It can be difficult to understand when, or if, to add a subdomain to your website. No one wants to spend time making a substantial change, such as adding a subdomain, only to find out it’s bad for SEO. But are subdomains actually bad for SEO? Let’s dig into how subdomains impact SEO and when to use them.
What is a Subdomain?
Before we get too far into discussing how subdomains impact SEO, let’s first consider what a subdomain is.
A subdomain is a domain for your website that is part of your primary domain but has a unique identifier before the standard domain’s name. For example, the domain mywebsite.com could have a subdomain of app.mywebsite.com.
Are Subdomains Bad for SEO?
Generally speaking, subdomains aren’t bad for SEO. They aren’t penalized in any way just for being a subdomain.
But they can be construed as bad because they don’t benefit the main domain or gain any benefit from it. Search engines consider them a completely separate website from the parent domain. Therefore, you need to apply SEO techniques to both the main domain and subdomain if the goal is for both sites to rank well in search engines.
So, to reiterate, there is no penalty. However, subdomains can be considered bad because they do not benefit your primary domain or receive any benefit from it.
When is a Subdomain a Good Choice?
Even though a subdomain is considered a different website and doesn’t directly benefit the primary domain, there are still a few instances where a subdomain is a good choice.
When You Want to Provide a Unique User Experience
A subdomain is a great option when you want to create a unique experience. Suppose you need a layout with different navigation, a different header, or even different screen sizes and widths. In that case, a subdomain will let you create a unique template and experience.
A subdomain can be handy for creating a website that functions like an app. It works well for any type of tool or logged-in experience as well. People sometimes use this tactic to create a mobile website, though responsive design or AMP are now the preferred methods.
If You Have Content that is Truly Off-Topic for Your Main Domain
If you have content that is off-topic for your main domain, it could make sense to put that in a subdomain. That’s because, if the content is off-topic, you’ll need to optimize the pages for keywords that are entirely different from your main domain, anyway. Therefore, even if that content were on the main domain, there wouldn’t be as much benefit, and it could even dilute the SEO efforts on your main site. If you start adding off-topic content to your main website, it will make it more difficult for people and search engines to understand the website’s purpose.
Different Geographic Regions
The last reason a subdomain could be a good choice is if you cater to different geographic regions. For that, you need variations of your website for the different audiences. In that case, it could be a good option to leverage multiple subdomains to provide content tailored to the audience that will view it.
In Summary
The key thing to remember is that a subdomain is essentially a different website. If what you’re building is part of (and should benefit) your main website, then don’t use a subdomain. If the content is associated but requires a standalone site for one of the reasons above, then go ahead and build a subdomain. There is no SEO penalty, but it’s important to understand how to adjust your existing SEO strategy to ensure the content people need to see ranks well.
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You already know you need to do keyword research to ensure you’re writing about topics people are searching for. But how many SEO keywords should you use on each page? Here are five tips to help you determine the right keywords for each page on your site.
Assign Keywords to Pages—Not Sites
When determining how many keywords to use, focus on assigning keywords to a particular page. There is no maximum or minimum number of keywords that will be ideal for the site as a whole. Instead, you want to make sure each page on your site focuses on a unique topic and that you have a clear understanding of any keywords you are targeting on that page.
Focus on High Search Volume and Low Competition
When choosing which keywords to assign to pages and ultimately optimize for, go for keywords with high search volume and low competition.
Now, what does high search volume mean? Well, it should be a metric specific to you, your keywords, and your industry. It could as easily be 15,000 as 50 searches a month. Use the search volumes as a comparative metric, and don’t get too worried about the exact numbers. The tools used to gather those metrics aren’t perfect. So, instead, use the metrics to compare your keywords to each other. If the tool reports any search volume for a word, it could still be worth focusing on for you.
Looking at the keyword difficulty or competition metric can also help you determine which keywords to focus on. Often, terms with the highest search volumes are also the most competitive. Therefore, they are the most difficult to achieve a good rank with. Find a good balance between terms that people search for but for which the competition is not intense.
