Google’s search results have become more interesting and varied. Instead of just links, you now see different types of information, like quick answers, pictures, and more. These different results are SERP features, which make online searches more interesting.
Several Google SERP features include Featured Snippets, Knowledge Panels, Rich Snippets, and People Also Ask. Each Google SERP feature has its unique purpose and benefits.
In today’s digital world, where being seen online is important, knowing how to fit your content into these special search results can make a big difference. Whether you want your content to be in a quick answer, local search, or something else, this post will teach you how.
What are SERP features?
SERP refers to the Search Engine Results Page. It is Google’s response to a user’s search query.
SERP features, however, are Google’s responses to search queries that go past the traditional “blue links.” This includes featured snippets, a knowledge panel, image packs, map packs, and video carousels.
Common Google SERP features
January 2014 marked the first time Google introduced SERP features, with ‘Featured Snippets’ and ‘People Also Ask’ appearing on desktop search results. Since then, it has grown to introduce many more.
Here’s what you need to know about the most common ones:
Featured Snippets
Featured snippets are excerpts of a website’s content displayed at the top of the results page in an attempt by Google to provide direct answers to a user’s query.
Knowledge Panels
According to Google, “Knowledge panels are information boxes that appear on Google when you search for entities (people, places, organizations, things) that are in the knowledge graph.” Knowledge panels provide users with a brief overview of information on a particular topic to assist them in quickly grasping the key points.
Rich Snippets
Simply put, rich results are visually enhanced search results. They are a type of search result that presents additional information from the page rather than a basic snippet that only includes the title, description, and URL.
People Also Ask
People Also Ask is a SERP feature displayed by Google that presents a list of related questions users have searched for after their initial query. It appears below the search results and aims to further address the information the user needs and provide additional context.
Local Pack
A Local pack, or the Google Map Pack or Snack Pack, is a prominent section in Google search results that showcases the top-ranking local listings for your search query or current location. It appears at the top of the search engine results page (SERP) when a user searches with local intent, such as “restaurants near me” or “best mechanics in Lagos.”
Video and Image Carousels
Video and image carousels are another type of SERP feature that displays a series of videos or images related to the search query. Depending on the relevance and type of content available, they can appear at various positions on the search results page.
Optimizing for SERP features might seem like something you can overlook, but here are some of the benefits you would be missing out on:
a. Increased Visibility
Visibility is key in the world of SEO, and attaining it is the goal of all SEO efforts. The following is how SERP features boost your visibility to searchers:
Prominent placement: SERP features occupy prime real estate on the search results page, often above traditional organic listings. This increased visibility makes your website more likely to be seen by potential customers.
Eye-catching formats: Features like video carousels, rich snippets, and knowledge panels stand out visually from the text-heavy results page, grabbing user attention and driving clicks.
b. Improved Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Your Click-through rate is an essential metric in SEO that often significantly impacts your ranking on result pages. Here’s how SERP features help improve that:
Direct answers: Features like featured snippets and knowledge panels provide instant answers to user queries, reducing the need to click through to your website. However, this can still increase brand awareness and potential future visits.
Enhanced user experience: Features like interactive maps and carousels offer a richer and more engaging experience, making users more likely to click and explore your content further.
Increased trust and credibility: Appearing in prominent SERP features like knowledge panels and rich snippets signals to users that your website is a reliable source of information, boosting their confidence to click.
SERP features significantly raise your chances of ranking higher by:
Optimizing for features: Following best practices for structured data, content formatting, and relevance can increase your chances of triggering SERP features for relevant keywords, indirectly improving your organic ranking.
Enhanced user engagement: Features like People Also Ask and interactive elements can increase dwell time on your website, which is a ranking factor considered by search engines.
Authority and relevance: Appearing in various SERP features can showcase your website’s expertise and relevance to specific topics, potentially influencing ranking algorithms in your favor.
d. Attract More Qualified Leads
SERP features also help you attract the leads your website needs. Here is how:
Targeted audience: Features like local packs and People Also Ask highlight your website to users actively searching for your products or services, increasing the likelihood of qualified leads.
Detailed information: Features like rich snippets and knowledge panels offer users a concise overview of your offerings, helping them make informed decisions about contacting you.
Brand recognition: Consistent presence in SERP features builds brand awareness and trust, making users more likely to choose you over competitors.
e. Increased Credibility
Searchers are more likely to click links they trust to answer their search query needs, and SERP features greatly increase your credibility with the following:
Google’s endorsement: Appearing in SERP features, especially knowledge panels and rich snippets, signifies Google’s recognition of your website as a reliable source of information, enhancing your credibility.
Transparency and trust: Features like People Also Ask and interactive elements encourage user engagement and address potential concerns, building trust and transparency.
Competition edge: Standing out from competitors through SERP features demonstrates your commitment to user experience and content quality, cementing your position as a trustworthy authority.
Optimizing your content for different Google SERP features
Here’s a breakdown of how to optimize your content for each SERP feature you mentioned:
This feature is a great way to get instant answers to search queries. Featured snippets are the easiest SERP feature to rank for. Here’s how you can do it:
Conciseness is vital: Aim for clear, concise answers to specific questions users might ask, ideally under 280 characters.
Structure matters: Use bullet points, numbered lists, or tables to make information understandable.
Target relevant keywords: Research and include relevant keywords in your content, focusing on those with high search volume and low competition.
Optimize for voice search: Use natural language and conversational tone for potential voice search triggers.
2. Knowledge Panels
This feature gives users a snapshot of the information they seek. Below is a guide on how to rank for it.
Claim your entity on Google: Verify your business or organization on Google Search Console and Google My Business, now Google Business Profile, to ensure accurate information appears in the panel.
Provide comprehensive information: Include detailed descriptions, contact information, website links, and high-quality images or logos.
