Do you want to optimize your blog content for Google? This post has all the tips for your SEO strategy in order to rank high in the search engine. Learn how to optimize your blog posts for ranking on google using long tail keywords, answering user questions and providing value.
Plan Your Content with Proper Keyword Research
Before you start writing your blog post, take a look at the keywords that are relevant to what you want to talk about. Are there any new or current events in the industry? Are their specific questions that you are constantly answering for your customer? Think of other ways to connect with people and include those words in your content as well.
Identify Your Target Audience
What type of audience will be reading this article? What is their level of expertise on the topic? Plan out how much explanation needs to go into each section so it doesn't overwhelm them while still providing value. Is this an introductory piece just for beginners who need more information before they can make a decision, or does it contain ideas from experts who might not know anything yet but could benefit from hearing some opinions? This way readers have an idea of what to expect and can decide whether or not they want to read the article.
Don't Overwrite Your Blog Post Content
Just because you have a lot of information doesn't mean it needs to be in your blog post! If you're including too much detail, try breaking up that section into two posts with links back and forth between them so readers won't get lost on all the information.
Or if you find yourself condensing content more than once, consider writing an ebook instead where there's no pressure for every word to count - just think about how many people might be interested in seeing this material in print versus online only.
Find Semantic Keywords for Your Focus Keyword
When you're trying to optimize your blog for search engine results, it can be tempting to simply use your targeted keywords in as many places as possible.
But if you want higher rankings for Google's SERPs (search engines' organic results), try incorporating keywords that relate specifically to what is being discussed - those words will have more weight on ranking than a generic keyword alone and might also help people find your content organically when they are searching with related queries.
A great way to do this is by creating long-tail keywords which are phrases or sentences created from a specific term like 'how does blogging effect SEO?' instead of just using 'the effects of blogging'. This not only helps out users who know exactly what they are looking for but can help your content rank better.
The title of your blog post is extremely important for search rankings.
The title of your blog post is the first thing a searcher sees. Having a catchy, well-written title can help ensure that readers click on your blog post.
Give your blog post an SEO-friendly title. Put keywords in the title that someone might search to find it, and make sure they are not too long or convoluted so as to appear spammy.
The most effective titles include all of these features:
- a catchy headline with personality
- words related to what is being discussed
- active voice instead of passive voice
Titles should be less than 65 characters (including spaces) for best results. Titles under 60 characters will rank higher on Google when users do searches from their mobile phones where screen space is limited.
Add a Meta Description to Your Blog Post
A meta description is a short snippet of information about the content in your post. It can be displayed prominently by search engine results pages (SERPS).
Crafting an effective meta description for your blog post can be challenging.
You'll want to include your target keyword in the meta description and make sure that it has at least a few words so people can determine if this blog post is what they are looking for. It is important to think what the search intent of the user is that may be seeing your blog post in their search results.
Focus on Internal Linking
Once you’ve written for a while, you will have enough posts that would be worth someone reading. With internal linking, you can send new readers to your older relevant blog posts.
Internal linking is a great way to develop the relationships between your posts since it allows for passing link juice from older posts to newer ones.
Example: If you're writing about social media, link to your blog posts talking about Facebook and Twitter. The newer post will get some of the older one's ranking benefits which is good for both.
When we write a new blog post, one of the the first things we do is make sure that it has at least an internal outbound reference to an old article. This may seem like spam or self-promotion but when people search Google they are often interested in what other bloggers have said on that topic so this helps you rank higher.
Make Your Content Easier to Read
Readability is an incredibly important factor for your blog ranking. It has been proven that a 5th grade level is the optimum reading level for most people to consume. This means that you should avoid wordy sentences and use a conversational tone without any industry jargon.
There are many free tools available, such as Grammarly or Hemingway Editor, which will help ensure your blog post reads well at this grade level. They can also provide handy feedback on how readable it is for someone with dyslexia.
If you have an editor for your website make sure they understand these principles too so their writing style doesn't clash with yours when editing your content in the future. Together you'll be able to create more cohesive copy that resonates better with your audience and helps rank proactively rather than reactively.
Strive to Be The Featured Snippet in The Google Result
Google is constantly looking for ways to more quickly answer a user's question. One such way is by displaying an "answer box" at the top of search results when it has found a good answer to their query.
This answer box is also called a "featured snippet" and it can be triggered by specific, high-quality content that provides direct answers to users' questions. A few example phrases that might trigger the featured snippet are: how tall is Mt. Everest?; what time does the sun rise? or who invented this technology?
According to research conducted by Advanced Web Ranking, Answer boxes secure almost 32.3% CTR (Click Through Rate). So this can be a powerful way to drive more traffic to your site!
If your blog post includes an informative paragraph answering a question in as much detail as possible, you will elevate its chances of being shown via Google's featured snippet algorithm if someone searches for a related phrase later on (e.g., how tall is Mt. Everest?). This will help drive traffic back to your site organically from people looking for helpful information.
Optimize Your Older Blog Posts
Many beginners make the mistake of thinking that a blog post is complete when it is published. Actually, you should aim to continually optimize your blog once it has been released into public view.
You can start by going back to your older blog posts and making sure that you have the necessary keywords in them. Some people will stop after adding a few important SEO phrases, but this may not be enough for Google's algorithms to notice it.
Take some time to reword things, so they are more focused on what your readers want. You can also consider creating new content around the same topic as an update or follow-up article if there is still interest in that subject matter. And don't forget to link those articles internally.
Did This Help?
We hope this article helped you optimize your blog posts for ranking in Google search results like a pro.
The next time you publish a blog post, consider the above strategy for optimizing your content and keywords. This way, when people search on Google, they'll find what they're looking for more quickly and easily. If you have any questions about how to optimize your blog posts or need help with developing an SEO-friendly blog strategy, reach out to chat today!
