How to Optimize Blogs for SEO
Content has long stood as king of inbound marketing, and of its many forms, blogging has been among the most effective and widely used. Once a niche practice, blogs exist today on nearly every topic imaginable. That girl you went to high school with who posts constantly about her kids and latest MLM venture has one. So does the FBI and every type of entity in between.
With so many riding the blog bandwagon, you may find yourself wondering how it’s possible for yours to even show up. The good news is that we know how to make that happen. Even better news - most of your competition isn’t doing it, or at least they aren’t doing it well. You see, there are very precise steps that must be taken to help search engines see the value in your blog and present it to users. Without them, you might as well be writing in your journal at home.
Should I focus on keywords in my blog?
When writing blogs for your website, you want to target keywords that you’re trying to rank for. These keywords should be used in the body of the blog, as well as the title, headings, and the URL. Most publishing platforms will automatically convert your blog title into the URL, but it’s always a good practice to double check it prior to publishing.
How should I incorporate keywords into the body of my blog?
When writing your blog content, it is important to write naturally and not overuse your keywords. Remember, your audience is human. Think of the type of article you would like to read. Using your targeted keyword phrases two or three times within the body of the blog is acceptable, but overusing them (known as keyword stuffing) will not only come across as spammy to your readers, it can also cause your blog to be penalized.
How important is the meta description of a blog?
The meta description is a brief explanation of what your blog or webpage is about and shows the searcher that it has the information they are looking for. It is important to include a meta description with all of your blog articles and to include a variation of your keywords in it. While it does not necessarily help with ranking, it does assist with adding relevance to your page.
How should I format my blog headline for optimal SEO?
When displaying headlines in the search results, Google shows fifty to sixty characters of the title, so plan your titles accordingly. For blog titles, use a format that includes a relevant, long-tail keyword while also clearly stating what users can expect to read about. For other webpages, two variations of long-tail keywords separated by a pipe is the best practice.
Why are subheadings important in a blog?
Subheadings help to break your blog up into short question-and-answer sections. They improve the readability of your blog, while making it easy for the reader to skim and find the answers they’re looking for. Google also scans these subheadings for search results and often uses these sections in featured snippets on the search results page. Having a featured snippet puts your blog in the top of the search results, resulting in a first page position with Google.
What types of links should I include in my blogs?
Throughout the body of the blog, it is good to include links to your other blogs and website pages and to have those pages link back to it in return. Having these links not only helps the reader to navigate through your website and increase your click through rate, but also helps Google to understand your website and its relevance.
Investing in a well-executed SEO strategy for your blog is the only way to ensure its success. If you are going to take the time to write and maintain a blog, take the extra steps to ensure others will have the opportunity to see it. If you are looking for help improving your blog’s performance, talk to the inbound marketing experts at BlinkJar today!
