Top 6 SEO and Social Media How-To Posts of 2012

SEO and Social Media for WordPress
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I’m starting out 2013 with a recap post featuring the top six how-to articles that I wrote in 2012 that should help you incorporate SEO and social media  into your WordPress blog. Many of you have told me that you have found my how-to posts to be of value. So, you’ll continue to see this type of post pop up on my blog throughout the next year. I also promise to continue sharing things that I learn along the way and I’ll often tie them into how they fit into my strategies. Bottom line, if you have any hopes of either making money by blogging or driving traffic to a website via your blog, you need to treat it as a business. Hopefully, together, we can share ideas and experiences that will help all of us find success in 2013.

Top 3 Posts in 2012 about SEO:

#1 – How To Set up Google Authorship & the Rel=Author Tag

This is a follow-up post to the guest post “What Google Authorship Means for SEO” that was written by Stuart McHenry. Few people will challenge the premise that Google Authorship is important to SEO. After reading the comments left for Stuart, it became obvious that a lot of readers needed help setting authorship up properly. Although, there never seems to be a 1-size-fits-all solution when it comes to WordPress blogs and plugins, in this article, I offer the solution that worked for me.

#2 – How to Use SEO to Improve Your Website Ranking in Google

I’m a firm believer that everyone who is responsible for a website should understand the basics of SEO. Sure, it can be complicated and sometimes trying to understand Google algorithms and the potential impact on your page ranking and organic search traffic can be enough to make your head spin but at the same time, good content will prevail and we should be writing for humans not search engines.  In this article, I’ve featured 4 posts that I felt provided a good overview. Three of the four articles are guest posts including one that addresses SEO tips for E-Commerce sites.

#3 – How to Change a WordPress Theme and Keep your SEO Meta Tag Data

This is a real how-to post (complete with screenshots) that features “The SEO Data Transporter Plugin” for WordPress. Have you ever changed your WordPress theme (or wanted to) and wondered what impact it would have on SEO? This year, I worked with two clients who wanted new looks and new themes for their blogs. When I researched the best way to migrate the SEO data, I was disappointed in how little information I found. The result was this post. It seems to have been the answer for several readers and several others bookmarked it for the future.

Top 3 Posts in 2012 about Incorporating Social Media into WordPress:

#4 – How to Add the Facebook Like Box in a WordPress Text Widget

In this how-to post (complete with screenshots), I’ve explained how to use the “Like Box” social plugin that you’ll find in the developers section of Facebook. Let’s face it. A lot of people find code intimidating but it doesn’t have to be. If you’d like to have a “Find Us on Facebook” box like the one that’s in the sidebar of this blog, check out this post. You should be up and running relatively soon.

#5 – The Powerful WordPress Text Widget

Everyone who uses WordPress should be familiar with text widgets but not everyone realizes how powerful these widgets can be. One of my favorite uses for text widgets is to feature video in the sidebar of a WordPress blog. Sites like YouTube provide you with the embed code. By simply copying and pasting this code into a widget, you can really punch up your site. What if you don’t want that same video on every page though? That’s not a problem. Just install the widget-logic plugin. Check out this post for step-by-step instructions and more screenshots.

#6 – How to Add Follow Buttons to WordPress without a Plugin

Sure, there are lots of plugins for adding follow buttons. Too many plugins can/will slow down your website. If you’re looking for a short tutorial on how to add some HTML code to a WordPress text widget, you’re in the right place. You won’t find screenshots in this article but you should be able to follow these 5 simple steps. It just may help you feel more comfortable about doing a little coding too.

A Promise for 2013

I hope 2013 turns out to be a stellar year for all of you. My commitment to you is to continue providing you with common sense posts in easy to understand English. No “GEEK” spoken here! As always, I encourage you to engage in conversation in the comment section. Suggest ideas, add your 2 cents and help foster discussion.

I’m a firm believer that we can all learn from each other and my goal is to form mutually beneficial relationships with all of you. As we work individually to grow our own businesses, I am continually grateful for the respect and friendships that I have formed here. I’ve reached out to many of you on an individual basis and many of you have reached out to me too.

What sort of posts would you like to read about this upcoming year? Is there a topic that you want to learn more about? Please feel free to offer your suggestions and ideas.

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Author: Sherryl Perry

Welcome! If you're looking for help building an Internet presence that fits your needs and works for you, you're in the right place. I blog common sense articles about WordPress, social media and SEO. My goal is to help small business owners and entrepreneurs understand their core business. Together, we can develop and implement business strategies that make sense to you.