Structure your website: Use schema markup to help Google understand your website’s structure and highlight relevant information.
Build backlinks: Increase your website’s authority and relevance by earning backlinks from high-quality websites.
3. Rich Snippets
Like meta descriptions, rich snippets tell the searcher more about that webpage. Here are a few tips to optimize your website for it:
Implement schema markup: Use structured data to explicitly tell Google what information you provide, like recipes, events, or products.
Focus on specific information: Highlight relevant details like ratings, prices, availability, or event dates.
Use high-quality visuals: Include compelling images or videos that accurately represent your content.
Optimize for mobile: Ensure your rich snippets display correctly on mobile devices, where most users search.
4. People Also Ask
Searchers are interested in pages that can answer their questions, even if it’s not the one they typed in the search bar. Here’s how to always be available to answer them:
Analyze existing questions: Look at the ‘People Also Ask’ section for your target keywords and identify frequently asked questions.
Integrate questions and answers: Address these questions within your content, either directly or in dedicated FAQ sections.
Use natural language: Employ conversational language and answer questions in a helpful and informative way.
Link to relevant pages: If your website has dedicated pages addressing specific questions, link to them within your content.
5. Local Pack
Do you want people to come to you? Optimize your business to show up on local packs. Here’s how:
Claim your GBP listing: Optimize your Google Business Profile listing with accurate information, high-quality photos, and positive reviews.
Target local keywords: Ensure your content and website title include keywords relevant to your location and target audience.
Encourage user engagement: Respond to reviews, answer questions on your listing, and keep your information updated.
Build local backlinks: Get backlinks from local websites and directories to improve your local SEO.
6. Video and Image Carousels
Are you tired of scrolling through hundreds of articles? So are your readers. Change the game by ranking high with a different type of content. Below is how:
Create high-quality visuals: Use engaging images and videos relevant to your target keywords and search intent.
Optimize file names and descriptions: Include relevant keywords in your file names and image alt text for better searchability.
Leverage YouTube and Google Images: Optimize your videos and images for these platforms using relevant tags and descriptions.
Embed videos and images in your content: Use videos and images strategically within your content to break up text and enhance user experience.
Optimizing your content for SERP features can help improve your website’s visibility and reach a wider audience.
Each search result is unique, and understanding how search results work is vital. You must adapt your content to fit these special results to succeed online. This helps you get noticed, provide helpful info to your audience, and achieve your online goals.
Start optimizing your content for the specific Google search features that matter to you. Keep an eye on what’s new in SEO, and be ready to tweak your content strategy when needed.
How many SERP features do you optimize your content for?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is constantly evolving; more information about how to rank on search engines, ranking factors, and more SEO experts are available, but despite this, one strategy that is often overlooked is internal linking.
While much attention is given to external links, internal linking is vital in enhancing your website’s visibility and user experience.
This blog post will explain the world of internal linking and show you some of the best practices and tips to effectively utilize internal linking for SEO.
What Is Internal Linking?
Internal linking for SEO is the practice of linking to other pages on your website. It assists users in navigating your website and locating the information they seek.
This practice also helps search engines understand your website’s navigational structure and the relationships between different pages.
When you link to important pages on your website from other pages, you tell search engines these pages are important, which can help to improve the rankings of these pages in SERPs.
b. Enhanced User Experience
Internal linking also contributes to a better user experience on your website.
Imagine being able to read related posts or be guided to a similar post with a single click.
With this, the dwell time for users will likely increase because they will spend more time engaging with your content if they can easily navigate to the pages they want.
The bounce rate for a website is the number of users who leave the site immediately after loading or viewing a single page.
If your bounce rate is high, it can mean that users are not finding what they are looking for on your website.
Internal linking can decrease the bounce rate by making it easier for users to find the additional information they seek and navigate to other pages on your website.
d. Better Indexing of Content
Bots, or web crawlers, are automated robotic systems search engines use to crawl and index web pages.
These bots follow links registered on your sitemap to find new pages.
Well-structured internal linking makes it easier for search engine bots to discover and index your website’s pages, increasing your website’s visibility in search results.
Best Practices for Internal Linking for SEO
Here are some practices I utilize when doing internal linking for SEO:
1. Choosing the Right Anchor Text
Anchor text is the visible text or word to which a link is attached.
Your choice of anchor text is important because it helps search engines understand the context of the linked page and the relationship between the referring and linked pages.
Here are some tips for choosing the right anchor text:
Use relevant and descriptive anchor text. Your anchor text should be relevant to the link page.
Avoid generic anchor texts like “click here” or “learn more.”
Use a variety of anchor texts. Avoid using the exact anchor text for multiple links.
Use long-tail anchor text.
Long-tail anchor text is more specific and descriptive than short-tail anchor text. For example, instead of linking to a page with the anchor text “click here,” you could use the anchor text “best practices for internal linking.”
2. Correct Placement of Internal Links
You can place internal links anywhere on a page, but they are most effective when placed in the body of the text because search engines give more weight to links placed in the body than links placed in the header, footer, or sidebar.
Here are some excellent places to place internal links:
In the body of the text, where they are relevant and contextual.
In the introduction and conclusion of a post or article.
In the image’s alt text.
In the captions of images and videos.
In the related posts section.
In the author’s bio.
Placing your internal links in the body of your texts indicates they are contextually relevant to your content and not just a random link.
You should link to the relevant pages on your website. Linking to irrelevant pages can confuse search engines and users.
When linking to internal pages, consider the following:
Link to pages that are relevant to the current page.
Link to pages that are important to your website.
Link to pages you want users to visit.
For example, if you are writing a blog post about “best practices for internal linking,” you could link to other blog posts on your website about topics related to linking, SEO best practices, and other points mentioned in your content (if you have a blog post relevant to them).
