Originally published on June 1st, 2017. Updated for October 5th, 2021.
So by now, you might know that blogging can help your business and how to write a really awesome blog post. But how do you know if anyone will find your post? Here are a few tips to maximize Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for your blog posts and help your content rank well on search engines.
#1. Focus on quality content.
Your first priority should be providing quality content for your readers. That’s what your readers want, and Google knows it. When brainstorming your next blog post topic, think about what would be useful to your readers; what problems or questions do they have; and what kind of credible and quality information can you help to provide. Then use that as the focus of your blog post. This is not only helpful to your readers but is also good for your blog post SEO.
#2. Pick and use good keywords.
Before writing your post, spend a little time researching and/or brainstorming good keywords. What is your reader searching for? What exactly are they Googling? There are lots of great tools out there to help you pick good keywords, such as Google’s Keyword Planner. But tools aside, your goal is to pick a keyword phrase that your target audience would naturally search for. For example, Google will return different results for “what’s a blog” vs. “optimal SEO for business blogging,” so you’ll want to think about what your target audience would actually search for.
Use this keyword to help focus your writing, and use it naturally throughout your blog post. If relevant, try to use your keyword in these places:
- Blog Post Title
- Headings and/or subheadings
- Post URL
- Image alt text and title
- Meta description
- Throughout the post
Just remember to keep it natural and don’t go crazy overdoing it on the keyword.
#3. Aim for a nice blog post length.
In terms of length, aim for a minimum of 300 words to optimize your blog post SEO. This is generally considered to be the minimum amount of words in order for search engines to be able to scan your post and get a sense of what it’s about, in order to rank it in searches.
Make sure to break up this text into smaller paragraphs with headings and sub-headings. This really helps with readability, especially since many people will probably just be scanning your post (sorry…I know you worked hard on it).
#4. Include relevant internal and external links.
Linking to other pages and posts on your own website helps search engines to better index your site and figure out what it’s all about. It’s also a good idea to include a few relevant links to external sites, if those sites are good quality, credible sources. This can really help both your readers and search engines to see that you’ve done your research and are a credible source of information.
Ready to get started on your business blog and maximize your blog post SEO? We offer a range of business marketing solutions and would love to assist you with your blog, if you need some guidance or just don’t have the time.
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