Ready to write your next blog post? Here are 10 SEO tips to help you create quality blog posts and bring visitors to your website.
Bonus SEO Tip: Write Quality Blog Posts
One starting SEO tip before we dive into the details. Your blog post won’t do anything for you if the quality is not there. Quality content is key to a successful SEO strategy. We will discuss more about this concept when we look at tip 10.
Tip 1: Research what to write
Always think before you write – research what your readers are looking for using tools such as Google Keyword Planner or Answer the Public. Use what you learn to write content people are searching for.
Tip 2: Have a plan
Just like writing a research paper, plan out the structure of your blog post. Remember these three main parts:
- Introduction: Introduce to your readers what you will be writing about.
- Middle (Body): Here is where you write your main message, the support of your topic.
- Conclusion: Tie it all together with a summary of your main idea and how it supported your introduction.
SEO tips that help the stucture of your blog post.
Tip 3: Use paragraphs and headings
Use paragraphs and headings: Reading on a website is very different then reading a book. Break key concepts into easy to understand paragraphs with headings. Also be sure to use your keywords in some of your headings.
Tip 4: Consider the length of your post
Ultimately, Google’s goal is to give the reader the best posts that will answer their question so Google likes long articles. However there is a fine line between just right and too long. Don’t keep writing just to make the post long, make sure that you still are providing quality information. You don’t want to turn off your readers by making them read long posts that basically tell them nothing.
A good rule of thumb is a blog post just over 900 words.
Tip 5: Include transition words
These are words or phrases that help the reader understand the post as they scan the content. They help them see the relationship between the sentences and the paragraphs. Some common transition words are; first or first of all, second or secondly and so on.
Other examples are:
- Finally
- as a result
- in this paragraph
- In conclusion
- in addition to
Tip 6: Use related keywords
Write for people, not for the search engine. So please don’t stuff your post with your keyword. It makes it very hard for your reader to get through and this will hurt you in search results. Google is very smart and looks at your keyphrase density. If it’s too high this will negatively affect your rank. Instead look for synonyms or additional keywords that relate to your chosen keyword and use them within your blog post.
Tip 7: Link to relevant content
As you are planning your post, consider what you have written in the past that supports your idea. Be sure to link these previous published blog posts to your new post. In addition to linking your content, you should also link to outside articles that support your idea.
Additional SEO tips to consider
Tip 8: Have someone else read your post before you hit publish
Is your blog post easy to read and understand? Since you know the concept you will understand what you wrote, don’t assume your audience always will. Have a pair of fresh eyes read your blog post and give you an objective opinion. For instance, I had my husband read this post. I wanted to make sure someone with very little knowledge of SEO would be able to understand and use these tips.
Tip 9: Be consistent with content
Google likes to send visitors to sites that our continually updated with new content. As you are planning your blog post, take the time to consider your future content. When you are following Tip 1, keep in mind any supporting blog posts you can write or any new questions you see in your keyword research. Keep a list. This is also where an editorial calendar will come in handy.
Tip 10: Think of link building
Remember my bonus tip at the top of this post. Quality content is the key to a winning link-building strategy. What exactly is link building? This is when another website or publication links your blog post to their content. In terms of Google this is a positive vote for your content.
Keep these 10+ tips in your mind as you start planning out your next and future blog posts. With consistency they will become second nature and you will start seeing a return on your time investment.
Until next time,
Karri
Little Owl Design 
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Karri is the owner of Little Owl Design, a design firm located in Discovery Bay, CA. Little Owl Design specializes in graphic design (print and digital), logo design, branding, website design, and SEO management. To see a full list of services offered by Little Owl Design visit my services page.
