The problem with SEO strategies is that SEO guidelines and specifics change so frequently that it’s difficult for bloggers to keep up. While this may hold true, that the best SEO strategies change from time to time, the overall effective SEO strategies for bloggers don’t change too much. Today I wanted to share the most effective SEO strategies for bloggers so that you can start ranking higher in search engines.
Effective SEO Strategies for Bloggers
Keep Readers on Your Page
One of the most effective SEO strategies for bloggers is to keep readers on their page longer. There are a few tricks to get readers to stay on your page longer and in turn create a better bounce rate that Google will see as a rank of importance in SEO terms. The best way to keep readers on your page for longer is to write in paragraph format, keeping each paragraph only 2-3 sentences, with shorter sentences and use sub-headers to get the attention of your readers. Lastly, if you have a lot of information to share then use bullet points with shorter sentences to keep readers engaged.
Use Popular Keywords
Not only does it matter how you format your blog posts to keep readers on your page more which in turn creates a better rank with Google, but you need to use popular keywords. Use a keyword research tool to find more long-tail keywords. The reason you need long-tail keywords is because it’s easier to rank within a specific niche than using a generic keyword like “blog”. Long-tail keywords are more specific and allow you to be indexed properly with a higher chance of showing up on the first page of Google. Think of a good phrase for your blog post focus and research good keywords using any of the keyword research tools or keyword planners available online.
Use the Keywords
Once you’ve established which long-tail keywords that you’ll use for your blog post, it’s time to use that keyword in your blog post. Include the keyword in your blog post title. Be sure to use subheadings and bold as well as italic on the keyword when you’re using it within the blog post as this will help tell the search engines to index your content using this specific keyword. Be sure to use the long-tail keyword in a way that flows naturally within your blog post at least 5-7 times. Once you’ve written your blog post using these keywords, be sure to update the meta description using a plugin like Yoast to ensure that the search engines include the proper description when indexing your keyword rich blog post.
These are all simple, yet effective SEO strategies for bloggers to use on a regular basis with all new content. These tips are simple, rarely ever change in the world of SEO guidelines and will help you to rank higher in search engine results once you implement these SEO strategies on a regular basis.
Thanks for this post Corinne! The session with you really helped and this post has helped cement it. I love your posts. There is so much to learn!
Whenever I think of SEO optimization, the natural flow of my writing gets affected. However, I think this needs to be done. Thanks for sharing.
Even though I’ve read about this so many times over the last few years, I’ve still not done it properly at my blog… need to rework a lot in that.
Roshan Radhakrishnan recently posted…The One Who Darkens the Room #WordlessWednesday
Thanks to your recommendation I have been using the Yoast plugin and it really helps. I’m not very good at focusing on SEO practices, but after writing the post I try to adhere to the principles to make the indicator at least stay in orange.
These are some simple and effective tips you have shared here, Corinne. Thank you! 🙂
Aah! This is one subject that totally flummoxes me. But I need to work on it and focus on keyword research tool too. Thanks for the useful insights and suggestions.
Thanks for this post, Corinne!
I will confess…I find SEO a really difficult thing to remember most of the times. I mean, remembering that I need to use keywords throughout my post in a natural way is something that often slips my mind! I will better write it down in my monthly scheduler that I need to focus on SEO. 🙂