By Meaghan Alvarado, SEO Expert, Digital Strategist
Blog articles are a vital component to your internet marketing strategy and can help improve your Google rankings. A great blog article aligns with your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy and creates a “micro” moment on your website that encourages current and prospective customers to take action. This action could be to read an article, contact you, make a purchase or watch a video.
Writing a great blog post that includes SEO and micro moments is like driving. You can study the rules of the road, but you won’t get any benefits from studying or dreaming until you hit the pavement.
5 steps to writing an SEO friendly blog article:
Step 1 – Planning
The entire process of writing a blog post often takes more than a couple of hours, even if you type 90 words a minute and your writing skills are at the top of their game. From concept to publishing, you might spend a day or even a week “writing” a blog post. It’s important to spend those hours planning your post and thinking about your post before you sit down to write.
Choose topics that align with your SEO strategy
Some posts will feel like a chore, especially when trying to align content with your SEO strategy. Remember, if consumers are searching your keyword strings online, they are looking for a solution. Be there with content that engages them. The more excited you can get about the topic, the more excited your readers will be when they’re reading it.
Write an outline for your post
It is always easier to get somewhere, when you know where you’re going. Take the time to create an outline for your blog post. First, decide the format for your post:
- Educational article
- Event announcement/media advisory
- Photo with description
- Question and answer
- Video with description
Sample outline:
- Introduction
- Section 1
- Section 2
- Section 3
- Wrap-up (call to action)
- Company overview with SEO keywords
Do your research
Sometimes, you might need to research statistics or consult online experts to develop content for your article. Be sure you use credible sources. Get to the source, rather than blogs, friends and local media. Site your sources.
Step 2 Headlines
Since content writing helps improve your Google rankings, it is important to write a headline that is something your current and prospective consumers might search for in the search engines. Headlines are like billboards, less is more. 7-10 words work well. Questions are very common and effective, as well as “top” and “best of” features. Most people are driving 100 mph on the worldwide web. You have to grab their attention.
Step 3 Writing
By writing content in one session, you can stay focused on the topic. It also prevents from having to restart the research phase. To start, write at least 2-3 paragraphs and work your way up to 500 words. Be sure to have your SEO keywords on a sheet in front of you. Use them as much as possible without affecting readability.
Step 4 Use Images Effectively
You should include a graphic with any written content posted on the web. Use in-house photography or license stock photos. The image can be placed at the top of the article or used to break up the text. Be sure to include your SEO keywords when you name the image.
Step 5 Get Ready to Publish
Be sure to have someone else review your work. If you don’t have someone else to help, print out your document and carefully proofread it before posting it online. When editing, cut down your sentences as much as possible. Less is more. Industry jargon should be avoided and you should always write in simple words (8th grade reading level). After you publish your content on your website, be sure to share it to your social media profiles.
Fresh and relevant content can help your business get picked over your competition locally and nationally on the search engines. If you follow these steps, the content you generate will engage your customers, and your Google rankings will improve.
Fisher Design, Advertising and Public Relations develops local, regional and national internet marketing campaigns for small to mid size businesses looking to stay competitive on the web. From custom website design to SEO copywriting to blogs on writing blogs, we make sure our clients always have fresh bait on their hooks.