August 17, 2026 blogging tips 🕑 5 minutes read

Asheville North Carolina

What may be the most frequently asked question lobbed my way: “Why is my blog not ranking?”

I am not a search engine expert.

I need to get that one out of the way.

But I drive some organic Google traffic without optimizing blog posts consistently.

My basic strategy is to publish highly practical content based on one subject to establish topical authority.

My distribution channels, blogger outreach approach and Google handle the rest of the process.

Why in the Hades Is My Blog Not Ranking?

Every blogger feels agitated when their helpful content never sniffs page one.

Give your blog the attention it deserves.

Diagnose search problems.

Correct optimization errors.

Move in a prospering blogging direction.

As with everything published to Blogging From Paradise Dot Com, I base these tips on personal experience.

I am not an SEO guy but noted these patterns from my page one content.

Thin Blog Posts

Google favors detailed content.

600 word posts come up short.

Publish 1200 words per blog post.

Be thorough. Share practical tips to step readers from problem to solution.

Google prefers robust solutions. Publish a resource masquerading as a blog post.

Write detailed posts consistently. Google judges your full body of blogging work.

Treat your blog like a spider web of posts not a collection of standalone one-off’s.

Link internally between relevant resources.

Covering Multiple Niches

Google gives preference to topical authority.

Covering multiple niches erodes expertise because a jack of all trades masters none.

Highly talented multi-niche bloggers struggle to rank because Google wants a proven track record for one topic.

Cover one niche thoroughly.

Blog about one topic.

Earn credibility.

Show off your singular expertise to Google.

I did it for the blogging tips niche.

Do it for your specific niche.

No Quality Backlinks

My blog ranked on page of of Google after famous bloggers dropped backlinks pointing to Blogging From Paradise Dot Com.

The Google algorithm basically said: “If this highly credible blogger links to BFP then BFP offers highly credible content.”

Think of quality backlinks as the highest form of referral marketing. Google needs to vet your blog. Authority bloggers endorse your blog with quality backlinks.

Practical Tips to Follow

publish genuine blog comments to blogs from your niche
promote bloggers from your niche on X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Blue Sky (tag to give them credit)
ask for nothing in return to build relationships organically (aka free of guilt, manipulation or other trust-busting motivators)

Successful bloggers who appreciate your kindness and value your content point links to your blog.

Poor Distribution

Bloggers who struggle to rank think small.

Sending a new post to your email list is not enough.

Successful bloggers work multiple distribution channels to rank on page one.

I bumped up my distribution game.

I currently promote new posts to 25 marketing channels.

Giving your blog exposure far and wide increases page one Google traffic based on simple logic.

the Google algorithm notes 25 websites pointing links to your blog
successful bloggers who find your blog via 25 channels can point backlinks to blog posts
gaining significant exposure never hurts your chances to rank

Prioritize 2-3 marketing channels. I favor X, Facebook and LinkedIn to engage freely on each site.

Distribute aggressively across:

Facebook Groups (yours)
Facebook Pages (yours)
LinkedIn Groups (yours)
Blue Sky
Mastodon
Threads
Pinterest
YouTube (videos and text updates)
Mixx
Flipboard
Scoop It

Think wide not narrow.

Leverage.

Scale.

Poorly Thought Out Titles

Google needs to clearly know a blog post title-promise to rank content.

Vague titles never land on page one. Cute-sy, flamboyant titles rarely rank on page one. Bloated titles pretty much never rank on page one.

Why did you click on this post?

You wanted to know: “Why is my freaking blog not ranking?”

My title perfectly matched your desire minus the G-rated “F” word.

Never try to outfox Google. Stop being clever.

Every page one Blogging From Paradise post title is:

simple
plain
short
easy to understand

Spend 10 minutes brainstorming simple titles before publishing blog posts.

Choose the easiest to understand title.

Be generic for readers to understand what you promise to deliver.

Poor User Experience

Create easy to scan content.

Make it easy to read.

Customize blog posts for readers who consume content on their phone.

Use:

headers
bullet point lists
many many many paragraphs
short sentences
bold text
images

to pull reader eyes north to south as if following a typewriter with narrow columns.

The good old algorithm factors user experience into ranking.

