Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Recent Rotating Post Gadget with Excerpt For Blogger

This JavaScript code will display the latest posts of any feed, the difference being that it has two parts which can be used individually or combined. The top of this widget will show a single post along with the title (link), author, date and a brief summary of its content. In addition, this post will rotate automatically within a list whose number of elements will be decided by us. At the bottom, we'll find a full list with recent posts that, on mouse over, will replace the post above, thus breaking the automatic cycle.

Before adding anything, let's see it in action to decide if it does what we want.


recent posts widget for blogger

How to Add Recent Rotating Posts Widget to Blogger

Step 1. Go to "Layout" > click on the "Add a Gadget" link.


Step 2. From the pop-up window, choose the "HTML/JavaScript" gadget


Step 3. Paste this code inside the empty box:
<style>
.gfg-root {
width: 100%;
height : auto;
position : relative;
overflow : hidden;
margin: 0 auto;
text-align : center;
font-size: 12px;
border: 1px solid #DBDBDB;
}
.gfg-title {
font-size: 16px;
font-weight : bold;
color : #6B6B6B;
background:#F3F3F3;
background-repeat: repeat;
line-height : 1.4em;
overflow : hidden;
white-space : nowrap;
padding: 5px;
text-shadow: 0px 2px #fff;
}
.gfg-entry {
background-color: #FFFFFF;
width : 100%;
height : 9.2em;
position : relative;
overflow : hidden;
text-align : left;
margin-top : 3px;
}
.gf-title a {
text-transform: capitalize;
color: #0000ff;
font-size: 14px;
}
.gfg-subtitle {
display: none;
}
.gfg-list {
position : relative;
overflow : hidden;
text-align : left;
}
.gfg-listentry {
line-height : 1.5em;
overflow : hidden;
white-space : nowrap;
text-overflow : ellipsis;
padding-left : 15px;
padding-right : 5px;
}
.gfg-listentry-odd {
background-color : #F3F3F3;
border-bottom : 1px dotted #CCCCCC;
padding: 5px;
}
.gfg-listentry-even {
background-color : #F3F3F3;
border-bottom : 1px dotted #CCCCCC;
padding: 5px;
}
.gfg-listentry-odd a{
color: #595959;
padding: 0 0px 0 10px;
}
.gfg-listentry-even a{
color: #242424;
padding: 0 0px 0 10px;
}
.gfg-listentry-highlight {
background: #FFFFFF;
}
.gfg-listentry-highlight:before {
position: absolute;
left: 0;
content: '\25BA ';
font-size: 14px;
color: #DBDBDB;
}
.gfg-listentry-highlight a {
color: #242424;
}
.gfg-root .gfg-entry .gf-result {
position : relative;
background-color: #ffffff;
width : auto;
height : 100%;
padding-left : 20px;
padding-right : 5px;
}
.gfg-root .gfg-entry .gf-result .gf-title {
font-size: 14px;
line-height : 1.2em;
overflow : hidden;
white-space : nowrap;
text-overflow : ellipsis;
margin-bottom : 2px;
margin-top: 5px;
}
.gfg-root .gfg-entry .gf-result .gf-snippet {
height : 3.8em;
color: #000000;
margin-top : 3px;
}
.clearFloat {
clear : both;}</style>
<script src="http://www.google.com/jsapi" type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://www.google.com/uds/solutions/dynamicfeed/gfdynamicfeedcontrol.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
function showGadget() {var feeds = [{title:'List',url:'http://blogger.chipchuck.com/feeds/posts/default?redirect=false&start-index=1&max-results=10'},];
new GFdynamicFeedControl(feeds, 'feedGadget',{title: 'Latest Posts', numResults : 10, displayTime : 5000, hoverTime : 500});} google.load("feeds", "1");
google.setOnLoadCallback(showGadget);
</script>
<div id="feedGadget">Loading...</div>

How to Customize the Recent Rotating Post Gadget

The URL in blue is for the feed. So, the http://blogger.chipchuck.com URL should be replaced with the feed URL of your blog.

Next is start-index=1. This number indicates which post will appear first on the list. By default, it is the latest post published on your blog, so if you want to begin displaying older posts, change the 1 value.

max-results=10 indicates the maximum number of posts that we will be reading from the feed, beginning from the one that we have set up before in the start-index=1. This number always needs to be equal or greater to what we should see later and what it does is to set the number of posts that will be shown in the gadget. The easiest way would be to put 500 in order not to fail, but the higher the number is, the longer this gadget will take to load, so it's better to adjust to what we need to show.

