Howdy man! is your blog a ghost town? Now you can learn the secrets to drive massive traffic to your website! Seriously, when was the last time you clicked past the first page of search results? For most people, it’s like, never. This is why you need to make sure all your blog posts are built from the ground up with SEO in mind. This blog post is for you if you’re looking to engage current customers or bring in new customers. This post will reveal a simple process for creating SEO-optimized posts that attract traffic and bring more eyes to your business. Get ready to transform your blog from a deserted island into a bustling metropolis!
The First Step to SEO Domination: Keyword Research
Before you even think about writing a single word, you need to know what your audience is searching for. This is where keyword research comes in. It’s the process of finding and analyzing the search terms that people enter into search engines. Your goal is to match these keywords with topics relevant to your business. Think of keywords as the secret language that connects your content with those who need it.
- What are Keywords? Search terms that people enter into search engines.
- Why are they important? They help you match your content with what people are searching for.
- How do you find them? You will have to research what search terms are relevant to your business.
Stop Writing Randomly: How to Create a Blog Outline that Works
The best blogs are carefully planned out. Don’t just start typing! Instead, begin by creating an outline. This is like building the skeleton of your blog post before putting the meat on its bones. Templates can be your best friend here. You can use free templates that provide a structure for many different types of blog posts, like how-to articles, lists, or what-is articles. Use these templates to sketch out the key points of your blog. This ensures that your thoughts are organized logically, so you can plan for any additional content you might need.
- Why Outline? Carefully planned blogs perform better.
- How to Outline? Use free blog templates to sketch out key points.
- Don’t Forget: Plan for additional content like images or videos.
The Unbreakable Rule for Memorable Content: Sprinkle Memes!
If you have been paying attention, you know that I am very partial to memes. When you add them tastefully to your posts, they can make your content more engaging. Pro Tip: Sprinkle a few memes throughout your post, but don’t be cringe!
Secret Research Tactics to Make your Content Stand Out
This is the time to conduct any additional research you need. It is essential that you keep track of the URLs you use so that you can link them to your text, this way you do not have to go back and look for them later.
Headline Hacks: How to Write Titles That Demand Attention
Your headline is your first (and sometimes only) chance to make an impression. It’s the primary thing potential readers see on search engines or social media. A good headline is critical, because it can determine whether or not someone will click on your article.
The Must-Have Elements of a Click-Worthy Headline:
- Keyword Power: Your headline should contain your keyword, preferably at the beginning.
- Benefit Bomb: Highlight what the reader will gain by reading your post.
- Call-to-Action Magic: Include a clear call-to-action.
- Emotional Trigger: Use positive or negative emotions to make the reader react.
- Character Count: Keep it around 60 characters or less so that the full title displays on all screens.
- Headline Studio: Tools like Headline Studio can score your headlines for effectiveness.
- HubSpot Templates: Use HubSpot’s free headline writing templates for word-by-word guidance.
The Intro That Hooks: Keep Readers Glued to the Screen
Now that you have your headline, it’s time to write the body of your post. And every good blog post starts with a great introduction. An effective introduction addresses key concerns: why your topic is important, who it is for, and what you’ll cover in your article.
Essential Intro Elements:
- Keyword Placement: Include your keyword in the first sentence or two. This will reassure the reader and Google that your content is relevant.
- Audience and Benefit: Clearly state who your blog is for and what they will gain from reading it.
- Article Summary: Summarize what you’ll be covering in the article to encourage them to read on.
The Main Course: How to Write Body Copy That Ranks
The body of your article is where you go into more depth. The body copy can vary greatly; it could be a list, step-by-step instructions, or a more traditional article.
Key SEO Rules for Body Copy:
- Short and Sweet: Break your thoughts into two- to three-sentence pieces. This makes it easy to skim and understand.
- Clear and Concise: Clear, succinct writing helps search engines understand the content.
- Strategic Links: Add links to other relevant web pages both on your site and other sites. This gives your site credibility.
- Secondary Keywords: Organically incorporate secondary keywords. Don’t just stuff keywords in randomly, though.
- Secondary Keyword Strategy: By organically working in relevant keywords around the main topic, your site can end up ranking for hundreds, if not thousands of secondary keywords.
- Subheads: Divide your content into topical segments with subheads. Format them in H2 or H3 so search engines and readers can easily find them.
Don’t Be a Wall of Text: How to Make Your Content Pop
Adding visuals like photos, illustrations, charts, and memes, breaks up your text and can help further convey your message visually. Visuals also create another place to insert keywords. So make sure you fill out the alt-image text field when adding an image. Treat your alt text like you would a title or subhead. Be sure to effectively describe the image so it will rank higher in image searches. Mastering alt-image text can get you more traffic to your blog.
Featured Snippets: The Secret Shortcut to the Top of Google
Optimize your blog posts for Google’s featured snippets. These snippets are expanded results that appear at the top of search results. These snippets are usually a paragraph, list, or table. To increase your chances of getting a featured snippet, write your content as if you’re directly answering a question or defining a term. For example, if you have a cooking blog, add images, SEO-optimized copy, and step-by-step recipe instructions.
Meta Tags: The Secret Code That Search Engines Love
Meta tags are additional backend code that help search engines index, rank, and display your content. You can customize a few tags for each post.
Meta Tag Must-Dos:
- Title Meta Tag: Change the title as it appears on the search results page.
- Meta Description: Change what appears under your title on the search results page.
- URL: Strip your URL down to the basic keywords.
Conclusion
You now have all the secrets to creating SEO-optimized blog posts that drive traffic. Remember, blogging is a key component of any inbound marketing strategy. By implementing these strategies, you can ensure your content reaches the people who need it most. Dive deeper into SEO and watch your blog traffic soar.
FAQs
How often should I use keywords in my blog posts? Use keywords naturally throughout your content, especially in the headline, introduction, and subheads. Focus on incorporating them organically, rather than just stuffing them in. Include primary keywords and secondary keywords, but avoid overusing them. Google is too smart to fall for that in 2020.
How long should my blog posts be? The length of your blog post can vary depending on the topic and type of post, but it’s generally better to have longer, more comprehensive content that covers a topic in depth. Make sure to break up the content with subheads and use bullet points to keep the content readable.
Do I really need to use images in my blog posts? Absolutely! Images not only break up your text and make it more engaging for readers, but they also create another place for you to insert keywords through the alt-image text. Be sure to use the alt text and treat the alt text like you would a title or subhead.