Have you been having a really hard time getting people to read the blog that you just started? This shouldn't come as a huge surprise.

There are about 1.8 billion websites in the world today, including approximately 600,000 blogs. That can make it very challenging for the average person to start a blog that gets a lot of attention.

If you're dead-set on trying to do it anyway, you should ask yourself, "How do I get my blog noticed?" Or better yet, you should ask yourself, "How can I go about getting attention for my blog—from the search engines?"

The best way to get attention for a blog is by beefing up its search engine optimization, better known as SEO. By taking SEO more seriously, you can bring about more blogging attention for your blog and increase its chances of being successful.

Here are some SEO tips to help people find your blog more often.

Research the Keywords You Should Be Using on Your Blog

When you first start up a blog, you might be tempted to dive headfirst into it by putting together your first post. But before you begin writing it, you should learn about which keywords you should be using on your blog.

You can use tools like the Google Adwords Keyword Tool to figure out which keywords you can sprinkle into your posts to put them on Google's radar. There are also other similar tools out there for the other search engines that people use.

Your goal should be to compile a long list of keywords that you can use in your blog posts to help drum up interest in it. You shouldn't have to worry too much about asking the question, "How do I get my blog noticed?" when you use the right keywords to your advantage.

Find Good Ways to Work the Right Keywords Into Your Blog Posts

Generating a long list of keywords that you can use on your blog to get attention for it is important. But it's not going to do you a whole lot of good if you don't use them properly.

A lot of new bloggers make the mistake of stuffing as many keywords as they can into their blog posts in an effort to capture the attention of the search engines. They think that this is going to be the solution to all their problems as far as building up some buzz for their blog is concerned.

But alas, this approach to blogging often backfires. When you put too many keywords into a single blog post, it can make it unreadable. It can also result in Google and the other search engines punishing you for keyword stuffing.

Your goal should be to include a few keywords into each of your blog posts organically. The search engines are very sophisticated these days and will be able to pick up on them, even if you don't go too overboard.

Link to Other Blogs and Websites Within Your Posts

You should include more than just keywords in your posts to improve your blog's SEO. You should also make it a point to link to other blogs and websites within every post you do.

The exact number of links that you should include in a single blog post will depend largely on how long the post is. But generally speaking, it's a good idea to stick two or three links into every post that you do.

Over time, you should also begin to link to some of your own blog posts in your blogs. These internal links will motivate your readers to click around on your blog and spend more time on it than they might otherwise.

Connect With Other Bloggers and Encourage Them to Link to Your Blog

Once you've spent a few months publishing posts on your blog, it's smart to start introducing yourself to other bloggers operating in your niche. Touch base with a few of your fellow bloggers to say hello and to give them a taste of what you have to offer.

Additionally, think about asking them if they would mind linking to your blog every now and then when they see something they like. If you're able to get other bloggers linking to your blog, you're going to see your SEO improve by leaps and bounds in a short period of time.

Publish Links to Your Blog Posts on Social Media

If you haven't done so already, you should 100% set up social media pages for your blog. You should look into jumpstarting accounts on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Once you have accounts on these sites, you should publish links to your blog posts so that any followers you have can take a trip over to your blog to read them. You should also make an effort to connect with as many people as you can through the various social media networks.

Put Up Posts on Your Blog on a Regular Basis

Are you only posting on your blog once every couple of weeks or, worse, once every month as of right now? This is not how to get attention for your blog.

If you're not posting on your blog on a regular basis, it's not going to register on Google and the other search engines. They're basically going to ignore your blog altogether and give it next to no chance of surviving.

With this in mind, you shouldn't ever pass up on the opportunity to put up posts on your blog early and often. You don't have to put up ten posts per day. But you should try to post something at least once every few days.

Stop Asking, "How Do I Get My Blog Noticed?", and Take Action Today

You're not going to make a blog successful overnight. It can take weeks, months, and, in some cases, even years to turn a blog into a success story.

If you're just getting started and wondering, "How do I get my blog noticed?", use the tips we've talked about here to get the attention of the search engines. You should see an uptick in the traffic coming to your site in no time at all.

Do you need a hand getting blog posts up on your site? We can help! Contact us today to find out how.

What if one quick trick made your writing process much easier?