Finally, here are some other script parameters:
  • title: 'Latest Posts', is the widget's title that appears on top.
  • numResults: 10, number of posts that will show in the list.
  • displayTime: 5000, the delay time between posts in the rotator (in milliseconds).
  • hoverTime: 500, minimum time for an item in the list to be displayed at the top.
If you want to hide the list and show only the posts, change this part:
.gfg-list {
position : relative;
overflow : hidden;
text-align : left;
}
To:
.gfg-list {
display:none;
}
If you want to display only the list, change this:
.gfg-entry {
background-color: #FFFFFF;
width : 100%;
height : 9.2em;
position : relative;
overflow : hidden;
text-align : left;
margin-top : 3px;
}
To:
.gfg-entry {
display: none; }

Step 4. Save the gadget and you're done adding the recent rotating post widget with excerpt in Blogger.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Scriptaculous image slider/carousel for Blogger

Image galleries, sliders and slideshows have become increasingly popular within web pages and more and more developers have been creating these amazing powerful, versatile and sleek galleries. In this tutorial, you will see how to display the relevant content in an attractive and usable manner, by adding this beautiful carousel slideshow to display a gallery of images with a cool sliding effect.
image slider for blogger

blogger widgets, blogger slider



How to Add the Scriptaculous Image Slider on Blogger

Step 1. Log into your Blogger Dashboard and select your blog, then go to "Template" and click the "Edit HTML" button:


Step 2. Click anywhere on the code area and press the CTRL + F keys. This will open a search box - type the tag below and press ENTER to find it:
</head>

Step 3. Just above the </head> tag, add these scripts:
<script src='http://www.google.com/jsapi'></script>
<script>
google.load("prototype","1.7.0.0");
google.load("scriptaculous", "1.9.0");
</script>

