make sure they transferred correctly.
3. Check All Links to Open in New Windows
This is proven to significantly lower bounce rate, so, it’s worth the trouble! Make sure all your links are set to open in a new browser window.
4. Include CTAs
Above all, avoid being annoying with your CTAs. Don’t put too many in, and don’t put them too high up. I’ve tested a variety of placements, and find that text CTAs are great for inner CTAs, and image CTAs best kept to 1, 2, or at most, 3 in one long-form blog. Always make sure your blog at least ends with a strong CTA that directs the reader to take action.
5. Add Easy One-Click Social Shares
Know your platform, first of all. For us at the Write Blog, Twitter is a huge platform for engagement. We’ve kept up a Twitter chat, #ContentWritingChat, for years now on Twitter that has helped us grow a solid Twitter presence. So, knowing that Twitter is a hot platform, we’ve chosen to use a plugin that enables us to add “Click to Tweets” to every post — which we do. These are punchy phrases or takeaways from the blog that readers can share to Twitter with one click.
We use the Better Click to Tweet plugin for WordPress. This adds a little Twitter bird icon to the top of your WordPress editor.
Just avoid putting too many in, or putting them above your first H2 (that placement can actually interfere with rankings). You want to avoid any “extra code” in a blog as much as possible, which helps your content stay more visible for rankings.
6. Add Meta Title and Description with Yoast
Don’t forget to plug in a good meta title and description! The “green” on the meta title and description is a good indicator for the right length for both.
Regarding the “overall” Yoast SEO, that comes with a color-coded smiley face (that may not be smiling if he’s orange or red), bear in mind that this may not correlate to actual content results. After publishing over 1,000 blogs, some of our top-ranked blogs are orange, if not red! Nothing beats a real human eye reviewing the content before it goes out, and the focus should be on the quality of content, not a fallible color-coded score by a software.
Other questions you should be asking instead of “is this color green?”
Does my blog read well? Is it typo-free? Is it formatted and readable?
Will my blog actually engage my audience?
Does my blog have a clear CTA that tells the reader how to take “next steps” with me?
7. Upload SEO Alt-Text Feature Images in the Right Spots
We always have our images for our blogs custom-designed, so, we upload correctly sized and branded images to our blogs.
SEO alt-text is important for image visibility in Google. Alternate text is a descriptive text that provides context for people who are visually impaired or need to use a screen reader to browse the web. Alternate text (or “alt text”) describes your images to search engines, as well, so they’ll potentially show up in image searches.
8. Optimize Your Blog for Social Sharing with Yoast
Make sure you’re sharing the right image with your blog link on social media by completing this step. This is especially important if you’ve created custom, share-worthy graphics to accompany the post.
In the Yoast SEO options, click on the “Social sharing” icon.
Skip over the title and description fields – Yoast will pull the information for these from the main snippet fields you already filled out.
Scroll to “Facebook image” or “Twitter image.” Upload your custom image here.
Make sure the image you use has an alternate text and a title specified.
Why Is WordPress SEO Blog Optimization So Important?
Let me show you an example of a blog that earned a top spot in Google, optimized with the steps I’m about to show you. Now you might already know this, but we have over 1,100+ blogs published on Express Writers’ Write Blog across eight years, which have earned over 21,000 keyword positions in Google (case study here).
Here’s an example of just one of those, created this year. Within 30 days of publishing this blog, “How to Build a Strong Digital Content Strategy in 2019”, we earned a #1 organic ranking for the keyword “how to build a digital content strategy:”
One key player for this blog’s ranking power is the work we did on optimization before publishing. From the title to the copy to the subheaders to the images, CTAs, links, metas, and more — everything is optimized for search engines.
Time and time again, brands that edge into top positions on SERPs get the lion’s share of the spoils, including higher click-through rates and more traffic.
Why does being in #1 matter so much? According to Advanced Web Ranking, the CTR for organic position 1 on Google is 31.19%. Meanwhile, the CTR for position 10 is 1.12%. One or 31 percent? I’ll let you decide!