Choose One Primary Keyword
For each page, you want to target one primary keyword. It’s okay to try and target three or even five keywords on one page, but choose one to be the primary.
Any secondary keywords can help shape your content. You can use them to create sections in your content by inserting the secondary keyword in a subheading and then in the paragraphs directly below it. The rest of the article, however, would be optimized for the primary keyword.
You’ll Rank for More than You Target
Each page will end up ranking for many more keywords than just the one primary keyword you targeted for it. But that helps you keep your page focused on a specific topic.
Typically, the keyword you focus on will be a broader term. It could be something such as Google Analytics events, which is a broad term. Concentrating on that one term will not only help increase the rank for that broad term but also increase the rank on hundreds, if not thousands, of related long-tail terms. These are longer, more specific queries. Some of those long-tail terms could be how to set up Google Analytics event tracking, tracking button clicks with Google Analytics, or how to add event tracking in Google Analytics.
Any single long-tail term has a lower search volume than a broad term, but there are many more long-tail terms than broad terms. So, what happens is that you focus on a broad term, but you end up getting your traffic from the long-tail terms.
So, you don’t need to worry about only choosing one keyword for your page. It simply determines your focus and gives you clear direction. You won’t be missing out by not targeting every variation. Those variations will naturally appear when you write a high-quality article with a specific focus.
Don’t Worry About Tracking the Rank
Don’t worry too much about tracking the rank for each keyword. Just use the keyword as your guide when you’re creating content to make sure you’re focusing on topics people are looking for.
It’s fun to see if the keyword you targeted ends up ranking on the first page, but it isn’t all that helpful to track it. Search rankings can vary greatly depending on location and personalization.
Instead of getting too carried away with trying to track keyword rankings, monitor the traffic your content receives. You can view this in Google Analytics under Behavior. If your content is receiving views, if people are spending time on the page, and if that’s generating conversions, you know the topic resonates well with your audience, and you should create more content like it.
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You’re already aware you should be writing weekly blog articles. But how do you write them so they rank well on search engines? Here are ten tips to guide you on how to write for SEO.
Write for Your Target Audience
When writing for SEO, the most important thing to remember is to write for your target audience. Don’t get so focused on optimizing for search engines that you forget to focus on your readers. Creating a great experience and top-quality content for people who visit your website should always be the priority.
Search engines are always changing to improve the user experience. Making sure your content provides the best user experience possible will give you a better chance at long-term SEO success.
To write for your target audience, you need to have a clear understanding of who your audience is. Take the time to outline a persona. This allows you to create a profile that makes a story for your target customer. Then, when you write your content, you speak directly to the fictional persona you’ve outlined.
Focus on Evergreen Topics
Try to choose content topics that will always be relevant. This won’t always work out, but try to find a balance between evergreen and timely content.
When you’re writing blog articles, it can be easier to write content based on current events. This content is strongly applicable today, but it will be harder to rank down the road because it likely won’t be as important. Unless yours is a news site, try to prioritize evergreen content.
Evergreen content is always relevant and appears fresh even after long periods. That doesn’t mean it never needs to be updated. Instead, it means evergreen content can be reviewed and updated infrequently and still continue to benefit readers for years.
I like to review my content on an annual basis and update the most popular articles. Even if an article is evergreen content, I still like to review it and make sure everything remains accurate today.
And, although I like to focus on evergreen content, that doesn’t mean I ignore current events and new information. Instead, I add that content in a way that allows the article to be evergreen and beneficial for the long term. So, instead of focusing only on what’s changing, I write an article about the broader topic. Then, I include information such as this: “As of this particular date, this change is happening.” So, I include the changes and what’s new, but I write them in a way that ensures the content is relevant and beneficial after the fact as well. When it’s time to review and update the article, I simply edit that piece so that the change no longer reads as if it’s new but, instead, as if it’s just how the system works.
Spend Time Choosing a Title
The title of the article is the most important part. The title will be the sole factor that people use to determine if the article is worth reading.
The title needs to not only be interesting and persuasive but also include the keyword. And, to avoid being truncated in search results, it should also be under 70 characters.