<script type='text/javascript'>
//<![CDATA[
//Builds a carousel model
//License: This file is entirely BSD licensed.
//Author: Brian R Miedlar (c) 2004-2009 miedlar.com
//Dependencies: prototype.js
var OS=Class.create();OS.PageLoading=true;OS.PageLoadComplete=function(){OS.PageLoading=false;$A(OS.BehaviourQueue).each(function(selectors){OS.ApplyBehaviour(selectors);});OS.BehaviourQueue=[];};Event.observe(document,'dom:loaded',function(){OS.PageLoadComplete();});OS.BehaviourQueue=[];OS.RegisterBehaviour=function(selectors){if(!OS.PageLoading){OS.ApplyBehaviour(selectors);return;}
OS.BehaviourQueue.push(selectors);}
OS.ApplyBehaviour=function(selectors){$H(selectors).each(function(item){var sKey=item.key;var iDelay=0;var iToken=sKey.indexOf("!D");if(iToken>0){iDelay=parseFloat(sKey.substring(iToken+2))||0;sKey=sKey.substring(0,iToken);iDelay=parseInt(iDelay);}
$$(sKey).each(function(element){if(!iDelay){item.value(element);return;}
item.value.delay(iDelay,element);});});};Element.display=function(element,show){Element[(show)?'show':'hide'](element);}
var CarouselItem=Class.create();CarouselItem.prototype={initialize:function(){this.key=null;this.value=null;this.element=null;}};var Carousel=Class.create();Carousel.prototype={initialize:function(key,carouselElement,itemWidth,itemHeight,observer,options){this.loaded=false;this.key=key;this.observer=observer;this.carouselElement=$(carouselElement);if(!this.carouselElement){alert('Warning: Invalid carousel element: '+carouselElement);return;}
this.itemsElement=this.carouselElement.down('.items');if(!this.itemsElement){alert('Warning: Class \'items\' does not exist as a child element in carousel: '+carouselElement);return;}
this.items=[];this.activeItem=null;this.activeIndex=0;this.navScrollIndex=0;this.itemHeight=itemHeight;this.itemWidth=itemWidth;if(!options)options={};this.options=Object.extend({duration:1.0,direction:'horizontal',moveOpacity:.6,setSize:4,allowAutoLoopOnSet:false,allowAutoLoopOnIndividual:true},options);this.backElement=this.carouselElement.down('.navButton.previous');this.forwardElement=this.carouselElement.down('.navButton.next');if(this.backElement)Event.observe(this.backElement,'click',this.scrollBack.bind(this));if(this.forwardElement)Event.observe(this.forwardElement,'click',this.scrollForward.bind(this));},load:function(){var eList=this.itemsElement;this.items.clear();eList.select('.item').each(function(item){item.carouselKey=null;var sKey='';try{sKey=item.down('.key').innerHTML;}catch(e){alert('Warning: Carousel Items require a child with classname [key]');return;}
var oCarouselItem=new CarouselItem();if(this.options.itemParser)oCarouselItem.value=this.options.itemParser(item);oCarouselItem.index=this.items.length;oCarouselItem.key=sKey;oCarouselItem.element=item;this.items.push(oCarouselItem);if(item.hasClassName('selected')){this.activeItem=oCarouselItem;this.activeIndex=this.items.size()-1;}
if(this.options.setItemEvents)this.options.setItemEvents(this,item,oCarouselItem,this.observer);}.bind(this));this.loaded=true;this.afterLoad();},destroy:function(){this.loaded=false;var eList=this.itemsElement;this.items.clear();if(this.options.unsetItemEvents){eList.select('.item').each(function(item,ix){this.options.unsetItemEvents(this,item,this.items[ix],this.observer);}.bind(this));}},afterLoad:function(){if(this.items.length==0){alert('Warning: No Carousel Items Exist');return;}
this.moveToIndex(this.activeIndex);if(this.activeItem)this.activate(this.activeItem);if(this.observer.fireActiveCarouselLoaded)this.observer.fireActiveCarouselLoaded(this);},scrollForward:function(){var iIndex=0;if(this.navScrollIndex>this.items.length-(this.options.setSize+1)){if(!this.options.allowAutoLoopOnSet)return;}else{iIndex=this.navScrollIndex+(this.options.setSize-1);}
this.scrollToIndex(iIndex);},scrollBack:function(){var iIndex=this.navScrollIndex-(this.options.setSize-1);if(iIndex<0){if(!this.options.allowAutoLoopOnSet){iIndex=0;}else{iIndex=this.items.length-this.options.setSize;if(this.navScrollIndex>0||iIndex<0)iIndex=0;}}
this.scrollToIndex(iIndex);},getLeft:function(index){return index*(-this.itemWidth);},getTop:function(index){return index*(-this.itemHeight);},activate:function(carouselItem){if(this.activeItem)this.observer.fireDeactiveCarouselItem(this,this.activeItem.element,this.activeItem);if(carouselItem==null)return;this.activeItem=carouselItem;if(this.observer.fireActiveCarouselItem)this.observer.fireActiveCarouselItem(this,carouselItem.element,carouselItem);},reactivate:function(){if(!this.activeItem)return;this.activate(this.activeItem);},next:function(){if(this.activeItem==null){this.activate(this.items[0]);return;}
var iIndex=this.activeItem.index+1;if(iIndex>=this.items.length){iIndex=0;if(!this.options.allowAutoLoopOnIndividual)iIndex=this.items.length-1;}
this.activate(this.items[iIndex]);this.activeIndex=iIndex;if(iIndex==0){this.scrollToIndex(0);return;}
if(iIndex-this.options.setSize>=this.navScrollIndex-1)this.scrollForward();},previous:function(){if(this.activeItem==null){this.activate(this.items[0]);return;}
var iIndex=this.activeItem.index-1;if(iIndex<0){if(this.options.allowAutoLoopOnIndividual){iIndex=this.items.length-1;}else{iIndex=0;}}
this.activate(this.items[iIndex]);this.activeIndex=iIndex;if(iIndex==0){this.scrollToIndex(0);return;}
if(iIndex==this.items.length-1){var iNavIndex=this.items.length-this.options.setSize;if(iNavIndex<0)iNavIndex=0;this.scrollToIndex(iNavIndex);return;}
if(iIndex<this.navScrollIndex+1)this.scrollBack();},scrollToIndex:function(index,duration){if(index<0)index=this.activeIndex;duration=duration||this.options.duration;if(this.options.direction=='vertical'){var iPreviousTop=this.getTop(this.navScrollIndex);var iTop=this.getTop(index);var iCurrentTop=parseInt(Element.getStyle(this.itemsElement,'top'))||0;var offset=iPreviousTop-iCurrentTop;var move=iTop-iPreviousTop;if(move>0){move=move+offset;}else{move=move-offset;}
Element.setOpacity(this.itemsElement,this.options.moveOpacity);var ef=new Effect.Move(this.itemsElement,{'duration':duration,'y':move,'afterFinish':function(){Element.setStyle(this.itemsElement,{'top':iTop+'px'});Element.setOpacity(this.itemsElement,1.0);}.bind(this)});ef=null;}else{var iPreviousLeft=this.getLeft(this.navScrollIndex);var iLeft=this.getLeft(index);var iCurrentLeft=parseInt(Element.getStyle(this.itemsElement,'left'))||0;var offset=iPreviousLeft-iCurrentLeft;var move=iLeft-iCurrentLeft;if(move>0){move=move+offset;}else{move=move-offset;}
Element.setOpacity(this.itemsElement,this.options.moveOpacity);var ef=new Effect.Move(this.itemsElement,{'duration':duration,'x':move,'afterFinish':function(){Element.setStyle(this.itemsElement,{'left':iLeft+'px'});Element.setOpacity(this.itemsElement,1.0);}.bind(this)});ef=null;}
this.navScrollIndex=index;Element.display(this.forwardElement,this.navScrollIndex<=this.items.length-(this.options.setSize+1)||this.options.allowAutoLoopOnSet);Element.display(this.backElement,(parseInt(this.navScrollIndex)||0)!=0||this.options.allowAutoLoopOnSet);if(this.observer.fireCarouselAtIndex)this.observer.fireCarouselAtIndex(this,index);},moveToIndex:function(index){if(this.options.direction=='vertical'){var iTop=this.getTop(index);Element.setStyle(this.itemsElement,{'top':iTop+'px'});Element.setOpacity(this.itemsElement,1.0);}else{var iLeft=this.getLeft(index);Element.setStyle(this.itemsElement,{'left':iLeft+'px'});Element.setOpacity(this.itemsElement,1.0);}
this.navScrollIndex=index;Element.display(this.forwardElement,this.navScrollIndex<=this.items.length-(this.options.setSize+1)||this.options.allowAutoLoopOnSet);Element.display(this.backElement,(parseInt(this.navScrollIndex)||0)!=0||this.options.allowAutoLoopOnSet);}};var AppBehavior=Class.create();AppBehavior.Load=function(){OS.RegisterBehaviour(AppBehavior.CarouselRules);}
AppBehavior.CarouselRules={'#Carousel2':function(element){AppBehavior.PictureCarousel=new Carousel('PictureCarousel',element,70,70,AppBehavior,{setSize:5,duration:.5,direction:'horizontal',itemParser:function(item){var sKey=item.down('.key').innerHTML;var sCaption=item.down('.caption').innerHTML;var sPictureHtml=item.down('.picture').innerHTML;return{name:sCaption,pictureHtml:sPictureHtml};},setItemEvents:function(carousel,itemElement,carouselItem,observer){Event.observe(itemElement,'click',function(){carousel.activate(carouselItem);});},allowAutoLoopOnSet:true,allowAutoLoopOnIndividual:false});AppBehavior.PictureCarousel.load();},'#Cmd_NextItem':function(element){Event.observe(element,'click',function(){AppBehavior.ProfileCarousel.next();});},'#Cmd_PreviousItem':function(element){Event.observe(element,'click',function(){AppBehavior.ProfileCarousel.previous();});}}
AppBehavior.fireActiveCarouselLoaded=function(carousel){}
AppBehavior.fireActiveCarouselItem=function(carousel,element,item){element.addClassName('selected');switch(carousel.key){case'ProfileCarousel':$('ViewerCaption').update(item.value.name);$('ViewerData').update(item.value.email);Element.show('Viewer');break;case'PictureCarousel':$('ViewerCaption').update(item.value.name);$('ViewerData').update(item.value.pictureHtml);Element.show('Viewer');break;case'GroupCarousel':$('ViewerCaption').update(item.value.name);$('ViewerData').update(item.value.email);Element.show('Viewer');break;}}
AppBehavior.fireDeactiveCarouselItem=function(carousel,element,item){element.removeClassName('selected');switch(carousel.key){case'ProfileCarousel':Element.hide('Viewer');break;case'PictureCarousel':Element.hide('Viewer');break;case'GroupCarousel':Element.hide('Viewer');break;}}
AppBehavior.Load();
//]]>
</script>
Note: If you already have Scriptaculous and Prototype, it's not necessary adding the code in red but please note that this may not work with some versions of jQuery.

