Your Blog Post is Live: Now What?

Hello everyone,
Dave Baldwin here from PlusCode Website Design. This is the final article in this series. You've put in the hard work to create engaging, valuable content for your website. But once it's live, what's next? How do you ensure it gets the visibility and impact it deserves? In this final post of our series, I'll walk you through the essential steps to take after publishing your content to maximize its reach and effectiveness.

1. Internally Link Your Content

Internal linking is a powerful SEO strategy that helps search engines understand the structure of your website and the relationship between different pages. Here’s how to do it effectively:

• Contextual Links: Include links to your new content in relevant existing blog posts or pages. For example, if your new post is about "Spring Landscape Ideas," link to it from other gardening or your gardening services page.
• Navigation and Home page: Ensure your new content is accessible from your main navigation menus or listed on your home page as a recent article. You can see an example on my home page here

2. Update Your Sitemap

A sitemap is a blueprint of your website that helps search engines discover and index your new content more efficiently. After publishing your new content:

• Automatic Updates: Many content management systems, like WordPress, automatically update your sitemap. Make sure this feature is enabled.
• Manual Updates: If your CMS doesn't automatically update your sitemap, manually add your new URL to the sitemap.

3. Submit to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools

To ensure your new content is indexed quickly, submit your URL directly to search engines:

• Google Search Console: Use the URL Inspection tool to submit your new URL. This helps Google index your content faster and improves your chances of appearing in search results.
• Bing Webmaster Tools: Similarly, use Bing’s URL submission feature to notify Bing of your new content.

4. Build Backlinks from Reputable Websites

Backlinks from authoritative sites boost your content's credibility and improve its search engine ranking. Here are some strategies to acquire quality backlinks:

• Guest Blogging: Write guest posts for reputable sites in your industry and include a link back to your new content.
• Industry Partnerships: Collaborate with industry partners to feature your content on their websites, such as through joint research, reports, or case studies.
• Outreach: Contact bloggers, influencers, and industry experts to share your new content. If they find it valuable, they may link to it in their own articles.

Additional Tips

• Social Media Sharing: Promote your new content across your social media channels. Tailor your posts to fit the style and audience of each platform to maximize engagement.
• Email Marketing: Include your new content in your email newsletters. This helps drive traffic to your site and keeps your audience informed and engaged.
• Monitor Performance: Use tools like Google Analytics to track the performance of your new content. Pay attention to metrics like page views, time on page, and bounce rate to understand how your audience is interacting with it.

Conclusion

Creating valuable content is just the beginning. By taking these steps to promote and enhance your new content, you can make sure it reaches a wider audience and has a greater impact. From internal linking and updating your sitemap to submitting URLs and building backlinks, these actions will help you maximize the effectiveness of your content strategy.

Thank you for following along with our series on content creation and distribution. If you have any questions or need further assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out. Let’s make sure your content works as hard as you do.

Cheers,

Dave