You may have observed experts emphasizing the significance of SEO for blogging. Alternatively, you might frequently hear the term SEO but lack knowledge on how to enhance your blog’s ranking on Google.
WHAT IS SEO
If you understand the fundamental components of SEO-friendly content, writing blog posts that search engines will appreciate can be a straightforward process. SEO is not overly complex.
Translated as search engine optimization, SEO is a process for optimizing the online content for search engines. It works when someone adds a keyword and search engines display results in favor of those pages that have those keywords. As simple as that. The whole process functions around specific keywords and this makes keyword research an integral element of search engine optimization. This is the technique you need to understand if you want to get traffic directly from Google without any promotion or cost at all.
HOW TO WRITE AN SEO-FRIENDLY BLOG POST WITH THESE 14 KEY ELEMENTS
1. DO KEYWORD RESEARCH
An essential aspect of any SEO strategy is a thorough keyword research approach, which forms the basis of an SEO friendly blog post. Although conducting keyword research can be somewhat tiresome, it is crucial to the overall SEO strategy.
Before brainstorming potential keywords, it is important to determine the specific type of keywords that your blog post could potentially rank for. You may find it helpful to reflect upon the following questions as well.
- How do I expect readers to find this specific blog post?
- What would I type in Google to search information like this?
- What will people type if they want to have information on this topic?
By thinking step by step, you can rephrase the text below without adding or removing any information while ensuring the same meaning. This will assist you in utilizing specific keywords consistently throughout your blog post.
2. USE KEYWORDS IN RIGHT PLACES
After conducting thorough keyword research, the subsequent step involves dividing the sections of your blog post that require search engine optimization.
The title of your blog content plays a crucial role in attracting search engines and readers. It is essential to include a keyword in the headline as it is the initial step taken by readers when conducting a web search. Dedicate some time to refine your headlines before progressing further.
Subtitle tags, including H2, H3, and H4, aside from the commonly used H1 as the main title, also play a role in SEO. Utilizing relevant keywords intelligently in H2 tags can be beneficial for content ranking, although it is not mandatory.
Optimizing the URLs is another crucial aspect in crafting a blog post that is SEO friendly. It is essential to include the keyword in the URL since each blog post has its own unique URL.
The meta description is a separate text that provides readers with information about the content and is visible in Google search results, but cannot be found within the blog content itself.
- Add relevant information in the meta description that summarizes the overall content.
- Insert the keywords in the meta tags.
- Keep it concise and limited to 155 characters.
- Make sure it is click-worthy and enticing to readers.
- You can edit this on your blog before you post it with a plugin such as Yoast.
3. WRITE EPIC CONTENT
Creating a blog post that is SEO friendly does not require compromising the content’s quality. Nowadays, the new algorithm selects the most meaningful content anyway. Bloggers no longer rely on ‘keyword stuffing’ to achieve a high ranking on Google, as it is ineffective.
If your main goal as a blogger is to produce engaging, fresh, and value-driven blog posts, you can expect to receive a significant number of social shares, comments, and email subscribers by writing quality content.
In order to optimize the blog post for SEO, the text below has been rephrased while maintaining the same meaning, incorporating keywords efficiently and using them throughout the content for better results: When it comes to writing an SEO-friendly blog post, it’s crucial to think step by step in order to ensure proper optimization. While maintaining the same information and not introducing any new details or removing existing ones, the goal is to incorporate relevant keywords efficiently into the content. By strategically placing these keywords throughout the post, you can improve its search engine optimization and increase its visibility to the target audience. Thus, careful consideration for keyword usage is essential for achieving optimal results.
4. WRITE LONGER BLOG POSTS
When writing blog posts, it is recommended to have a minimum length of 700 words. However, it is best to have a longer length of 1,000 – 1,400 words, as this allows search engines to crawl and index a greater number of keywords, thereby enhancing their understanding of the topic.
If you are someone who writes tutorials or creates in-depth content, you have the flexibility to write up to 3000-4000 words.
5. OPTIMIZE BLOG IMAGES
Adding images to content enhances its value and makes it visually appealing to readers. Whether you choose to use a single image or multiple visuals in a blog post, ensure that it is optimized for SEO.
When naming the images for your blog post, make sure to use relevant keywords in their titles. Instead of using generic names like ‘IMG6787’, take a few extra minutes to rename them with titles that relate to your blog post, such as ‘productivity-tips-stay-at-home-moms’. This will help optimize the images for search engines.
It is crucial to optimize the size of the image, as uploading large files on your blog can slow down the loading time of your website and negatively impact its performance.
Yes, Google considers website speed when ranking blogs and articles.
6. ADDING LINKS TO GIVE FURTHER VALUE
Internal linking is an effective SEO strategy as it guides search engines to relevant content by indicating where to search.
If you carefully consider each step, you can rephrase the following text while ensuring the same meaning remains intact. Avoid adding or removing information. Additionally, when relevant, you can include external links to provide further information on a specific topic. Utilizing websites that have a good reputation with Google, in terms of their content and domain authority, increases the likelihood of your blog post satisfying search engines.
In each and every blog post you publish, it is recommended to include a minimum of 2-3 links to previous articles on your website, along with an external link to a niche authority website that has a DA of 60 or higher.
7. USE FREE SEO TOOLS
If bloggers use the following tools, they can improve their blog SEO performance and make crafting an SEO friendly blog post painless.
If WordPress users utilize the Yoast plugin, they will be able to easily manage the SEO of their blog. This plugin provides guidance on all the methods that can assist bloggers in creating an SEO-friendly blog post. It is highly recommended for all bloggers as it simplifies the complex process of search engine optimization and makes it more accessible.
