10 proven Blog Writing Tips For SEO That Will Boost Your Traffic

Writing content for your blog can be incredibly rewarding and also creates valuable assets for your business. But if you don't follow the right SEO strategies, it can also be a huge waste of time and energy. So, to get the most out of each post, it's critical to know how to do SEO for a blog in order to boost traffic and engagement.

In this article, I’m sharing some essential blog writing tips for SEO that draw in organic search engine traffic and help build your audience. I’ll cover:

• Why SEO is so important for blog traffic

• Keyword research

• The focus of this article: blog writing tips for SEO

• 10 writing tips for SEO

• 3 fatal SEO mistakes to avoid

But before we get to the tips, let’s touch on the basics.

The Importance Of SEO For Blog Traffic

What is SEO, exactly? Search Engine Optimization (SEO), is the practice of optimizing your website content for search engines like Google so that more people will find it.

When done correctly, SEO helps boost organic traffic to your website and can help you get found in searches related to specific topics.

Just think about how often you use Google (or other search engines) when looking for information. That’s the power of SEO in action!

And the more people who find your content, the more potential leads you can attract to your website. So it's essential that you understand how to do SEO for a blog in order to maximize its reach and value.

The importance of SEO for successful blog posts cannot be overstated. Search engine optimization not only helps boost organic traffic, but it also helps you get found in searches related to specific topics.

Research has shown that 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine and 74% of users never scroll beyond the first page of search results – so it’s crucial to get your content to the top of those results.

• Resource: 62 Powerful Blog Optimization SEO Tips You Need To Get More Clients [A Step-By-Step Guide]

The Key To Successful SEO: Keyword Research

Before you even begin writing, it's essential to do keyword research.

That’s because it will:

• Help you understand how people are searching for and talking about your chosen topic

• Inform your content strategy so it resonates with your audience

• Help you craft an effective SEO strategy

• Guide your optimization for search

• Help your post perform well and get as high in the SERPs* ranking as possible

• Which will Increase organic traffic to your site and improve the visibility of your content

*SERP = search engine results page

You may wonder why you can't write the post and then find keywords to use. The answer is that by understanding the search terms and phrases your target audience actually uses, you can create content specifically tailored to their searches.

People use specific terms when they search for things, and unless you use those specific terms (or close to them), your content may never be found. But if the exact phrases people are searching for appear in your post? Then your article is much more likely to be shown in the search results.

Additionally, when you know exactly what people are searching for, you’re more likely to create content that satisfies their search intent. If you write first without knowing the keywords, your article might go in a completely different direction.

So, for the best SEO results, research your keywords before you begin writing.

The Focus Of This Article: Blog Writing Tips For SEO

It's important to understand the difference between blog post writing tips for SEO and on-page SEO tips.

On-page SEO is the process of optimizing blog posts or pages to ensure they can be found in searches. It includes many things including, keyword placement, meta descriptions, image alt tags, and much more.

Blog writing for SEO, on the other hand, focuses on creating content that meets the requirements of Google while also providing value to readers.

This article will focus primarily on blog writing tips for SEO – the strategies, tactics, and best practices that will help you write content optimized for search engine visibility while also helping to keep your audience engaged.

Ready? Let's get to it.

10 Blog Writing Tips For SEO

1. Write for humans, not Google

At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that Google is a machine and machines can only scan for words and phrases.

Yes, you need to write with SEO in mind, but first and foremost, your content should be written for your readers. This means focusing on readability, quality, and clarity of ideas. Your content needs to make sense and provide value to the people who read it.

If you write for a search engine, your content likely won’t make much sense and you risk alienating your readers.

Instead, you want to create content that is interesting, informative, and engaging. It should provide information your target audience is looking for, solve a problem, answer a question, or inspire them in some way.

Your goal is not only to get Google to show your post to potential readers but to get those readers to click through, read the whole post, and hopefully stay on your site looking at additional posts or pages.

So, focus on creating interesting, valuable content that your audience will appreciate, only using keywords in a natural way. That is the best way to ensure both satisfaction for your audience and visibility in search engine results.

2. Write specifically to your target audience

When crafting SEO-friendly blog posts, you need to keep in mind who you are writing for. Who specifically is your ideal audience and what do they need?

By understanding your target audience, you can craft content that speaks directly to them. This helps with relevancy and ensures that the people who are likely to be interested in your post will actually see it in their search results.