You could also link to your homepage and your contact page.
4. Linking from High-Traffic Pages
Linking from high-traffic pages can pass SEO authority to other pages on your website. This practice can improve the rankings of these pages in search results.
To identify your high-traffic pages, you can use Google Analytics. Once you have identified them, you can start linking from them to other pages on your website and even create sections in your high-traffic posts that deliberately link to other posts you want.
Here are some tips for linking from high-traffic pages:
Link to relevant pages.
Link to pages you want to promote.
Use a variety of anchor texts.
Avoid overlinking.
Avoid overlinking so Google and other search engines do not flag your content.
Remember to maintain a balance between internal and external links in each of your posts.
5. Avoiding Overuse
Avoid overuse of internal links, as search engines see this as spammy.
A good rule of thumb is to link to a page only if it is relevant to the page you are on.
6. Nofollow vs. Dofollow Links
There are two types of internal links: nofollow and dofollow.
Nofollow links tell the search engines not to follow or pass SEO authority to the linked page, while dofollow links tell search engines which linked page they should pass SEO authority to.
Use nofollow links for links you do not want search engines to follow, such as paid advertising or social media pages. Use dofollow links to direct visitors to important pages you want to index and rank.
7. Being Mobile-Friendly
When creating internal links, you should ensure the links are mobile-friendly.
The links should be easy to click on and navigate on mobile devices. You should also avoid using pop-ups or overlays for internal links, as these can be disruptive to users.
An XML sitemap is a file that lists all of your website’s pages. XML sitemaps can assist search engines in discovering and indexing the pages on your website.
You can use a plugin or an online tool to create an XML sitemap for the pages on your site. Once you have created your XML sitemap, submit it to Google Search Console.
The sitemaps help in validating your internal links.
9. Regular Auditing and Maintenance
It is important to regularly audit your internal linking structure to ensure it is still effective. This includes checking for broken links, orphan pages, and duplicate content.
Several link checker tools can help you audit your internal linking structure. Link checker tools can identify broken links, orphan pages, and duplicate content.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Internal linking for SEO is a powerful yet often underestimated strategy that can give your website the competitive edge it needs. When you link your pages, you optimize your website for search engines and enhance the overall user experience.
Regularly audit and update your internal linking strategy to adapt to new SEO updates and user preferences.
With the right approach to internal linking, you’ll see improvements in your website’s rankings and provide valuable, engaging content to your audience.
Are you looking to increase your click-through rates on your website? Do you feel your headline isn’t enough? Meta descriptions are the solution for you!
Some people may think writing meta descriptions for SEO is a useless and time-wasting task because Google often replaces manually written meta descriptions with automated ones generated from your content when presenting search results to users.
So why do you need to learn how to write meta descriptions?
Well, there is no such thing as too much SEO.
If you’re trying to build your online presence on search engines, you should be willing to exploit all avenues to increase your ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs) and direct more traffic to your website.
There have been constant updates in Google’s search technology, including how meta descriptions appear in different search queries; what happens when Google goes with your meta description instead of one generated from your content? You’re left with no meta description, significantly reducing your chances of searchers going to your website for answers to their queries.
If you are still interested in learning how to craft attractive meta descriptions for your website, this is your cue to stay and read on.
What Are Meta Descriptions?
Meta descriptions are summaries or snippets that provide insight into a web page’s content.
They typically appear in search engine results pages (SERPs) beneath the page’s title and URL. These meta descriptions give users a preview of what they can expect to find on the linked page and play a crucial role in attracting clicks from search engine users.
Do you still need clarification?
See that tiny body of text under the URL and title; that’s a meta description!
There are different benefits of having a meta description for your posts. Here are some reasons you need to have a meta description:
a. Improved search engine visibility
An engaging and relevant meta description can entice users to click on your link, increasing your click-through rate (CTR). Meta descriptions can include keywords related to your content.
Search engines often highlight these keywords in the search results, making your listing more attractive to users searching for specific terms.
Think of your meta descriptions as the welcome sign to your website, almost like a shop’s front door; people see them first on search engines, so make them catchy!
b. Increased click-through rate (CTR)
Click-through rate is one of the most important metrics to monitor, and an increase in this leads to more traffic for your website, which is the goal of any website. Meta descriptions are a great way to raise your click-through rate by grabbing your reader’s attention on SERPs.
c. Enhanced user experience
Meta descriptions help readers quickly assess whether your page has the information they want, improving the overall user experience. When users find your content relevant to their search query through an eye-catching meta description, they are more likely to stay on your page, reducing the bounce rate (the percentage of users who leave your site immediately after arriving).
What Makes a Great Meta Description?
a. Length and character limit
Like many other search engines, Google typically displays meta-descriptions between 150 and 160 characters, including spaces in search results. However, it’s important to note that search engines may truncate longer descriptions, so it’s best to aim for 155 characters.
b. Keyword placement
Include relevant keywords that users are likely to search for. Place important keywords toward the beginning of the meta-description, but avoid keyword stuffing, as it can negatively affect your SEO. Doing keyword research on platforms such as Ubersuggest may help when trying to put keywords into your meta descriptions.
c. Clarity and relevance
An excellent meta description is concise. It should provide a clear and brief summary of what the page is about, allowing users to understand its content quickly.
Avoid using technical jargon or industry-specific terms that might confuse users. Use language that the average person can easily comprehend.
Also, ensure the meta-description aligns with the user’s search intent. Your description should hint at informative content if a user seeks information. If they seek a product, emphasize its features and benefits.
Great meta descriptions strike a balance between clarity and relevance. Clarity ensures that users understand what the page is about, while relevance ensures they find the information or solutions they want.
d. Call to action (CTA)
A CTA provides clear instructions to the user on what to do next. It can guide them toward the desired action, whether clicking on the link, signing up, making a purchase, or any other action you want them to take on your website.