The best tactic for ensuring a title hits all these points is to come up with several titles. Write as many titles for your article as you can think of. I like to write at least three to five. If you need idea prompts, we have a guide on how to write catchy titles. Some people write as many as thirty. Once you have your list, you can decide which title fits best.
And, as a bonus, you can still get some use out of the titles you decide not to use. You can use the title ideas for social media posts when you share the link to the article. This can help you find out if there is a particular format of titles that resonates with your audience. If you start seeing high engagement on social posts with titles you didn’t choose, review the title and consider updating your article.
Do Keyword Research
Make sure to do thorough keyword research. Writing content takes time. Make sure you are using your time wisely by writing about the topics people are searching for. If you aren’t sure how to do keyword research, go through our complete guide, where we walk through an entire keyword research system.
Once you understand the keyword you’re focusing on for the content, see what’s already ranking for the term. Perform a search on Google with your targeted keyword. Look at the top ten results. That is your competition. To rank on page one, you need to write content better than those ten results.
Add On-Page Optimizations
There are a handful of on-page optimizations you’ll want to make on every page. These include adding your keyword in places such as the title tag, H1 tag, first paragraph, and subheadings.
An important part of on-page optimizations is to include the keyword only when it is appropriate and meaningful for the reader. Do not blindly make on-page optimizations. You don’t want to stuff your page with your keyword for SEO purposes only. Always keep the reader in mind and make sure the change makes sense not only for SEO but also for your audience.
Make the Content Easy to Scan
Format your content so it’s easy for readers to scan. Use subheadings and bulleted lists when you can. You want people to be able to scroll down and understand the gist of the article based solely on the subheadings, bold text, and lists.
It’s a common practice that you scroll through and read what you can easily see. Then, if it seems relevant to you and interesting, you scroll back to the top and start reading from the beginning. Make this process easy for people. Do your best to break up the text so it isn’t just one big wall of words.
Add an Image
Make sure to add at least one image to your article. And make sure to add an alt tag to the image. The alt tag is a text description of it.
The alt tag can help in three ways. First, if the image doesn’t load, the text description will appear in its place. Second, if the person viewing the site is visually impaired and using a screen reader to view the site, the alt text will be read to them so they can still get a basic understanding of what you are trying to portray. And, finally, the alt tag can help search engines understand what the image is about. That can help it rank in image search results.
Adding an image allows your article to provide a better user experience, and an image combined with an alt tag even enables you to rank in image searches.
Remember to Add a Meta Description
It isn’t part of your article, and it doesn’t directly impact rankings, but you still want to make sure you remember to add a meta description. The meta description is the text that appears below the title directly in the search results page. It will help convince people to click on your site from the search results, and that will help to increase both your search rankings and traffic.
Add Internal Links
Adding internal links helps search engines and people navigate your site. It’s a win-win. You want to add links both to and from your new article. The best way to do this is by following a link building system after you post each article.
Keep Your Content on Your Primary Domain
And the last tip about writing content for SEO is to keep all your content on the same domain. Have one primary domain that includes your blog articles and any product or company pages.
This means any links and positive traction you receive from your blog content can benefit your site overall. If your blog is on a subdomain (blog.yoursite.com) or a completely different domain, search engines will consider your blog a separate website. And any traffic you experience for your blog content won’t be helping increase your primary website as a whole.
In Summary
To write for SEO means to write for people first. These guidelines will help steer you in the right direction. But remember not to blindly follow SEO best practices at the expense of the user experience.
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When you want to learn something new, books are a great place to start. Does this apply to SEO as well? Can I learn SEO from a book, and, if so, which book? Here’s how to choose the best books for SEO.
Look at the Date of Publication
SEO is always changing. Before you read a book about SEO, make sure you know when it was released. Just because it was published several years ago doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read it. Just make sure you’re aware of how old it is. With that in mind, you can take the specific tactics with a grain of salt. It’s important to realize that some tips and strategies may be outdated. Nevertheless, you should still be able to get some value from it by understanding the underlying principles and getting better acquainted with the terminology.