Think about the needs, wants, desires, and interests of your followers and create content tailored specifically for them. The more targeted you can make your content, the more search engine visibility you can gain, and the better your chances of ranking higher in SERPs ( search engine result pages).

If your content is too broad and general, it won’t be as relevant to the people you want to reach and therefore not as likely to get click-throughs. Or if it does, it's likely to be the wrong audience.

3. Solve a problem or answer a question

Writing content that solves a problem or answers a question is an incredibly effective form of SEO. When done right, it can help you rank higher in SERPs, attract more organic traffic, and engage readers for longer periods of time.

For starters, when you create content that addresses specific problems and provides solutions, people are more likely to share it. As your content spreads and links back to your website, you gain more visibility in Google results.

Plus, when potential readers click on your content, they should be able to quickly find what they’re looking for. If you can provide them with information that is relevant and useful, then they will remember you the next time they have a problem or question.

Overall, solving problems and answering questions helps build trust with your audience and strengthens your reputation as an authority in your field. This can ultimately lead to more followers, subscribers, and customers.

So, when you’re writing content for your business, make sure it tackles a specific problem or answers a question that your readers need help with.

4. Write scannable posts

These days, if you want readers to actually read your post, it has to be scannable.

The reality is that people don't typically read every word of a blog post (be honest - have you read every word of this one?). Instead, they scan for the information they need. So, make sure your content is easy to read and manage.

For example,

• Highlight key points with subheaders or bold text

• Break up long paragraphs into shorter ones and use subheadings to divide ideas and organize the content

• Use numbered or bulleted lists to make it easier for readers to quickly find what they’re looking for.

There are many ways to do this. Just keep scannability in your mind as you go and format your post accordingly.

By making your content scannable, you’ll make it easier for your audience to quickly find the information they’re looking for and will increase the chances that they will stick around and read more of what you have to offer. And maybe even decide to share your post.

5. Word count

It’s also important to write longer posts if you want to maximize your SEO potential. The more words you have, the more opportunity you have to use keywords naturally in your writing. But more importantly, longer content often means more valuable content, which Google rewards with higher rankings.

Research has found that the average length of a blog post ranking in the top 10 results for any given keyword is 1,890 words. While this doesn’t mean you always need to write posts this long, try to aim for more than 500 words, at the minimum.

The caveat here is to make your words count. Longer is only better if includes value. The more value you can offer your audience, the better chance you have of ranking higher.

6. Write engaging intros and conclusions

Your intro and conclusion are two of the most important elements of any blog post for SEO.

For starters, your intro sets the tone for your entire article. It should draw readers in and encourage them to keep reading. Make sure it succinctly answers the “what” and “why” behind your post so that they know what to expect.

Your conclusion should also leave readers feeling satisfied and encourage them to take some sort of action, whether that’s:

• Sharing your post on social media

• Subscribing to your newsletter

• Sending you an email

• Or visiting other pages on your website.

By taking the time to create engaging intros and conclusions for your blog posts, you're more likely to engage with your audience and have them stick around longer.

7. Keyword placement

Even though this article is mostly about writing tips, keyword placement is pretty important, so I'm including it here.

In general, it’s best to place your main keyword at the beginning of your post title and in the opening sentence or two of your intro. You should also include related keywords throughout the body and the main keyword at least once more near the end of your post.

Make sure to use keywords in a natural way. You want to create content that reads well and is enjoyable for your audience. But if you can work them into your post without compromising the quality of your writing, then it’s worth including them so Google knows what your post is about.

8. Break up the wall of text

The design of your blog also plays a role in SEO. When you include visuals, like images, videos, and infographics, in your posts it gives Google more content to crawl and index.

It also helps to break up the text so that readers can quickly find what they need.

In addition, interactive elements such as quizzes and polls can keep readers engaged and on your page longer, thus increasing the amount of time people spend on your site.

Overall, by taking steps to make your content more visually appealing, interactive, and easy to consume, you improve the user experience which will increase your SEO performance at the same time.

• Resource: Proven Blog Design Ideas (For Better Quality Content That Actually Works)

9. Spend time on your headline to increase click-throughs

Your headline is the first thing that readers see when they come across your post in search results. It should be compelling enough to grab their attention and make them want to click through.

