Likes and Shares vs Metrics and Keywords: Cannot Have One Without the Other

Hello again everyone!  Tonight, we are going to focus on metrics and keywords; or specifically, the metrics and keywords I am using for my blog.  I know it sounds super boring but hang tight and I will work to make it interesting.  First, I would like to start off by thank you, all of you. Because of you, I had my best week for my blog!  That is where we are going to begin our metrics journey, with you and metrics.  To start, I would like to clarify the word metrics in this setting.  Going into my current marketing class and hearing the word metrics, I assumed it would be the measurement of something but I was not sure what.  If you are feeling the same way, don’t worry, it is very simple.  Metrics are a way to measure the objectives or goals for a website.  For example, I have included a table below of my current objectives and metrics for this blog based on the results achieved from last week’s post. 

Objective	Metric
Increase the average views per day	Average number of views per day can be found from Google Analytics
Increase the retention of current viewers	Amount of returning viewers can be found from Google Analytics Type of link used by returning views can be found from Google Analytics
Increase the number of comments	Comment feed found at the bottom of the Blogger page
Increase the number of likes and shares on social media platforms	Provide link to blog on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn Provide small description of blog post on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

While I had a great response to my post last week: two extra Likes on Facebook, one Comment on the blog itself, and 24 views for the blog itself, I feel I can do better.  I will say that is huge increase from the week before and I think the main reason was from my email campaign.  The table above shows what I would like to work on for this week and I think a couple of the objectives go hand in hand.  If I want to increase my average views per day, then I need to increase the number of like and shares my link receives on social media platforms.  I cannot just rely on the people I reach to increase my numbers; but, I want to be interesting enough that they share me with their followers and I am able to gain them too.  If I want an increase in the number of comments my blog receives, then I need to increase the number of current views I can retain.  Most of these objectives can be measured by Google Analytics or Blogger but others need to completed and not measured.  For example, to increase the number of likes and shares, I need to add more of a description to my post when I put the link to my blog out on social media platforms.  I cannot expect people to just open my link based on me putting it out there.  I need to draw people in. 

This is where keywords come in.  A keyword is a word or phrase that helps increase a websites chances of being found in a search.  However, the keywords need to be placed correctly.  If you have too many the search engines will not list your website and if you also use the wrong keywords the search engines will not list you as well.  The reason is they want a source that will be helpful to their users.  So, what you need are enough keywords to be found and only ones that pertain to the topics you are talking about.  Most of the time you will want the keywords to be in your title, description sentence (on social posts), and in the first section of your site.  As you can see, I use the words metrics and keywords in my first paragraph in hopes to draw in people who are interested in such a post.  Now, keywords can be helpful or they can be harmful.  Say you just use keywords like “marketing”, “media”, or “information”, your website will be floating out there with the other thousands of websites that have the exact same thing.  If, however, you use “digital marketing”, “social media platforms”, and “metric information”, will set yourself further apart from the others.  Some of the best keywords are phrases.  Think about when you search in Google. You do not just put “new shoes” or every type, color, and brand will come up.  Instead you put “new purple Nike running shoes” in and you get the results you are looking for.  The same principle should be used when creating keywords to help find your website.  You can use keywords and metrics to increase the share, likes, and visibility of your website.  What do you think would be the best keywords for one of your favorite websites?  Let me know in the comments below!  I hope you have enjoyed this week’s post.  If you are interested on being on the mail updates, let me know and I will add you to list!  Please come back next week for another interesting topic.  Hope to see you all then.  TTFN, ta ta for now!

Olenski, S. (2015, September 10). 7 Reasons Why Your Business Should Invest In SEO. Retrieved January 22, 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveolenski/2014/03/26/7-reasons-why-your-business-should-invest-in-seo/#4498f122563e

Roberts, M. L., & Zahay, D. (n.d.). Internet Marketing Integrating Online & Offline Strategies (Third ed.).

Wells, D. (2013, May 25). The Importance of Using Keywords in Your Content Marketing. Retrieved January 25, 2018, from https://www.inboundnow.com/the-importance-of-using-keywords-in-your-content-marketing/