Bloggers have unique issues when it comes to search engines. We have a lot of content over time, which makes search engines happy. We also face more difficulties if we primarily post images, video, and other multimedia files. Search engines are scrambling to catch up and accommodate searches for rich media content.
Why do the search engines care?
Video, audio, and image content are extremely popular right now and search engine users are looking for better ways to find this content. The search engine that can successfully solve this problem for users will widen the opportunities for additional ad revenue. They will collect more revenue from site owners who mainly offer rich media content and want to be found, and from search engine users who are looking for the content.
What you can do in the meantime
If you create original video content, you can submit it to Yahoo!'s own video content stream and YouTube (Google). Photographers and original image creators will want to take advantage of meta-data for their work and alt image tags. Whenever you add a video or image to a blog post, try to add a descriptive message with it.
Use an RSS/alternative content service such as www.feedburner.com to package your content into different formats for visitors and other interested parties to enjoy. You will be creating additional information about your content at the same time. Useful!
These changes are happening at a rapid pace. Expect big changes over the coming months as the YouTube and Feedburner services acquired by Google mature.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Optimizing your blog for search engines
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Sidebar Trauma
I see a lot of posts in the Blogger Help Center about sidebar issues. Most of the templates have pretty narrow sidebars - about 240 pixels on average. If you know you want to host video unit ads or showcase large pictures without using default Blogger widgets, you will need to edit your template.
It is important to increase the overall width of the template and the sidebar. Sketch a little diagram of your template on paper with the measurements if you are a visual person like me. Check the properties of the images or video players to discover the minimum width the sidebar should be to display them effectively. Then subtract that number from your current sidebar width to find out how much to increase the overall size of your template by.
Login to your blog and click layout or navigate to the Template tab. Click Edit HTML then save a backup copy of your template. Now you're ready to experiment. Increase the overall template width and sidebar width by the result of subtracting the current sidebar width from the desired sidebar width. Save the template then view your blog in Firefox and other browsers, and at different browser widths. Try uploading one of those pictures that did not fit before. Now you have a custom fit for your sidebar content.
