In this article, we are going to demonstrate the best and most useful tips on how to write SEO friendly blog posts.
Here are some key facts and figures according to Google search engine statistics as to why blog writing SEO is so important.
- 67k searches are performed on Google every second
- 93% of all online experiences begin with a search
- 39% of all e-commerce traffic comes from search.
- There are over 1 billion websites on the Internet, so SEO does take time.
How do blogs help SEO?
The first search result on a Google page has, on average, a 34% click-through rate, therefore, should not be underestimated. CTR drops the further down you appear so a battle to be the top spot is sure to be a difficult one.
https://seotribunal.com/blog/stats-to-understand-seo/#google-search-engine-statistics
Google’s main priority is useability and user experience; therefore, they will only rank sites according to the value of the content they provide and how well they explain the search query. In order to maximise the user experience, there are a number of factors you need to consider.
How to optimise your Blog?
- Utilise internal and external links
- Keep titles under 55 characters and subheadings between 10-30
- Catchy titles such as How to, Top 5 or Free
- Use SEO-friendly URL extensions
- A variety of visual media
- Incorporate keywords in the first 100 words
- Use related keywords, variation and synonyms
- Ensure you write a minimum of 300 words
Use internal and external links
Much like I have done so far by referencing pages, linking to high-authority websites communicates credibility and trust by backing up your sources with the user. It also lets Google know that the content is relevant.
While many believe this could be taking users away from the site, it is said to boost your SEO health according to Yoast.
As mentioned previously, Google’s number one priority is user experience, so if you have links within the copy this creates a better user journey as you are providing the source for your work. We would all like to be credited for our work and thus will rank more highly on search results.
How to know when to add in external or internal links?
If you think the user can learn more about the subject you are speaking about, and you don’t offer that content yourself, send them over to someone who does.
Internal links are when we link to pages already on our website. This could be if you have referenced a particular service or product on your website, or if you want to recommend a similar article at the end of the post for the user to go and read. Remember – our audience comes first!
Example: If this post took your interest, why not read more by visiting our article 5 things you must know to optimise your website.
Optimise your title, heading and subheadings
When it comes to optimising titles, it needs to be under 55 characters and mention your keyword (preferably at the beginning). This is how Google determines what your page ranks for and how well it ranks. The higher the keywords in the title the more weight they are given by Google in terms of their relevance.
A perfect example is this article title How to write SEO friendly blog posts — complete guide My keyword is at the beginning and clearly tells the user and Google what it is about with the added clause afterwards selling it even further saying ‘Your complete guide to SEO’.
No one likes to visit a site only to be greeted with a 50 line long chunk of text without headings; therefore, you should consider splitting it up. Subheadings should be between 10-30 characters long and clearly define what the paragraph is about—this works best in question format.
According to the BBC news and statistics, the average attention span has come down from 12 seconds to 8 seconds. You might have heard the saying “average attention span of a goldfish”. This is popular because it is quite literally true. The average attention span is 9 seconds for a goldfish.
How to split up your paragraphs.
Splitting up long chunks of text helps the reader find what they are looking for. The paragraphs should be no longer than 4-5 lines long. Remember, you have 8 seconds to get your point across!
Google’s mission is to provide an answer as quickly as possible to the user’s search query. Not only this, but subheadings are also a great way to answer more questions and incorporate more keywords into a higher-level heading.
This is why Google loves bullet point answers in blog posts and is the reason you need to have clear and relevant subheadings. When you type in a search query, the first thing you will more than likely be greeted with is a quick bullet point answer.
By doing this, you will more likely rank well as you are helping the user find the answer much quicker than having to read through a long haul of text.
How to use catchy SEO titles
As we mentioned before, SEO titles need to contain keywords and be preferably questions-based in order to entice the user to click through. Your SEO titles need to be a maximum of 55-60 characters in order to avoid your titles getting chopped off so the user can see what your page is fully about.
What is the click-through rate?
This is how many people are searching your query or seeing your listing and clicking through.
Here is a list of 5 keywords that will increase your click-through rate
- How to
- Top tips
- List related number, i.e. Top 5
- Why
- Best
Using these keywords ensure your piece of content stands out against competitors and will ultimately boost your rankings if more people are clicking through. By using phrases such as ‘the complete guide’, ‘things you must know’ or ‘everything you need’ encourages the reader even further to click through.
SEO-friendly URL extensions
Easy-to-read: your URL should still convey what the page is about and, users should know just by looking at it. According to Niel Patel (founder of Ubersuggest), the average URL on the googles’ 1st page is 50, but once you pass the top 10, the average URL length is 62.
How many words should a URL be?
Try and use 3-4 words maximum to describe your page. The average SEO-friendly URL length is 50- 60 characters; This goes without saying that URL length does impact your SEO ranking.
Use a variety of visual media
This goes back to defining your user experience in that users don’t always want to see text, text and more text. Infographics, videos and GIFs are also great ways to portray a large amount of information quickly and efficiently. Did you know that if there is a video on your landing page, you’re 53% more likely to show up on Google’s first page? That’s why you’ll see videos throughout Capsule’s site.
Use keywords in the first 100 words of your text
When you are writing a piece of content, your opening paragraph is how most readers determine what the article is about. This is why Google gives the first 100 characters more weight; therefore, it is essential to use keywords where you can in this first section of text.
A perfect example is in this article. My opening paragraph was this:
“In this doc, we are going to demonstrate the best and most useful tips on how to write SEO friendly blog posts.”
This is very concise and clearly demonstrates what the piece of content is about and what the user can expect plus my keyword (how to write SEO friendly blog posts) is in the beginning too which will allow Google to quickly crawl my page and see what it’s about—but be careful not to keyword stuff.
What is keyword stuffing?
Keyword stuffing is repeating the same keywords so much to the point it sounds unnatural. Google can and will pick up on this and can penalise your content because of it. So be careful and create the perfect balance.
Learn more about keyword stuffing.
How long should my blog post be?
Many SEO tools out there will recommend a minimum of 300 words.
According to Google “the first result of Google for a search query on average contains 1,890 words.”
While quantity is significant, quality succeeds far more than quantity. So be careful not to ‘waffle’ on too much and stray from answering the actual query and get to the point as we mentioned previously. It’s all about answering the questions quickly and clearly with user experience top of mind.
If you are offering tips or advice, this needs to be a valuable piece of information, and this is where you should keep an eye of what pieces of content are already out there around that query and answer the same questions but more in-depth and with more value.
How to share your blog on social media?
Much like we have done below, providing links to your social media, not only increases your following, but also makes it easier for your readers to share the information on their feeds, giving you more backlinks, and thus, increasing your credibility.
And there you have it—by combining these factors altogether within your blog writing, you will be able to maximise your SEO health on each article or blog post going forward. Putting this into action will allow you to rank higher on Google search results, leaving your competitors for dust.
If you have any questions around SEO and the SEO services we offer and want to get in on the conversation, follow us on social media below or get in contact with us.
