6 top tips for successful SEO blogging
Blogging: it’s everywhere. In recent years this online phenomenon has truly taken off as businesses realise the importance of developing a comprehensive online presence.
Achieving success through your blog, however, isn’t as simple as putting down words and hoping for the best – it’s a fine balance of the RIGHT words and a whole host of additional techniques.
EVE has been writing blog posts on behalf of businesses for over ten years, in which time the particulars of blogging have changed dramatically.
The advent of SEO (search engine optimisation) brought with it a kind of keyword clamour; companies became reliant on crowbarring in the most relevant words and phrases to draw in an audience, even resorting to pasting invisible keywords all over webpages to trick search engines.
Blogging has since become something of a fine art, incorporating a variety of elements in addition to the actual text used; copy length, headings, location references and frequency of posts all come into play for bloggers looking to ramp up their SEO strategy.
Want to know more about creating the perfect post for your blog? Read our six top tips for successful SEO blogging.
1. Choose your words wisely
The words you choose are the most important element of SEO for blog posts, so take your time compiling copy that is purposeful, makes sense and flows with ease.
Your blog posts should be relevant to your industry area, so use key words and phrases throughout the copy to attract the attention of search engines and drive engaged consumers to your blog. Take care not to overdo it, though – an overload of keywords lowers the quality of the copy and can earn you a black mark from search engines if they think you’re spamming readers.
Pay extra attention to your headers, keeping them short, sharp and snappy but relevant to the subject matter. It helps to use keywords in headings but not at the cost of quality; if your header won’t make sense or becomes overly long because of SEO keyword inclusion, leave it out.
2. Break up the copy
The layout of your blog post is important – it can either entice your audience into reading more or repel them from the get-go.
Avoid long chunks of copy that can be difficult to read; break the text up into sections or paragraphs – ideally with their own headings, to make your SEO blog post much easier to read or scan through. This enables readers to read the text without losing their place and also helps readers identify a particular section that interests them without having to trawl through the whole post.
At the same time, having a clear layout with informative, optimised headings can also help drive consumers to your blog by earning you credit from the search engines. A picture speaks a thousand words, so the saying goes – use images to support your copy and add interest where appropriate.
3. Keep it local
If you’re a business with a mainly local reach, start tapping into the audience on your doorstep by working local references into your SEO blog posts.
Search engines made local search more of a priority a couple of years ago – you might have noticed you see local services first in search term rankings. Make sure your business can be found easily and ranked higher up in the results by including your location alongside key terms.
For maximum benefit, make sure all online references to your location are correct and spelled the same – search engines will make the connection between your blog and other online areas where your address is displayed, giving your business the best shot at being seen on the Internet.
4. Think like a customer
When producing your SEO optimised blog post, and before you start putting down words, think about the subject you want to cover from your customer’s viewpoint.
To entice and engage readers, it’s vital to know where they’re coming from; many will be searching for answers to problems online, so it’s worth bearing in mind what the customer will be seeking to achieve by reading your blog. Use your posts to showcase products and services by all means, but don’t forget to tell your readers how your offerings will meet their needs.
Depending on the industry you work in, consumers might be looking for product details, top tips, guides or reviews, special offers or an authoritative viewpoint on the latest breaking news. These are all areas you could – and should – cover in your blog posts.
5. Keep up momentum
Starting up a blog is a great idea that can quickly go stale when you realise it’s something that needs to be maintained on a regular basis. Coming up with ideas for your blog posts and optimising what you write for SEO can be tricky, so set aside some time to brainstorm and make a list of potential subjects.
The more you post, the better chance your company has of being found online, and search engines check elements including how fresh and new your website is when figuring out where you stand in terms of SEO.
A single post a week is sufficient but even if you only get round to updating your blog once a month, it’s still worth doing to boost your rankings and draw in customers. Once you get into a routine, blogging quickly becomes an integral part of your ongoing marketing strategy.
6. To cut a long story short… or not?
The length of your blog posts will depend on various factors, including how much time you have to spare and the topic of your posts. Keeping it short and sweet – around the 350-word mark – can work well when you’re showcasing a new product or latest offer; for an in-depth guide, however, it’s worth putting in the extra time for compelling copy that really engages the reader.
In terms of SEO, you’re more likely to gain Google brownie points with longer blog posts; these indicate to search engines that you provide informative, valuable copy – even better if you manage to use key words and phrases several times throughout the text to show search engines exactly what your post is about.
Of course, if you’re short of time, it can be worthwhile to outsource your blog writing for consistent maintenance. You know where we are…