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Help Google help you optimize your content for search

It’s really hard to get Google’s attention. Content marketing is indeed a silver bullet — why do you think I’m writing this — but there are ways of wooing search engines beyond starting a blog.

Google loves structured data. In a perfect world, we humans would be communicating in Extensible Markup Language instead of the unstructured data we kibitz on about in our sentences, paragraphs, and articles. We try to make it clearer by using categories and tags, but it’s often for naught.

One way to make things even clearer is to take advantage of structured data that Google understands immediately: events, reviews, recipes, etc.

Google also understands eCommerce and products and so forth, but that’s not what I do. But I do love to intersperse cool recipes, book reviews, events, product reviews, and general reviews into my blog posts, especially over at my health, sport, and fitness blog, rnnr.us, all build up on a very vanilla WordPress installation.

I have been using the WP ReviewRecipe CardWP Product Review, and Book Review Wordpress Plugins to turn my long-form verbose blog posts into something that Google can more efficiently digest and regurgitate in search results.

And, if you do it right, your search results will be at least as pretty as these:

kbSwingsSearch

bourbonMashedResults

chileRellenoRecipeRNNRGoogleResults

whyIChoosetheHokaOneOneBondi3overtheBondi4

mamaStambergsCranberryRelishRecipefromNPR

You’ll see that, unlike generic search results, your blog posts that are wrapped in a review or a recipe will be rendered with either a thumbnail photo or a rating.

In a world of text-only search results, having a splash of color or the added integrity of a proper review can be just enough competitive advantage to get you the click.

All things being equal, which one would you click on?  Text on text on text or a splash of color from a pretty little square photo and/or a Google-endorsed review with stars and a rating?  Surely, the prettier one, right? The one that appears to have an explicit Google endorsement, right?

Of course you would.

Chris Abraham

Chris Abraham, digital strategist and technologist, is a leading expert in digital: search engine optimization (SEO), online relationship management (ORM), Internet privacy, Wikipedia curationsocial media strategy, and online public relations with a focus on blogger outreachinfluencer engagement, and Internet crisis response, with the digital PR and social media marketing agency Gerris digital. [Feel free to self-schedule a 15-minute call, a 30-minute call, or a 60-minute call with me] A pioneer in online social networks and publishing, with a natural facility for anticipating the next big thing, Chris is an Internet analyst, web strategy consultant and adviser to the industries' leading firms. Chris Abraham specializes in web technologies, including content marketing, online collaboration, blogging, and consumer generated media.  Chris Abraham was named a Top 50 Social Media Power Influencer by Forbes, #1 PR2.0 Influencer by Traackr, and top-10 social media influencers by Marketwire; and, for what it’s worth, Chris has a Klout of 79 the last time he looked. Chris Abraham started doing web development back in 1994, SEO in 1998, blogging in 1999, influencer engagement in 2003, social media strategy in 2005, blogger outreach in 2006, and Wikipedia curation in 2007. Feel free to self-schedule a 15-minute call, a 30-minute call, or a 60-minute call. If you want to know the services that Chris offers check out Services If you want to work with Chris use the Contact Form You're welcome to follow me via Social Media You can learn more about Chris over in About Chris writes a lot so check out the Blog Chris offers webinars so check Events

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