52 thoughts on “Top 6 SEO and Social Media How-To Posts of 2012”

  1. Thanks for sharing..! those are all about most the nice article which I want to read about. You know..? I am impressed by the tips #1 #2 #3 and #6. However, I think that it is a bit late find your articles since it is almost the middle night in Cambodia. I have bookmarked this and will come back to morrow for reading. Anyway, thanks for sharing your top post. Actually, I want to learn what happen to make you famous on 2012.
    Kimsea Sok recently posted..Complete SEO Writing Tips and Tricks for Better ContentMy Profile

  2. These are amongst the best tips which is not restricted to only 2012 …For every SEO campaign in any year these are among the best ways to initiate ….Thanks for sharing

    1. Hi Steven,
      Thanks for letting me know that you found my post on SEO and social media helpful. My tips can be used by anyone who is trying to build an Internet presence and get their website found online.

      There’s a lot of info here. If I had to pick one as the place to start, I’d recommend clicking on #2 – “How to Use SEO to Improve Your Website Ranking in Google”. There are some very simple things that everyone can do to help get their site found. Good SEO can get to be a habit after a while.
      Sherryl Perry recently posted..Tracking Changes to Your Website Blog and Social Media StrategyMy Profile

  5. Hi Sherryl! Indeed, 2013 is a very promising, most especially for blogging. And your blog just gave it a serious affirmation. Awesome! Thanks a lot, Sherryl!

    1. Hi Heather,
      Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog and for your kind words. I truly value being part of the BizSugar community. I find a lot of content there that I can both learn from and share.

      Several bloggers here (who comment regularly) are active participants on BizSugar. It’s a valuable resource and I encourage anyone here who isn’t familiar with it to check it out at BizSugar.com

  9. Excellent collection Sherryl. Infact the Authorship markup is one of the vital stuff and would be the trend in 2013. I see that you have implemented Authorship markup yourselves very well too.

  10. Ok wow, I have a lot of reading to do now! I’ve already watched the Google Authorship video once, but I’ll have to watch it again as I set up my author bio. Thanks for the great info!

    1. As always Jen, I appreciate the kind words. Thanks for dropping by. I hope all is well with you. Best wishes for a safe, healthy and successful 2013!

  12. Was reading a number of the best for 2013 this morning and it is interesting how we all have different perspectives. One thing with some of the plugins I learned today from Copyblogger is that the speed of loading your blog is really important and plugins and some of the other common tips may be slowing you down and losing readers.

    1. Roberta,
      That is so true! I recently reduced the number of plugins on my site but I’m still struggling with performance issues. Just before Christmas, my hosting vendor (name withheld at the moment until I move 5 more sites) accused me of abusing their CPU usage. Although, I had raved about this vendor for years, they really let me down and the only solution was for me to move my blog to another vendor. (I’m still experiencing a few hiccups with it and waiting for a few things to settle down.)

      Performance is critical and the more we can code a little (in things like text widgets), the less we need to depend on plugins. (Although there are many valuable plugins that we all can benefit from an hats of too all of the authors who support them!) Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.

  13. Thanks for letting me know that you found my posts useful. I’m a stickler on tracking the different tactics that I implement. (I use an Excel spreadsheet.) If you implement any of the ideas that I’ve given you, you might want to jot down the date that you started it. That way, if you see changes in your Google Analytics, you should have a better idea of what’s causing it. That kind of info can really help you to tweak your strategies.
    Sherryl Perry recently posted..Commenting On Blogs – What Strategy Works for You?My Profile

  14. These are some superb list of posts and it very very very useful to me.I have got to learn some great insights about driving traffic to my website.The post to improve website ranking was one of my favorite post.I am looking forward to many more posts.Thanks a million.

    1. Thanks for letting me know that you found my posts helpful. The article that you’re referring to included three guest posts. So, that’s helpful to know that it was your favorite post. I believe that guest bloggers can add a different perspective and the fact that you liked that post confirms it.

  15. Thanks for this round-up post. I’ve been tuning into your blog more and more over the past few months, so it’s great to know I can keep coming back as I enter the second year of my website and really try to figure out what I’m doing!
    Jeri recently posted..Author Interview: R. P. TheadMy Profile

    1. Hi Jeri,
      I think you’re doing a great job figuring out what you’re doing! 🙂 It’s rewarding to watch bloggers like you and many other who are constantly striving to improve their websites. Best wishes in 2013.

  17. A great line-up of posts, Sherryl.

    You have been an inspiration to many of us, and I know that I have learned much from you. My blogs wouldn’t be nearly at the level they are at, had it not been for the help and guidance I have rec’d from you — as a friend and as a professional colleague.

