SEO Friendly Blog Posts
A well-optimized blog with the best quality content has the highest chance of getting the top spot in the post search. In other words, you should not expect high ratings as you follow the steps to make a blog post-SEO-friendly.
It is a combination of good content and good SEO (including off-page SEO) that will push the blog post to the first pages of Google.
So now that you have a better understanding of what is the optimal blog post and what is not, let’s see how to make sure your blog is SEO friendly (before pressing the Publish button).
Few Steps to Write SEO Friendly Blog Posts
Think before you write!
Before you begin, think carefully about the message of your article. What do you want to tell your readers or what central question do you want to answer? What is the purpose of your article? What do you want your readers to do at the end of the page?
Before you begin, write down the answers to these questions and think about the purpose for which someone is looking. The easiest way to gain insight into this is by looking at the search results for the search term you want to rank.
Devise a structure for your post
To write a blog post that is readable and SEO compliant, you need to create a clear framework. This means that each post should have:
- Some kind of introduction (in which you introduce your topic);
- A body (in which the main message is written);
- A decision (in which you summarize the main ideas or come to a conclusion).
Use paragraphs and headings
Everyone uses paragraphs, but not everyone uses them well. Do not start with a new line because each new sentence is beautiful. Also, do not make them too long, as each paragraph should have its idea or meaning. Ask yourself what the main idea of each paragraph is. You should summarize that important idea in one sentence.
Use transition words
Transition words help people to scan your text and understand the connection between sentences and paragraphs. For example, suppose there are three reasons why people buy your product. You must use signal words: ‘first’; ‘Secondly’ and ‘finally’. Also, words like ‘however’, ‘as well, and ‘for example’ give a clear signal to your readers. So to add structure to your text, changing words are very important.
Use related keywords
Closing your article with your Focus keyword makes it less appealing to read, and it can affect your rankings as well. Google is getting smarter, and it wants you to write content that users want. It does not like to use your focus keyword in all other sentences and there are other ways to analyze what your text is about. One of the ways Google understands the title of your text is by recognizing synonyms and other keywords associated with your focus keyphrase. That’s why you should use similar words and related keywords throughout your copy.
Optimize the length of your article
Make sure your blog posts have at least 300 words but keep the length of your article in balance. Google likes long articles, however, if your article is too long it can scare users. I recommend writing long essays only if you know you are a talented writer. A lot of your visitors ask you to read your entire post when it is long. Check out this article if you do not know how long a blog post should be. To make sure you end up with an SEO-friendly blog post, remember to use your focus keyphrase throughout your text!
Link to existing content
If you have already written content on the same topic as your current post, do not forget to link to these posts. This will strengthen your new blog post and existing posts because you are showing authority in this matter. Also, your affiliate system is important for your ranking on Google. Do not forget that your readers should combine other content on a topic because they may also be interested in reading these related posts. This allows them to go to your site.
Let other people read your post
Before publishing your post, let someone else read it first. Ask them if they understand the main idea of your post and invite them to correct any typos and grammatical errors. This will help you by providing an objective view of the readability and attractiveness of your text. If you have someone in your group who specializes in the topic you are writing about, make sure your post goes beyond them.
Add content regularly
Adding new blog posts to your website constantly lets Google know that your website is alive. This is important because if your site is not active, Google will crawl it more often, and this may negatively affect your rankings. But do not post just because you want to register. Make sure everything you post is high-quality content: informative, well-written articles that entertain readers and fit their search intent.
Use our Yoast SEO plugin
The analytics tool in our Yoast SEO plugin helps you write readable and SEO-friendly blog posts. Start by selecting the most important search term that you want people to find on this particular page. This is your focus keyphrase.