1. Use headings to your benefit.
Headers aid Google's web spiders in comprehending your blog content and its divisions.
Consider the crawlers to be readers browsing your content. Your H1 should provide them an idea of what your article will discuss. Then your H2s, H3s, and H4s break down the piece's subtopics.
Subheaders should thus mirror the substance of the body and contain high-intent keywords. You have a lot better chance of ranking on the SERP if you employ the correct keywords, which are the ones that your target audience uses.
2. Optimize your content for featured snippets.
Google's featured snippets are the most immediate responses to search searches. For example, if I typed in "How do you compose a blog post?" into Google, I'd get a lot of results. A highlighted snippet might be used by Google to display the best response.
To get a featured snippet on Google, you must completely and succinctly answer the question. If the search keyword is "how to screenshot on mac," for example, your H1 or H2 may be "How to Take a Screenshot on a MacBook Computer," followed by the steps in a numbered or bulleted list.
Start each sentence with a verb that may be executed, such as "click" or "select."
If the term for which you wish to capture the highlighted snippet necessitates a definition, compose a brief response.
3. Write for humans, not search engines.
With all of these SEO standards, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that when someone searches on Google, they're searching for a solution. Writing high-quality blog content is the greatest method to boost your ranking prospects. So, how does that look? Answers that are thorough, parts that are scannable, subheaders that are ordered, and graphic aids.
Keep in mind the motives, difficulties, and interests of your buyer personas. It's also crucial to pick themes that will appeal to your target clients and answer their problems. While certain SEO tools can assist with the technical aspects of your site, content writing SEO tools can assist you in generating proper, succinct, and human-friendly material that will rank well and attract users.
4. Include keywords in your meta description.
Do you use meta descriptions in your blog posts? If you answered no, you're probably not giving your content as much exposure as it deserves. Let's look at why they're significant.
We've already discussed subheaders, keywords, and snippets as ways for a blog article to connect with Google. That is not, however, an exhaustive list.
Another place that Google scans to determine search ranks is meta descriptions. Meta descriptions are one- to three-sentence summaries that appear beneath a result's title.
Use meta descriptions to sum up what your post is about, and remember to:
Keep it short.
Use one to two keywords.
Make it compelling. After all, there are going to be other posts similar to yours so you’ll want your description to stand out above the rest.
Most content management systems (CMS) have meta description boxes built-in, so you likely won't have to look far to use the function.
5. Add alt text to images.
You should provide alt text to each image you include in your article, whether it's a featured image or a body image.
The alt text defines what's going on in the photo and helps Google (as well as others who are blind) understand why it's in your article.
Let's imagine you're writing an essay on virtual events and you want to incorporate the following image:
Image Source
"A businessman attending a virtual event sits at a desk while holding a pen," the alt text should say. This is a descriptive statement with the primary term "virtual event" in it. Even if this is a stock photo, you may use it to build a narrative that corresponds to your blog article.
6. Start with keyword research
Google is said to handle around 70,000 search inquiries each second. Isn't it incredible?
You must target the particular keywords and phrases that your potential clients are searching for in order to cut through the SERP congestion and outrank your competition. How will people locate your content and website if they don't?
Begin by using a keyword research tool. Ahrefs and Google Keyword Planner, for example, provide information on what people are looking for and how popular certain searches are.
7. Resist the urge to keyword stuff.
The idea is to make your page highly optimized while being unobtrusive. Find natural keyword placements, but don't overdo it to the point of making your text unintelligible.
Avoid a meta description like this: "Sales for account-based marketing startups" if your keywords include "account-based marketing," "startups," and "sales."
Instead, to make the description more natural, concentrate on one or two keywords: "Are you searching for ways to improve your account-based marketing strategy? In this piece, you'll learn about our research-based strategies."
With this approach, you're still using keywords, but you're not oversaturating the post. Remember, your goal is to solve for your audience. If your users have a poor reading experience, that will signal to Google that your post may not be meeting their needs.
8. Link to high-authority websites.
Don't be hesitant to connect to other websites while you write your blog article.
Linking to reliable websites not only provides additional reading material for blog visitors, but it also demonstrates to search engines that you've done your homework.
Nothing improves a blog article like data from authoritative sources supported by study. Stats that are compelling assist you develop a more convincing and clear case that will help you acquire your readers' trust.
9. Aim for scannable, longer posts.
You'd think that in this day and age of short attention spans, shorter blog postings are the way to go. Longer, in-depth blog entries, on the other hand, are preferred by search engines like Google.
Consider this: the more information on a page, the more hints search engines have to determine the topic of your site. The optimal length, according to HubSpot, is between 2,100 and 2,400 words.
Longer blogs have the disadvantage of overwhelming your readers. Breaking down your material into bite-size, scannable portions is one method to fight this.
Reduce big sentences to two sentences and limit paragraphs to three phrases or less.
Bullet points are wonderful attention grabbers and are readily digested, especially on mobile devices.
10. Link to other posts on your site.
Search engines can construct a more accurate sitemap if you link to other pages or blog posts on your website. It also aids your readers in discovering more of your material and getting to know you as a reliable and trustworthy source of information.
Internal connections to additional important content keep visitors on your site longer, lowering bounce rates and improving conversion opportunities. Isn't that the whole point?
Use natural language for your anchor text when connecting to any pages on your website or even other sources. Use generic or spammy calls to action like "top-rated inexpensive laptops" or "click here."
Instead, use descriptive keywords that give readers a sense of what they will find when they click on the hyperlink, like "Download your SEO guide."
Never force-feed links to your top webpages, featured products, or discounted items. Include links that enhance the points made in your posts and naturally tie in with the subject matter.
11. Compress images for fast page load speed.
Google gives points to pages that load quickly since it enhances the user experience. Large, hefty graphics are one of the most common causes of page latency. If you have multiple photos in your post, each of which is over 100KB in size, this will have a significant influence on the page performance.
Fortunately, there are free programs that compress photographs without compromising quality, such as Squoosh.app.
If you feel that poor page speeds are the cause of your low ranking, go to Google's PageSpeed site for a free examination and advice.
12. Design a link-building strategy.
The importance of link building to your search ranking cannot be overstated.
Why? Consider the search results as a competition, with the victors receiving the most votes. Each website that links back to you is considered a vote for your website, which increases the trustworthiness of your material in Google's eyes. As a result, you will move higher in the rankings.
As a result, it's a good idea to produce articles that other websites or media will want to link to in their own articles. Include high-value elements in your blog entries, such as unique data and thought leadership, to make them more linkable.
Another great strategy to drive visitors back to your website is to do interviews with professionals.