    My sincere gratitude on all levels. 🙂
    Doreen Pendgracs recently posted..a salute to 2012: it’s been a good yearMy Profile

    1. Thanks for the kind words Doreen. I enjoy sharing my knowledge and helping small business owners and entrepreneurs become more self-efficient. I have definitely watched as you’ve developed your WordPress and SEO skills throughout 2012 and I’m happy that you attribute that in part to working with me and reading my blog. You are very welcome. 🙂

    1. Thanks Tushar,
      A couple of other bloggers who I follow published their top 2012 posts and I got the idea from them. It can be challenging to determine which are the most popular articles. Are they the ones with the most page views or possibly the most comments? In the end, I decided to feature the posts that I felt generated the most interest and seemed to have brought the most value to the readers who I heard from. Internal linking was a bonus. 🙂

  20. Great collection thank you. I also set up google authorship my vistors are gradually increasing thanks for the tip

  21. Happy New Year Sherryl. This is an invaluable list to have rather than routing through your posts. I always find something helpful in your posts and appreciate your non-geek approach. I now have it on my Evernote blogging resources. Thank you:-)
    A.K.Andrew recently posted..3 Memorable Reads of 2012My Profile

    1. Happy New Year to you too A.K. I’m glad you like my list and I appreciate knowing that you like my non-geek approach. I thought I was taking a shortcut by writing a recap post but it took me just as long as it always does. 🙂 It seems to be well received though. So, I’ll have to remember to do this again next year.

  22. I’m newcomer to your site so i’m gonna read all these posts !
    Thanks Sherryl !

  23. Happy New Year Sherryl,

    I hope 2012 was a good year for you and 2013 will be even better. I am into the more geek hosting, server, php, mysql, various programming stuff. I worked for a popular hosting company for a while and I can fix a site and do things the old style manual way in a few seconds. Sorry too much Geek I know!

    Anyway even though I am into more of that I still learn new things all the time. Even simpler stuff. Your posts have helped and given me ideas. I just aim for and hope to learn something new in 2013.

    I am not into social media as much as I probably should be and consider it something I need to brush up on. I am trying to find more time for YouTube, but it’s so time-consuming. I know how to to make videos and all that, but there are still things about YouTube that I need to learn or that I could do better and more efficient. I don’t suppose you do too much with YouTube?

    I am always interested in technology, wordpress, programming, but could use some social media, video, YouTube, etc. tips.
    Ray recently posted..Get More Tweets, Likes, and Plus 1′s with JustReTweetMy Profile

    1. Happy New Year Ray,
      That’s good to know that you’re into the geek stuff like php and mysql. Those areas are not my strongest suits and I do seek help with them occasionally. As for YouTube, I know that I should do more with it than I do. It’s as if I have a mental block against using it. BTW – The blogger who pops into my mind when I think of YouTube is Ileane Smith. Are you familiar with her? You can follow her on Twitter at @BasicBlogTips.

      Thanks for letting me know your interests. I still owe everyone a post revisiting my Twitter strategy and I have a new tactic that I want to test. I expect to write a post on that soon.

  24. Hi Sheryl, you did a good job rounding up the top posts in 2012. These are helpful articles deserving of a recap. Happy to find one place to find quality stuff. Thanks.

    1. Hi Jeannette,
      Thanks for letting me know! I am going to try to write even more “how-to” posts this year. As I just mentioned in my reply to Susan C., I need to get into the habit of taking screenshots as I configure plugins etc. That way, I’ll have ideas for posts and I think a lot of readers find the screenshots to be helpful.

  26. Your list is impressive, not to mention that I, for one, have received much benefits from all your “how to” posts. I greatly look forward to what new items you give to us in the future.

    What would I like to see? Hum… I like most everything you’ve given us so I’m not sure what I would call out as a must have for me. :). Let me get back to you on that. :)))

    1. Hi Susan,
      It’s always nice to hear from you. I’m glad you enjoy my “how to” posts. I need to write more of them. I’m trying to get into the habit of creating screenshots as I try new things. That way, even if I don’t have the time at the moment to write the post, at least it will be a good start. (That’s how I wrote the post about “The SEO Data Transporter Plugin”. )

      Anytime you have an idea, just let me know. BTW – I tried out your cocoa recipe and included it in two Christmas gifts. It was delicious.

  27. Sheryl, keep up the great work. You have taught me so much in 2012, I look forward to continued learning in 2013 and perhaps working with you to help my clients too

    1. Hi Roberta,
      Thanks so much for the encouragement. I appreciate knowing that you’ve learned from my blog. I’m definitely open to working with you to help your clients. I have big plans for 2013 and I wish you and all the readers here a healthy and successful 2013!

  28. The featured posts have been very helpful to me, Sherryl. Since I set up Google Authorship the number of visitors have increased. So much so that the usual downturn over the holidays did not happen – on the contrary.

    If I set up another web site with a different name, how can I driving traffic to it via my blog? Maybe I missed that information but since I’m considering another web site it would be great to know. Why start from the beginning when I have a popular blog?

    Wish you A Fantastic New Year!!

    1. Thanks for letting me know that you found my posts helpful and that Google Authorship is helping to increase the number of visitors to your site. As for driving traffic to a new website, you could write blog posts about the subject (of your new site) and then use keyword rich anchor text to link to a page on your new website. (If you wanted to, you could create specific landing pages for these posts without necessarily having to add them to your navigation menu.) If you were marketing a product or service on your new site, you could also create small ads and feature them in your sidebar.

      I hope you have a fantastic New Year too! I look forward to checking out your new website if you decide to create it.

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