Optimize a blog post (or other piece of content) for SEO.

ASSIGNMENT

Put your SEO knowledge into action and optimize one piece of content for your personal blog or company materials. Brainstorm some topic ideas, do some keyword research with Google AdWords and Google Suggest, write your post, and share it in the gallery. Have fun!

Note: If you're more involved in the high-level direction of your business, you're also welcome to share notes on your SEO priorities, objectives, and overall strategy.

DELIVERABLE

Share your work in your Project Workspace. Use words, screengrabs, link, and even video to show your thinking. Upload:

Quick introduction to you and/or your business
Type and purpose of your content
Keyword research (notes, screengrabs)
Final post

FAQs

Where do I share?

Use the community tab for quick discussions, questions, answers. Use your project workspace (just click "Start a Project") as an ongoing place to share your project and progress.

Can I download the whiteboards from the video lessons?

Yep! Scroll to the bottom of this page.

What if I'm not a writer?

No worries. Watch the "Content Tips and Tricks" lesson for ideas about using data, images, and other kinds of content. If you're interested in developing your writing skills, check out Skillshare classes like Content Marketing: Blogging for Growth (Eric Siu), Email Marketing Essentials: Writing (Kate Kiefer Lee), and The Designer's Guide to Writing and Research (Steven Heller).

RESOURCES

*Scroll to the bottom of this page for downloadable whiteboards from the lessons!

Search & Internet Marketing

Search Engine Land – news on the search industry and landscape
Moz – daily blog on SEO & web marketing techniques + how-to
SEO Book – Smart analysis of the search field and SEO
The SEM Post – great coverage of news that affects web marketers and SEOs
Distilled Blog – Top notch SEO consultants sharing their findings
Seer Interactive Blog – very talented and well-written Philadelphia SEO team
Conversation Marketing – Ian Lurie’s advice, rants & analysis of search

Conference & Event Recommendations

Mozcon – IMO, still the best large-scale web marketing conference out there; content, production value, speakers, and after-hours events are all top notch
Searchlove – my favorite smaller events (3-500 attendees) are those from Distilled; technical, tactical talks from high quality presenters amidst a wonderfully friendly and internationally diverse crowd
SMX Munich – one of the biggest and best shows in Europe; Munich attracts great content and speakers from across Europe and North America
SEMpdx Searchfest – for 10 years now, Searchfest has been one of the premier regional shows in the US, and is hosted in Portland, OR, one of my favorite cities

Books I've Found Valuable

The Billionaire Who Wasn’t – A remarkable biography of one of my personal heroes: Chuck Feeney. This is probably the book that’s inspired me most in my professional career.
Good to Great – From analyzing 1,435 companies over 40 years, Jim Collins’ team found 11 standouts. This book looks at the difference between the great ones and the rest.
Built to Last – What do companies that survive for generations do differently than those who burn out fast? Another great analysis.
Predictably Irrational – A phenomenal work from Dan Ariely on why we make seemingly irrational choices.
The Upside of Irrationality – Another excellent book from Ariely, with a lot of new research and a personal take that helps keep the text moving.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion – Robert Cialdini’s seminal work on how and why mankind thinks and acts. Essential reading.
Startup Communities – In 10 years, Boulder, CO transformed into one of the world’s startup Meccas. Brad Feld, who engineered this process but takes little credit, describes how this can be done in regions around the world.
Lean Startup – Despite all the hype, it truly is a great book on architecting early stage startups.
Incognito – A great take on neuroscience as it relates to behavioral psychology.
Nudge – Learn about libertarian paternalism, choice architecture, and the science of how human beings can make themselves better decision-makers.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian – Empathy is at the core of my beliefs, and this is one of the best books I’ve ever read that fosters empathetic thinking. It’s also a great reminder of how hard it is to accomplish anything when your life circumstances and surroundings negatively contribute to progress and a great reminder to stay humble.

More From Me

moz.com/rand — personal blog
Get in touch: rand at moz dot com (please don’t use Facebook or other social networks)
@randfish — I tweet 30-40X/week about marketing, SEO, technology, & startups

Siphokazi Kumalo

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