I had no idea there was an SEO description field in post settings-- thank you! Also: sounds very naive, but I've never thought to ask myself if going all-in on SEO for a particular post makes sense. I liked your low-key SEO option for posts that might be more entertainment-oriented than the-mighty-expert-will-now-answer-your-pressing-question-type post.
Just like Substack, starting from zero with SEO can be a grind. The first few months I was happy to get a click a day, but I've stuck with it and 18 months later I just had my first 200-click month. It turns out amazing moments from baseball history is an SEO-friendly niche!
Using Google's Search Console tool, once you get started with SEO, is a great resource for what people search for that brings you up, and what actually gets clicks. And it keeps track of your milestones, making it another source of small but real wins.
I've always filled out the SEO part for each of my substack posts, then recently I started doing serious SEO for my website blog and it requires A LOT more work. I still write from my knowledge and experience, but every single detail in the blog post (title, SEO title, keywords, headers structure, image titles and ALT texts and so on) needs to be thought out in advance. In a way, it makes writing easier. In a different way, it kills the joy of writing. I'm happy to do that for my blog as I'm trying to position my website. For my Substack publication, though, I prefer not to think of google and write for myself and my audience. I know that some of my posts do show up on google and some people find me that way, but I've decided not to make that my primary goal for now. I don't know if it's a good idea, but it feels sustainable for me right now!
Thanks Karen, fantastic ideas I can incorporate. Question: is there any point in editing older posts to be more SEO friendly? I’m relatively new to Substack so it wouldn’t be such a big job to edit a few posts.
Yes, Cerina, if you can answer 'Yes' to those questions about whether SEO is worth it for you, then it's probably worth returning to old post and updating them to improve SEO, especially as you only have a few.
Hi Mary, SEO is a group of techniques you use when crafting your usual Substack posts, including how you choose your title, what words and phrases you use, and so on.
No, that doesn't help answer my question because I know where to copy the SEO in settings for any post but have used it only to send that link to someone else before the post is published. So, e.g., If I go to the SEO for my writing course's introduction, I could post it in notes but I really don't see how that would help much.
I had no idea there was an SEO description field in post settings-- thank you! Also: sounds very naive, but I've never thought to ask myself if going all-in on SEO for a particular post makes sense. I liked your low-key SEO option for posts that might be more entertainment-oriented than the-mighty-expert-will-now-answer-your-pressing-question-type post.
Super thorough and helpful-- thank you!
Thank you Karen. So much valuable info.
Just like Substack, starting from zero with SEO can be a grind. The first few months I was happy to get a click a day, but I've stuck with it and 18 months later I just had my first 200-click month. It turns out amazing moments from baseball history is an SEO-friendly niche!
Using Google's Search Console tool, once you get started with SEO, is a great resource for what people search for that brings you up, and what actually gets clicks. And it keeps track of your milestones, making it another source of small but real wins.
I knew it, Paul! Congrats! And thanks for letting people know about Search Console too... a topic for another post.
I've always filled out the SEO part for each of my substack posts, then recently I started doing serious SEO for my website blog and it requires A LOT more work. I still write from my knowledge and experience, but every single detail in the blog post (title, SEO title, keywords, headers structure, image titles and ALT texts and so on) needs to be thought out in advance. In a way, it makes writing easier. In a different way, it kills the joy of writing. I'm happy to do that for my blog as I'm trying to position my website. For my Substack publication, though, I prefer not to think of google and write for myself and my audience. I know that some of my posts do show up on google and some people find me that way, but I've decided not to make that my primary goal for now. I don't know if it's a good idea, but it feels sustainable for me right now!
Thanks Karen, fantastic ideas I can incorporate. Question: is there any point in editing older posts to be more SEO friendly? I’m relatively new to Substack so it wouldn’t be such a big job to edit a few posts.
Yes, Cerina, if you can answer 'Yes' to those questions about whether SEO is worth it for you, then it's probably worth returning to old post and updating them to improve SEO, especially as you only have a few.
Thanks Karen.
Where do I post the SEO, Karen? As Substack note?
Hi Mary, SEO is a group of techniques you use when crafting your usual Substack posts, including how you choose your title, what words and phrases you use, and so on.
Does that help?
No, that doesn't help answer my question because I know where to copy the SEO in settings for any post but have used it only to send that link to someone else before the post is published. So, e.g., If I go to the SEO for my writing course's introduction, I could post it in notes but I really don't see how that would help much.
Sorry that didn't help. Feel free to send me a DM, Mary if you need.