By using the right SEO keywords in the right places and adding some important features to your site and blog posts, you can increase your traffic and grow your reach exponentially!
You may find that a few points within this post convey similar ideas, but just know repetition is key for SEO. It’s such a “foreign language” to people, so it’s best to reiterate in various ways to get it to stick.
So, here are our top 11 tips for a great SEO strategy that will begin to grow your organic blog traffic.
1. Don’t assume, research!
Keywords are the most important aspect of an SEO strategy. Anytime you hear “SEO” the next word out of the blogger’s mouth is almost always “keywords.”
However, what many people don’t tell you is that keywords don’t matter unless they are actually targeting the right topic and people.
Just because a keyword applies to your blog doesn’t mean that it is the most effective one you can use.
The problem with general terms like “blogging” is that you have to compete with every other blogger who uses that term (aka LOTS of people)!
The best keywords are called long-tail keywords.
Long-tail keywords = 3-4 HYPER-SPECIFIC phrases.
You can find the right SEO keywords to drive traffic to your blog by thinking about what someone who reads the post would search for.
Don’t just think, “what search terms will get this post found,” but rather “what kind of search words would someone who wants to read this post type in?”
You want more readers that will actually get value from your blog. You also want fewer people to be disappointed when they arrive because it doesn’t fit what they need.
To help with your research, you can use Google for some insight on what your intended audience is searching for.
Some steps you can try:
- Start typing a topic and see how Google finishes it
- Scroll down to the bottom of a search result page and see what the “related searches” are like
- Visit Google Trends and research what people are looking for more often
- Take a look at your own stats page and see what terms people have used to find your blog
The effort you put into SEO will be worth it when you see an increase in traffic to your blog. Trust us!
2. Put your keywords where they belong
The 5 most important places for keywords are as follows:
- Title tag
- Meta description
- Content of page
- URL
- Image alt text
WordPress produces an automatic URL based on your post title, but if you need to change it to match your keywords, you can change the permalink/slug.
The meta description is the little blurb that shows up under the URL and title on the results page of a search engine. Optimize these for keywords through the Yoast plugin on WordPress.
3. Stand out from the crowd with clickable headlines
The best headlines are the ones that are direct, simple, relatable, AND stir up some kind of EMOTION.
Use your keywords in your headline and promise to teach the reader something (as long as you can deliver!).
Ex. 5 Ways To Spice Up Your Grandmother’s Cookie Recipe – this relates to a human that they might have an emotional connection with and make them want to read.
Be sure to remember your word choice matters.
For example, when you say “The Best _____ To _____,” the expectation behind the word “best” is that it’s comparing the two things.
When people search for the best of something, they are likely trying to compare products or services to see which one is better. Therefore, make sure your post isn’t one-sided about what only you think is best.
An additional word you have to be conscious of when you use it is “Proven.”
If you’re going to mention that in the title, you better be able to back it up with stats.
Finally, if you’re going to have “Easy” in your headline, think about including a quick step-by-step guide on how to do exactly what you’re saying. That will make it truly easy.
4. Make sure to hook the reader
Once someone clicks on your post, you must hook them with your content to get them to read it all the way.
One way to do this is to start your intro with one of these options:
- Ask a question
- Show statistical results
- Make a comparison
- Identify a debate
- Clearly explain a situation
- Describe the current problem
- Quote an expert or authority
- Cite a typical example
5. Locate yourself
If you can add a location to your blog, do it!
Having a location tag helps expand your reach even more by putting you in more categories.
This tip also works as a social media technique. It helps get more people to see your post.
6. Make your images say “pick me!”
Search engines pick up and display images with alt tags.
When you upload an image into WordPress, it should have the option to add an alt tag and description.
Use your handy-dandy keywords here as well.
When you add a good alt tag, it’s like telling Google, “Pick me! Pick me!”
7. Link it up
Internal linking is another way to boost your site SEO.
Internal linking = inserting links to another of your posts or pages within your site.
This not only helps visitors navigate your site, but it also helps search engine “crawlers” understand your site structure and access many different pages.
Plus, it can bring new attention to older content!
8. Get help from other bloggers
Backlinking = external links to your site from a different site
Backlinking vouches for your content and gives your site credibility, which helps search engines place you higher on the results page.
The more people you have linking to your site, the better the SEO.
However, getting backlinks takes work and requires you to form connections with other bloggers.
Get to know other people in your niche and collaborate with them. Link to their posts and pages, and they may return the favor.
9. Plug it in
Yoast SEO Plugin and Google Analytics are essential for an SEO strategy.
Yoast tracks keywords, tells you the readability of your post, gives SEO advice, and much more.
Plus, both plugins help with analytics that you can use to fine-tune your strategy, which leads to the next tip.
10. Stay flexible
Listen to your plugin data and adapt your strategy to reflect feedback.
If something isn’t working after a month or two, drop it and try something else!
Nothing is final.
Even if you’re doing the thing that EVERY blogger out there says works for them, if it doesn’t work for you, it doesn’t matter!
Find what works for your site and your audience and stick to that. It will take some trial and error to get there, but you’ll figure it out.
11. Don’t get greedy
Don’t be #fakenews.
In all seriousness, please don’t use clickbait headlines and then not actually deliver on what your title promised.
Do NOT use keywords that are popular but don’t actually apply to your site.
Also, don’t “keyword stuff” your site by adding hundreds of random keywords in the back.
Besides being generally annoying to the reader, these strategies can also get you blacklisted by search engines—defeating the purpose of SEO!
The point of SEO is to help people who want to read your site find it, not to get random clicks.
Overall, just be the blog you want to read. The one you would click on in a results page.
These are the top 11 tips that work for us.
I recommend trying all of these tips and then adapting your strategy to work with the analytics of your site and the specific tendencies of your audience.
It might take time, but don’t worry. Your blog is guaranteed to get the traffic it deserves with a great SEO strategy!
If you don’t want to go about it on your own, check out this list and choose the best SEO agency to help you get started.
Additional articles you might be interested in:
- 5 Things You Need To Know About SEO
- 6 Common Mistakes Blocking Your Blog Traffic (And How To Get It Right)
- How To Accelerate Your Online Marketing Campaign With SEO Content
- 5 Proven Steps That Will Increase Your Organic Search Traffic In 2020
- How To Discover And Engage Your Target Audience
- 5 Simple Ways To Get On The First Page Of Google
- How To Write Irresistibly Clickable Headlines
- How To Get People To Notice Your Digital Content
- The Best Free Apps For Editing Instagram Photos
- How To Position Yourself As A Trustworthy Expert Online
- How To Build Strategic And Loyal Business Relationships
- 5 Tips On Making Great Business Connections
- How To Find Your Niche In Blogging
- How To Analyze Your Online Marketing With Google Analytics
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