In the past, blogging was seen as a way to express yourself and share your thoughts with the world. Now, blogs have evolved into a powerful tool that can help you establish your authority, build brand awareness, and increase your chances of getting found by your target audience.

But if you want to get found by your target audience, you need to be found on search engines.

This is where having a solid SEO strategy comes into play.

1. Do Your Research

Before you start writing, you need to know what you want to write about. In other words, you need to do keyword research.

Keyword research is the process of finding out what your target audience is searching for. You can then use this information to create content that will attract them to your blog.

Start by thinking about the main topics you want to write about. Then, use a keyword research tool to find out how many people are searching for those topics and what other related topics people are searching for.

You can use the data you gather to create a list of keywords to target in your blog posts.

For example, if you have a food blog and you want to write a post about how to make the perfect chocolate chip cookies, you would use a keyword research tool to find out how many people are searching for that topic.

You might find that “chocolate chip cookies” is a popular search term, but you could also discover that “how to make cookies from scratch” is a related topic that gets a lot of searches.

By doing keyword research, you can make sure that you are creating content that your target audience is actually interested in.

2. Always Write for Humans Before Search Engines

Remember, above all, you’re writing your blog for your readers. Your content needs to be engaging, informative, and helpful. It should be written in a way that’s easy to understand and that provides value to your target audience.

Focusing on keyword research and SEO is important, but it’s not the most important part of the writing process. If you focus solely on keywords and not your audience, your content will come across as robotic and unhelpful.

Before you write your blog post, make sure you know who your target audience is. What are their pain points? What do they want to learn about? What are their goals? By understanding your audience, you can create content that speaks directly to them.

Once you understand your audience, you can start thinking about what keywords they might use to find your content.

3. Use Keywords in the Right Places

You can use keywords to optimize your blog post in the following places:

• Headline

• Introduction

• Subheadings

• Meta description

• Anchor text

• Image file names

• Image alt text

• Conclusion

You don’t have to use your keyword in every single one of these places, but it’s a good idea to use it in the headline, introduction, and conclusion at the very least.

When you use your keyword in these places, it helps the search engines understand what your blog post is about, and it can also help improve your blog’s visibility in the search results.

4. Write a Compelling Title and Meta Description

When you search for something on Google, the first thing you see is the title of the page and a brief description of the page. These are your title tag and meta description. They are the first impression a potential reader will get of your blog post, so it’s important to make them compelling.

Your title tag should be 50-60 characters and your meta description should be 150-160 characters. If they are too long, they will get cut off in the search results. If they are too short, Google will pull in other content from your post.

To write a compelling title tag and meta description, think about what your potential reader would want to know about the topic. What would make them want to click on your post over someone else’s?

5. Add Internal and External Links

We’ve already talked about the importance of using keywords in your blog posts, but it’s equally important to use them in your links.

Internal links are links to other pages on your website, and they help to establish the hierarchy of your website. They also help to keep visitors on your website longer, which can improve your search engine ranking.

External links are links to other websites. They help to establish your website as a credible source of information, and they can also help to improve your search engine ranking.

Be sure to use your keywords in your internal and external links, and don’t be afraid to include multiple links in your blog posts.

6. Make Your Content Easy to Read

The last thing you want to do is to spend hours creating a blog post, only to have your readers bounce because your content is hard to read.

To make your content easy to read, break up your paragraphs into 2-3 sentences. Use headers to organize your thoughts and use bullet points and numbered lists to break up content.

Pro Tip: Use the Hemingway App to analyze your content and get suggestions on how to make it easier to read.

7. Use Alt Text for Images

Search engines are getting smarter, but they still can’t “see” images the way humans can. That’s why it’s important to use alt text for your images.

Alt text is a short description of the image that appears when the image can’t be loaded. It’s also used by screen readers to help visually impaired users understand what the image is.

In addition to helping with accessibility, alt text is also used by search engines to understand what an image is about. Be sure to use alt text that is descriptive and includes your target keyword.

8. Make Your URL SEO-Friendly

The URL of your blog post is another place where you can include your target keyword.

For example, if you were writing a blog post about the best ways to save money on groceries, you might want to include the keyword “save money on groceries” in the URL of your blog post.

A good URL for this blog post might be something like:

https://www.yourwebsite.com/save-money-on-groceries

9. Use a Content Management System that Makes SEO Easy

WordPress is a great 

Finally, if you’re not already using a content management system (CMS) to publish your blog content, then it’s time to start!

A CMS is a software that allows you to create, manage, and publish digital content. It can help you organize your blog posts, create a content calendar, and more.

But, most importantly, it can make your life as a blogger a whole lot easier when it comes to SEO.

HubSpot’s CMS, for example, has built-in SEO tools that can help you optimize your blog content for search. You can use the SEO recommendations tool to get real-time, personalized suggestions for how to improve your blog posts’ SEO.

You can also use the topic cluster tool to help you organize your blog posts into topic clusters and improve your blog’s SEO.

And, with HubSpot’s CMS, you can easily track your blog posts’ performance and see how they’re ranking in search engines.

WordPress is a great platform for anyone looking to create a website or blog. With its user-friendly interface and vast array of customizable themes and plugins, it offers endless possibilities for design and functionality.

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, WordPress caters to all levels of expertise. One of the biggest advantages of using WordPress is its SEO-friendly nature, making it easier for your site to rank higher in search engine results.

Additionally, WordPress provides a secure environment for your website, with regular updates and patches to protect against potential vulnerabilities.

The platform also offers a wide range of features, such as built-in analytics and social media integration, allowing you to monitor and promote your site effectively.

Overall, WordPress provides a comprehensive and powerful solution for individuals and businesses alike, making it an excellent choice for creating a successful online presence.

If you’re not already using a CMS to publish your blog content, then it’s time to start. It can help you save time and improve your blog’s SEO in the process.

10. Share Your Content on Social Media

Social media is a great way to get more eyes on your blog content. You can share your blog posts on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram to drive traffic to your site.

When you share your content on social media, be sure to include a link to the post, a catchy headline, and an eye-catching image. You can also use hashtags to help people find your content.

In addition to sharing your blog posts on social media, you can also repurpose your content. For example, you can turn a blog post into a video, infographic, or podcast episode and share it on social media.

Repurposing your content is a great way to reach new audiences and drive more traffic to your site.

Conclusion

SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time to see results from your efforts and that’s okay. You don’t need to be an SEO expert to see improvements in your blog’s search ranking. By following the tips above, you’ll be well on your way to improving your blog’s visibility.

What are some of your favorite SEO tips? Share them with us in the comments below.