Google Blogger SEO Settings Tutorial

This tutorial will walk you through optimizing your Google Blogger settings for better search engine visibility.

Meta Description: Learn how to optimize your Google Blogger SEO settings by focusing on keywords in your title, description, and search description, implementing a custom robots.txt, enabling custom robots header tags, and configuring home, archive, and post page tags for improved search engine ranking.

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Step 1: Basic Blog Information and Keyword Optimization

This is your foundational SEO. Make sure your blog title and description accurately reflect your content and include relevant keywords.

1. Log in to your Blogger account.

2. In the left-hand menu, navigate to Settings > Basic.

   • Title:

     • Your blog title should be concise, descriptive, and include your primary keywords. This is often what appears in search engine results as the main link.

     • Example: Instead of "My Blog," try "Tech Gadget Reviews and Guides."

   • Description:

     • This is a brief summary of your blog's content. Use this space to expand on your title and incorporate more related keywords naturally. Think about what someone would search for to find your content.

     • Example: "Explore in-depth reviews of the latest smartphones, laptops, and smart home devices. Find helpful guides and tips for all your tech needs."

3. Click Save.

Step 2: Search Description (Meta Description for Your Blog)

This is a crucial meta description that Google often uses in search results for your blog's homepage.

1. In the left-hand menu, navigate to Settings > Search preferences.

2. Under the "Meta tags" section, find "Description" and click "Edit."

3. Select "Yes" to enable search description.

4. In the text box, write a compelling and keyword-rich description (up to 150 characters) that encourages users to click on your blog from search results. This is not what users see on your blog, but what they see in search engine results.

   • Example: "Official blog for [Your Blog Name] - In-depth tech reviews, expert guides, and the latest news on gadgets and software. Your go-to source for all things tech."

5. Click "Save changes."

Step 3: Custom Robots.txt (Advanced)

A robots.txt file tells search engine crawlers which pages they can or cannot access on your site. A custom robots.txt gives you more control.

1. In the left-hand menu, navigate to Settings > Search preferences.

2. Under the "Crawlers and indexing" section, find "Custom robots.txt" and click "Edit."

3. Select "Yes" to enable custom robots.txt.

4. Insert the following template. This is a common and generally safe robots.txt for most Blogger users, allowing most content to be indexed while disallowing some internal Blogger-specific paths.

   User-agent: *
   Disallow: /search
   Allow: /
   
   Sitemap: [YOUR BLOG SITEMAP URL]
   

   • Important: Replace [YOUR BLOG SITEMAP URL] with your actual sitemap URL. For most Blogger blogs, this is typically https://[YOUR-BLOG-ADDRESS]/sitemap.xml or https://[YOUR-BLOG-ADDRESS]/atom.xml?redirect=false&start-index=1&max-results=500 for older blogs. To find your exact sitemap, you can often find it by going to yourblogname.blogspot.com/sitemap.xml or checking your Google Search Console.

5. Click "Save changes."

Step 4: Enable Custom Robots Header Tags (Advanced)

This gives you granular control over how individual pages, posts, and archives are indexed and whether links on them are followed.

1. In the left-hand menu, navigate to Settings > Search preferences.

2. Under the "Crawlers and indexing" section, find "Custom robots header tags" and click "Edit."

3. Select "Yes" to enable custom robots header tags.

Step 5: Configure Custom Robots Header Tags

Now, let's set the specific tags for different sections of your blog.

Home Page Tags Settings

These settings apply to your blog's main homepage.

1. Under "Custom robots header tags," click "Edit" next to "Home page tags."

2. Select the following:

   • all: (This tells search engines to index everything on your homepage and follow all links.)

   • No other boxes should be checked for the homepage.

3. Click "Save changes."

Archive and Search Page Tags Settings

These pages often contain duplicate content or less valuable content for direct search results, so we instruct search engines not to index them but still follow links.

1. Under "Custom robots header tags," click "Edit" next to "Archive and search page tags."

2. Select the following:

   • noindex: (This tells search engines not to show these pages in search results.)

   • nofollow: (This tells search engines not to follow links on these pages, which helps conserve "link juice" for your main content.)

3. Click "Save changes."

Post and Page Tags Settings

These are your individual blog posts and static pages. You want these to be fully indexed and their links followed.

1. Under "Custom robots header tags," click "Edit" next to "Post and page tags."

2. Select the following:

   • all: (This tells search engines to index everything on your posts/pages and follow all links.)

   • No other boxes should be checked for posts and pages.

3. Click "Save changes."

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By following these steps, you'll significantly improve your Blogger blog's SEO, making it more discoverable by search engines and potential readers. Remember that SEO is an ongoing process; regularly create high-quality, keyword-rich content to further boost your rankings.

Module 1: Laying the Foundation – Getting Started with Google Blogger

Welcome to the World of Blogging for Income

•  What is blogging and why is it a powerful income tool?

•  The advantages of using Google Blogger for beginners (cost-effectiveness, ease of use, Google integration).

• Understanding the "Blogger for Money" mindset.

Setting Up Your Blogger Account & First Blog

• Creating a Google account (if you don't have one).

• Navigating the Blogger dashboard: key features and settings.

• Choosing your blog title and address (URL).

• Selecting and customizing a Blogger template for a professional look.

Understanding the Blogger Interface

• Posts, Pages, Layout, Theme, Settings – a tour of essential Blogger features.

• Google Blogger SEO Settings

• How To Integrate Google Blogger With Google Search Console

• How To Integrate Google Blogger With Google Analytics

• Text formatting in Google Blogger.

• Image insertion and formatting in Google Blogger.

• Embedding videos in Google Blogger.

• Saving, previewing, and publishing your first draft in Google Blogger.

• Creating Discoverable Blog Posts with Google Gemini: (Template included)