Blogging is one of the most rewarding kinds of writing. It allows you to write about what you are passionate about and reach audiences all over the world.

At the same time, it can be difficult to just "wing it" while you write. The best blog post, then, is built on top of a good blog post outline.

Wondering how to create such an outline? Keep reading to discover our comprehensive guide!

A Working Title

Before you can go any further, you need some kind of title. Specifically, you need a working title.

The working title generally defines what the whole thing is about. It may be a little rough at this point. However, you'll have time to revise it later to make it more attention-getting and SEO optimized.

Part of why the working title is so important is that it helps you work out the value proposition of your article. Because there are so many blog articles out there, it's important to understand what makes your different, relevant, and valuable before you start writing.

For some writers, this part of the outline starts much earlier. By writing down good ideas whenever you think of them, you can quickly amass a notebook full of good working titles.

Brainstorming

The next step in the outline process is arguably the most important. Unfortunately, it is also the most misunderstood.

That's because plenty of bloggers think back to their schooldays and the kinds of outlines their teachers wanted. However, those methods are usually a bit more complex for the brainstorming stage.

For example, some teachers taught an outline method where you wrote down an idea in a little circle and then wrote down supporting ideas extending from those circles. Other teachers preferred a formal outline of Roman numerals that clearly outlined your main points, subpoints, and so on.

You'll quickly discover two key problems when you try to brainstorm like this for blogs. The first is that you may end up with too much content spread across very long sections. Remember, what works well to help you write a 10-page paper may be way too much to help you write a 500-word blog post.

The other problem is that both of these methods force you to organize while you brainstorm. Organization should be a separate step. For initial brainstorming, you just need to write down all of the questions you want to answer and all of the main arguments you wish to make.

Organize Into Sections

Pure brainstorming often looks pretty chaotic on paper. You'll have a bunch of different ideas in no particular order on the page. That's why the next step involves organizing them.

Let's say you're writing a post about "How to Improve SEO Today." Your brainstorming might have several ideas, including using alt tags, naming images, and adding captions.

Instead of treating those as separate sections, you can organize them all under a subheader entitled "Images and SEO." This is the basis of all blog outline organization: gathering your assorted ideas and creating the distinct subheaders that will organize all of them.

Flesh Out Those Sections

Once you've organized everything, you'll probably notice a problem. Some of your subheader sections have more than others.

That's why the next step involves fleshing out certain sections. This is like a focused brainstorming session where you come up with more ideas for a handful of otherwise undeveloped sections.

Remember, there is no rule that says that every section has to contain the same number of ideas. At the same time, though, your blog will flow better if sections have a similar length.

Before fleshing out sections, you'll need to make the call about how substantial these ideas are. If you have as much to say about one point under this subheader as you do about three points under another subheader, then you may not need to flesh anything out.

The Revision Process

Your next step is the revision process. We'll be honest: many bloggers skip this step, and it shows in the poor quality of their work.

The revision process is your chance to be brutally honest as well. Take a look at your sections and identify if any of them are weak, redundant, and/or off-topic.

It's possible to go back to the drawing board and flesh out something that still seems weak. But it's perfectly acceptable to cut out a weak point and focus on your stronger ones.

The reason many bloggers struggle with this is that it means being honest about your ideas. And the honest truth is that some ideas are better than others. Figure out what won't resonate with your audience and remove it.

Back That Point Up

If you didn't already do so in the brainstorming or organizing stage, you should find some research and links to support what you are saying in your blog. There are two main reasons you should do this.

The first is that your readers will develop more trust for what you have to say. The research shows the world that you've done your homework and aren't just spouting off opinions.

The second is that authoritative links actually help the SEO of your blogs. So if you really want new readers to discover your work, adding authoritative links is a must!

Add Some Tips for "Future You"

Our last tip is simple, and you can skip it if you go right from outline to writing. But if you're writing an outline for a future blog, you should add some final tips to make writing easier for "future you."

Maybe you want to pencil in some reminders about jokes you'd like to make. Or maybe you want to put in links for other articles that served as inspiration for your ideas.

Basically, jot down anything now that will help you write the best possible article later.

Blog Post Outline: The Final Word

Now you know how to craft a blog post outline. But do you know how to share your thoughts with the world?

At iWriter, we empower writers to get paid while doing what they do best. To get started, come complete the Writer Application today!