Focus on Usability and Marketing Principles for Long-Term Benefits
Instead of concentrating on just learning SEO, read books that provide broader marketing information. Look for books about usability and digital marketing. Instead of learning specific tips and tactics, try to learn strategies and principles of psychology that can be applied to any SEO stratagem. Search engines are always changing in order to provide the optimal user experience. So, you should not only learn SEO strategies that work today, but you should also aim at getting a better understanding of how to create an ideal user experience. With this know-how in your tool box, it will always be easier for you to align your site with the ultimate goal of the search engines.
Learn SEO from Material That Can Be Easily Updated
I’m a huge fan of books and love reading about digital marketing. However, the time it takes to publish a book is too long of a process to be able to ensure that everything you’re reading is accurate and still valid today. I like to use books to get a deeper understanding of marketing strategies. To learn specific tactics and be guided through exactly what to do, I prefer to take an online SEO course. Since it’s easier to update content in an online course than in a book, the online material is up-to-date and relevant to how search algorithms currently work.
My Favorite Books to Learn SEO and Digital Marketing
Instead of SEO-specific books, my list covers broader marketing topics.
#1: This is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See by Seth Godin
This is a great book to get an overview about what matters when it comes to digital marketing. It helps outline some basic principles to fine-tune your audience, optimize your site, and determine strategies to grow. This is a great place to start.
#2: Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller
This book provides a framework you can follow to create a story around your brand. This helps solidify what you do and who you serve. If you ever struggle explaining to other people what your company does, this will solve that problem. I enjoy it when a book lets you take action right away like this one certainly does. It’s a simple and fun way to clarify your brand. It makes it easier for you to explain your brand, and it also helps fans explain it to others and increase your word-of-mouth exposure.
#3: Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common-Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug
This book will help you optimize your website to improve the user experience. It is older: The screenshots and references in it are a bit outdated. However, the content is still valuable. Every single page in this book is filled with advice that is so obvious that you’ll read it and say, “Yes, of course. That’s how it should be.” Yet, I still found it useful. I’m a big fan of common-sense books because sometimes the simplest, most obvious things can get easily overlooked. This book helps you notice the obvious things you should do to improve website usability so vital information doesn’t get missed. Although this advice may seem obvious, it’s helpful to be able to consciously look and identify where you could make some small improvements that make a big difference.
#4: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
This book lists six principles to persuade people to say, “Yes.” These principles can be helpful in many different marketing aspects, especially with copywriting. They will help you improve the content on your site so you have a better chance of converting people.
#5: Superfans: The Easy Way to Stand Out, Grow Your Tribe, And Build a Successful Business by Pat Flynn
This is a great book to learn about building a community. It explains how catering to one person is more important than trying to capture the attention of many. This book is a valuable SEO resource: It points out how to strengthen your brand, better understand your audience and create a fanbase of loyal followers.
In Summary
Reading a book and learning SEO are two great ideas that steer you in the right direction. But before you start reading a book specifically about SEO, just understand things may be different today than they were yesterday, and you always need to pay more attention to the overarching strategy than the specific tactics.
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Blogging takes time, which is limited for an entrepreneur. So, when you’re starting and building your blog, you’ll likely be wondering, How often should I blog for my business? The answers to this range anywhere from daily to monthly. Let’s go over how to determine the frequency that makes the most sense for you and your site.
Blog as Often as You Can
You should blog for your business as often as possible, but don’t worry about recommended time schedules if you know you can’t commit to them.
The more you publish, the quicker you’ll see results. However, if you start with an overly ambitious schedule and decide to blog every day, it might be challenging to stick to. You might perfectly carry out your blog schedule for two weeks but then get burned out and take a break for three months. Well, those 14 blogs could have been scheduled out weekly for three months instead. Even though the articles would have taken longer to be published, search engines and readers would have seen that you have a regularly updated blog, which would likely provide more long-term value.
Aim for Weekly Blog Updates
I like to aim for weekly blog updates. Once a month, I create a batch of four to five blogs, or however many I need to post an update each week for the upcoming month. When I first started, I only blogged monthly. Each month, I’d create a blog and schedule it out. As I got faster, I switched to blogging bi-weekly. I was producing two blogs each month, but it wasn’t taking any more time because I was writing faster and had better routines in place. Eventually, I could post an article every week and still use my same once-a-month placeholder time for content creation.