Bonus: search traffic is climbing past 70% of all the world’s online traffic right now. That means the majority of internet traffic comes from a Google search. Google alone processes over 40,000 search queries every second. In short, you need to be found where your people are searching.
Taking care of all these small pieces of your blog post may seem like busywork, but it’s not.
Instead, each step is essential for making your content the best version of itself. Attention to detail may be the differentiator between two posts vying for the #1 or #2 spots on a SERP. If your post has better signals, both readers and Google will take note.
The devil is in the details. A sharp eye and a few extra minutes of your time before hitting “publish” could make all the difference.
Need great content to fuel your blogging presence? We offer packaged blogging plans. See pricing here.
Great content gives your business the attention it deserves, but just publishing without a plan is hardly what we’d call a solid strategy.
What you need is a sustainable, data-driven process, that can help you grow your business and keep giving you positive results over the long term.
You need a content strategy, and that’s where we come in with our expert content strategy services.
4 Highly Recommended Content Strategy Services to Help You Create Winning Content
1. A custom editorial calendar
2. In-depth keyword research
3. Topic planning for your blog and website
4. Expert content strategy consultations
We didn’t select any of these services at random. These are many of the same processes that we used to grow Express Writers to the point where it is today (I’ll talk more about this in a second!). Now that we know what works and why, we’re ready to share these services with you to grow your own business.
[bctt tweet=”To have a working and winning content strategy, you need 4 components: a custom editorial calendar, keywords researched, topics planned, and expert guidance. Get these essentials with the help of @ExpWriters. ? ” username=”JuliaEMcCoy”]
Developing the Right Content Strategy Helped Us Grow — and It Should Help You Too
Here’s how I know just how effective a well-planned content strategy can be: it’s how we grew Express Writers to the point where it is today.
It took years to figure out and, more importantly, perfect the entire process, and I didn’t want to settle for anything less than perfection.
Within 2 years of implementing our content strategy, Express Writers boomed to 6 figures and then 7 in annual recurring revenue (ARR).
We weren’t doing all that bad before, but the growth was insane, and I can boil that down to two things:
1. Our content strategy. We’re not really into creating content for content’s sake. Instead, I developed a content strategy process that focuses on high-quality, authority-level content, guided by in-depth SEO research. Once I got clear on the six areas of content strategy we needed to clarify and implement, our real content success began to happen.
(My first foray into content strategy was when I built a simple team-only inner training on content strategy, as far back as 2015. Today, I’ve taken these cores and developed them into a $1,000 course with over 100 enrolled students, and a book that tops the charts on Amazon.)
2. The amazing team we have in place. FACTS: If you want to execute a winning strategy, you need expert, talented help in your corner. ?
At Express Writers, we’re content experts first, a team secondly — not the other way around. We love what we do, and that has always come first.
We didn’t scramble for our expert hats and then market ourselves. We earned a real status by building real skills, and THEN sold services to our clients in our agency.
I’ve talked extensively about the content strategy we implemented to grow Express Writers. However, if I had to sum it up in a few words, it would be these.
Stop wasting time with low-effort content. Instead, put real effort into high-quality pieces and SEO.
It sounds pretty simple when you put it like that. However, the amount of research, planning, and work that goes into executing a solid content strategy is mindboggling, particularly as your website starts to grow.
Remember how I mentioned it took us years to perfect the process? And that’s coming from people that do this for a living!
[bctt tweet=”We have succeeded mostly because of the content strategy we’ve implemented throughout the years. The lesson: Stop wasting time with low-effort content. Instead, put real effort into high-quality and your #strategy. ? ” username=”ExpWriters”]
4 Ways We Save You Some Serious Time and Trouble with Our Expert Content Strategy Services
You already understand the sheer power of content when it comes to growing an online business, so let’s talk about how we can help you.
1. We Put Together a Custom Editorial Calendar that Fits Your Goals (?It’s a Must-Have!)
You want your website to rank for as many keywords as possible, which means you need content.
A lot of websites focus on putting out as much content as possible at a breakneck pace, but that’s not a winning strategy. What you need is a plan and, as simple as it may sound, a calendar.
