Discover 10 proven tips to increase your crochet or knitting blog’s Google rankings! The post writer is a search engine optimization (SEO) expert by day and a crochet pattern designer by night. Put these effective tips in use and watch your site’s Google rankings improve and organic search traffic skyrocket!
Read also my other crochet business article: How to Make Money With Crocheting (Online)?
Advantages of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Why should you optimize your crochet or knitting pattern blog posts? Imagine someone searching for “crochet bag pattern” on Google. You have published a great crochet bag pattern on your crochet blog and you want people to find your pattern. SEO optimizing your pattern most likely leads to better search engine rankings. Better rankings mean increased visibility, leading to increased organic traffic to your site. It is essential to get to Google’s first page and to the first positions in order to be well visible on Google’s search results. This leads to increased clicks to your site!
Usually SEO efforts are long lasting so once you reach good Google rankings you will attract traffic to your blog for free for long time!
Check out below how my crochet top pattern’s Google ranking (position) got better and better in one month. This led to a remarkable increase in website traffic to my pattern. Want your Google rankings look like this? Keep reading!
Content
1. Find the right keywords
2. Do keyword research
3. Insert keywords to these places on a pattern webpage
4. Get links to your pattern page
5. Reduce image size
6. Quality and unique content
7. Internal linking
8. Redirect deleted pages (404 pages)
9. Utilize rich media on your pattern webpage
10. Measure and analyze blog’s performance
1. Find the Right Keywords
In order your crochet pattern to appear in Google’s search results it is essential to include the right keywords that people are actually searching for. Not only is it useful in Google’s search engine but also in social media platforms or in any other search engines.
Let’s present an example: imagine someone searching for a fingerless crochet gloves pattern (4,400 Google searches a month in US) or hand warmer crochet pattern (390 Google searches a month in US) but the keyword used in your pattern is wrist warmer crochet pattern (170 Google searches a month in US). Using the first keyword mentioned, the potential amount of search traffic to your pattern website is much higher.
However, sometimes high search volume keywords are very competitive. Then, it may be wiser to target lower search volume keywords that aren’t so competitive, in order to rank well quickier.
Don’t want to lose this amount of traffic? Check the step 2 below!
2. Do Keyword Research
Keyword research is very important to conduct when choosing the relevant keywords for your crochet pattern page.
In order to investigate what keywords people use when googling I suggest an amazing keyword tool called Semrush. With Semrush you can investigate and find new keyword ideas and their monthly search volumes and SEO difficulty values. You can even analyze your website using its site audit tool and find out whether there are some technical issues hindering your visibility on search engines!
Check out some other useful keyword research tools from the list below:
List of keyword research tools
- Semrush or Ahrefs
- Ubersuggest
- Keyword sheeter
- Google search results
- Answer The Public
- Google Keyword Planner
Need help with choosing the right keywords to your crochet or knitting patterns? Contact me!
3. Insert Keywords to These Places on a Pattern Webpage
Now you’ve decided what keywords to use in your pattern. Per page, I recommend to select one main keyword and a few other secondary keywords to optimize your content to.
Very often I’ve seen that the main keyword is mentioned only once in a page. You’ll increase your chances to rank better on search results if you include the main keyword multiple times in your content.
From the list below you can find excellent places to include your keyword.
Insert the main keyword at least in these places:
- Page title and H1-tag (H1 heading)
- Body text and ingress
- Meta description
- H2-H6 tags (subtitles)
- Image alt-texts and file names
- URL-address
- Link anchor text (avoid using “read more” or “click” types of terms)
- Lists
4. Get Links to Your Pattern Page
Getting other websites to link to your website is a huge win! These links are called backlinks and they have a big impact on your site’s and pattern’s search engine visibility.
Build high-quality backlinks from reputable websites in the crochet and knitting niche. If you also post on social media platforms I suggest to link to your pattern from there. Via these links, you may also get even more traffic!