A well-crafted CTA can make your meta description more engaging and persuasive. It encourages users to interact with your content, increasing the likelihood of a click-through. Using words like “Now,” “Today,” or “Limited time offer” in your CTA can create a sense of urgency, motivating users to take immediate action.
Ensure your CTA is directly related to the content and purpose of the page. Misleading CTAs can lead to high bounce rates and damage your website’s credibility.
How to Write Meta Descriptions for SEO
a. Research your keyword.
Keyword research is the backbone of any SEO strategy. Researching what your readers are most likely to type in a search engine’s search bar using tools such as Ubersuggest, Google Trends, Google Search Console, AnswerThePublic, etc., is crucial to forming a good and attractive meta description.
Knowing what your readers will most likely want and putting it front and center for them to see in your meta description will increase your website’s traffic for that particular query.
However, it can be highly detrimental to include keywords unrelated to a potential user search query as they may interpret it as you do not have content on your website relevant to what they want.
b. Use action-oriented language (use active voice).
Using action-oriented language in an active voice is an excellent approach for meta descriptions. It can make your meta descriptions more interactive and encourage users to take whatever action your website wants them to.
When creating action-oriented meta descriptions in an active voice, focus on verbs and phrases that drive users to take specific actions.
Ensure the language aligns with the content and purpose of the linked page, and keep the descriptions concise within the character limit to maximize their impact on search engine results.
c. Evoke curiosity.
Although your meta description gives a brief insight into your website’s description, don’t forget that the primary goal of a meta description is to get the searcher to click on your URL and consume your content. Curiosity plays a role here.
Eliciting curiosity in your meta descriptions is a powerful strategy to entice users to click on your search results. When users are curious about what lies behind the link, they are more likely to click through to your page.
Here are some tips for crafting meta descriptions that evoke curiosity:
I. Make it a question format.
For example, “How do you write a meta description?” Or “Do you want to know the secret to financial success?”
ii. Give a hint of what the page entails.
Let your readers know what your page is about. For example, “Find out the simple hack to increase your website traffic” or “Discover the trick that will elevate your productivity.”
iii. Use captivating language.
Use descriptive and intriguing language that makes your readers want to know more. For example, “Explore the amazing world of ancient civilizations.”
iv. Emphasize the unusual or unique.
Try to capitalize on unexpected and unique things about your content. What makes your content stand out? Why should your readers click on your content and stay glued to it?
d. Avoid using clickbait.
It’s important to avoid using clickbait tactics in your meta-descriptions. Clickbait may initially attract clicks, but it often leads to a poor user experience and can damage your website’s credibility.
Here are some guidelines on how to create compelling meta-descriptions without using clickbait:
i. Be accurate and honest.
Ensure your meta description accurately represents the content of the linked page. Don’t promise something the page doesn’t deliver.
ii. Avoid exaggeration.
Refrain from using exaggerated or hyperbolic language that misrepresents the content. Maintain a realistic tone.
iii. Don’t mislead.
Avoid misleading users with false claims or sensational statements. Honesty is vital to building trust with your audience.
e. Do A/B testing for your meta descriptions.
A/B testing, or split testing, is an effective way to optimize your meta descriptions for improved click-through rates (CTR) and user engagement.
A/B testing for meta descriptions can help you adjust your messaging to better resonate with your target audience. It allows you to make data-driven decisions to improve user engagement and ultimately drive better results for your website.
A/B testing for meta-descriptions involves creating two or more variations of a meta-description for a specific web page and comparing their performance to determine which one is more effective regarding click-through rates (CTR) and other relevant metrics.
Meta Descriptions Templates
Here are some examples and templates of meta descriptions for different types of content:
– For a Blog Post
“Discover expert tips that work for improving your SEO strategy in our latest blog post.”
“Learn how to bake the perfect chocolate chip cookies just like your mum with our step-by-step guide.”
– For a Product Page
“Dazzle your friends, shop the latest collection of stylish sneakers for ultimate comfort and style.”
“Upgrade your home theater experience with our high-definition 4K TV deals that take viewing to a whole new level.”
– For an About Page
“Learn about our company’s mission to provide sustainable solutions for a greener future for future generations.”
“Meet our dedicated team of professionals committed to helping you achieve your success.”
– For an Event Page
“Join us for an unforgettable night of live music and entertainment at our annual event of the year.”
“Be the first to get your tickets now for the must-attend tech conference of the year.”
– For a Service Page
“Our professional plumbing services ensure your home’s water systems run smoothly.”
“Experience top-notch car detailing services for a showroom-worthy vehicle.”
– For an E-commerce Category Page
“Explore a wide range of our new outdoor gear for your next adventure in one place.”
“Find the perfect gifts for your loved ones on any occasion in our diverse gift ideas collection.”
You can edit and swap the above examples as needed for your website SEO, but remember to stick to the guidelines above.
Common Mistakes When Writing Meta Descriptions
a. Stuffing keywords
Website or blog managers stuff many relevant keywords into their meta description to appear relevant to the searchers’ query. The downside is that it may make your website seem spammy. Instead, use keywords naturally and create a meaningful description that entices users to click.
b. Duplicating meta descriptions
Each page on your website should have a unique meta-description. Using the same description for multiple pages can confuse search engines and users.
c. Ignoring character limits
Search engines typically display meta descriptions in search results with a specific character limit (usually around 150-160 characters).
If your meta description exceeds this limit, it will be trimmed, and users will see an incomplete or disjointed description, making your website appear unprofessional and less trustworthy.
On mobile devices, character limits are even more critical because screen space is limited. Ignoring character limits can lead to severe truncation issues on smaller screens, affecting the mobile user experience.