Start slow. Although monthly blog updates won’t grow your website as quickly as weekly or daily updates, it’s a good start and helps you ease into the process. That said, I do recommend aiming for weekly updates. If you start with monthly updates, make sure you’re aware of what’s using your time and brainstorm how you can create new blog articles more efficiently to increase the number you’re able to publish.
Keep Your Updates Consistent
Consistency is more important than frequency. You want search engines and readers to know how often you post. That helps search engines understand how often to crawl your website and helps readers understand when to return; it also helps show that your site is well-maintained and provides fresh content and information. So, instead of choosing an ambitious posting frequency, choose one you can commit to long-term.
Focus on Quality Over Quantity
You always want to focus on quality over quantity. This is another reason a less-frequent posting schedule could be optimal. Don’t post so often that it’s all-consuming and prevents you from moving your business forward. You need to have time to make sure your content is top-quality so it can outrank competitors; this includes creating graphics, adding images, and formatting it in an easy-to-read manner. You also need time to update old articles so that the content stays current.
Do What Makes Sense for Your Audience
Although more content offers you more opportunities to rank in search engines, always keep your audience in mind, as well. Don’t publish content purely with SEO in mind. Publish content with topics and consistency that make sense for your readers.
My audience is busy. They don’t have time to read an article every single day, so I would never switch to daily blog updates because it wouldn’t make sense for them. My time is better spent either by improving the ClearPath Online marketing tool or answering questions and helping with one-on-one issues.
In Summary
Choose a blog posting schedule that makes sense for you and your audience. If you can post weekly, start there. Commit to a regular schedule and stick to it.
Do you want to listen to this article? Here’s the podcast episode:
People visiting your website should have a good user experience regardless of the browser or device they are using to access your website. You’ve confirmed everything looks good for you, but how do you make sure everything looks great for everyone who visits? Here’s how to check browser compatibility of a website to ensure everything works as intended for all visitors.
Discover the Browsers and Resolutions People Use
Before you can test browsers to make sure everything is working, you need to know what browsers and screen resolutions to test. This will vary for every website. What you want to do is find out the details for the people who visit your website.
To do this, look at your Google Analytics account. The report varies depending on if you have the newest GA4 configuration or the Universal Analytics configuration.
In Universal Analytics, you can go to Audience > Technology > Browser & OS. This will show you the most popular browsers for your website.
Along the top, you’ll see Primary Dimension. You can view the data with various primary dimensions such as Operating System and Screen Resolution.
With the Browser primary dimension selected, you can even select a secondary dimension of Operating System to view the exact browser/operating system configurations people use to view your website.
With GA4, you can go to User > Tech > Overview. This will provide a few different charts that make it easy to visualize the most popular browsers, operating systems, and screen resolutions.
Once you understand which screen resolutions and browsers are most important to your audience, you can start to test them.
How to Test Screen Resolutions
Let’s start by testing screen resolutions. In my experience, it’s easier to test the different device sizes than it is to test browsers, and I find more inconsistencies with various screen sizes than I do with browsers, so I tend to start there.
There are two different tools I like to use to test screen resolution. You don’t need to use both. Just pick the tool that you like best and go with that.
Testing with Chrome
You can test your site on different device sizes directly in Google Chrome.
First, navigate to your site.
Right-click anywhere on the page and click on Inspect to open the developer tools.
Click on the Toggle Device Toolbar icon in the top left of the developer tools panel.
At the top of the page, you’ll see a dropdown.
Select Responsive to either enter in any resolution or drag the window to resize.
Select any of the devices from the list to use preset resolutions to view the page in the size used by that device.
Testing with Responsinator
You can test your website on different device sizes with a tool called Responsinator.
Enter your URL where it says Enter your site in the top left.
You can then scroll down and view your site on various device sizes.
How to Test Browsers
Testing browsers can be a little more complicated. Depending on how many computers you have available, you likely won’t be able to test everything yourself. Regardless, that is where I like to start.