That means a week-by-week plan that outlines the content you’re going to publish. That way, you have a bird’s-eye view of what topics you’re going to target and when.
Here’s how it works: You tell us what your niche is, what your business is about, and what sets you apart. Our crack content strategists do their research, and here’s what you get:
A two-month editorial calendar, including perfect-fit keywords and topics your audience will love.
Tentative schedule dates designed to maximize the returns on your content.
An easy-to-understand report using an Excel template.
Those are the basics, but all our services also include plenty of extras. Our editorial calendars also include lists of influencers we recommend you engage within your niche, BuzzSumo content analysis reports, and an evergreen guide on the metrics we use.
Every single editorial calendar we send is put together by our team of content strategists. We use industry-leading software to help you make smart content decisions, but behind the curtain, it’s all humans.
Two months is the minimum we offer for our editorial calendar services because simply put, it’s the shortest period in which you can start seeing tangible growth. Content marketing is all about the long term, hence the calendar approach!
2. We Tackle Keyword Research for You (Using Industry Leading Software)
Do you want to know the secret behind websites that get dozens of thousands of visitors and shares on every article they publish?
Not a single page or blog goes live that doesn’t have a ton of research behind it.
If you want search engines to give your content the love and attention it deserves, you need to play by their rules. That means figuring out which keywords have the best potential ROI and using that information to drive your content decisions.
There are a lot of tools you can use when it comes to keyword research, and our team of content strategists uses the best software in the industry, including SEMrush and Mangools’ KWFinder. We spend the hours you don’t have to, to find amazing keywords that will help your content go to the next level.
Here’s what our keyword research services for blogs and websites get you:
Keyword research for blogs: You get a full SEMrush report that includes our top 15 keyword choices that can get you the best results for your blog. On top of that, we also include up to 200 additional keyword opportunities you should explore, as well as up to 3 headline suggestions for potential topics.
Keyword research for the web: Keyword research isn’t just for blogs, and our keyword research service for websites get you a report on 10 high-ROI keywords you should explore with your copy. You also get up to 200 high-potential keyword suggestions.
For both those content strategy services, you can let us know if you want your content strategists to focus on specific regions or audiences from around the world.
3. We Come Up with (and Plan) Topics for Your Blog and Website
If you like to keep things simple, we can start off by researching the best potential keyword for one (1) piece of content for your blog.
Our goal with this service is to find the keyword with the best potential ROI for your business. Then we come up with a killer content idea built around that keyword, including a headline designed to get attention.
One perfect topic at the right time can have a significant impact on your business. If you want to hire us to come up with multiple topics for your blog and website, we’ll put them together for you using one of our custom editorial calendars. That way, you can see how the whole content strategy comes together over the long term.
4. We Plan and Go Over Your Content Strategy (Via Live Calls)
A big part of a successful content strategy comes down to research and numbers.
We use the best possible tools and services to see where the data leads us, and we use our expertise to help you make the best decisions based on that data.
However, numbers alone often don’t paint a full picture. That’s why we’re also happy to hop on a call via Hangouts or Zoom to answer any questions you might have.
If you’re not sure where to begin, a call is a great place to start. You get to talk with one of our content strategists and ask any questions you might have regarding topic suggestions, concerns about your overall strategy, reviewing your content, and more.
I personally train every single member of our content strategy team, so when you hop on a call with one of them, I know you’re in good hands!
Let’s Implement a Winning Content Strategy Together
Creating and publishing industry-leading content is no small feat.
Now imagine how much work it takes to do it week after week, for years at a time.
It’s a lot of effort, but implementing a well-planned content strategy has the potential to elevate your business to the next level.
All you need is a great team in your corner.
[bctt tweet=”Creating and publishing industry-leading content is no small feat. It’s a lot of effort, but implementing a well-planned content strategy has the potential to elevate your business to the next level. ? Read more about how we help: ” username=”ExpWriters”]
If you’re ready to start planning a long-term content strategy, check out the individual content strategy services we offer, and let’s get the ball rolling!
