Blogging Bites #32

​COACHING · PAST TIPS · INSTAGRAM​

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Hey Reader!

Things are constantly changing in the online world. As food bloggers and digital content creators, we have to be on our toes and ready to adapt! It can be scary, but every company goes through these tough phases. I believe that those who power through and continue to learn will come out ahead!

Many of us are in the adapt or die phase after these recent Google updates. We don't yet know if things will level back out or if we need to pivot in our strategies...or give up?? I surely won't be throwing in the towel. I'm thinking of this as a learning experience. An opportunity to problem-solve and improve.

That being said, there are things we can do to help our businesses while we wait for Google to figure its sh*t out.

One thing SEOs have noticed is that public discussion platforms like Reddit are showing up higher in the SERPs. Dr. Marie Haynes calls it out in this blog post. It proves that experience is very important for EEAT.

Now that Reddit's ranking higher in the SERPs, it might be worth it to start sharing recipes there. Last month, someone made my Fruity Pebble Marshmallow Cookies and shared them on Reddit.

It's now ranking on the second "page" of Google when you search Fruity pebble/marshmallow cookies, which is what the Reddit post was titled.

I've never been a Redditor, but I may start trying to post and/or comment recipe links/photos in relevant subreddits to try to gain traffic from there (kind of like with Facebook groups). Since I don't have an established presence on Reddit, I might not be able to build authority or rank my Reddit posts in Google, but it could help provide extra traffic. This is mentioned in TopHatRank's SEO for Bloggers Episode #37.

I do want to note that this Reddit-sharing strategy isn't an SEO strategy or a big change to correct Google's update effects on blogs. It's something that you could be doing regardless of Google's updates. It's just another source you can try to gain traffic from.

Before making any drastic changes to your actual blog, I'd suggest consulting an SEO expert. Assess your content against Google's content guidelines and absorb information & insights from experts. If you missed it in my Instagram stories, Dr. Marie Haynes shared a video with some insights on real blogs impacted by the helpful content update in this video.

Personally, I've seen a bit of a decline in impressions from the October core update, but I'm not doing anything outside of my usual strategy until some time has passed and I know more.

I also want to note that these recent Google updates have clearly shown us how important traffic diversification is. We shouldn't rely on one source for blog traffic.

The way I think of it: my ultimate goal is to bring users to my blog and email list (AKA the things that I own and have control over). Search engines, social media, and other traffic sources are just ways to find my audience and bring them there.

I want my audience to connect and fall in love with my brand and recipes so much that they want to return, follow along, and share them with others. Creating a personal, useful experience for them is more important now than ever.

Algorithms change. Platforms come and go. However, if you're determined and passionate, you'll last 😊

Happy blogging!
-Kayla