Start By Testing with the Browsers You Have
If you have a Windows computer, you’ll be able to test Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. If you have a Macintosh computer, you’ll be able to test Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari. So, basically, you need a Windows computer to test Edge and an Apple computer to test Safari.
The other hurdle you could come across when testing yourself is that you won’t be able to test older versions of the browser. Chrome updates automatically, so that should be less of an issue, but testing old Firefox versions can be challenging.
To start, test what you can. Start by making sure the experience is ideal in the browsers you have available. Then, refer back to your Google Analytics data. Is there a browser a large chunk of your audience uses that you haven’t tested? If so, is there any easy way to test it? Do you have a friend that has access to that browser that can check for you? If not, no worries, we’ll go over the solution now.
Testing Browsers with Cross Browser Testing
There are a few different tools available that you can use to test browsers. My favorite one is Cross Browser Testing. With Cross Browser Testing, you can test your site live on any browser and operating system. You can even select different versions and resolutions.
Instead of testing live, you can also get screenshots back. You just enter the URL and select the browser configurations (or choose a pre-populated list such as popular browsers), and then you will see a page with side-by-side screenshots of that page on all of the different browsers you requested.
This makes it super simple to test any browser. The only downside is it isn’t free. There is a free 7-day trial. There is also a month-to-month option. So, even if you don’t use this all the time, it could be worthwhile to pay for the tool after a major site change or just for one month a year to confirm everything looks good.
In Summary
Start by understanding the browsers and resolutions that are important to your audience. Then, create a plan to make sure you can view your site with those settings to confirm the experience is optimal for them.
Do you want to listen to this article? Here’s the podcast episode:
When you’re first starting out with WordPress, it can be confusing to understand when to create a post and when to create a page. Although they may seem similar at first, each has a distinct purpose. Let’s dig into what you need to know about WordPress pages vs posts by outlining the four key differences.
#1: Timeliness
One main difference between WordPress pages and WordPress posts is the timeliness of the content. Posts are timely, whereas pages are timeless.
Posts are usually timely articles that are presented in chronological order. These are most often blog articles, news, and company updates.
Pages, on the other hand, are static pages. Their content is not affected by the posting or publication date. They are pages such as the About page and Contact us page and are typically found in the main navigation menu.
#2: Organization
Pages and posts are organized differently. Pages can be organized hierarchically into parent and child pages.
Posts are organized using categories and tags, so they are organized by topic.
#3: RSS
Posts are automatically syndicated to a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed, while pages are not. WordPress adds new posts to the RSS feed. This allows people to subscribe to the feed using an RSS reader. An RSS feed can also allow for some automations. For example, some tools, such as email platforms, can automate email creation based on the new post content published to your RSS feed.
#4: Community
The last major difference between pages and posts is that posts include a sense of community. Posts can allow users to comment and generally include buttons to easily share on social media accounts. Posts also include information about the author, so readers can learn something about the creator of the content. By default, pages do not list the author. However, WordPress allows many customizations, so information like this can be readily modified to meet your needs. In general, posts impart a greater sense of community and social interaction than pages.
Can Posts and Pages be Switched?
Yes. If you need to change a page to a post, or a post to a page, you can use a plugin called Post Type Switcher.
Are Posts or Pages Better for SEO?
Neither a post nor a page is necessarily better for WordPress Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The most important aspect is to use the right type for the content. So, if the content is not time sensitive, will be permanently on your site, and won’t need regular updates, make it a page. This will show the search engines that it is important and should be ranked.
However, if it is timely content, create it as a post. Search engines prioritize timely content, so you should make sure it is posted with a date and is clearly a timely article.
Both pages and posts can be ranked highly in search engine results. The best bet for long-term SEO success is to create your content using the most appropriate post type. This provides an optimal user experience and will give your work the most potential to rank well with search engines.
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Selecting a name for your blog can be a challenging task. Opt for a clever brand name? Or should my blog be my name? As with many questions in the realm of digital marketing, it depends. There are advantages and disadvantages to both options. Let’s dig into the pros and cons of using your personal name for your blog and when it’s most suitable to do so, as well as when a brand name might be a better choice.
