I never intended to write a three parter, concerning blog creation and increasing traffic to an existing blog, and here I am presenting the third instalment - showing you how to syndicate your blog posts, in order to generate even more readers for your content.The first part, in this accidental triple threat, was intended as a 'standalone' piece - to answer just one question... Is blogging for business worth the effort?
After sharing that post to Google Plus, I was asked for tips concerning increasing traffic to a blog. I gave a quick reply, and shuffled off to put the kettle on. It was while I was enjoying a nice cup of tea (I'm normally a coffee guy. bean to cup actually, but hey ho), that it occurred to me to write up a slightly longer reply and post it here. So, that's what I did.
I was prepared to leave that there, but the word 'syndication' kept pinching the back of my head, demanding an audience. Before I start telling you how to syndicate your blog content, it is probably best to tell you what syndication is.
Syndication in the context of a blog post
First of all, a small disclaimer - syndication is not intended to increase traffic to your blog, not directly. It is, however, designed to get your content viewed by as many relevant eyes as is humanely possible. Within the content it would be ideal if you included links back to relevant content on your site, and this can help increase your blog traffic.
Syndicated content is content that you have created, and you share in its entirety to other platforms. This is similar to using share buttons, except you are sharing (copy/paste?) the entire post instead of a link with an excerpt.
The ultimate aim of content syndication is to...
- Showcase your product,
- Increase your chances of your post(s) being included in SERPs (although, only one 'copy' will show at any one time)
- Increase your conversion opportunities.
So far so good, yes? What is syndication then, and why have you (probably) never heard of it in a blogging context before? The trouble is, many people wrongly assume that content syndication is content duplication with a fur coat on.
The two are not the same, at least not in the eyes of search engines. For a start, the internet is full to the brim with duplicate content - do you think that the masterpiece you wrote the other day is 100% unique? I'm sorry, but no. 90%? possibly, but it is more likely to be around the 80% mark.
All that separates the 80 from the 20 percent, is the way it is written. But syndicated content is copied word for word, how is it not considered ripped off? Partly because Google, and others, couldn't give a fig about duplicate content (they will only give one instance of it any SERPs airtime, and in the case of duplicate content with different authors, then one can only assume that a judgement call is made based on the date stamp and/or the perceived authority of the author).
You do not have to take my word for it either, spam guy Matt Cutts pretty much says the same thing here...
How does this translate into non spammy, syndicated copy? The first thing you should do, if you haven't already (and if you haven't, consider your wrist slapped) is to get your blog posts author verified. The next thing, is that when using the various syndication methods you should, wherever possible, use the same Google account (when signing up) that you use for author verification.
What sites are available for blog post syndication?
You can syndicate to just about any platform that allows 'lengthy' posts (that's Twitter out then). As already mentioned, however, it is best if you are able to sign up to these sites if you can use your Google Plus account to do it (it isn't set in stone, but it helps keep things tidy and there can be no doubt of its authenticity).
Triberr
First up, and a personal favourite, is Triberr. This is a place to meet other bloggers, share ideas, collaborate... You get the idea. What makes this particular platform so great is the community aspect to it - it just feels natural (more on that a little further down). If you have a self hosted WordPress site, there is a plugin that you can use to upload freshly published content straight to Triberr.
This post is then made viewable to everybody in your Tribe. Your Tribe-mates are faced with a few options here, if they like your post. They can share it in the traditional fashion, to their followers on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin etc... Or they can 're-blog' it to their own website (syndicating your content for you).
For eyes on your site, and traditional shares, this is is an amazing resource. When you first sign up, look through the available Tribes (mini communities), and pick a few that match your own interests. It is the posts from these Tribes that you will see in your stream, that you can read, share and syndicate. In return, if your posts pass muster, your Tribe-mates reciprocate.
Again, excellent for increasing web traffic but it is a little hit and miss for syndication purposes. Still, it is an excellent all-rounder.
Glipho
Glipho is another excellent blogging platform that can be used to great effect. Here, your posts can be copied/pasted in, and edited using the provided tools on your virtual desk. Within this platform, is an ecosystem completely separate from other platforms and can be used as your sole blogging site if you so desired.
The entire site is made up of member blog posts, and all of the usual blogging apparatus are there including share buttons, Glipho 'likes', a commenting system and he ability to follow other members if you like their posts.
Content produced elsewhere, such as WordPress, is easily transferred to Glipho for sharing within that system as well as out of it via the share buttons. You are alos able to sign up using your Google Plus account, too.
Social Media Today
Social Media Today is very similar to Glipho, in that it is its own blogging ecosystem with its content made entirely by it contributors. The difference here is that the contributors are considered leaders in their respective fields... Well worth the effort of getting yourself recognised here then, I think you will agree.
Again, you can either syndicate or create directly here with the blogging tools available.
In conclusion
There are many other syndication options out there, and several excellent ones that I haven't included for the sake of keeping this post at a readable length. One such service that I will mention very briefly, however, is Google Plus itself and you can learn more about syndication opportunities on this post.
You should have enough information here to get yourself started with content syndication, and you should also be a little wiser about what syndication is and why it could be a good idea for you and your blog - whether it is for business or not.
If all of this sounds like a lot of extra work, you shouldn't let that put you off. Content syndication is an great way to get more mileage out of the blog posts that you have already created.
That said, it still can be quite daunting - especially if you barely have time to write the original content as it is. A professional content management service can take care of all of this for you, of course, and usually much much cheaper than taking on an extra member of staff.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this, as I think it is an under valued marketing opportunity, so please leave your comments below.