When it comes to writing blogs for SEO, it isn’t as simple as it may seem. There are lots of different things to consider as SEO writing relies on various factors, from the length of a blog post to using keywords and backlinking.
Digital Briefcase has a lot of experience in the SEO arena, so we’ve put together some blog writing tips for SEO to help you and your website out.
How Long Should a Blog Post Be?
The length of blog posts can differ quite drastically depending on what you are writing about. A blog post should never be less than 300 words. These pages are considered ‘thin’ content by Google and, as a result, won’t rank well.
Different sources across the internet state the ideal length for blog posts. Some say between 600-800 words is a good length for SEO-friendly blogs, while others claim that posts should be between 1500 and 2500 words. And you likely won’t find a post longer than 6000 words.
Your best bet when determining the length of your blog post is by analysing the competitors for your chosen keyword. You can use a tool like SEO Quake to check the length of a page. Once you figure out the average length of the top three blogs, you’ll have a good idea of the length yours should be.
Heading Structure
One of the biggest mistakes we see when analysing blogs is the poor heading structure.
Ideally, you should only have one Heading 1 (also known as H1). Google recognises this as the title, and having more than one confuses the bots.
When blogging for SEO success, you need to make sure your headings decrease incrementally. You don’t want to skip from an H2 to an H6. Structuring your subheadings logically will make it easy for Google to understand.
Short and Sweet
When reading online, nobody wants to see lengthy paragraphs. Even a ‘short’ paragraph on a desktop looks endless on mobile devices. Keep things short and concise. Your sentences should never be longer than two lines long, and you should try to keep paragraphs between 3 and 4 lines.
Use Keywords
When it comes to writing blogs for SEO, keywords are one of the most important things to consider.
Before writing, you should conduct keyword research on your target keyword.
You should use your exact main keyword in your title as well as in the first paragraph. Then depending on the length of your blog post, you should use it at least two more times in the text.
You should also use secondary keywords. For example, if your target keyword is Orchid Plant Care, you should use secondary keywords like Caring for an Orchid and Orchid Care in subheadings and the text.
But don’t pack keywords into every sentence. This is known as keyword stuffing, and Google doesn’t like it.
Links
As a general rule, when writing an SEO article, you should have at least two internal links (leading to other pages on your site) and at least one external link (leading to another website). Make sure to link relevant pages that will be useful to your reader.
With internal links, if you’ve got another post that’s similar to your current article, link to it. And keep in mind the anchor text for internal links. This is a great place to link out on a keyword for the other article. (If the article is on Homemade Plant Food, you’ll want to link out on something relevant like ‘make your own plant food’).
With external links, you’ll want to make sure you don’t link out to competing pages. Avoid sending users to pages that write about similar topics to you. Rather link to something different but also useful. You’ll want to avoid linking out on any of your target keywords with external links.
Final Thoughts on SEO writing guidelines
Using blogs for SEO purposes is excellent for your website. It helps your ranking, adds content to your site, and attracts users. But without the proper techniques, you’re missing out on increasing traffic to your site.
If you’re looking for SEO expertise, don’t hesitate to contact us about our SEO services.