The PROS of Using Your Personal Name for Your Blog
Helps People Connect with You as a Person
Using your own name for your blog creates a personal connection between you and your readers. Rather than perceiving your content as coming from a faceless entity, readers are more likely to see it as advice from a trusted friend.
Allows You to Switch Topics
A personal blog provides the freedom to explore a range of topics that reflect your unique interests and experiences. While it’s advisable to focus on a handful of related topics to avoid confusion to your readers, you can adjust these topics over time as your interests evolve.
Brand Yourself as an Expert
Creating a blog using your name allows you to establish yourself as an authority in your chosen field. This can be particularly advantageous for potential employers seeking to understand your expertise and knowledge.
The CONS of Using Your Personal Name for Your Blog
More Difficult to Remember and Spell
Depending on your name, it may be harder for people to remember or spell correctly compared to a brand name, which is often designed to be more memorable.
Unclear Blog Focus
The flexibility of a personal blog can be a drawback as well. Your site’s purpose may not be immediately clear to readers and search engines, making it challenging to rank in search results and connect with your target audience.
Potential Difficulty in Selling
Using your name as your blog’s brand may complicate the process if you ever decide to sell your blog. While it may not be a current consideration, it’s wise to keep future options open.
How to Decide if Your Blog Should Use Your Name
Use Your Name for Your Blog if:
Personal branding is your goal.
You’re aiming to enhance your job prospects and expand your social network.
You intend to use your blog as an extension of your resume.
Use a Brand Name For Your Blog If:
Your goal is to build a business.
You’re selling a product or planning to do so in the future.
You view your blog as a business venture and are less concerned about personal branding.
What Others Have Done
Here are some examples of some popular bloggers and how they use their name with their blogs.
Amy Porterfield – Amy Porterfield uses her name for her domain name (https://www.amyporterfield.com/). She does have separate names for her blog and courses but her name always accompanies the product names because it is her primary branding.
Jasmine Star – Jasmine Star has a personal brand (https://jasminestar.com/) and then a separate business brand (https://new.socialcurator.com/). Her name and face is on the business brand as well but it is built to stand alone separate from the Jasmine Star brand. Her podcast and messages that come directly from her are typically on the personal brand and not the business brand.
Michael Hyatt – Michael Hyatt focuses on a business brand at https://fullfocus.co/ instead of using his name. This is actually a change from the original setup and the website even has a page explaining the rebrand.
These examples show there isn’t one right way to do it. Sometimes your blog can use your name, sometimes it makes more sense for it to not, and other times you may even decide to have multiple sites with multiple blogs.
SEO Impact
The domain name does play a role in site rankings for search engines, though it is very minor. It is such a small factor that it is not worth considering the impact on search engine rankings when deciding if you should use your personal name for your domain name or not.
If it is important for your website to be the top result when your name is searched, having your personal name for the domain name will make that easier and quicker to obtain. But it is still possible to do this with a branded domain as well.
If you want your branded domain to rank at the top for your personal name then make sure you have a page dedicated to the founder and explain your contribution to the website. If the page is clearly about you and your name is optimized in the page title and headings then that page will be able to rank high in the search engine rankings when your name is searched.
The opposite of this is also true. A branded domain name will make it slightly easier to rank for a product or niche, but if the personal domain has relevant content about that topic it could also rank well in those areas.
Include Your Name Either Way
Regardless of your choice, it’s essential to include your name prominently as the author of your articles. This practice helps build trust and increases your blog’s credibility.
Verify the Domain is Available
Before finalizing your decision, check the availability of your chosen domain name. You can do this easily using the Namecheap Domain Name Search tool. Once you’ve made your choice, secure the domain name promptly.
In Summary
In general, a branded blog name provides more paths for monetization than a personal blog name. However, if building your personal brand is your primary focus, a personal blog name can be an excellent choice. Regardless of your decision, the key is to get started, create your blog content, and gain insights into your preferences. Remember, you can always adjust your approach in the future if needed.
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