It’s crucial to adhere to character limits to ensure your meta descriptions are compelling and provide a positive user experience.
Keeping your descriptions concise, within the recommended limit, and well-structured will help you convey the most relevant information to users and improve your website’s performance in search engine results.
Writing compelling and eye-catching meta-descriptions is vital for anyone looking to boost their website’s visibility in search engine results and attract more organic traffic.
By avoiding common pitfalls such as stuffing keywords, duplicating meta descriptions, and ignoring character limits, you can create meta descriptions that entice searchers, improve your site’s click-through rates, and reduce bounce rates.
Remember that meta-descriptions are a technical SEO element and your virtual elevator pitch to potential visitors. Each click and visitor could turn into a customer or a client, so ensure you go all in with it.
And there’s no such thing as too much SEO, so go ahead and revisit your website’s meta descriptions, make the necessary improvements, and watch your click-through rates rise.
The power to boost your site’s visibility is in your hands. Seize the opportunity and make every meta description count!
How often do you optimize your meta descriptions for SEO?
If you want to know how to make money blogging this year, this post is for you.
When I started blogging in 2019, I had a truckload of passion and zero interest in monetization.
But, I started expecting more from blogging and knew I needed a good monetization strategy.
I got serious with blogging, took courses, and tried many things (including Google AdSense). In 2021, we made a little over ₦1,000,000/$1,230—an accomplishment considering we made ₦100,000/$123 the previous year (2020).
Fast forward to 2022, we made approximately $15,000+ (almost $16,000) organically!
If someone ever told you you couldn’t make money blogging, it’s either the person told you a lie or they’re doing something wrong.
You can’t make money overnight from your blog, but if you put the right strategy in place, you can achieve it.
In this post, I’ll come clean about how I made that much in a year and how you can too! It doesn’t matter your niche; you can even beat that!
Let’s go!
What you need to have before you can monetize your blog.
To make money blogging, you must have a clear niche with a defined target audience.
What is a niche?
A niche is a topic or area you will write on—for example, sustainable fashion, DIY baking, online side hustles, etc. It won’t be easy to monetize your blog if you are not clear on what you do and who your content is for.
You want a defined target audience for your topic or niche to attract the right people. While choosing a niche, research to see if there is enough audience to monetize. Conduct thorough keyword research to determine what topics people are searching for and how much competition exists.
Check to see if people are already creating content on that topic. Check if there are Facebook groups in that niche and if people are asking questions or searching for that particular topic. This will help you to know if there is already a demand for this niche. Be sure to select a niche you are interested in and passionate about, as it will make blogging much more enjoyable and sustainable long term.
A good content writing skill
You need good writing skills to create content that will attract your target audience. If your blog post is terrible, nobody will read it, and you won’t be able to grow a readership, and if you don’t grow your audience, you can’t make money blogging.
Learning how to create valuable and engaging content on a consistent schedule is essential. Focus on in-depth, well-researched content that provides true value for your readers. Content quality and consistency are vital in growing your audience.
Hence, it is crucial to improve your content writing skill. The only way to improve at writing is by writing and learning how to improve your writing. You can watch YouTube videos, read books, take classes, or pay for coaching. Whatever you do, make sure you get better at content writing.
It may take a while but remember that Rome was not built in a day. As you keep writing, you will get better at it.
A good traffic source
To monetize your blog, you need a good amount of traffic to your site. Optimize your blog for SEO to increase your website traffic. Research to find out what people are searching for in your niche and include relevant keywords and internal links between your posts.
You can also increase your traffic by promoting your blog on your social media pages and doing guest blogging.
An active email list
To monetize your blog, you need an active email list to build a deeper relationship with your audience. These people will most likely buy from you because you have created the know, like, trust factor with them.
To build an email list, you need to create a lead magnet that people will give you their email in exchange for it. It doesn’t have to be complicated; it can be a checklist, an ebook, a list, a video, etc. Think about something valuable to your audience and offer it for free. You can test different lead magnets to see which one works best. Promote your lead magnet on your blog so people can know about it.
A monetization game plan
There are several ways to make money blogging, including ads, affiliates, sponsors, digital products, consulting, and more. You need to choose a strategy that works for you and your audience. It is a good idea to start with just one or two plans, then expand as your traffic and audience grow.
A sponsored post is a social media or website post where you get paid by a brand or business to promote their products or services to your audience through your blog posts or social media posts.
b. How to make money with sponsored posts.
There are two ways to go about this:
i. Promotion only.
The brand or business brings you the post to promote, so you don’t have to do any work; you just post it.
ii. Content creation + promotion
You write the post yourself. Sometimes you may have to use the product or service before writing about your experience. Since you will be doing more work for this type of sponsored post, you can charge more for this.
If you have a good following on social media, you can even charge a higher price to promote it on your social media platform too.
c. How to get started with a sponsored post
i. Reasonable traffic
You will need a good amount of traffic to your website before reaching out to brands or small businesses to pitch them. Brands and small business owners are looking to reach a new audience, so you must show them that, one, you have their target audience, and two, you have a good amount of traffic coming to your site.
ii. Competition research
Research other people in your niche to see the people they work with; it will give you an idea of brands or businesses that pay and people you could likely work with. Write a list to see which one aligns with you, and research other brands like them, so you can have a comprehensive list of brands to reach out to get your first sponsored post-gig.
iii. Media Kit creation
Create a media kit to reach out to the brands to pitch what you do. You will use a media kit to introduce yourself, who you are, what you do, and your target audience. It also includes your audience demographic and your web traffic.
Send an email with your media kit pitching yourself to the brands you align with. The best place to start is by offering a free post for them. Or you can offer to do it at a smaller fee, that is if you are just starting. If not, you can include your rate in your media kit.
