9 Proven SEO Tips to Maximize Blogging for Better Traffic
We know that optimizing every page on your website is vital for you to get ranked higher in search engines. As a result, more traffic will be driven to your website where the possibilities of engagement happen. But how should you optimize your articles to do so?
You might also have noticed how the algorithms of search engines like Google have drastically changed. Today, they are prioritizing the relevance of the actual content of the page with the targeted keywords used.
So, we arrive at the biggest question that we will answer in this article: “How should I optimize my blog posts in order to gain more traffic and engagement?”
NOTE: The tips below contain terminologies that are considered SEO slang. So, if you are still starting out in SEO, it is best to start learning about it through a complete beginner’s guide.
Tip #1 –Long Tail Keywords
When we say that you should optimize your blog posts using keywords, we do not mean that you should stuff all your different keywords in one post. Doing this will only cause more harm than good. And, it does not really give a good experience for the readers. Trying to force all your keywords in one article will make it unnatural.
As a general rule, you should use one or two long tail keywords. For example, you might be writing an article about “food supplements”. Instead of using different variations of keywords containing the terms “food supplements”, you can write an article that contains a long tail keyword like “the best food supplements for the elderly”.
Long tail keywords are preferred because when people use specific search terms, they are more likely ready to buy. So, take advantage of that.
Tip #2 – Keyword Placements
If you have already identified the long tail keywords that people search for related to your niche, it is now time to know which part of the blog post they should go into. Generally, you should include the keywords in these areas:
- Title Tag
- Headings & Main Body
- URL
- Meta Description
Tip #3 – Mobile Responsiveness
A lot of statistics show that people are accessing the Internet through their mobile devices. For example, an average consumer spends five hours a day tinkering on their smartphones according to a survey done by AdWeek. Your blog could be one of the things they see during those five hours.
If you are not letting your audience view your blog properly on their smartphones, you are wasting the opportunity to turn them into buying customers. So, make sure you implement a responsive web design across your website.
Tip #4 – Meta Descriptions
If you search for something on Google and you are returned with a list of results, you will see that under each link, there is a corresponding snippet of what the link contains. This is called the meta description. To optimize your blog, one important thing you need to do is to take advantage of meta descriptions.
Remember that relevance and intent is the key to successful content marketing. So, aside from including your keywords here, you should also use all 300 characters of the meta description to give the users more insight into what your content is all about.
Tip #5 – Image Alt-Text
Most people get bored when they face a whole page full of words. So, give them a nice break and include photos. Just make sure you optimize the alt-texts of the images to include your targeted keywords.
Tip #6 –Tags
Utilizing tags is a very good way to get all your content organized. However, the one thing you need to remember about them is to make them unique from each other. Avoid using tags that are similar to each other. This could actually get you penalized for having duplicate content.
Tip #7 – Internal Links
To further prove that your content is relevant and valid, create links between the content that leads to other pages within your website.
Tip #8 – Google Tools
Google loves Google. Here are some Google tools that could help you with the SEO aspect of your blogs.
Tip #9 – Content Variation
You should understand that your audience has varied tastes. So, you need to provide them with varied content as well! Take a look at these different types of content to boost engagement.
In Conclusion
The tips mentioned above is not all there is to SEO rules. Alternatively, it is perfectly fine to not implement every single one of these tips every time you make a blog post. The important thing you just need to remember is that your blogs should cater to your audience and provide them with the best solution to their problems.