I’m going to start with blog headlines, because the headline (or title) is where your main keywords should be. Blog posts must be written with SEO and keywords in mind so that they can be found on internet search engines. Using well placed keywords within the headline, content and meta description will make your blogs rank higher.
We want catchy headlines and meta descriptions enticing Google users to click on your blog posts. Then we need to provide valuable content within the blog so that your visitors will want to continue reading.
We’ll be going through these 3 simple steps in order to SEO your blogs.
- How to use the Headline Analyzer
- Creating killer blog content
- How to use Yoast for SEO and meta tags
Do you desire to ‘SEO up your blog posts’ in order to rank higher than your business rivals? If so then read on and I’ll show you step by step how to achieve this. We are going to begin with the Headline Analyzer build into the WordPress blog. It’s very useful and furthermore, no plugins or websites are required.
What is the SEO headline analyser used for?
Many marketing experts will say the headline is the most important part of the blog post. WordPress comes with a free facility to blog as well as a free clever tool called a Headline Analyser. I’ve just finished making this video explaining how to use it to write killer headlines within minutes. Before starting the blog post, try getting the heading right first. Type in “SEO your blogs” then click save draft.
Notice your H score in the top right hand of the screen jump from 0 to 39 out of 100. 39 isn’t a very good score for a headline, so let’s add the words “How to” at the beginning and “to beat your competitors” at the end. Therefore the headline now reads “How To SEO Your Blogs To Beat Your Competitors”, then click save draft again.
Now you will see the H score climb to 90 because we’ve added some power words to the headline. 90 is an excellent H score to have, so I’ll decide to use this blog’s headline title.
How to write great blog content
Once the title aka headline has been accomplished, I then choose the best keywords in the title. In this example the best keywords (or key phrase) would be “SEO your blogs”. If writing a 1000 word blog, mention the exact key phrase at least four times throughout the article. It is also good practice to mention it within the 1st or 2nd paragraph.
Start by writing your blog in a Word document and then copy & paste it onto your blog post. It’s best to do this procedure because Word has a spell checker. This ensures that your post is free from grammar or spelling mistakes.
Blogs which get straight to the point and solve problems tend to perform best because they give value. Including relevant images or video will make you look more credible and professional too, when done correctly.
Make your posts easy to read by keeping your sentences under 20 words in length. When a sentence looks too lengthy, highlight it to see the word count of the sentence. You can then shorten it accordingly to keep with the 20 word range.
Let’s SEO your blogs up with Yoast
Once you have completed your 1000 worded article, copy & paste it into your blog post. Yoast will then score your article automatically so that you can effortlessly alter the wording of the article accordingly. Then add a few optimised images and perhaps a video, song or infographic to bring your article to life. The type of additional content does of course depend on your topic, your audience, what you’re trying to achieve etc. Yoast also tells you to add alt tags to images should you forget them when coming to SEO your blogs.
SEO meta titles and descriptions
There are so many web designers out there today who don’t bother with mega tags. I know it sounds crazy but it’s true. The Yoast plugin makes the task of writing meta tags an absolute doddle. It’s free with the option to purchase a licence,although the free version is ideal for these SEO steps. Yoast also checks your content’s Flesch score, which determines how easy or difficult your article is to read for teenagers. Other added benefits include passive voice, correct use of transitional words and the length of your sentences. It is better to keep your sentences under 20 words long for ease of reading. All these little things combined go hand in hand to boost SEO ranking for your blog posts and web pages.
Once the images etc have been added in the correct places on your post, you can check the SEO progress. Yoast will display a list of SEO and readability tasks required to highly rank your work above your competitors. Depending on the subject or purpose of the blog, you won’t always make all the traffic lights green. Don’t worry if you have the odd stubborn orange light, but do make them turn green if you can. You can then go ahead and publish your blog posts and share it on social media. Doing this regularly and consistently will establish your position within your niche. The more killer content you post, the higher your website will rank.
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