The idea of the free work is to impress them and then pitch paid work. The free work is meant to give you experience and data to work with so you can get feedback and position yourself for the paid sponsored post-gig.
Email a few brands because you might get plenty of nos and a few yeses. When you get a yes, you are on your way to making your first sponsored post.
And if you know someone who runs a business with the same target audience as you, you can offer to do it for them for free to get a review and then use that to pitch yourself to brands or small businesses.
2. Create and Sell Digital Products
a. What are digital products?
Digital products are intangible products or items delivered electronically or online, such as ebooks, digital planners, courses, music, software, etc.
b. Why digital products?
With digital products, you don’t need inventory or any overhead cost; the production cost is relatively low compared to physical products. They are easy to deliver, so you don’t have to worry about shipping and delivery. This way, you have a passive source of income.
c. 12 digital product ideas you can create
Here are some digital products you can create regardless of your niche:
i. Ebooks
Ebooks are books that are written and delivered online. You can write ebooks on different topics and for various purposes. It can be a recipe book, an ebook on “how to put your baby to sleep,” a resource book containing a list of things you used for your DIY project, a list of vendors they can purchase from, etc. The good thing about ebooks is that they are easy to make and deliver.
Research to see what niche-related topics people are interested in; you can check Amazon to see what is already available and read the good and bad reviews. The bad review will tell you what’s missing in the market. You can survey your audience to see what topics they are interested in, and if you had a blog post that did so well and got several questions or feedback on it, you could consider creating an ebook from it.
ii. Online courses
There is a prediction the online education market will reach US$ 350 Billion by 2025 due to the flexibility it provides learners. It means online courses are going nowhere soon, and there is an opportunity to tap into them. You can share your knowledge or skills in a course; this will let you explore the topic.
Whether you know how to bake, play the piano, do DIY decorations, plan a wedding, or paint, you can teach others something. Creating an online course involves some work and investment, but it can make you money if done right.
iii. Workshops or Masterclass
With workshops or masterclasses, you can teach one topic in a live class or prerecorded video, showing people how to do something step by step. For example, if you blog about baking, you can host a workshop to teach people how to bake and ice a chocolate cake using ingredients in your home. The topics are usually specific with one outcome. The good thing about it is that it is easier to create than an online course. You can host one live class and sell the replay when you are done. Make sure you choose a topic that interests your audience.
iv. Templates
You can create templates that make people’s lives easier so they don’t have to start from scratch. You can create templates for others using Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, Notion, Canva, etc. Examples include social media content templates, productivity templates on Notion, pricing sheets on Microsoft Excel, and website design templates; the list is endless. If you already have a template you use, you can sell it to others and make money, or you can create one from scratch to solve people’s problems.
v. Audiobook or Audio file
Audiobooks have increased lately; more people are listening to them. Like ebooks, you can create audiobooks or audio files on different topics. You can sell audiobooks, audio mini-courses, mediations, instructional audio, etc.
vi. Printables
Printables are digital products that can be printed for use—things like planners, journals, calendars, cards, etc. If you already have printables you use every day, you can turn them into a product, or you can create one that meets the needs of people. You can research marketplaces like Esty and Creative Marketplace, where they are sold, to see what people buy.
vii. Swipe files
A swipe file is a document that is a valuable asset for a particular goal. For example, copywriters have a swipe file of copies for inspiration or reference. If you have a swipe file you use for your work, you can sell that to others.
viii. Membership subscription or Paid community
A paid membership is where people pay monthly to be part of an exclusive community. One of the biggest benefits of having a membership is the recurring revenue.
Depending on your audience’s wants, you can offer different things in a membership. Some memberships are community-based; others include monthly tutorials and monthly coaching calls. Others have access to a library of video training; some get monthly templates, like social media templates, etc. The ideas are limitless; you can create a membership that solves a need of your audience.
To get started, you need to research what your audience is struggling with and how to solve that problem with your membership. For example, if you have a food blog and your audience needs new recipes every week, you can create a membership that delivers weekly recipes. You can also add other perks, like a Facebook community where you answer their questions, making your membership more valuable to your members.
You can also create a content-based membership where people pay to access content unavailable on your blog or social platform. The good part is that even with a small audience, you can launch a membership and profit from it.
ix. Software
You can offer software as a service (SAAS) if you know how to code. For example, Convert Kit is an email platform created by a blogger for other bloggers because, during his blogging career, he wanted an email platform designed for bloggers, so he made one. You can also create software that solves a problem even if you don’t have coding skills; you can get people to help you with it, although it may involve a huge investment.
x. Music
You can make music and sell it directly to others. Many people are creating content these days and need to include music in their content.
xi. Stock photos or Videos
So many creatives and business owners need stock photos and videos to create content. If you take photos for your blog or make videos yourself, you can consider selling them to others.
xii. Lightroom presets
If you already use Lightroom presets for your photos, you can sell them to others. Presets are like templates; they make photo editing easier.
d. What digital product should you create?
When choosing a digital product to create, think about your target audience’s problems or challenges and find a way to solve them with your digital product.
You want to research to see if there is demand for the product before you make it. The best way is to do a prelaunch to test if there is interest in it so you don’t waste time creating what nobody wants. Make sure you validate your ideas to see what sticks.
When choosing the type of digital product to create, consider what you want to share with your audience and the best format, whether it is an ebook, a course, a template, etc. And you can research to see the type of digital products they buy or are interested in.