Step 4. Next, search for the following tag (for more info, see the screenshot below):
]]></b:skin>
image carousel, blogger image slider, blogger widgets
Screenshot
Step 5. Just above that tag, add this CSS code:
.carousel {
position:relative;
clear:both;
margin:10px -20px 20px;
border:2px solid #000; /* Carousel border */
background-color:#333333; /* Background color */
}
.carousel .navButton { cursor:pointer; display:block;
text-indent:-9999px;
background-repeat:none;
z-index:10;
}
.carousel .container {
position:absolute;
overflow:hidden;
}
.carousel .items {
position:absolute;  }
#Carousel2 {
height:88px; /* container height */
width:100%; /* container width */
}
#Carousel2 .container {
top:12px;
width:100%; /* container width for the visible images */
height:100px; /* container height for the visible images */
}
#Carousel2 .items { top:0; left:2px;
width:1700px; /* overall width for all the thumbnails */
}
#Carousel2 .item { height:70px; width:70px; float:left; clear:right; }
#Carousel2 .item .icon img { position:relative; left:0px; width:65px !important; height:65px; cursor:pointer;}
#Carousel2 .navButton { position:absolute; bottom:0px; width:24px; height:87px; }
#Carousel2 .navButton.previous { left:0px; background-image:url(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlv59dfVrW3WkseUZPdeRCvPRx1nzgED0nttFXwvCHCIkIronr3hmMzqfC_SZ14Yt1qv-1fkr29xzZQ1qNubsyYw9rjqW8Jueaw_vEWgwKaxNPPWSJqtzyIvNp5RgYk0PZ7oj1XCcZm38/s1600/button-left.png); }
#Carousel2 .navButton.next { right:2px; background-image:url(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpbgpxSRvAleieStvqVvVnKF2OHJTA9rn4cSmw9aWa_gpsh2LIGuh-HVZFJoPcVszN55jvryNF1LIa4xxMR-mlLHrtfKicuHEzsPWIvc2u3yHnfAY4qUtRON-1wqZuHbeXHpJ8q5m7Rog/s1600/button-right.png); }
#Carousel2 .item .key { display:none;}
#Carousel2 .item .picture { display:none;}

