In today’s world, many people are blogging for SEO. So why do some blogs disappear in the shuffle while others get found online? Many of us hear stories where someone hired someone for search engine optimization (SEO) from out of the state or country to blog for them. These businesses generally end up with content that is choppy, laden with typos, or doesn’t support the keyword strategy. Keep in mind that your blog may be the first time a potential client is interacting with your brand. That first impression is everything.
A clear blog strategy is essential for a business. Blogging for SEO is an ongoing art and practice. So how do you know if your blog is helping your brand? Check your business’s blog against these top requirements.
1. Choose a Strong Keyword
Your business’s blog can help drive new traffic to your site. That’s why selecting a keyword that supports your keyword strategy is critical. For instance, if your brand sells vitamins, “vitamins” would be a better keyword and topic than something broad like “health.” But let’s take that a step further. “Vitamins” is short tail—it’s only one word. Think of all the people online searching for vitamins. It’s probably a more popular term than “bioavailable multivitamin,” right?
While more people might be searching the shorter term, you’ll also have a tougher time showing up in thousands of blogs with the same keyword. You should always optimize your blog posts for the keywords that are most important to your brand. A good keyword matches the subject of your blog, the audience of your product, and has a high volume of searches with low competition.
2. Create an Engaging Headline
If you can’t hold the attention of your audience for a headline, how will you get them to read the rest of your article? No one will read your blog if you don’t pick an interesting headline. However, studies have shown that 8 out of 10 people will click to read your content if you get the headline right.
You have one line to grab your reader. Intriguing titles can grab the reader’s attention by evoking curiosity through storytelling. What happens next? A strong headline draws readers in and encourages them to click through, but it should always be followed up by good, quality content. While headline may have baited you, the product and the copy, ideally written by a UX writer, need to back it up.
3. Keep Your Word Count High
A higher word count means greater opportunity for SEO. Longer posts can also help with backlinks and organic leads for more evergreen content. Writing longer posts doesn’t just help you with SEO. It also can make you an expert on the topic. You’ve proven that you know what you’re talking about. If you do enough research before writing for your blog, your reader will be able to find everything that they need to know in your blog. This ensures that they won’t need to scour the web for missing information. But don’t just bulk up your blog unnecessarily. If you’re trying to hit a high word count, add more research, not fluff. Quality is always more important than quantity when it comes to blogging for SEO.
4. Quality is Crucial
Focus on writing content that is different from what else is on the web. This will ensure that you’re giving your readers something valuable every time they visit your website, which will encourage them to hang around a little longer and increase your odds of conversions. Quality blogs also work to establish trust in your brand. After all, you’re more likely to make a purchase from someone you trust to do their job right.
Selecting safe, knowledgeable sites to link to factors into the overall quality of your blog. Always link to credible sources. For instance, if you’re writing a medical blog, it’s safer to link your readers to Mayo Clinic than an independent blog or business similar to your own that you came across in your research. Linking to a personal blog isn’t credible. This lowers the quality of your own piece by association—especially if the site has pop-ups. Taking readers to a competitor’s site is risky for obvious reasons: your readers might choose to work with your competitors over you. Keeping your content quality up shows both search engines and readers that your site is accurate and trustworthy—and so is your business.
How Are You Blogging for SEO?
Creating rules for your brand is a great way to get started. At Savy Agency, our content creators create and continue to work off editorial style guides to ensure quality control and establish the tone for the brands we manage. Is your business blogging for SEO? Share your insights in the comments below!