Have you ever played that game where you Google yourself and see what comes up? Normally, you find out how many people in the world share your name! It’s an entertaining game to scroll through the results and find the random mix of unrelated things. But imagine with me that though one small google search, your ideal client found your ideal information and it was as easy as the tough of a button. This is how I’ve pictures SEO, or Search Engine Optimization that we’ve learned about throughout this class.
When I think about SEO, I often reflect on my own experience with a Google Search. Although I have a somewhat unique name, I’ve had several public roles over the years, including being crowned Miss Auburn University and having campus publications write articles about me. Just for the fun of it, see my google search here. As a result, when you search my name, you’ll find pictures, articles, and even a book I’ve authored titled The Girl Who Grew A Garden. It’s always a confidence boost to see the public persona that can be found online. However, despite all these pictures of my life that show up in a search, one important thing is overlooked – my blog.
I love writing and most of my life felt that I had an experience worth sharing – which would be why I wrote a book – because of this I started a “secret” blog my sophomore year of college that I, at the time, decided not to publish. I did it for my own benefit and enjoyment, with the hope of one day having the confidence to share with the world around me. About a year later, I ended up publishing the blog and have been sharing on it, pretty inconsistently since. However, I have a deep desire of continuing this blog upon my graduation in May with hopefully a lot more time to spare to share my story.
Through this journey, I have realized how crucial SEO is for new bloggers. SEO is the key to unlocking the visibility that we desire for our Public Relations material to have. Without SEO, your blog easily gets lost in the vast sea of information online, see me as exhibit A.
One of the most eye-opening aspects of SEO that I’ve learned in this class is the Google Search Console. Prior to diving into SEO, I hadn’t fully grasped the power of this tool. The Google Search Console allows website owners and bloggers to monitor and improve their website’s presence in Google Search results. It creates insight into how your website is performing, including what searches are bringing traffic to your site, how many people are viewing your content, and flags that may be causing issues with how your website is performing.
Learning about SEO in this class has been increasingly valuable knowledge for me as a blogger. Tools like the Google Search Console turn this knowledge into experience that I will carry with me, wherever I may take my writing. Investing in tools that promote the power of SEO truly have a remarkable and irreplaceable return, take advantage of them and watch your content reach that ideal client – or watch me attempt to do it after this class!