Note:

Check the comments in green to see which parts you can customize, such as the border and background color of the carousel. Please note that the arrows are images, so if you want to change them, you need to replace the two URLs in blue with those of your images.

If you want to change the size of the container, change the /* container width */ (width of the carousel), the /* container width for the visible images */ (area where the thumbnails are visible) and the /* overall width of the thumbnails container */ value (1700px) which is the container for all the picutres that you added.

Step 6. To save the changes, click the "Save Template" button.

Step 7. Finally, go to "Layout" and click the "Add a Gadget" link. After the pop-up window opens, choose "HTML/Javascript" and paste the HTML structure of the carousel inside the empty box:
<div id="Carousel2" class="carousel">
<div class="button navButton previous" style="display:none;">Back</div>
<div class="button navButton next" style="display:none;">Forward</div>
<div class="container">
<div class="items">

<div class="item">
<div class="key caption">Thumb</div>
<div class="icon">
<a href="link URL"><img width="65" height="65" src="image URL" /></a></div>
<div class="picture"></div>
</div>

<div class="item">
<div class="key caption">Thumb</div>
<div class="icon">
<a href="link URL"><img width="65" height="65" src="image URL" /></a></div>
<div class="picture"></div>
</div>

<div class="item">
<div class="key caption">Thumb</div>
<div class="icon">
<a href="link URL"><img width="65" height="65" src="image URL" /></a></div>
<div class="picture"></div>
</div>

<div class="item">
<div class="key caption">Thumb</div>
<div class="icon">
<a href="link URL"><img width="65" height="65" src="image URL" /></a></div>
<div class="picture"></div>
</div>

<div class="item">
<div class="key caption">Thumb</div>
<div class="icon">
<a href="link URL"><img width="65" height="65" src="image URL" /></a></div>
<div class="picture"></div>
</div>

<div class="item">
<div class="key caption">Thumb</div>
<div class="icon">
<a href="link URL"><img width="65" height="65" src="image URL" /></a></div>
<div class="picture"></div>
</div>