In fact, research has found that headlines with the words “how to” and “tips” perform better because people are more likely to click on them if they think there’s something useful in them for them.

You should also consider the length of your headline. While longer headlines (up to 70 characters) can have more impact, they’re often truncated on search engine results pages, so keep that in mind when crafting yours.

A click-worthy headline is essential if you want people to read your post. And a lot of click-throughs signal Google that this is an article people want to read which will boost your ranking.

One caveat though - your content has to fulfill the promise of the headline. If people click away too quickly, that tells Google that people are disappointed and your rank will fall.

So take time to come up with a great headline and back it up with great content.

10. Consistency

Posting consistently is one of the most important blog writing tips for SEO as it helps to build trust with readers and search engine algorithms. You also want to make sure your content is well-structured and remains consistent across posts so that readers know what to expect when they visit your blog.

Posting regularly signals that you are actively engaging with your audience, and can help boost your rankings in search engine result pages (SERPs) over time.

When you post consistently, readers come to expect new content on a regular basis. They’ll be more likely to return if they know that you are providing them with fresh and valuable content on a consistent basis.

But you don't have to post every day - once every week or even every month can be enough to show your audience that you're actively producing content, as long as you stick to a regular schedule. Just stick with it and you'll see a difference in your SEO rankings over time.

3 Fatal SEO Mistakes To Avoid

Now that you know what to focus on when writing your blog posts, let's look at some things you definitely don't want to do.

These 3 mistakes are sure to damage your SEO efforts.

1. Neglecting SEO

A lot of people think SEO is too complicated or time-consuming and figure they'll deal with that later. But, optimizing for SEO every time - starting now, no matter how many posts you've written before - is essential for higher rankings and visibility.

Having great content won't help if readers can't find it. And a post that's not optimized is unlikely to get much traction. So taking the time to optimize each post for SEO, every time is really nonnegotiable.

Look at it this way. When your blog takes off and you start to enjoy the results of your hard work, how much sooner would that have happened if it had been SEO-optimized from the very start? How much farther along would you be? Wouldn’t you wish you’d started doing it from the beginning?

SEO is really not that complicated once you add it to your workflow. So, wherever you are in your blogging journey, start now and make sure to do it every time to give your content its best chance for success.

2. Keyword stuffing

Although keywords are important, you don’t want to stuff them in your posts just to get more search engine recognition.

Not only will this make your content sound robotic and unappealing to readers, but it also won’t do much for your SEO. Because keyword stuffing can actually lead to penalties from search engines and ruin your rankings instead of helping them.

Search engines are smart enough to recognize when content is written for readers and not just for rankings. And that's what they want so quality should always come first.

Focus on creating great content that your readers will enjoy and search engines can understand for better SEO performance.

3. Not adding a CTA to every post

Having a call to action (CTA) at the end of each post is essential. Not just for SEO, but also to drive engagement and get people into your sales funnel.

A CTA helps your SEO by encouraging readers to click through to other related posts on your blog and stay on your site longer. This signals to search engines that your content is valuable and should be ranked higher.

Plus, when you direct readers to other posts and pages, they’ll become more familiar with your brand and what you offer. And that can help move them further along their journey from interested readers to happy customers.

So don't forget to include a CTA at the end of every post so you can benefit from it on both fronts. And it shouldn't always be a sales pitch.

Your CTA can be anything, for example ...

• A link to a related post or article on your blog

• An invitation to join your email list

• The link to one of your free resources

• An invite to your upcoming workshop

Basically, whatever you want your readers to do next.

Bottom line - adding CTAs not only helps with SEO but also gives readers an incentive to stay and interact with you further which is key for increasing engagement and conversions.

Build Your Audience And Get More Traffic With These SEO Blog Writing Tips

These are just some of the blog writing tips for SEO that can help you boost traffic and increase your ranking in search engine result pages. By implementing these strategies into your blog posts, you can get more eyes on your content, build trust with readers, and improve your overall performance in SERPs

But remember, your goal is to create content that your readers will find engaging and valuable. That way, they'll learn to trust you and look to you for the answers they need and eventually even become a customer or client. But it only takes a little mindfulness to also make sure it's SEO friendly so it has the best chance of success.

Hopefully, this article has given you some insights into how to create SEO-friendly content that your readers love while also building your business.

But if you’d rather have someone else take care of this, take a look at my services here.