Searches drive 34.8% of all online traffic, so it shouldn’t surprise you that, on average, 27% of marketing budgets go into content. After all, if readers can’t find yours, your website might as well not exist.
Here’s the problem, though – most content has a limited shelf life.
We’re not kidding when we say limited, either. Some studies say, by the time a blog post turns one-month-old, it’s already past its peak.
That’s about the same as the lifespan of a common housefly.
Nowadays, the flow of information never stops. Every day, WordPress users alone publish a staggering 2.75 million new articles, and those guys make up about only about 60% of the internet.
To put it simply, if you want your website to stay relevant, you need content that can stand the test of time.
You need evergreen, onsite content.
Are you ready to increase your post’s longevity? Of course you are, so let’s get to it!
Why Evergreen Site Content Is Essential for Your Website’s SEO
Evergreen content on your site is the little black dress of the marketing world – it always works for you, and it never goes out of style.
We already talked about the short shelf life of most online content. That happens because as time passes, the things people search for change.
Let’s say, for example, you’re in the market for a new computer, and you’re looking for a buying guide. The search results you see in 2019 aren’t going to be the same ones as the ones from 2018.
New products come out so fast, the results you see during Q1 and Q4 within the same year will probably look very different.
[bctt tweet=”Clueless on what to publish? Go for something that lasts — start writing evergreen site content! @JuliaEMcCoy tells why they win over content with limited shelf life and some tips on creating one. ?” username=”ExpWriters”]
Now, what happens if instead of looking for a buying guide, you search for “what do I need to know when buying a computer?”. Here are some of the results you’d see:
While the products themselves might change, the basics of what you need to know before you buy a computer likely won’t for a long time.
Here’s why that’s good news for you:
Evergreen content will keep bringing in traffic long after other posts on your blog start collecting dust.
Evergreen content is more likely to attract backlinks, particularly the more in-depth you go.
If you choose your topics well, evergreen content will always be of interest to your audience.
2 Simple Tips to Create Evergreen Site Content for Your Blog
We know evergreen content is the bee’s knees, but how exactly do you go about creating it?
That’s the kind of topic we could write a book about. For now, though, let’s talk a minute about the two key pieces to getting evergreen content right every time:
1. Pick Evergreen Topics
The bad news is, not all topic ideas lend themselves well to evergreen content.
When we create content, one of the things we ask ourselves is who are we writing for? You always need to have an audience in mind, and your content needs to answer a specific question.
If you think people aren’t going to be asking that question in a month or a year, then that’s not an evergreen topic.
Some examples of imaginary articles that are not evergreen content would be:
Best Running Shoes to Buy in 2019
Your Guide to The Emmys (And Who Won What)
What if we were to flip those ideas around and look for an evergreen content angle? Here’s what that might look like:
What You Need to Know Before You Buy Running Shoes (X Important Tips)
The Emmys Throughout History: X Key Defining Moments
Evergreen content doesn’t need to come in list form, but hey, who doesn’t love a good list? Search engines most certainly do!
The takeaway here is, in most cases, there’s an evergreen angle you might not be considering. With a little brainstorming, it should come to you.
2. In-Depth Research Makes Truly Evergreen Content
Content that stands the test of time does so because it’s thorough.
To put it another way, there are articles and there are articles. The latter category includes the type of content that’s evergreen because it covers a topic from every angle you can imagine.
It’s the same logic behind Skyscraper pieces. Someone might have already tackled an idea before you do, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it better.
But to get there, you need to do tons of research.
If you don’t know a topic in and out, you can’t write about it with authority. Without authority, your content will wilt, and other websites will knock you out of the top spots in the search engine result pages (SERPs).
We know what happens once you lose those coveted spots, you want to hold onto them as tightly as possible.
Writing evergreen content requires a massive investment of time, which is why, in some cases, the smart move is to bring in expert help.
