Search engine optimization and content writing go hand-in-hand, one is not effective without the other. When you optimize your content such as blog posts, web pages, or landing page funnels, you’re making it easier for search engines like Google to find out what your website is all about and in turn make it easier for people who are looking for keywords associated with your brand, product, or service to find you.
The concept of an SEO strategy to optimize blog posts may seem simple, but unfortunately isn’t. Luckily there are some simple fixes that can set you on the right path. In this post, we’ll go over 3 ways in which you can optimize your blog posts to raise the relevance and ranking of your website for critical keywords and topics.
Developing a list of relevant keywords based on your blog post topic should be top of mind before you even begin writing. Knowing which keywords to optimize for should guide your content, don’t just create content and add keywords later. There are many tools out there that will help you develop a good keyword strategy. SEMRush or SEO Moz are great tools to research keywords.
Look at what you are already ranking for, as well as what you are missing based off related keywords and what our competitors’ rankings. You need to make a comprehensive strategy about the keywords you are choosing so that you aren’t wasting time on keywords that aren’t related or not realistically achievable to rank for.
There is no set rule on how long a blog post should be for best SEO results. That said, copy should at least contain 300 words to give you ample room to use your keywords effectively. This way, Google will know that your text is about that specific keyword.
Just make sure you don’t overdo it. Cramming keywords into the text in an unnatural way is sure to receive a penalty. Search engines don’t like over-optimized text at all. Instead, look for a keyword density of 2 % or 1 keyword in 50 words. This way you receive the benefits of search engine optimization while providing great content for the reader.
Google revealed some time ago that more searches are made on mobile devices than on desktop. Hence it has some pretty strict standards for your blog to abide by. While responsive design and mobile-friendly websites have always been important for user experience, they’re becoming more and more important for SEO as well. Not following these standards can significantly reduce the performance of your blog when it comes to search rankings.