If you have a food blog, you can make a recipe book and organize cooking workshops or masterclasses where you teach a specific recipe from start to finish. You can also create an online course to teach different recipes or help people go from novice to expert chef. The opportunities are endless. Ensure to choose a format that matches the outcome that your audience desires.
e. Tools you can use to create the digital products
Here are some tools you can use to create digital products:
i. Google Docs or Microsoft Word
You can use Google Docs or Microsoft Word to write your thoughts, map your workflow, and write ebooks and presentation slides.
ii. Canva
Canva is a design tool for non-designers. Design templates are available; you can design ebooks, printables, templates, and presentation slides for your workshops, masterclasses, and courses. You can also record them inside Canva. The free version allows you to access templates, photos, and videos. If you need more, you can upgrade.
iii. Zoom
You can use Zoom to host live workshops, masterclasses, and courses where you can interact with your students or record your presentation and upload it to a host platform.
iv. Google Meet
You can use Google Meet instead of Zoom to host live workshops, masterclasses, and courses where you can interact with your students or record presentations.
v. Loom or ScreenPal
You can use either Loom or ScreenPal to capture your screen and presentation.
f. What platforms can you sell and host your digital products?
There are different platforms to host your digital products. Here is the list of some:
i. Gumroad.
Gumroad is one of the most popular and simple platforms for selling digital products. You can integrate it into your site or use it as a stand-alone platform. It has a payment gateway and allows you to host your digital products. You can upload ebooks, albums, games, films, online courses, Lightroom presets, stock photos, templates, etc. The platform has a free version.
ii. Podia.
Podia helps you to build a website where you can sell and host digital products like online courses, membership, downloads, webinars, workshops, and bundles. It also has a community feature for membership subscriptions and online courses with community options. There is a free version that allows you to get started.
iii. Sellfy.
Sellfy is a simple platform that allows you to sell and host digital products like, digital art, videos and films, tutorials, music, audiobook, photography, videos and photo effects, online memberships, online events, and promotions. It also has agile tools that help with sales and marketing. You can integrate it on your website or use it as a stand-alone tool. You can also get started with a free trial.
iv. Shopify.
Shopify is an eCommerce platform that allows customers to sell physical and digital products like ebooks, templates, printables, digital art, etc. It also allows you to host your digital products, and the platform provides a free trial.
v. Teachable.
Teachable is an excellent platform for digital products related to knowledge and education, like online courses, workshops, group coaching, etc. The platform allows you to customize the learning experience and has a free plan allowing you to host one course.
vi. Kajabi.
Kajabi is an all-in-one platform that allows you to host, market, and sell digital products like membership, online courses, etc. You can create landing pages, build sales funnels, integrate payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal, and manage your customers. The price is higher than other platforms, but it is worth it. You can get started with a 14-day free trial.’
vii. Marketplaces
Marketplaces like Esty and Creative Market allow you to host and sell simple digital products like printables, digital art, templates, swipe files, stock photos, downloadable files, etc.
Etsy marketplace
Creative market
g. How to sell your digital products
Create quality and valuable content that will create desire and demand for your digital products.
Create a marketing strategy for your digital products. What channels will you be promoting it? How long will you promote it?
Promote it on your blog, social media, and email list.
You can do the prelaunch strategy, where you sell to a small group of people at a discounted price, then launch out with the full price.
Ensure you deliver on your promise so you can get good reviews and testimonials. You will use the reviews to drive more sales.
3. Affiliate Marketing
a. What is affiliate marketing?
You get paid to recommend products or services to your readers. When someone buys through your referral link, you get paid some percentage.
b. How to get started with affiliate marketing?
i. Build trust with your audience.
Before promoting any product, you need to build trust with your audience. Your audience needs to trust you because it can impact your recommendation. Hence, the first thing to do is to build the know, like, and trust factors.
ii. Find out their pain point.
Find out their pain points and research products or service that will be helpful to them.
You want to bring a solution to your audience, so it is essential to research their pain point. What challenges do they have, and what solutions are they looking for? You can do a survey and talk with some people to learn more.
iii. Try out the products to see how they work.
After your research, find products or services to solve your audience’s pain point and try it out to see if it works. It is essential to recommend only products or services that work. Document your experience using the product; this will be shared as content.
iv. Make social proofs of products or services.
Use social proof from using the product or service to promote.
Customers believe other customers, so you need to test and experience the product—that is your social proof. Create content sharing your experience and results with the product or service, and include your links. When someone makes a purchase, you get a commission.
Be honest with your audience and ensure you don’t break that trust. Only recommend things you have tried and believe in.
v. How to find companies or brands that offer affiliate programs
If you like a particular brand, check their site to see if they offer affiliate programs. Still, affiliate networks like Impact, CJ, ShareASale, and Amazon Affiliate Program allow you access to affiliate marketing programs.
4. Sell Your Services
If you have a skill set related to your blog, you can offer that as a service and get paid.
a. What services can you sell?
You can sell your cooking, writing, photography skills, etc. You can also work on DIY projects for people.
For example, at SARMLife, we started offering paid SEO services to our clients, and it’s been a game changer for us and one of our primary sources of revenue.
b. How to sell your service
You need to create content that positions you as an expert. Use your blog post to show your capability.
Talk about your services in your blog, social media, and email. Let people know you offer that service.
Create a “how to work with me” or “service” page to inform people about your services. Include a portfolio for your work and reviews. It is a good way of promoting yourself.
5. Become a Coach
Coaching or consulting is guiding others in your expertise or showing them how to achieve the same result as you. You can offer this service if you’re an expert in your niche or have achieved some results. Some people are interested in learning with a high touch point, and 1-1 or group coaching provides that opportunity.
a. How to get started with coaching
i. Position yourself as an expert in your niche.
Create authority-building posts that let people see you as an expert. Share your experience and your unpopular opinions about your niche. Share how you were able to achieve some of the results you got. This will pique people’s interest and create a desire for your coaching.
ii. Build your portfolio
Help a few people get free results to show that your framework is effective and works for everyone.
