Getting found online can be difficult, especially when you’re new to blogging. Here are several easy first steps to take to gain more traction and increase your blog’s discoverability on the internet.

Submit your sitemaps to Google

Using the Google Search Console, submit your sitemaps to let Google know that you’re on the web.

Google uses bots to crawl the web, and giving Google your sitemaps gives them a heads up that you’re out there and want to be recognized on the search engine.

If you’re running a blog, you’ll most likely have multiple site maps, so be sure to submit them all.

Once you submit them, Google will routinely crawl your site. Be patient though, this might take a few days.

Be sure to do this for Bing and Yahoo too.

Use Images and Videos

Media can be a powerful tool for a blog’s SEO – especially if used properly.

A few tips for including media on your website:

1.) Make sure it’s quality content

Originality goes a long way with SEO. Using original high quality content is the most important step in optimizing for the web.

2.) Compress your images

The bigger the file size of your image = the longer it will take for it to load. Make sure your images are the smallest size possible, while maintaining it’s image quality,

3.) Increase page load speed

Compressing your images properly can help speed up the load time. Search Engines use page load time as a factor for determining your level of discoverability.

Utilize Meta-Data

When Google crawls your website, Meta-Data is the instruction manual for Google on how to crawl your site.

Writing compelling meta-descriptions can be an important selling point for achieving organic traffic, and being found online.

Learn more on meta-descriptions by reading Neil Patel’s article How to Write Compelling Meta Descriptions That’ll Boost Your Rankings