Google Search Console is an additional tool that is incredibly useful for locating keywords. It will assist you in determining the specific keywords that are being utilized by individuals and it possesses knowledge of Google’s preferences. Now that you have gathered the essential components required for creating a search engine optimization (SEO) friendly blog post, you can incorporate these suggestions and develop outstanding content that will be readily discoverable. However, amidst all of this, it is crucial to remember that your target audience consists of humans and not machines!
Make sure not to overlook educational resources like this free SEO course for bloggers, created by a home decor blogger who is also an SEO expert. This blogger receives a staggering 500,000 pageviews every month, with the majority of that coming from organic traffic via Google.
8. WRITE CATCHY TITLES
Titles play a significant role in enhancing your SEO objectives and user experience.
Using descriptive and appealing titles can assist readers in discerning the subject matter of your blog post and the benefits they will gain from reading it.
To enhance the likelihood of achieving a higher ranking, apply these straightforward tips to optimize your titles for SEO.
- Use your target keyword at the beginning of your title.
- Keep your title under 60 characters. Google displays the first 60 characters in the search results.
- Make sure to describe the post’s content accurately.
Use CoSchedule to analyze the overall score, grammar, readability, and length of your title. Additionally, CoSchedule provides a Google Search Preview and an Email Subject Line Preview.
To enhance your click-through rate and captivate your audience, incorporate emotional modifiers like “best,” “amazing,” “funny,” “free,” “how to,” “surprising,” and similar terms into your titles.
9. WRITE SEO FRIENDLY URLS
Well-constructed URLs are among the crucial elements in SEO.
URLs are considered a crucial ranking factor, as indicated by Backlinko. They enhance the user experience and allow for simpler sharing.
To create SEO friendly URLs, follow the given rules:
- Include the target keyword for each page. That will improve the search visibility of your website and help search engines better categorize and identify the page.
- Shorten your URLs by removing unnecessary words. The average URL should be around 60 characters or three to five words.
- Use hyphens to separate words. For example, http://website.com/how-to-write-seo-friendly-posts/
- Use lowercase letters. Uppercase letters can result in redirects or 404 errors on some servers.
- Avoid stop words, such as a, an, but, and or.
- Keep your URLs simple, compelling and relevant.
10. USE SMALL PARAGRAPHS
When considering how to structure your writing, it is important to remember to keep your paragraphs concise and not overly lengthy.
Rephrased text: Paragraph 1: When rephrasing the text, it is not necessary for each sentence to start on a new line. However, the paragraphs must be arranged logically and convey their own ideas. Keeping the paragraphs small, consisting of approximately 2-3 sentences, is recommended. Paragraph 2: Maintain the same meaning without adding or removing any information during the rephrasing process.
– To make the content more readable and engaging for mobile users, it is important to consider alternative formatting options. – Utilizing bullet points, highlighting text, and changing the font can significantly enhance the user experience without altering the information provided. – By thinking step by step, one can rephrase the text while preserving its original meaning, ensuring that no new information is added or removed. – This approach allows for a more dynamic and appealing presentation of the content, catering to the needs and preferences of mobile users. – The goal is to avoid monotonous and boring content while maximizing readability and user interest.
11. OPTIMIZE META DESCRIPTION
To encourage readers to click your blog post, it is important to make the meta description appealing and informative. The meta description is a summary of your content that Google shows beneath your title in the search results.
The purpose of the meta description is to provide an explanation of the article’s topic and incorporate the desired keywords. It is important to keep the length of the meta description within the range of 155-160 characters.
There is no assurance that the meta description you have worked hard on will be visible in the search results.
To come up with the most effective solution, it is recommended to identify your target keyword and incorporate it organically within your meta description. In the event that Google detects a relevant match in your meta description, there is a likelihood that they would utilize your tag.
12. OPTIMIZE IMAGES
Image optimization is a great method to effectively convey your message and enhance the reader’s experience. It is comparable to traditional SEO.
In order to define the relevance of images in search results, Google Images is unable to read the text within images. However, they are capable of interpreting the content of images. To ensure appropriate recognition, it is necessary to provide adequate Alt text, descriptive titles, captions, and filenames.
The ALT text is not visible to visitors of a website, but search engines rely on it to gain a better understanding of what an image is about. If images fail to load on a certain device, people will see the ALT text instead. It is important to create valuable and informative content that includes relevant keywords in a natural and appropriate manner within the ALT text.
This is an example of an alternative text for an image: 
.
13. OPTIMIZE YOUR CONTENT FOR MOBILE
Currently, global mobile/tablet internet usage stands at 56%.
Google now ranks mobile-friendly websites higher, therefore optimizing your blog for mobile devices is imperative for search engines.
In order to avoid penalties from Google, it is important to have a website design that is responsive, making it essential.
To ensure that users can easily find all the necessary information, it is important to adapt your web design for mobile, tablet, and desktop devices. Analyzing the load speed of your site is also crucial in achieving this goal.
Use Accelerated Mobile Pages to build content that loads instantly and improve the overall user experience.
To determine if there are any issues with your site, such as site speed, mobile optimization, HTML validation, etc., I suggest using SE Ranking Website Audit. This tool assesses all important factors and offers practical advice on how to address any problems that may arise.
14. UPDATE YOUR CONTENT REGULARLY
In order to maintain engaging and high-converting content, it is necessary to regularly write blog posts and update the content on your website.
This is because Google wants to provide searchers the best results for their search queries. As a result – if you don’t publish regularly, Google won’t consider your blog as a good resource for searchers.
A great way to begin is by posting once or twice a week. This allows your audience enough time to process your new content and for you to engage with comments on your post. Utilize copywriting tips to enhance your writing abilities.