[bctt tweet=”Two key pieces to remember when creating evergreen site content: 1) pick the right evergreen topics — have your audience in mind and your content should answer their questions. 2) research — and tons of it!” username=”ExpWriters”]
Get the Most Out of Your Content Marketing Budget with Evergreen Site Content
If you want truly evergreen content, your best bet is to hire expert writers that know the subject in and out. They can help you pick the right topics, do the research for you, and then you can sit back and let your website reap the rewards.
Evergreen content is a surefire way to enhance your content strategy. Check out our content shop to see how our expert writers can help you.
The publishing industry, as we know it, is radically different from what it was 10 or even 5 years ago.
More tumultuousness arrived back in June of 2019 when Barnes & Noble, the U.S.’s largest bookstore chain, was sold to a hedge fund (Elliott Management).
The sale comes after a slew of top-level management troubles, fierce competition from online booksellers like Amazon, and the closure of more than 150 stores in the last 10 years.
In the New York Times article describing the transfer of B&N from one pair of hands to another, it’s very clear, before the sale, many people feared the bookstore chain was in danger of dying.
Why should we care?
Because, as content creators, we need to keep our fingers on the pulse of the publishing industry.
We’re ALL technically publishers, ourselves.
Books are a type of content, whether they appear in print or digitally.
The print industry and digital content are linked. They’re two sides of the same coin.
Finally, Barnes & Noble is one of the biggest players in the publishing industry. What happens to them will have a ripple effect.
So, what is the future of Barnes & Noble? What does that mean for print publishing? As content creators, should we bother with traditional publishing at all? ?
Let’s discuss.
First Things First: What Does the Future of Barnes & Noble Look Like?
Joanna Penn addressed this topic recently on The Creative Penn Podcast during an interview with Mike Shatzkin. He’s an author and thought leader on what the digital future means for book publishing. He’s also the CEO of The Idea Logical Company.
Here’s what Shatzkin had to say on B&N’s future:
“I think Barnes & Noble, very much like Waterstones, is really not configured for the future. The very large store with a very big selection was mooted by Amazon. It’s 25 years later but even now I believe that they are past their sell-by date.
Then the question becomes, if all your leases are large retail establishments and it doesn’t make sense to build them with a hundred and twenty-five thousand titles, what else are you going to fill them with?”
?
In other words, Barnes & Noble is running on an outdated retail model. Nobody buys books the way they sell them anymore. Hundreds of thousands of books in one store are far too many options for the average book shopper, who can find whatever they want online.
Right now, although it’s not going under, the future of Barnes & Noble is shaky.
To persist and thrive in this tough atmosphere for print publishing, they need to make some changes.
Honestly? For B&N to survive, they’ll need to change the way they operate drastically.
[bctt tweet=”What’s going on in the publishing industry these days? Author @JuliaEMcCoy has some thoughts. Read all about it ? ? ” username=”ExpWriters”]
In the interview, Shatzkin suggests B&N shift to smaller stores or even mini stores-within-stores, such as taking over the book department within another retailer’s real estate.
Interesting Tidbit: Audiobooks Are on the Rise
Meanwhile, Joanna Penn emphasized the growing popularity of audiobooks, which can’t be ignored.
“…what we’re actually seeing right now in some markets is audio first. We’re seeing Storytel, for example, growing markets as well as obviously Audible… I think I’ve seen my own behavior change to an audio-first listening preference, especially with nonfiction which traditionally I would buy in print.”
This preference for audiobooks is actually a growing trend. According to the Audio Publishers Association, audiobook revenue grew by 24.5% from 2017-2018. In 2018, total revenue was $940 million.
Usage looks promising, too. In 2019, 50% of Americans, 12 and older, listened to at least one audiobook (up 6% from 2018).
[bctt tweet=”After 150 stores closed and being sold to a hedge fund, the future seems unclear for Barnes & Noble — and print publishing. @JuliaEMcCoy answers why content creators should care and how self-publishing wins over traditional. ? ” username=”ExpWriters”]
The Rise of Self-Publishing
Alongside the preference for digital formats and shopping for books online, self-publishing has grown in both popularity and legitimacy, too.
