Yesterday, I announced that Pixolio.me was in final testing (but functioning) of the blogging platform for the Pixolio service. I know that many customers have specifically asked for a blogging solution and others don't really care. However, some many be wondering "why reinvent the wheel?" when there are so many blogging platforms out there (and good ones at that). When Pixolio was first launched almost 18 months ago, I was honestly thinking the same thing. However, over time, I realized the value of having a blogging platform integrated into Pixolio and it is another way to improve customer experience and value.

Today I was reading an article on USA Today, Here are 5 ways to improve your site's rank in Google, and while the article doesn't provide any groundbreaking information, it does provide good and simple to understand information about the internet buzzword: SEO (Search Engine Optimization). I thought I would share it and relate the points to what is being done for the Pixolio.me platform.

Points from the article, with my response:

1. Choose keywords carefully

This will especially be beneficial as with the blogging platform, but also carries over to the portfolio section of Pixolio. Titles on your portfolio images can also help people find examples of specific work and may help drive traffic looking for a specific type of work. 

The article suggests checking out the popularity of keywords with a tool like Google Adwords' Keyword Estimator.

2. Use meta tags

Pixolio has always supported meta tag titles, description and keywords. When you are logged into your account, you can choose "Edit" > "Site Meta Tags" to edit what is seen by a search engine. While I have always told customers that meta tags don't carry as much SEO weight as it used to, but if nothing else, you can control what shows up in the Google's search results.

3. Focus on content

As a portfolio site, content should be your first and foremost concern… because after all, that is the entire purpose of the site. Fortunately Pixolio makes it very easy to update and add more images to your portfolio and additional pages (and now blog!). 

Search engines typically like updating and changing (new) information. This was one the deciding factors of building a blogging platform into Pixolio as opposed to linking or integrating other platforms. The article lists this as a reason that CEOs have started blogging (I taking notice… here I am!).

One of the most frequently visited pages on portfolio sites and individual blogs is the about page. Keep it up to date (I just updated mine while I was thinking about it). A friend recently had a someone looking for a Nashville photographer contact her out of the blue. This person contacted her (over all other photographers that must have popped up in a good search for Nashville photographers) because she had her own music on her website (a Pixolio website, of course!) and he liked her music, as well as her photography.

4. Pay attention to links

I often tell others that links can be one of the best ways to build up your online "reputation" for to the search engines. So swap links with other friends online and hopefully others will find your site and post it on their blogs. Just don't "spam" sites with your website… Google and others are smart enough to figure that out.

As a part of the Pixolio blogging platform, I'm working on integrating ways to post updates to the "blogosphere" as well as social media sites like Facebook* and Twitter. (*Facebook can't be indexed by search engines because it requires a password to view content, but it can help drive other traffic.)

5. Hire a SEO expertly carefully

The article makes a good point about avoiding "experts" who promise top positions on Google. If you ever seek out someone's advise for improving your SEO, take the same approach as you might with TV self-help commercials: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And for the record, Pixolio has never promised to put you on the top of any lists, but only offer a platform that makes it easier to manage your site and make it easier to improve SEO stats.

While this may seem like a big long marketing piece for Pixolio.me, well in a way, it is. However this information is valuable for however you host your site. I'm personally excited about the blogging feature and I looking forward to using it myself. I'm like that "Hair Club Guy" on the TV commercials — Not only am I the owner, I'm also a customer!