If you’re putting in the effort to blog for your business, you probably have an idea of how important Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is. This is what allows your beautiful blog to actually be seen and read! But do you know how to optimize your content while still being authentic?
Whether you have been creating engaging content and are well on your way to being a blogging master or are just getting started on your blogging endeavors, it's time to dig a bit deeper.
Why does SEO matter?
Once you begin creating content on a consistent basis, you want your audience to be able to access it easily and read it frequently. SEO is the process of driving more traffic to your website through natural (not paid) searches and results.
Quality SEO means that your website and website content will be higher on the list of search results than others when people search for topics related to your field. There are ways to get your website ranked higher by paying for it or using high-tech SEO software. But there are also ways to stay honest and authentic and still appear high on the list of results.
Here are 6 strategies to implement to improve your SEO without bending backward or sounding like a robot.
6 ways to improve your blog’s SEO
1. Publish relevant, quality, and genuine content
Not only is relevant and original content valuable to solve your customers’ needs and engage them in conversation, but it’s also a huge factor in making your content visible and accessible in search results. If your content is saying the same things as other published content, there’s nothing that will make your SEO better than the other content, and your blog will most likely fall to the bottom of the list.
When writing your blog posts, be sure to consider how your content will stand out from the rest. Instead of repeating what everyone else has already said, try to add something new to the conversation, share your honest opinion, or ask the tough questions that nobody else is willing to ask.
Genuine and quality content is the most important thing when it comes to your blog and improving your SEO. There are thousands of ways you’re different from other companies - embrace it, and create a blog that is valuable and unique to your business!
2. Update content regularly
I know, writing content once sounds like a tough enough task, but if you want to improve your SEO, you need to update your content frequently. Your content is rated based on how new or old it is. If it’s older content, it will likely be ranked toward the bottom, and new content will be seen as more favorable for SEO.
Taking the time once a month, or as frequently as possible, to freshen up your content can help boost your SEO. Keep in mind, quality content shouldn't have an expiration date. If you pick the right topics, they should still be as relevant today as they were a year ago. However, they likely will still need to be tweaked to stay fresh and accurate.
3. Use captivating images
Many times, adding an image to your blog post is an afterthought, but it shouldn’t be. Including an image in your post can help your customers find your blog and improve your blog’s SEO. Not only will the image be tracked by search engines, but the filename of your picture will also be tracked. This is the perfect opportunity for you to include keywords in the filenames of the photos you’re using. Adding captions or descriptions to your images can also benefit your SEO!
When it comes to images, be sure to resize them, so they fit your post format correctly and don't slow down the load time of your post. Oversized images are typically the number one reason a page takes an excessive time to load. You only have your audience’s attention for so long, so be sure that this doesn’t drive them away from your page or make it so they can’t find it because SEO doesn’t like a slow loading time.
4. Create compelling titles and keywords
I’m about to get a bit technical, but don’t be afraid - it’s pretty simple! Within your website, some of the coding includes the content you write that puts them into different sections, similar to how they would be formatted in a typical post. Technical processes occur during searches that pull from these specific codes and relay this information to search engines that bring up the most relevant information in the results. To best adhere to this process, there are a few components of your blog post that you should strategically think about.
The title of your post has the biggest responsibility because it is the first piece of content to be identified. The technical process that is sending data to the search engines is looking for the juiciest, most intriguing title! To help your content stand out in the ranks and also engage your readers, use numbers and emotional words in your titles. Some words and phrases perform better than others, but try to keep it enticing and tap into powerful emotions to see the best results.
After the title, subheaders and content are all that is left to be identified. Insert keywords that will stand out and be found through these technical processes in your subheads and content. Before writing each blog, decide what kinds of things your customers would be searching for relating to that topic, and then implement those keywords throughout your post. If you’re not sure what kind of keywords would work best for your posts, check out Google AdWords Keyword Planner.
5. Embed relevant links into your content
Inserting links into your post that are valuable and relevant to your content can drive more attention to your post, and ultimately, increase your SEO. However, instead of simply saying “click here,” it’s beneficial to change the text of the link within your content to be something that is relevant or full of keywords. Search engines are more likely to pick up on the keywords that are linked and will rank your content higher for this. Be more creative and strategic than the thousands of “click here” links.
Including relevant links throughout your post is beneficial, but if you include too many links, it can work against you. Be sure that when you choose to include a link in your content that it is necessary and valuable, and you aren’t just linking to link. You don’t want your content to look like a bunch of spam!
6. Share content through different mediums
When the only place your blog can be found is on your website, the likelihood of your audience engaging with your post is very slim. To gain your customer’s interest, sharing your blog on various platforms is an excellent way to expose them to your content and start conversations. Wherever you share your blog, provide customers with a little insight through a blurb that will intrigue them to click on it.
So, where are the best places to share your content?
Share on social media (A must!): According to PEW Research Center, over 75% of all Internet users are on social media. With these statistics, it’s not a smart decision to ignore social media when it comes to sharing your content. High engagement isn’t guaranteed to happen with every blog, but sharing your content on social media will give your audience a more frequent chance to read your blog, have better access to your website, and engage with your business.
When sharing on social media, provide your audience with a sentence or two about how your blog is relevant to them and how it can ease their frustrations. Remember that each social media platform has a different type of audience, so depending on the content and the audience you are trying to reach, you could share your blog on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or other platforms. Whether it’s a like, a comment, or a click on a post, each of these interactions is a significant indicator that your audience is interested in your content, your business, and a sign that you’re doing something right!
Attach a link to your blog in an email: If you’re emailing a client who has questions about a topic you’ve already written about, there’s no sense in writing it all again. This is an excellent opportunity for you to attach a document or a link to your blog when sending an email.
Sending a link to a customer through email will immediately help them find the information they are looking for and will expose them to your blog that they can rely on for future questions. This also helps you avoid rewriting your content every time someone asks a question all while helping your customers! Phewf!
You don't need to pay to have your content optimized or be phony to get your content to the top of the search results! Certain technical aspects of digital media can be difficult to comprehend, but once you implement these practices into your blogging habits, you are sure to see a boost in your SEO.
Still have questions about improving your blog SEO or how to share your content on social media? We would love to show you how!
