Updated presentation from "Blow Me Away Blogging" at #SMX West 2013. Originally from #SMX Social Media Marketing. Check out the blog post version here - http://www.swellpath.com/2012/12/smx-social-8-takeaways-for-blogging/ I'll be going over not only why I personally love blogging, but what makes it so damn hard. Mainly, I'll be sharing 8 takeaways from SwellPaths' 800% year-over-year traffic growth for our blog. Official panel summary from SMX - "For many, a blog is the hub of a company’s social media marketing efforts. But building a consistently high-quality blog is a challenge. How do you keep your blog updated with fresh and appealing content? Is there a way to get more comments and build a community of readers? Can you use your blog to generate leads and increase sales? This session will cover those questions and more with actionable ideas for new bloggers or those looking to make an existing blog even better."

1. asdfasdf
@mike_arnesen Download: slidesha.re/10i6Y3r

2. OMG.
I love
blogging.

3. Because blogging is hard!
@mike_arnesen #SMX #23A

4. @mike_arnesen #SMX #23A

5. But when you make it
work…
...you can
blow
minds!
@mike_arnesen #SMX #23A

6. That’s what we started doing
and I want to tell you how
so you can do it, too.
@mike_arnesen #SMX #23A

7. This was our traffic for years.
Then we stepped up our game.
@mike_arnesen #SMX #23A
@mike_arnesen

8. from a True Story
of Blog Growth
@mike_arnesen #SMX #23A

9. Give your readers a reason
@mike_arnesen #SMX #23A to come back again and again!

10. @mike_arnesen #SMX #23A

11. Ideas can be hard to come by. They don’t need to be.
Find out what people want to know.
@mike_arnesen #SMX #23A

12. This is
Check Quora, Reddit, comments,
pure gold!
and other related communities.
@mike_arnesen #SMX #23A

13. See what people
search for.
@mike_arnesen #SMX #23A

14. How are
the results?
Then this
Could you
do better?
@mike_arnesen #SMX #23A

15. @mike_arnesen #SMX #23A

16. ..and more
Learn how to setup Authorship: bit.ly/SW47Hs
@mike_arnesen #SMX #23A

17. Every. Single. Time.
1. Title
2. Description
3. OG:image
Test search result display: bit.ly/SfVo4e @mike_arnesen #SMX #23A

18. Fast
Action
Social
Sharing
@mike_arnesen #SMX #23A
@mike_arnesen
IT JUST WORKS.

19. Random bursts off effort
don’t produce sustainable results.
Planning is key, so use a content calendar.
@mike_arnesen #SMX #23A

20. Recap
Frequent & scheduled posts
Incentivize contributors
Let your audience help
Find SEO opportunity gaps
Use Google Authorship
Optimize meta tags
Include FASS Buttons
Consistency & planning
@mike_arnesen #SMX #23A

21. Mike Arnesen
Senior SEO @ SwellPath
Twitter: @mike_arnesen
G+: mikearnesen.com/gplus
Site: swellpath.com
Download: slidesha.re/10i6Y3r