If you’re trying to massively increase organic traffic to your site, you’re in the right place!
We’ve compiled a complete list of best practices we do when optimizing a page into our SEO checklist, and you can download it right here for free. If properly executed, it will improve the visibility and search rank of your blog posts.
Let’s get started!
1. Target Keywords
First, research the most frequently asked questions in your industry.
Based on this research, create long-tail keywords, which are keywords with three or more words.
For example, a digital marketing company can choose SEO for small business as a topic. The following are possible long-tail keywords for this topic:
- SEO for small business
- SEO services for local business
- SEO Tips for Small Business
- Why is SEO Important for small business
You can choose as many long-tail keywords as possible.
Next, analyze these long-tail keywords on Search Engine Results Pages.
To do this, type your long-tail keywords into Google and keep an eye on both search results and autofill feature.
This will provide suggestions for other long-tail keywords that you could use.
Finally, take the list of long-tail keywords that you have compiled and use a keyword search tool to analyze them.
There are many keyword search tools that you can use. Some of the widely used are:
When you use one of these, you will know a keyword's average monthly search volume, competitiveness, and other related keywords.
2. A Captivating Content
After keyword research, you should have an idea of which keywords perform better than the rest.
To optimize your post for the google search, you should structure your post around this keyword.
Focus on:
- Content Quality
Put more effort into writing engaging and well-described content because this will keep your visitors longer on the website. Impress them with well-crafted and valuable information.
- Research and Data
Readers come to your website to know more and increase their knowledge on the topic.
Your unique and valuable content, which is also validated with shareable statistics, will help you gain their trust.
- Keyword and Content Optimization
Your title must include the keyword and have a call to action.
For better optimization, keep your title limited to 65 characters. Outline your article with relevant keywords and use headings to structure.
For images, describe them with image alt text and put in relevant keywords there too.
- CTAs and Conversion Optimization
When visitors read your entire post, they are absolutely interested. Capitalize on this and add CTAs to convert visitors into customers.
Keep a keen eye on the length of the content. Is the length appropriate for your readers, and does it completely convey the message you want to tell them?
- Your Post's Unique URL
Your post URL is one of the first things search engines read from a page.
Remember, every post lives on its own and has a unique URL. So, create a unique URL, and don't forget to include your keyword in the URL.
3. Meta Description
When your post appears in the top search section, people will look for clues on what your post is about.
The purpose of meta description is to give the search engine and readers context about your post. It is a short description right below the title tag on the search engine page.
Here are some ways to help Google determine your meta description as helpful and relevant:
Try to sum up the meta description within 300 characters and top it off with relevant keywords.
Google may sometimes not choose your meta description to appear in the search box but may show other information it feels is useful for visitors.
4. Don't Use too Many Topic Tags
Topic tags are used to categorize your blog, making it easier for visitors to find similar articles in one category space.
But having too many similar tags may get you penalized by Google for having duplicate content, which can harm your rankings.
You can add relevant topic tags, but don’t overdo it.
5. Content Distribution
Congrats! You have created a perfect post that could give you the boost you were looking for, but the work is not over yet.
There is another equally important step to get that increase in your audience. You have to successfully distribute your content to your first batch of audiences.
Search engines want to know that your content was already read by people who found it helpful before recommending it to others with high ranking.
There are various methods to distribute your blog and market it from your side before the search engine does it for you.
Organic Distribution:
- Engage with your audience via email newsletter, telling them about your new post through your newsletter.
- Share your content on social media and engage others in and out of the organization to do the same.
- If you have contact with other bloggers who can share your content, request them to do so. And, you return the favor when they post something exciting.
Paid Amplification:
- You can target your keyword for paid search so that search engines can put it up on the search box every time someone comes looking for this content.
- Ads on social media are another way to increase reach and web traffic.
Conclusion
SEO is an ongoing process, and it would be difficult to sum it up in a few tips.
But, doing what we’ve said above will definitely help you rank high in search engines.
You don't have to be an optimization expert to drive a large inflow of visitors to your site. You just have to implement best SEO practices effectively.
As promised, we have also included an SEO Checklist template. Have it handy and walk through it step-by-step to see your website rank higher and attract more traffic and leads.
You can download it below!
Some other SEO Checklists that you can check out are:
