I have absolutely no idea what I am doing...

[AmyKay]

For any newbies reading this... don't worry too much. Usually, writing naturally produces decent keywords and awesome LSI (latent semantic indexing.)

Think of it this way... (in simpler terms) The goal is to tell Google EXACTLY what your post (or article) is about. If Google knows what's it's about, it knows when to rank it. If there are other posts out there about the same thing, Google has to decide whose is "most important." There are many factors Google uses to decide that. Backlinks is one of them.

My advice for newbies is to write naturally. If your article is about choosing the right running shoes for jogging in the snow during winter at an affordable price... Just write about it. Be yourself. All the right keywords will show up in there.

You can make it more complicated as you get more advanced, of course. But good natural original posts and articles go a LONG way with Google.

Good luck!

[dlandry]

Originally Posted by AmyKay

For any newbies reading this... don't worry too much. Usually, writing naturally produces decent keywords and awesome LSI (latent semantic indexing.)

Think of it this way... (in simpler terms) The goal is to tell Google EXACTLY what your post (or article) is about. If Google knows what's it's about, it knows when to rank it. If there are other posts out there about the same thing, Google has to decide whose is "most important." There are many factors Google uses to decide that. Backlinks is one of them.

My advice for newbies is to write naturally. If your article is about choosing the right running shoes for jogging in the snow during winter at an affordable price... Just write about it. Be yourself. All the right keywords will show up in there.

You can make it more complicated as you get more advanced, of course. But good natural original posts and articles go a LONG way with Google.

Good luck!

Agree.

I'd also like to add
When titling your post pick a title that describes the post not something cute that's not related. That way when it shows up in the search engines people won't be thrown off and pass by.
As Amy said, write naturally and the keywords will show but if you want to get certain words in there make sure they fit the flow and don't stand out unnaturally. Example would be wanting to use the word Pepsi. Don't just throw that word in randomly but make sure you're talking about a drink or a company. When Google gets upset is when you have links and words that don't fit in.

[Mrs. Expert]

Originally Posted by khakigirl

Are you saying it's okay to keyword stuff? If you stuff keywords, your site WILL get marked as spam and your site will never see the first page of Google once you're caught.

No, that's not what I was saying. I was saying that including keywords in general isn't "stuffing" your content.

It's like Amy said--keywords simply help Google tell what your content is about.

[khakigirl]

Originally Posted by Mrs. Expert

No, that's not what I was saying. I was saying that including keywords in general isn't "stuffing" your content.

It's like Amy said--keywords simply help Google tell what your content is about.

I gotcha. The way the sentence was worded made it seem like you were promoting keyword stuffing.

[tburton]

Hi I checked out your website & it's really nice in fact I absolutely love the content on it!

One thing I'd like to say is that can do a free give away to capture you reader's email info this is a great way to continuously build relationships with your audience, answer any questions they may need to ask, update them on your new blog posts & offer the products that you may want to sell to them.

[QueenMaa]

You may also want to add your blog to blog directories. Join forums that pertain to your blogs topic. Tell all your friends and family about your blog. Word of mouth is still a good source of marketing.

[HowToee.com]

1. Content is the king. Add useful and informative content. It attracts readers like a magnet.

2. Spread the link through having guest posts on other sites.

3. Create a page on FaceBook and post the widget on the blog to let people to "like" it.

[AlisonMSmith]

My advice would be to create content. LOTS of content, GOOD content that focuses on your keywords (which have something to do with reading).

You have a blog that is 9 months old and only has 13 posts. There just isn't much REASON for anyone to read your blog. Crank out a lot of valuable, insightful content.

What SPECIFICALLY is your focus? "Instilling the love of reading…" is much too general. Who is your reader? What would they come to your blog for?

A couple of other points:

Your title text font is hard to read. Titles need to grab attention, NOT force readers to decipher them. Also, when you hover over the title tags on the aggregate page, they disappear. :/

Also, I saw this at the bottom:

***I do not endorse any one particular teaching method, book, CD, DVD, or toy. I simply present to you products that are on the market that have been purchased by other individuals.*****

That was kind of a red flag to me. What is the VALUE of "presenting products…that have been purchased by others"? It IS your endorsement that makes a difference! "I like this. This is why." It's as if you want people to BUY things through your links, but don't want to have to defend your recommendations.

Get some skin in the game. AFTER you decide on your real niche, find things you can passionately ENDORSE and RECOMMEND. Tell readers why.

Hope that helps.