<div class="item">
<div class="key caption">Thumb</div>
<div class="icon">
<a href="link URL"><img width="65" height="65" src="image URL" /></a></div>
<div class="picture"></div>
</div>

<div class="item">
<div class="key caption">Thumb</div>
<div class="icon">
<a href="link URL"><img width="65" height="65" src="image URL" /></a></div>
<div class="picture"></div>
</div>

<div class="item">
<div class="key caption">Thumb</div>
<div class="icon">
<a href="link URL"><img width="65" height="65" src="image URL" /></a></div>
<div class="picture"></div>
</div>

<div class="item">
<div class="key caption">Thumb</div>
<div class="icon">
<a href="link URL"><img width="65" height="65" src="image URL" /></a></div>
<div class="picture"></div>
</div>

<div class="item">
<div class="key caption">Thumb</div>
<div class="icon">
<a href="link URL"><img width="65" height="65" src="image URL" /></a></div>
<div class="picture"></div>
</div>

<div class="item">
<div class="key caption">Thumb</div>
<div class="icon">
<a href="link URL"><img width="65" height="65" src="image URL" /></a></div>
<div class="picture"></div>
</div>

<div class="item">
<div class="key caption">Thumb</div>
<div class="icon">
<a href="link URL"><img width="65" height="65" src="image URL" /></a></div>
<div class="picture"></div>
</div>

<div class="item">
<div class="key caption">Thumb</div>
<div class="icon">
<a href="link URL"><img width="65" height="65" src="image URL" /></a></div>
<div class="picture"></div>
</div>

<div class="item">
<div class="key caption">Thumb</div>
<div class="icon">
<a href="link URL"><img width="65" height="65" src="image URL" /></a></div>
<div class="picture"></div>
</div>

<div class="item">
<div class="key caption">Thumb</div>
<div class="icon">
<a href="link URL"><img width="65" height="65" src="image URL" /></a></div>
<div class="picture"></div>
</div>

<div class="item">
<div class="key caption">Thumb</div>
<div class="icon">
<a href="link URL"><img width="65" height="65" src="image URL" /></a></div>
<div class="picture"></div>
</div>

<div class="item">
<div class="key caption">Thumb</div>
<div class="icon">
<a href="link URL"><img width="65" height="65" src="image URL" /></a></div>
<div class="picture"></div>
</div>

<div class="item">
<div class="key caption">Thumb</div>
<div class="icon">
<a href="link URL"><img width="65" height="65" src="image URL" /></a></div>
<div class="picture"></div>
</div>

</div>
</div>
</div>
Note: Replace the text in blue with your links and image URLs. The link URL is optional, so you can add it only if you want to link the images to some posts.

Step 8. Once you added your pics to the carousel, click the "Save" button to save the widget and make it visible on your blog.

If you wish to add more images or remove some, change the width of the thumbnails as well, otherwise some pictures will appear behind the others.

To add more pictures, paste the following code just before the </div> tags in red:
<div class="item">
<div class="key caption">Thumb</div>
<div class="icon">
<a href="link URL"><img width="65" height="65" src="image URL" /></a></div>
<div class="picture"></div>
</div>

Saturday, November 9, 2013

How to Write SEO Optimized Blog Posts

I'm not an SEO expert and what you will read further is not top secret, but the basic optimization that everyone should apply in order to write SEO optimized blog posts. And with these techniques, effort and a bit of patience, you can occupy the best places in the search results of different search engines.

Obviously, not all cases are the same, neither all blogs are positioned in the same manner, some might have greater competition than others depending on how popular the topic is; therefore, when it comes to web ranking, there's no specific time that applies for all. Having said this, let's get to the point of this post.

Focus on a topic

Whatever the topic of your blog is, when you try to write a seo optimized blog post, focus on a specific topic that has a clear purpose, with no distractions. For example, if you write about "Digital Cameras", then the beginning and ending of your post should be only about it. Don't start talking about digital cameras and end up telling about what you have done last weekend. A reader goes to a page because is looking for a specific information. So, unless it is not a personal blog (where you write about your daily life), do not deviate from the topic.

Define the post title

The post title should be short and to the point, so that you can briefly summarize the content of the post. But you shouldn't abuse this either. Although it has to be concise, don't try to 'save' words which might be keys to the search.

