Blogging for SEO Fun and Profit: How to Write a Blog Post for SEO

Once you’ve optimized your website for basic SEO (i.e., #1 having keyword-focused landing pages, #2 having an SEO-friendly home page with one click links to your landing page, and #3 having a keyword-heavy short footer), it’s time to blog!
In this video, we’ll dive into the reasons for blogging and explain some of the elements of strong blogging for SEO. Let’s get started!

• Watch the Video
• Links and Resources (scroll down below the video)

Watch the Video

Why Blog for SEO?

First, let’s step back and consider why blogging is so great for SEO purposes. Here are the three primary reasons you need to blog for SEO –

1. A blog sends a “freshness signal” to Google. Google clearly rewards websites with NEW content, and each blog post sends an “I’m alive” signal to Google. It’s important not only to write blog posts but to have one-click links to the new blog posts from your Home Page.
2. A blog allows you to create “micro” content. While your landing pages, should be your BIG keyword phrases (high volume / high value), you can blog on any tiny esoteric content you want, so you can use your blog posts to rank for your micro topics or short tails (vs. using your home page and your landing pages to rank for your major keyword phrases).
3. Blog posts allow you to link “up” to your landing pages, and thereby support them. Again, this is a freshness signal, supporting your major landing pages (similar to the general freshness purpose of blogging).

Finally, be sure to distinguish between the SEO purposes of blogging and the social media purposes of blogging. They’re not mutually exclusive but I’d recommend you determine – in advance – is this a blog post that’s largely for SEO, or one for social media?

Writing an SEO-friendly Blog Post

If possible, I recommend you set up your blog on your own website domain, and if possible, use the WordPress platform and Yoast SEO plugin. Those are the basic tools you need to write a strong SEO-friendly, keyword-heavy blog post. Here are your steps –

1. Identify a Keyword Target. In general, the best keyword targets for SEO-friendly blogging are “micro” or “long tail” keyword queries that relate “up” to your target landing pages. We’ll use the example of Commuter Cleaners (a specialty dry cleaning and home pickup and delivery laundry service in Stamford, CT), specifically a post on Specialty Dry Cleaning.
   1. Use Google Auto complete and related searches, Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest.io, and other keyword tools (including your own God-given brain) to identify the keyword target and related keywords.  Also pay attention to what ranks on relevant Google searches, and why. Thus, we’ll find specialty dry cleaning, dry cleaners, best, top, top-rated plus the cities Stamford and Greenwich.
2. Write the SEO-friendly blog post, starting with the key HTML / SEO Page Tags, namely –
   1. Title Tag – < 59 visible characters, < 80 total. Write a pithy, fun TITLE Tag!
   2. Meta Description Tag – < 155 characters. Write a pithy, fun META Description Tag!
   3. Header tags
   4. A HREF / cross-links. Be sure to link “up” to the specific landing pages that are related to your post!
   5. IMG ALT
3. Write your content in such a way that it is heavier than normal prose, but not so heavy as it destroys the readability of your content. Hit themes that make sense vis-a-vis the blog post and your target customers.
4. If possible, have a desired action, such as a “free consultation” or something.

Promote Your Blog Post

Once it’s written, promote your blog post, namely –

• Make sure that it’s one-click from the Home Page. This “freshens” the Home Page, and allows the “link juice” of the Home Page to help Google discover the blog post quickly.
• Submit your blog post to Webmaster Tools using the Fetch command. Again, this helps Google discover it.  (To learn more about Google Webmaster Tools (Search Console), including the Fetch command, watch this video.)
• Share it on social media sites such as your Twitter, Facebook, Google+.
• If possible, build links to your blog post (especially if it’s a good one), and/or feature your blog post in a Press Release as on PRLog.org or PRWeb.com.