In fact, the digital publishing industry has made self-publishing viable and profitable in the first place.
Here’s how Mike Shatzkin puts it in the aforementioned podcast interview with Joanna Penn:
“…book publishing is the business of content and markets. And if you’re a publisher, what you need to understand is the content that you are publishing and the markets to which you can appeal. Now a lot of small players have the capability to develop content and some idea of the markets. But if it were the year 2000, you might have all that knowledge but you would have to go through the intermediary distribution system to get your books to the public. There would have been no other way.”
20 years ago, there was no way to self-publish without bearing a huge burden in terms of cost and marketing. Today, that has radically changed.
Thanks to the internet and services like Ingram and Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, people can self-publish a book and immediately have a method for distribution online. Thanks to social media and blogs, you can market your book and reach an audience.
For example, when placed side-by-side, today both self-published authors and traditionally published authors are on the same playing field in terms of earnings:
What’s really surprising:
About 77% of self-published authors make at least $1,000 from their writing.
Only 9% of traditionally published authors make as much.
[bctt tweet=”More content creators are choosing self-publishing over the traditional, thanks to the internet. In fact, 77% of self-published authors make at least $1,000 from their writing. @JuliaEMcCoy shares the pros and cons of self-publishing. ? ” username=”ExpWriters”]
Should You Self-Publish, or Publish Traditionally?
That brings us to the question of the day:
If you’re a content creator, writer, or author, should you self-publish? Or should you go the traditional route? Both of my books are self-published.
These are the pros and cons:
Pro: Taking my books to market was incredibly easy.
Con: The editing, design, formatting, and writing was all on me.
Con: Authors can publish anything, so the self-published market is saturated with crap work.
Pro: This can be an opportunity, because if/when you publish a great book, it stands out!
Pro: You make 70% of the royalties when self-publishing, as opposed to a couple of dollars per book at a very slim margin when it’s traditionally published.
Since publishing my first book in April 2016, I’ve earned $14,000 in royalties. In addition, I’ve earned over 7,000 in a variety of other currencies. Not bad!
A few other reasons to self-publish:
1. Self-Published Authors Can Publish Quickly
One of the ways self-publishing really shines is in the timeline. As fast as you want your book out, it can happen. It’s totally up to you.
A self-published book can go to market MUCH faster than a traditionally published book because there are fewer hoops to jump through (see point #3). You don’t need to wait around for book agents or publishers to give the okay – YOU give the okay.
2. Self-Publishing Profit Margins Are Higher
If you self-publish, you’ll keep a larger cut of the profits from every book sold.
On average, self-published authors keep 70% of their royalties.
In contrast, traditionally published authors earn an advance – a flat amount the publisher pays once. After that, the author doesn’t earn any money until the book makes at least as much as the advance amount.
For example, say an author is paid an $8,000 advance for their book. That’s all they get until the book starts earning $$ back for the publisher. After that, the author only makes $1-2 per book sold. Youch. ?
3. Print Books Are Making a Comeback, But Not in Bookstores
As we’ve seen from the example of Barnes & Noble, counting on traditionally published books to do well in physical stores is a huge gamble.
Yes, going this route at least gives your book a shot at being sold in bookstores, but it’s not guaranteed. Stores have thousands of books to choose from to populate their shelves, and only the most commercially promising ones will make the cut.
And, if you make it to bookstore shelves, you’re at the mercy of failing bookstore models like B&N. Will you ever move a copy in that vast maze of books?
There is a far better chance that someone will buy a physical copy of your book on the internet.
In 2018, print book sales rose by 2.5%. Then, in the first quarter of 2019, hardcover books saw a 7.8% sales increase.
4. The Traditional Publishing Route is Tedious
If you go the traditional way, publishing your book will take a long, long time.
First, you’ll need to query agents about your book (essentially sending them a book pitch). Your agent is the one who will shop your book to publishers. Finding an agent can take a long time – months or even years.
Once you find an interested agent, you might need to work with them to edit and revise the book. Tack an extra few months onto your publishing timeline.