Examples:
A collection of all the cameras that have been released last year on the market
The best digital cameras of 2013
Clearly, the first one hasn't been defined very much, and the second one is not only more accurate, but it is also more relevant for what people are searching on the internet.

The keywords

Keywords are those terms that the most people are searching for on the internet and you should try focusing on them when writing a post; these keywords need to be included throughout the entire post, but be careful to not overstuff your content with them.

Related: How to Choose the Right SEO Keywords

Example:
During the fourth week of the technology, there were many products that are used today, and the most famous experts gave a speech on them.
At the opening of the fourth Technology Week, the experts talked about various topics, including how to choose a digital camera, had discussions about the pros and cons of the iPad, and which are the best smartphones.
In the first example, we have written without paying attention to any terms. While, in the second one, we used phrases that are searched on the internet by the most users.

So, the most popular keywords should be included wisely without cluttering your posts with them, or it can be counterproductive.

Again, these keywords should be included in the posts title, as well.

Rely on synonyms

While it is a good strategy to use specific keywords, we should not limit ourselves to a single word. It is recommended using synonyms because users do not name things in same way and using less keywords, we can avoid leaving the impression that we are being too repetitive and insistent.

Examples:
For those who enjoy good quality pictures, Nikon D7000s Digital Camera is a 16.2 megapixel digital camera that takes great pictures.
For those who enjoy good quality images, Nikon D7000s is a 16.2 megapixel digital camera that takes excellent pictures.
In the first example, we have repeated the word 'digital camera' and 'pictures' twice. While, in the second one, we used the digital camera keyword once and changed the word 'pictures' with 'images'.

This way, the reader will find a greater diversity of words and might enjoy the article more.

Using bold and italics

A good practice when you write seo optimized blog posts would be to make the keywords bold by wrapping them in strong tags, so that they will stand out from the rest. But keep in mind that this shouldn't be done with CSS, but with HTML, i.e. they should not be tagged with font-weight: bold; but rather with <b> or even better, with <strong>.

Examples:
For those who enjoy good quality images, Nikon D7000s is a 16.2 megapixel digital camera that takes excellent pictures.
The result seems to be the same, but it is not. Although these three keywords are in bold, only one is more attractive to robots, which is the first:
For those who enjoy <strong>good quality images</strong>, <b>Nikon D7000s</b> is a 16.2 megapixel <span style="font-weight: bold;">digital camera</span> that takes excellent pictures.
The same goes for the italics. Use them for highlighting important words, but don't place them between font-style: italic; but rather between <i> or even better <em>.
For those who enjoy <strong>good quality images</strong>, <em>Nikon D7000s</em> is a 16.2 megapixel <span style="font-style: italic;">digital camera</span> that takes excellent pictures.
Again, the first one has a better chance of ranking than the others. Thus, it is recommended to highlight the keywords in bold and italics, or to put them between <strong> and </strong>, or between <em> and </em>.

Using External Links

Some may say that we shouldn't use links in the posts because we are giving away our Page Rank. This is not quite true. Using referral links to sites that have already shaped their credibility, will also help us to shape our own. Certainly, we should not flood our posts with links, but we can do it when is needed and especially with sites that talk about the same topics as our own.

Another important thing to mention is that, we should avoid putting the typical "click here" or similar texts. When you put a link, the anchor text should be fairly descriptive.

Examples:
<a href="Link URL">Click here</a> to know more
More information about <a href="Link URL">digital cameras</a>
In the first example, the anchor text is not relevant and descriptive, but in the second it is.

Rank with your images

Posts with images are not only visually appealing, but might help the reader to understand what you are talking about. So, whenever you can, use an image in your post to illustrate the writing, but don't overdo it. Many images or very large images can slow the loading time of the blog.

Related: How to Optimize Images for Better SEO Rankings

New and relevant content

You should focus not only on writing many posts, but also making them relevant to your readers. New and original content is more attractive to the search engines, than a copy & paste (actually, the last gets penalized). So try to write new stuff, even if you think that all has been said. Each person has a different way of saying things.

Also, always get informed before writing a post. Do a research and see if the information is valid; based on that, you will gain the trust of your readers.

Final Words


With these few techniques you can increase the chances of ranking your posts higher in search engines. As I mentioned earlier, these aren't things that no one heard about, but I know that many are beginners and may not know how to write seo optimized blog posts.

It does not hurt repeating that the results won't appear overnight, but with some effort and patience, you should see the desired results over time.

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