When it comes to SEO, just the sheer number of terms can be daunting…there’s on-page SEO, off-page SEO, technical SEO…
Local SEO, mobile SEO….
Then there’s paid search and organic search…what does it all mean!?
If SEO overwhelms or confuses you, you’re not alone. But optimizing your site for search engines doesn’t have to be difficult.
There are a lot of easy SEO techniques that you can implement without fancy software or extensive tech knowledge. Here are our top SEO tips for optimizing your blog posts (and your overall site) for SEO success.
Simple SEO Tips for Blog Posts
1. High-quality content should be your number one priority
Content should be well-written and focus on topics that are relevant for your audience. Post should be a minimum of 350 words (and in many cases, longer is better).
2. Use relevant, long-tail keywords
Think key phrases, not keywords. Don’t overthink this! Imagine what your ideal client would be searching for, and be specific. Instead of “SEO consultant” try “business SEO consultant in Charlotte, North Carolina”.
3. Use your keyword or keyphrase in your title, H2s (header tags), and meta description
Using your keyword in all these places will help you rank for your focus keyword or keyphrase. H2’s are an SEO best practice as well as a UX best practice. H2s keep your content organized and tell Google and readers what your post is about.
4. Don’t overuse your keyword
Keyword stuffing is frowned upon, and it won’t actually get you better results. Just use your keyword as it would naturally fit into the post.
5. Use variations of your keyword
This goes hand-in-hand with writing great content and using your keyword naturally (vs making it sound awkward just to fit your exact keyphrase in 15 times). Yoast may not recognize it yet, but Google understands that “Charlotte SEO strategist” and “SEO strategist in Charlotte” are the same thing.
6. Add alt tags to your images
Alt text helps visually impaired users understand your image, and it’s also what search engines use to index them. Describe what is actually in the image and don’t try to stuff your keyword in there. If you can use it naturally, great!
7. Include internal and external links
Sprinkle a few internal links throughout your blog post and also at least one external link to another source. Internal links (to other content on your own site) reinforce the topic relevancy and show that you know what you’re talking about. Outbound links help other businesses and tell Google that you’re not spam.
8. Create a meta title and meta description for every post
Meta descriptions give Google and your readers a quick summary of your post, in about 150 characters. A title tag is an HTML element that specifies the title of a web page – it’s the first thing people see in the search results, so you want to make sure it’s clear and relevant. Use this free title tag checker tool to help you get it right.
Simple SEO Tips to Improve your Entire Site
Now that you have the tips to master blog post optimization, here are two bonus tips for overall site performance and better SEO.
9. Speed up your site
If your site takes more than a few seconds to load, visitors may bounce. This isn’t good for your audience and it isn’t good for Google. Run your site URL through PageSpeed Insights to get a quick, free analysis.
10. Optimize your site for mobile
We’re always on our phones these days, which is why search engines emphasize mobile-friendly design. All website design projects at Carolina SEO are built with that in mind, so you can rest assured your site will look great on iPhone, Android, Windows phones, and tablets.
Want to increase conversions from your blog posts, website, and email marketing? Read our tips for writing a killer call to action.
