How to Optimize Blog Posts for SEO
Use this post for creating new content and optimizing old posts for SEO. Don’t use your valuable time on this earth to write content that won’t be seen. Use this checklist to reap the SEO rewards that will increase your readability and set your content up for better ranking.
I recommend you write your blog post first, then... go through and optimize your blog with this checklist. Search results thrive if they are written naturally, so don't hinder your creative flow. One thing that has helped me write posts that don’t sound robotic is to write a working draft WITHOUT thinking about SEO optimization at all. Then, I will go through again and work in that focus keyword phrase. If you write your content before your keyword, your posts will sound much more natural!
RESEARCH
Do a little keyword research! Focus on 1 keyword (phrase) about the blog topic.
Write a strong headline using that keyword (Use CoSchedule's Free Tool). This tool will help infuse your title with word elements that improve your searchability. Spend a little time there optimizing your headline.
OPTIMIZE:
Use only one H1 heading in your entire post and include your focus keyword (Usually, you use the H1 header as the post title)
Include this focus keyword in the first 250 words of your copy. (This is normally your intro paragraph)
Sprinkle in that focus keyword throughout your copy naturally. If you have subtitles (H2 or H3), plop that keyword in there too.
Add in web-optimized + resized images. I stay under 500 KB for image size when I can. Use the keyword in the name of the image file and the alt image text.
Bonus SEO points if you include a video! Video is the hottest topic in SEO this year. 43% of users want to see more video content!
Link to older (and related) blog posts? This internal reference will show that you are a great resource of similar quality content.
Link to any outside sources/websites? It is as easy as quoting an expert or linking to their social post or blog on your blog topic (ALWAYS make sure these open in a new tab!)
Is your post easily scannable? I like to bold some strong and big-deal sentences throughout my post.
Add a social media-friendly sharing image. Add a Pinterest Pin size graphic at the bottom of your post. This tip makes pinning to your and your audience's boards a snap.
Did you choose a category + tags for your post? This step will help google determine what type of content is in your post.
Be sure to put that keyword in the page URL permalink
Include the focus keyword in the SEO Title and the SEO Meta Description
HIT PUBLISH, THEN... DO THIS!
Go to your old relevant blog posts and link to this NEW blog post!
Pin your Pinterest-friendly graphic to your Pinterest board & schedule
Mention your new post on your Instagram Feed and/or Stories
Share your post on the other social media platforms that you utilize (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc)
In 1-2 months, share this post on social media again
OPTIMIZING YOUR BLOG POSTS FOR SEO CONCLUSION:
So these are my top SEO tips to get you started optimizing your blog posts for SEO. While there are many other things you can do, I’m positive that if you start here; you’ll start to see an increase in search engine traffic.
Just keep in mind that choosing the right keyword/keywords is important. And that it takes time for search engines to find and rank your content.