Ideas where to get links to your pattern:
- Pinterest absolutely and definitely!
- Ravelry
- Websites focusing on pattern recommendations
- Collaboration blog posts with other makers
- Crochet & knitting communities
- YouTube
- Instagram & Facebook
- TikTok, Jodel, Snapchat
- Got any other ideas? Share with us in the comments!
5. Reduce Image Size
Slow page load time, especially on mobile, is a big NO for Google. What usually has a remarkable and a negative impact on page speed is a large image or video size. And this happens very often! Therefore, I definitely recommend to upload up to 200 kb images as long as the image quality isn’t affected.
Tip: check your page speed and factors affecting it using PageSpeed Insights!
6. Quality and Unique Content
Content is King! Google appreciates original, quality and unique content. Now, when it is very easy for everyone to produce content using AI tools it becomes even more important to stand out and provide something AI can’t!
Usually, the top search results may have content of hundreds or even thousands of words. But instead of advising to focus on the amount of words I suggest to create comprehensive quality content where readers find what they’re looking for.
Present the most important information in the beginning of the text so the reader finds it quickly as well. After that, “nice-to-know” information can be presented.
7. Internal Linking
Previously I talked about links that come from other websites. What also is important is linking pages internally.
In other words, let’s say you have a website full of patterns, tips and guides. A reader lands to your crochet scarf pattern page but leaves soon after because you haven’t guided the reader to your other valuable resources on your site. So, make sure to add a link to your “how to crochet a puff stitch”-tutorial when your pattern includes that stitch or to add links pointing to other related crochet patterns you may have published!
You can also link to other websites as well, for example if you sell your patterns on Ravelry or Etsy etc. and this way guide the reader towards a conversion (e.g. pattern purchase).
8. Redirect Deleted Pages (404 Pages)
Sometimes a page is deleted but there may still be links pointing to that page and a reader lands in a 404 error page (which is a bad user experience). If that page is permanently removed it is recommended to 301-redirect to another close similar page. Doing so, the valuable link power acquired from other websites will not get lost.
Check your site for 404 pages and redirect each 404 page to a close existing page. You can find the deleted pages for example from Google Analytics or from Semrush where you can also check which other websites are linking to these deleted pages!
9. Utilize Rich Media on Your Pattern Webpage
Place images, infographics and videos to your pattern page. Rich media not only makes your content more appealing but also increases the time visitors spend on your site. This can boost your pattern page’s rankings on search engines.
10. Measure and Analyze Blog’s Performance
Your website’s and crochet pattern’s SEO is still not ready after your efforts, unfortunately. It is a continuous process because of algorithm changes and SEO efforts other website authors are constantly making.
Therefore, it is useful to set up analytics tools and start measuring your website’s performance so you know the impact of your efforts and can optimize your website and make other actions accordingly.
It is also important to test for example different main keywords on a page and monitor how the changes affect your Google rankings and organic search traffic.
Start measuring and monitoring the followings:
- Keyword rankings on Google using Semrush’s Position Tracking tool or Google Search Console (free to use)
- Organic search traffic from search engines using Google Analytics or Google Search Console (free tools)
- Conversions (if measured) using Google Analytics
- Referral and social traffic using Google Analytics
- Most popular pages using Google Analytics or Google Search Console
- Avg. engagement time on page using Google Analytics
Conclusion
Improving your crochet blog’s and patterns’ Google rankings requires dedication, consistency and commitment to providing valuable content to your readers. Achieving better rankings on Google may take weeks or months but the rewards will be well worth the effort!
Bonus tip: Do not forget to learn how to monetize your crochet blog!
I hope this SEO guide inspired you to optimize your crochet or knitting content! Do you have any SEO tips that have worked for you? Let’s chat in the comments and share our best tips!
In need of SEO boost to your website? As a SEO expert, I also offer SEO services for companies. Contact me and let’s chat how I can help you!
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