Avoid:

run-on paragraphs
run-on sentences
embedding slow-loading ads
using slow-loading pop ups

Technical Aspects to Keep in Mind

navigation
blog load speed
blog reliability (virtually 100% up time)

Use a simple design.

Invest money in dependable hosting.

Never cheap out; you will save money and lose everything.

Closed Blog Comments

My top Google posts generated blog comments before ranking at position one.

Take or leave that fact.

My blog has ranked at position one to position two for one specific keyword since 2014.

I believe the user-generated content – aka detailed blog comments – put me over the top.

Do you want to appreciate the power of authentic blog comments?

I did the asinine thing of deleting the 120 plus comments I originally gained for the post. I made a mistake. Whatever.

The post dropped down page one for a few days.

updated the blog post
nabbed 9 genuine blog comments quickly

The content sprinted to position one within a week.

Folks; I call ’em as I see ’em.

Open comments.

Google appreciates user-generated content.

What is a lively comments field but another vetting mechanism?

Every detailed, positive blog comment serves as a content-endorsement.

No Longevity/Consistency

I published blog posts for months before Google ranked Blogging From Paradise Dot Com on page one.

Inconsistent bloggers never rank because Google gauges your long-term body of blogging work.

Ranking comes down to jogging a marathon not winning a frenetic sprint.

Publish one long form blog post weekly for years.

Increase post frequency if it feels appropriate.

The Big G filters out “flash in the pan” bloggers who do not pass the test of time.

Nobody manipulates a $4 trillion dollar company with 190,000 smart employees.

Rank by slowly earning it.

Publish highly practical blog posts consistently.

Think long term.

Be patient.

Why Is My Blog Not Ranking?: Conclusion

I rank blog posts because I corrected the above errors.

Look at your blog closely.

Address mistakes.

Make corrections to drive page one traffic.

PS…..SEO bloggers please share your tips in the comments below. I’d love to make this post a helpful resource for bloggers who want sweet page one traffic.

Trevor Warman says:
August 17, 2026 at 7:24 pm

Hey Ryan. i am not always able to post a comment as I just dont know what always to say but glad i can chip in here, specially after you asked “SEO bloggers please share your tips in the comments below”.

Once you have written your post,

1. Hit publish
2. Update your sitemap on Google Search Console: add sitemap.xml or post-sitemap.xml or category-sitemap.xml, (go to Yoast to see your sitemaps)
3. Do the same thing on Bing WebMasterTools
4. some time later submit your new post to GSC and Bing
5. post it on all of you social media accounts as Ryan detailed.

If it doesn’t get indexed, it won’t get ranked so make sure you didn’t accidentally noindex it.

If it’s not indexed by BIG G, the blog post won’t appear on Google SERPS. Why should Google show your page if you didn’t tell them about it?

Why should Google show your post for free? it’s their platform. Would you show crap posts on a platform you own? No….

Once it’s indexed and if it doesn’t rank, well there’s a whole list of reasons (how long have you got?)

Thin, duplicate, crap, shit, keyword-stuffed, content, that doesn’t provide any value, doesn’t answer anyones questions and is full of typos, grammar errors won’t get higher than page 20.

A blog post about Churchill War Rooms on a blog with a DA of 24 (Nomadic Backpacker) ain’t got a hope in hell of ranking, even if the intel is 1st class. Too many big names fighting for page 1.

Getting good backlinks help increase you DA… Ryan has lots of blog posts on this.

I can rank more easily for a post like how to get from Dakar to Timbuktu because there simply ain’t no competition. I would snag all the blog traffic going (if there is any).

The rest gets a bit more complicated. Think keywords, keyword difficulty and search volume, low hanging fruits and also Not a Hope In Hell, plays a big part.

You have to interlink posts but try and keep the links relevant. Linking from a blog post about golf to a post about growing potatoes is useless. But a post about 1 museum linking to another museum is a good link.

Links help Google crawl you website. If it aint got links, Google might not crawl your post.

and use contextual links. Don’t like text like HERE, WEBSITE, BLOG…. the links don’t tell google anything about the targeted page is about..

