Intro to SEO writing
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website’s content to improve its ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). While SEO for blogging isn’t an exact science, there are specific optimization strategies you can use to help your site rank higher.
In this guide, we’ll give you tips for SEO writing specifically for blogging.
How to optimize blogs for SEO
When writing an SEO blog post, optimizing for SEO means including certain elements on your page in the hopes of pleasing the almighty search engine algorithms. Here are a few tips for optimizing your blog content for SEO:
SEO keyword research
Keywords are the foundation of any good SEO blog strategy because they’re the terms or phrases people use when searching for something online. Search engines like Google use keywords to help them determine which websites and content are most relevant to a searcher’s needs (i.e., Which ones they should display first).
Before you start writing a blog post, it’s essential to do keyword research. This analysis will help you identify which keywords to target in your post so that it has a better chance of ranking in SERPs.
There are many ways to go about this, each with its pros and cons. If your blog is more of a hobby, you can simply use Google’s free Keyword Planner Tool to get started. It works by allowing you to enter a seed keyword and then generate a list of related keywords and their monthly search volume.
Alternatively, you might be blogging professionally or to draw attention to a business. In that case, you may want to consider investing in a paid keyword research tool. These tools offer features like competitor analysis and keyword difficulty scores that can give you a better idea of which keywords to target.
Once you have a list of keywords, you can incorporate them into your blog post.
Information architecture for SEO
When it comes to SEO for blogs, information architecture refers to how your website is organized. That can include things like your site’s navigation, hierarchy, and taxonomy.
Creating a well-organized website is important for two reasons. First, it makes it easier for search engines to crawl and index your site. Second, it makes it easier for users to find what they’re looking for, leading to a better user experience.
There are a few things you can do to improve your website’s information architecture:
- Use clear and descriptive page titles
- Optimize your URLs for human readability
- Use breadcrumbs
- Generate and submit a sitemap
Write SEO-friendly titles for blog posts
Your page titles and blog titles are among the most critical elements of your blog post because it’s what appears in SERPs and helps users decide whether or not to click through to your content.
A good title should be easy to read and understand. Avoid using jargon or complex sentence structures. It would be best if you also aimed to include your target keyword in your title, but don’t stuff it in there if it doesn’t fit naturally. Once is enough.
As for length, a good rule of thumb is to keep your title under 60 characters because that’s what will appear in SERPs. If your title is too long, Google may cut it off, and users may not fully understand what your article is about.
Write for humans and search engines
There’s a fine balance you need to strike when writing SEO friendly blog posts. On the one hand, you want to make sure your content is keyword-rich to have a better chance of ranking in SERPs. On the other hand, you don’t want to stuff your content full of keywords to the point where it’s unreadable or unhelpful. Not only will this turn off users, but it may also earn you a manual action by Google.
The best way to achieve this balance is to write for humans first and search engines second. That means creating content that’s interesting, insightful, and helpful. Once you’ve done that, you can then go back and sprinkle in your target keywords where appropriate.
One final tip: make sure your content is well-researched and accurate. Nothing will turn off users more than inaccurate information.
Link building
Link building for blogs is the process of getting other websites to link back to your articles. Links are one of the determining ranking factors for SEO, so part of your focus should be on building links to your blog posts.
Guest posts are an excellent way to start building links to your blog. You can find sites in your industry that accept guest posts and then pitch them an article that would be a good fit for their audience. In the article, be sure to include a link back to your blog.
Another way to build links is to create shareable content like long-form posts, infographics, and ebooks. People are more likely to link to this type of content because it’s valuable and informative.
Distribute your content
Once you’ve written and published your SEO blog post, it’s important to promote it to drive traffic to your site. The first avenue you should explore is social media.
Share your blog post on all social media channels, including Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You should also consider creating graphics and images to accompany your blog post and make it more shareable. Draft’s writers can provide up to 5 royalty-free images per blog post.
In addition to social media, you should also distribute your content through email newsletters and other channels. If you have a large email list, send them your blog post and encourage them to share it with their followers.
If you have the budget, you can work with influencers in your industry to promote your blog posts too. This can be a great way to reach a larger audience and get more people talking about your content.
Optimize schema for featured snippets
Finally, once you’ve written and published your blog post, optimize your schema for feature snippets. Schema is a form of structured data that tells searchers what your content is about. This schema has a chance to appear as a “featured snippet,” typically as a multi-media frame within search results.
By snatching “rank 0,” your website will appear above the number one spot for that query.
Once you have your feature snippet (160-300 characters), you can test it using Google’s Schema Markup Testing Tool. This SEO blog writing tool will tell you if your schema is valid and whether it has a chance to appear in featured snippets.
Outsource your content needs
If you don’t have the time or resources to go through the rigorous affair of writing SEO-friendly blog posts, consider working with a content creation agency like Draft. We have a team of experienced SEO writers who can produce high-quality content optimized for both users and search engines.
