Optimizing Blog Posts for SEO

DIY Sprocket Solutions

Content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) both have the opportunity to be intertwined with one another. SEO is when you optimize your web pages in a way that they become more visible to people who are searching for keywords associated with your business, products, or services on search engines. When we consider content marketing in terms of SEO, we are talking about utilizing your blog posts to make them most relevant to search engines and to your customers.

So, what is the secret? There is no secret. There are a few great techniques to keep in mind though.

1. Don’t overuse keywords – you are not trying to cram as many keywords as possible in one blog article to show up in the most searches. Search engines are smarter than you may think. Don’t keyword stuff your post just to gain a higher search ranking. Use one or two keywords that you are actually focusing on. This is genuine to your customer and readers. The best content is natural and relevant. You are the expert in your field and you are sharing that knowledge.
2. Use keywords in the right places – be sure to include these relevant keywords in your headlines, the body of your text, in the URL and in the description that populates when sending out a post. Remember that the title of your post is the first impression to whether or not that content is relevant. The closer to the beginning of your headline, the better. This is how Google’s results work. When mentioning keywords in the body of your post, use them consistently (and naturally) throughout.
3. Use images with alt text – optimizing your images with alt text is a great way to boost SEO. Blog posts should have images that catch the reader’s eye and help to explain your content. Search engines are looking for the alt text. This type of text can be added to the image tag in HTML. Adding keywords in here goes a long way to help search ranking. It’s not a step to overlook.
4. Internal Links – when you can, link internally. When you’re consistently writing relevant content, you have relevant content to link back to. Use what you have! Using internal links back to your own content will show search engines that your content is consistent and relevant. You become an expert source with your own growing content.

Optimizing your blog posts for SEO is no secret. The key is being genuine. Write about what you know about –about what’s relevant to your brand and your field. Your readers are following you because they are looking for your insight and expertise. The great thing about content marketing is that you get to optimize searches for your business while writing about information that’s pertinent to your brand.

What is most important when preparing your blog for SEO? Is it necessary to your brand to maximize your SEO? What do you think? Comment below!

Breanne BannonBreanne Bannon

Breanne is a Content Writer, Social Media Marketeer, and Sales Associate for Sprocket Websites.

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