OK i think that’s enough for now…

Trevor

Trevor Warman says:
August 17, 2026 at 7:24 pm
Hey Ryan. i am not always able to post a comment as I just dont know what always to say but glad i can chip in here, specially after you asked “SEO bloggers please share your tips in the comments below”.
Once you have written your post,
1. Hit publish
2. Update your sitemap on Google Search Console: add sitemap.xml or post-sitemap.xml or category-sitemap.xml, (go to Yoast to see your sitemaps)
3. Do the same thing on Bing WebMasterTools
4. some time later submit your new post to GSC and Bing
5. post it on all of you social media accounts as Ryan detailed.
If it doesn’t get indexed, it won’t get ranked so make sure you didn’t accidentally noindex it.
If it’s not indexed by BIG G, the blog post won’t appear on Google SERPS. Why should Google show your page if you didn’t tell them about it?
Why should Google show your post for free? it’s their platform. Would you show crap posts on a platform you own? No….
Once it’s indexed and if it doesn’t rank, well there’s a whole list of reasons (how long have you got?)
Thin, duplicate, crap, shit, keyword-stuffed, content, that doesn’t provide any value, doesn’t answer anyones questions and is full of typos, grammar errors won’t get higher than page 20.
A blog post about Churchill War Rooms on a blog with a DA of 24 (Nomadic Backpacker) ain’t got a hope in hell of ranking, even if the intel is 1st class. Too many big names fighting for page 1.
Getting good backlinks help increase you DA… Ryan has lots of blog posts on this.
I can rank more easily for a post like how to get from Dakar to Timbuktu because there simply ain’t no competition. I would snag all the blog traffic going (if there is any).
The rest gets a bit more complicated. Think keywords, keyword difficulty and search volume, low hanging fruits and also Not a Hope In Hell, plays a big part.
You have to interlink posts but try and keep the links relevant. Linking from a blog post about golf to a post about growing potatoes is useless. But a post about 1 museum linking to another museum is a good link.
Links help Google crawl you website. If it aint got links, Google might not crawl your post.
and use contextual links. Don’t like text like HERE, WEBSITE, BLOG…. the links don’t tell google anything about the targeted page is about..
OK i think that’s enough for now…
Trevor
- Ryan Biddulph says:
  August 17, 2026 at 7:52 pm
  Comment Jackpot!
  Thanks Trevor. Brilliant comment.
  The relevant interlinking point provides food for blogging thought. We blog for human readers. But we optimize for robots. Or for the algorithm. Align everything right down to internal links. Link to posts closely related to each other. Relevance is everything with Google throughout everything bloggers do. Lose the relevance and your posts get buried.
  As for generic text it is a big no-no. Google demands relevance. Explain the content that the link points to. Be as clear as possible. Similar to crafting SEO-optimized titles.
  Optimizing is doing the “robotic” thinking which achieves perfect alignment. Bloggers struggle at times – me included for sure – because we lack clarity. Relevance dissolves. We try to do things our way versus the 100% aligned Google algorithm way.
  It is not an exact science or easy to game but following fundamentals with great discipline positions bloggers to rank for less competitive keywords. Leave the high competitive ones behind. Score with the lesser searched terms but consistently. Bloggers forget that nabbing a heavy volume of low volume traffic searches yields a steady or even heavy volume of Google traffic. This is where the SEO-optimizing discipline comes in handy.
  - Trevor Warman says:
    August 17, 2026 at 8:14 pm
    BIG websites with massive authority and budgets can rank for anything within an hour.. They are multi-topic websites.
    For us mere mortals, we have to niche down and be a specialist.. to have any hope in hell. 7 million websites all wanting that top spot, you gonna have to pull out all the stops for that one.
    But that’s if you want to get on Google.
    Your blog post will still exist on the platform you own, which is hopefully a self-hosted WordPress dot org site., even if Google doesn’t index it.
    As Ryan spells out multiple times, grow your organic traffic… people visiting your blog or website through social media, or because they read a few posts already and have become fans… and are coming back for more on their own accord, sans prompt.
    The Google Algorithm changes daily, and all these hacks on how to beat it are just 5-minute wonder hacks, mostly classed as (black hat) from SEO gurus who are having fun with unlimited budgets, trying to game the system..
    - Ryan Biddulph says:
      August 18, 2026 at 12:16 am
      Well said.
      The heavies with budgets to burn – and a staff of writers to fuel multi-niche content mills – can rank fast through manipulative methods. We solopreneur bloggers cannot.
