5 Science Blogs that Nail Their SEO Strategy

Do you operate or write for a science blog? Are you wondering how to get your awesome content seen and heard by the masses? Are you utilizing SEO strategies to get higher rankings?

If not, now’s the time to start!

Unfortunately, there seems to be a disconnect between people and science. Brilliant science articles attract fellow science buffs – but what about everyone else? How can you get quality information out to them?

Science blogs need to market their content much like any other blog. An amazing article on the artists’ brain may get lost in the pages of Google. It may get taken over by the latest Kardashian sighting or Apple iPhone release.

And that just isn’t right. We need to reinforce that important connection between humans and science.

Here are 5 science websites that are killing the SEO game. Use them as inspiration for your own!

Science Blogs Worth Looking at

When we say SEO, what are we talking about, exactly? More than keywords (although they’re important, too).

The site should be easy to navigate. It should use click-worthy titles and social media. It needs to use internal and external linking to establish authority.

Take the PBMCs site, for example.

It has clear, click-through sections. It has a helpful FAQ page. They use text and video. 

Here are some others whose SEO techniques are on-point!

1. Scientific American 

This blog knows the importance of using video as well as text. Not only does Google love video, but so do mobile users. It offers an emotional and authoritarian connection, which is great for science writers.

They also have great headlines:

• “There Is No Such Thing as Conscious Thought”
• “A Novel Way to Fight Drug-Resistant Bacteria”
• “How and Why Scientists Redefined the Kilogram”

Are we nerdy, or do those titles make you want to know more?

2. Gizmodo 

This site is great at combining humor and education, bridging that science gap. “There Goes My Dream of a Viking Funeral,” says Bryan Menegus in one hilarious (but informative) article. 

They also know how to use internal linking to their advantage. Click any of their articles and you’ll find them referencing other articles of theirs. Authoritative and (sneakily) promotional.

3. HowStuffWorks

This site is also great at linking. They link back to their own content and cite reputable sources like universities and space.com. This increases their trustworthiness to audiences and the Google bots.

They also have a handy “Related Articles” section at the bottom of each article. This helps keep users on their site.

4. ScienceNews 

Quality is better than quantity – unless you can nail both as ScienceNews does. They post on a regular basis, sometimes even many times a day. But each article is chock-full of relevant, researched info.

They also use the “Subscribe” pop-up, a great way to keep users in touch with their content.

5. Popular Science

This science blog also uses the effective pop-up, offering a “largely ad-free” experience. The ads they do use are smartly placed and not annoying for users.

They have a super navigable page, starting from the toolbar at the top. They have sections such as “Science,” “Tech,” “Military,” and the popular “Video.”

Our favorite feature is the “Roll the Dice” button, which gives you random articles. Within two clicks, we got the articles “Monkeys May Technically Be Able to Talk,” and “The Rise of Personal Computers.” 

Fun, and interesting!

This site is also great at their linking.

Science for the Masses

SEO increases your blog’s credibility, something very important for science blogs. It might put you on Google’s coveted page 1, getting you the exposure you deserve.

Let’s make science popular again!

And while you’re at it, why not hone in your writing skills? Science can be a pretty technical subject. Here are 7 technical writing tips all scientists and bloggers should be using!