THEN, your agent will find a publisher. You sign a contract with them, essentially handing over the print rights to your work (read: you can’t go print it elsewhere unless you want a lawsuit).
You’ll go through another round of copyedits and revisions with the publisher. This takes additional months of work. They’ll also design your cover and have the final say on the title.
The publisher is in charge of publishing and distributing your book. Most publishers do little, if any, marketing.
As you can see, it’s very hard to get published traditionally. The wait between a “yes” from a book agent to holding your published book in your hands can take as long as a year – maybe even longer.
From this angle, self-publishing looks pretty darn good in comparison.
[bctt tweet=”Some of the pros of self-publishing for @JuliaEMcCoy: faster publication times, higher profit margins, and getting to avoid that tedious process in traditional publishing! Know more in this post. ✍️” via=”no”]
Barnes & Noble is Skating By, and Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Looks More Promising Than Ever
While Barnes & Noble hangs on by its teeth, digital publishing and self-publishing online are taking off.
The internet has given us content creators the power to share our wisdom, stories, and knowledge with the world in book format.
We don’t have to wait around for a publisher to approve of our work, and we don’t have to rely on bookstores to stock it on shelves.
If you’re thinking about publishing a book (a great way to position yourself as a subject authority), think long and hard before you go the traditional way. Self-publishing is both legitimate and profitable – and equally as rewarding.
Does creating SEO content to build your brand online and grow your inbound traffic sometimes feel like a vortex of same old, same old?
If you find yourself wondering, “Did I just create too much content on the same topic…?,” you’ll want to stick around for today’s video.
In today’s new YouTube video, I explain keyword cannibalization: what it is (the good, bad AND ugly), how to avoid it, and three measures you can take to prevent it completely.
Finally, which tool to use to see if you actually do have keyword cannibalization happening. Let’s get into it!
Keyword Cannibalization: What It Is & How to Avoid It Completely (Video)
My Fall Update
This fall, I’m head-down working on the developmental edit stages for my third book, a narrative nonfiction memoir. Every single day, I’m going in my content hermit hole and writing! I’m super excited about this book, and cannot wait to share more updates with you. It’s the story of how I left my dad’s cult in the middle of the night at 21 years old and built a life I love — including several businesses! Bonus: We’re full blast at Express Writers, keeping our writers and team busy with tons of great content creation projects for our clients. We have several work-from-home positions open — a part-time editor and a part-time support specialist. Get in touch with us by emailing [email protected] if you want to hear more about our opportunities.
Thirdly, even though I said I’d take on less, I couldn’t resist the opportunity of an amazing invitation I received to co-write Ryan Stewart’s new book on SEO, this fall. Ryan Stewart is a friggin’ amazing expert I’ve been a fan of for years. He’s built and sold multiple businesses from scratched and consulted for leading businesses. He and I share the same growth-focused marketing mindset. Look for our updates on that new book coming soon! This made wonder if you’re wondering how I get all my writing done. ? Maybe that should be another video!
Okay, let’s get into today’s topic.
What is Keyword Cannibalization?
Keyword cannibalization is when a site has more than one page with the exact same focus keyword — typically unintentionally.
When this happens, you’re diluting your page authority and potentially eating your own ranking potential (oops). Thus the name for this issue: “keyword cannibalization.”
Instead of you telling Google, “Hey, this is my single awesome killer page for this focus keyword,” you’re throwing a bunch of pages at Google hoping one of them sticks. And that doesn’t work.
[bctt tweet=”Keyword cannibalization is when a site has more than one page on the exact same keyword. Watch @JuliaEMcCoy explain keyword cannibalization and measures you can take to prevent this from happening to you. ? #SEO” username=”ExpWriters”]
Why Keyword Cannibalization Is Not Good for SEO
Eric Enge, one of the lead writers of “The Art of SEO”, says that keyword cannibalization is like writing a really good book, but each chapter is on the exact same thing. That wouldn’t be a page-turner, would it?