      Our comment volley is one example of how to drive organic traffic. We share detailed value through these thoughts. The organic traffic potential increases because we add helpfulness through our discussion. Other bloggers struggling to rank on Google:
      – see these comments
      – learn from our experience
      – drive referral traffic via backlinks and/or social shares
      My posts with detailed comments always generate maximum social shares. Always. In return, my referral traffic increases.
      Bloggers out there; you really can reach the point where fans bookmark your blog to check in daily. Or perhaps these loyal readers check in every few days. I know of no better way not to become heavily reliant on Google for traffic.
      Develop blogging posture, guys. Build a strong community. People will return without seeing an email or social media share. That’s power. Especially in a blogging world where most fear that nobody will ever see their blog unless they rank on page 1.
      - Trevor Warman says:
        August 18, 2026 at 12:45 am
        Yeah. I haven’t signed up for your email list but I pop in daily at some point, knowing you have upped your posting schedule, or I see it on FB.
        I often post stuff on my blog, and you share it before I get round to it myself.
        This guys, is what ya gotta be striving for!!
        Of course, Google traffic is a massive chunk of blog traffic. For me, 80% of my traffic is from Google. I have been running this blog in some shape or form for 10 years or so..,
        Gaining traction takes a while; building credibility doesn’t happen overnight. Blogging is a marathon, not a 100-yard sprint.
        But stick with it. Show up consistently, follow Blogging From Paradise for blogging tips, and visit https://www.nomadicbackpacker.com/ for budget travel stories to obscure, less visited corners of the world, with each post full of travel tips to help you stay away for longer. There are no pop ups, sign ups or even affiliates. Just pure content on NB and BFP.
        Follow the journey….
      - Ryan Biddulph says:
        August 18, 2026 at 5:15 pm
        Note; I queried “why is my blog not ranking” the day following the post publish date.
        I am #2 behind Reddit on Incognito and #1 of course for my frequent BFP reader/visitor self.
        Thank you for the technical tips and genuine, detailed comments. I have zero doubts that our conversation – and practical tips listed – influenced the ranking.
        Our blogs are helpful because we share as much practical content as possible without squeezing stuff out of readers. People can download your eBook or buy some of mine but we emphasize publishing usable content. Most people appreciate getting help without getting squeezed.
Trevor Warman says:
August 18, 2026 at 5:42 pm
Thanks as ever for the insightful blog posts. I’m adding my PDF to Gumroad… it’s been free for 8 months…
hope the extended comments are help the post rank
- Ryan Biddulph says:
  August 18, 2026 at 11:18 pm
  Good move on that one.
  Gumroad is seamless for me. Solid commission structure.
  Definitely! #2 after Reddit but before Google Support and Quora.
Trevor Warman says:
September 9, 2026 at 5:28 pm
Another legit way to consider if Google hasn’t indexed your page, perhaps you wrote it when you had low authority….
if your authority has subsequently increased, try altering the URL, making sure it contains your target keyword, and make sure that keyword is at the front of the SEO title,, in a written-for-humans page (h1) title.
Giving it a new URL is like making a new page. Make sure you 301 redirect from the old URL to new URL… i have zero Descubierta: actualmente sin indexar on my blog…
- Ryan Biddulph says:
  September 9, 2026 at 6:43 pm
  Super helpful tip here and the Spanglish is great too.
  Think literally in optimizing terms. Add keywords to the right spots. But make the H1 tag sound as if a human being worked it in naturally. Skilled bloggers do this seamlessly.
  Speak the H1 tag out loud. Does it sound like a robot? Trash it. Repeat until it sounds like how a human would speak naturally.
  - Trevor Warman says:
    September 9, 2026 at 6:59 pm
    I use this as SEO title: Cablebus CDMX | Lines, Fare, Map & How to Ride
    Use this as h1 title: How to use the Cablebús in Mexico City
    This as the url: cablebus-cdmx
    This is the meta description: The Cablebús CDMX has 3 lines up and running, with a further 3 planned/under construction. I rode Line 3 from Vasco de Quiroga to Los Pinos
    works just grand… of course, is hand written, personal experiences, photos and. a selfie…
    - Ryan Biddulph says:
      September 9, 2026 at 7:54 pm
      Thank you for sharing this practical example.
      Guys; do the same thing with your niche.
      Pick low competition keywords.
      Massage these into the proper spots like Trevor did with his example.

Why Is My Blog Not Ranking?