When you\u2019ve poured time and energy into a great blog post, you want it to reach as much of your audience as possible. Small changes matter when it comes to boosting blog SEO. Take a run through this blog optimization checklist before you post \u2014 it won\u2019t take long, and it\u2019ll help your blog get seen by the right people.
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Keywords are words or short phrases that encompass what the blog post is about (see our blog: What Are Keywords and Why Do They Matter?<\/a>). When you use them well, keywords can help the post rank for search queries that include those words<\/a>. Search engine algorithms use repeated words and phrases as clues to what a webpage is about. Placing relevant, natural-sounding keywords in the blog content, title, meta description, and URL can contribute to a blog post\u2019s search engine ranking. Incorporate your chosen keywords into the blog:<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s no perfect word count for SEO, but the length of a blog can factor into its ranking. Search engine algorithms often deem pages with less than 300 words inadequate to rank in the search engine results. However, longer isn\u2019t necessarily better; a 3,000-word post stuffed with irrelevant content will fare just as poorly as a short one. Aim to write at least 500 words per blog post. Beyond that, the ideal blog length will depend on your audience. Pay attention to how your blogs perform and look for trends related to page length. It\u2019s in the writer\u2019s interest to make a blog post as easy to read as possible. Spacing, formatting, and writing style all weigh on a blog\u2019s readability. Making your content easy to digest will increase the time people spend reading it and encourage them to share it with others. It can also increase the likelihood the content will rank in Featured Snippets, which is a huge boost to blog SEO. The title is your chance to convince the reader to click in 50-60 characters or less. A good title:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A great title will drive more traffic to the blog, which significantly impacts its rankings. As mentioned above, the title should also include relevant keywords. Craft your title around keywords and the value readers receive from the blog. Shorten it 50 characters or less and add compelling adjectives to make it pop. The title succeeds in persuading readers to click on your blog post. What do you want them to do once they’re there? Whatever the goal, readers are more likely to do it if you guide them in the right direction with a clear call to action. An effective call to action<\/a> keeps people on your site and discourages them from bouncing back to the search engine results page (see our blog: Understanding Bounce Rate, Long Clicks and Pogo-Sticking<\/a>). Place the call to action prominently on the blog post (the best spot will vary audience-to-audience, so consider testing different placements). It should be relevant to the subject matter of the article and the user’s pain points. Internal links are links to content that is within the same domain as your content: other blog posts, product pages, contact pages, and so on. External links are the opposite: they point to other websites. Interlinking helps search engine algorithms to understand the website’s structure. Links to credible, authoritative external sources help build your site\u2019s credibility within the eyes of the all-seeing search algorithm. Both are an important part of boosting blog SEO. Be picky about the links you include! Credible external sites will bolster your blog\u2019s credibility, but poor sites will do the opposite. Insert internal links should in a logical way that benefits the reader. Anchor text refers to the clickable text of an internal or external link. On most sites, anchor text is underlined and highlighted in blue. Search engine algorithms use anchor text another clue to what a web page is about, both regarding your blog and the page you\u2019re linking to. Good anchor text is succinct, informative, and relevant to the target page. Incorporate keywords where it sounds natural to do so. Images are a necessity in any blog post, no matter the length or the topic. Along with their visual appeal, original images can help boost your blog\u2019s SEO. Images make the blog easier to read, increasing the chance people will share it and explore the rest of your site. Keywords in image titles and file names can help give the algorithm context on your blog\u2019s topic. Images also allow the site to rank in image searches. Upload high-quality images with keyword-rich titles and file names. Avoid adding overly-large images, as they can bog down your site\u2019s loading speed (see our blog: Why Page Speed Matters.<\/a> The meta description is a 160-character summary of the blog that can display below the headline on the search engine results page. The meta description can be a huge factor in a reader\u2019s decision to click through to your blog from the search engine results page. Like blog titles, meta descriptions are a chance to pique the reader\u2019s curiosity and promise something worth clicking for. Meta descriptions that exceed 160 words will be cut off, so be sure to include the good stuff in the first 160. Spelling and grammar checkers have come a long way, but they’re still not perfect! Take time to proofread your blog before posting it. Poor spelling and grammar will stop some readers in their tracks. Few people will share an error-ridden blog with their friends, let alone peruse the rest of the site. Proofreading keeps readers on the page and preserves your credibility.First, give the blog a once-over yourself. Then, pass it to a colleague for a second look. If no one’s available to help, a free proofreading tool like Grammarly<\/a> or Hemingway Editor<\/a> beats no proofreading at all.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy Blog Keywords Matter for SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to Optimize for Keywords<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n2. Length<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy Blog Length Matters for SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nOptimizing Length for SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n3. Readability<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy Readability Matters for SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to Optimize Blog Readability<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n4. Title<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nWhy Blog Titles Matter for SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to Optimize Blog Titles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n5. Call to Action<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy a Call to Action Matters for SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to Optimize Call to Action<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n6. Internal and External Links<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy Internal and External Linking Matters for SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to Optimize Links<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n7. Anchor Text<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy Anchor Text Matters for SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to Optimize Anchor Text<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n8. Images<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy Images Are Good for SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nOptimizing Images for SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n9. Meta Description<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy Meta Descriptions Matter for SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to Optimize Meta Descriptions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n10. Proofreading<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy Spelling and Grammar Matters for SEO<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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