He has this illustration to show how keyword cannibalization kills site SEO, and what should be done instead:
The only thing I would clarify on this concept is that when you create a bunch of pages on the same keyword — subconsciously or by accident — you’re not confusing Google. Google is pretty smart with how they rank content, so Google will make their best choice from your content based on the searcher’s intent. But what happens…
When you create too many content pieces on the same topic you can cause an ICKY page to rank above an AWESOME page (i.e., the one you really want to rank).
Take a look at this example from Ahrefs, in this blog by Joshua Hardwick on the topic of keyword cannibalization.
If you Google the phrase “competitor backlink analysis, you’ll see two different blogs of theirs ranking in positions #6 and #7:
The result in position #6 was published 4+ years ago, contains a ton of screenshots showing a very old Ahrefs UI, and is a short post compared to the mega-guides they publish nowadays.
The post they wanted to rank highly, #7, is a better blog. It’s more up-to-date and offers better advice. But, because they’ve already written on this topic, they’re cannibalizing their position.
When Keyword Cannibalization Isn’t An Issue
There are a few instances when you don’t have to worry about keyword cannibalization.
For example: if you rank in positions #1 and #2 for a very valuable keyword pulling in ideal traffic, and the content in those rankings are valuable, long-term positions for you, then you don’t need to worry about keyword cannibalization. Example: Bodybuilding.com currently holds the #1 and #2 spot for “back and bicep workout.”
Look at the two content pieces. Each features a different workout, by a different expert. So if you’re an ideal audience for this site, and let’s say you’re seeking a back and biceps workout and you’re interested in one of these experts (you already know them by name and are excited they’ve put together a workout online), you’re going to click on the one you like the most. So, bodybuilding.com is not cannibalizing their own rankings because both of these rankings serve a purpose. Different workouts by different experts.
The other example of keyword cannibalization not being an issue is when you have many pages around a central two-word phrase, but your rankings and focus keywords are long-tail versions of that two-word phrase.
As long as you create a unique content piece to compete for a different long-tail phrase each time, the long-tail phrase itself can have the same word or couple of words repeated.
Example: blogging statistics, best blogging service, blogging packages for law firms
Three different keywords, three different content pieces, three different search originations… all containing the same core term, blogging. Not keyword cannibalization.
How to Fix Keyword Cannibalization
So, let’s say keyword cannibalization is happening to you. What do you do? Here are three measures you can take. 1. Merge & Update Old Content
Updating old content is one of the best ways to tell Google, hey, look! I just made this old, icky piece of content better! Now it’s worthy of search user’s eyeballs.
So if you have two pieces of content on identical keywords and topics, pick the better one, merge any content that’s worth merging from the other duplicate content, and finally, it’s best to go over the whole piece, refresh, update, write a new meta title and description for optimal results.
After you update an old piece of content, 301 redirect the URL of the old post you updated to the new one, then delete the old post. 2. Delete the Worst Version
If you have one content piece that is amazing and one that is horrible, just throw the horrible one in the trash.
Don’t even try to save it, if it’s not worth showing to your ideal audience. Don’t try to merge and update and use it, if it’s straight up cruddy. Don’t forget to 301 redirect the URL to another relevant blog before you trash it, so you don’t lose any clicks from possible anchor texts that could be linking to it. 3. No-Index
This is a situation that would work if you have a product page, for example, that a user or shopper absolutely must have, but isn’t going to help you in search because you might have two of them.
Simply no-index the page when you publish it, and avoid search crawlers completely. Not recommended if your goal is inbound traffic – I would recommend one of the other two instead – but absolutely an option if you don’t care as much about SEO and you already have great sources of traffic. Tool Recommendation
If you have tons of content and you’re not sure what’s duplicate and what’s not, use a tool like Screaming Frog to crawl your site and export it. If you paste the Screaming Frog export into Excel, for example, you can use filtering to see how many pages talk about a given topic and get going on content cleanup. Think about how to organize main pages that link to sub-pages, if you have a lot of similar topics.
More Recommended Resources on Keyword Cannibalization
Thanks so much for joining me on today’s video. Don’t forget to subscribe for my new videos, and let me know in the comments if you have any questions on this topic!