You can announce on your email list or social media platforms that you are offering free coaching or consulting spots to a few people.
With these, you can get started, and after building your portfolio to a reputable state, you can start charging for the value you offer.
iii. Document your process.
This is important because this is the process you will be taking people through. You want to create a framework for your coaching or consultation; this way, you can get your clients consistent results.
iv. Create a case study from the people you’ve worked with.
Create and share it with your audience. You can write a blog post on the case study, share it with your email list, and create content around it on your social media. This strategy will let people see how you have helped others. Don’t forget to include a call to action to work with you.
v. Package your coaching or consultation service.
You want to create an offer that is enticing to people and put a price on it. What transformation are they looking for? How can you get them that transformation with your coaching? This is what you will package together as your coaching program.
b. How to sell your coaching or consultation
Talk about your coaching service in your blog, emails, and social media posts. People can’t buy what they don’t know about, so talk about it.
Share social proof reviews and testimonials of people that have worked with you and got results. This will help to build trust.
Share case studies of your past clients or people you have helped to help build trust and position you as an authority.
Create valuable posts. You can teach, shift perspective, share stories of how your clients achieved results, etc.
Include the call to action to “book a session with you or join your coaching program” in your blog posts.
Include your coaching service in your “how to work with me” page so people can know about it.
c. Tools you need for your coaching
A payment platform: you can use Stripe, PayPal, or other payment gateways like ThriveCart, SamCart, etc.
A scheduling tool: you can use Calendly or Acuity.
A platform to host the session: you can use Zoom, Google Meet, or Telegram.
A communication channel: you can use Slack, WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, or Email to communicate with your clients.
A feedback loop: you need to create a system that allows you to collect feedback and testimonials.
6. Freelancing
With freelancing, you can make money writing for others. If you have good writing skills, this is an excellent way to make money blogging. There are platforms where you can sign up to get jobs.
a. How to get started with freelancing
i. Ensure you improve your writing skills.
Others will also compete for the job, and the companies will want to give it to the best person. Make sure your writing skill is good enough to win.
ii. Create a writing portfolio.
A portfolio shows your writing skill and the type of work you have created. You can use your best work and write as a guest blogger for other bloggers.
iii. Get testimonials from the people you have written for.
Social proof is essential because it will help you build more trust.
iv. Learn how to write a good bio.
A good bio will help sell your service. Write a bio that makes you stand out and be memorable. If you have achieved results with your blog, ensure you include that in your bio.
v. Learn how to write a pitch for jobs.
You will need to write pitches to get the job on most freelancing sites. Your pitch should tell them why they should hire or work with you, and your pitch should talk about how you will add value to their brand or business with your writing.
vi. Register on freelancing sites.
Sites like Fiverr, Upwork, Writers Work, ProBlogger Job Board, Freelancer.com, iWriter, Guru, BloggingPro, and others.
vii. Use social media platforms like LinkedIn to find jobs.
Consider your profile as your bio, set it up to reflect that you are open to work, and include a link to your portfolio. You can also use the search feature on Twitter to find jobs; some companies post about their job openings.
7. Speaking Gigs
A speaking gig is where you are invited as a guest speaker to an event and get paid for it. It can be another source of income for you if done right.
a. How to get speaking gigs
i. Position yourself as an expert in your niche.
Creating authority-building posts will let people see you as an expert. Share your experience and your unpopular opinions about your niche. These will help you stand out.
ii. Practice public speaking
This helps you to become better and more confident. Just like anything else, practicing is the only way to improve speaking. Practice in front of your mirror, try going live on social media to teach others, and host live sessions on Zoom. Also, learn from other speakers you admire.
iii. Research event organizers in your niche.
Build relationships with them and other speakers; people usually recommend people they know, and social media has made it easier to network with people.
Research, follow them on social media, and build relationships with them. Like and comment on their posts; watch and respond to their stories. Listen to their podcast if they have one. Be genuine in building the relationship. These strategies will help you introduce yourself and start a conversation naturally.
iv. Contact event organizers and offer your service
After following them for a while and understanding their mission and what they offer their audience, you can contact event organizers and offer your service for free or a fee. You may have to start with free gigs but use them to hone your skill and get testimonials.
v. Create your portfolio
When you have a few speaking gigs, you can create a portfolio and add testimonials.
vi. Update your “how to work with me” page
Add your speaking service to your “how to work with me” page and let people know you can be a speaker at their event. Talk about it on your social media and email too.
8. Host A Summit
A summit is a virtual event—live or prerecorded—that brings multiple speakers to talk about one topic or theme. The summits usually have a specific desired transformation for the attendees. You can use the interview, presentation, or a mix of both styles. The presentation or interview can be live or prerecorded, depending on your choice.
The prerecorded summits are mostly convenient because everything has been prepared beforehand, so you don’t need to worry about speakers having emergencies or something coming up.
Hosting a summit can be a lot of work, but you can pull it off with adequate planning. Planning at least three months ahead of time is essential so you have everything ready for the event.
a. How to get started with hosting a summit
i. Decide what your summit will be about.
What transformation are you offering people? You just need to have one transformation for your attendees.
ii. Create a unique name
Choose a name that reflects that transformation and your audience. Don’t use a generic name; let it speak to the target audience and the transformation they will get.
iii. Decide your topics
Decide on the topics you will cover during the summit and decide on your speakers. I will show you how to get speakers in the next part.
iv. Decide the date & time
Decide when you will host the summit. What month will you be hosting it? Don’t forget to consider your audience. Think about their calendar and select a time of the year that suits you and them. If you are targeting moms, you want to avoid summer because they will be busy.
v. Decide the duration
Decide the date and how many days you will host the summit. Will it be one day, three days, or five days? Remember that the longer the days, the more people will drop off. You can start with a day or 2-day summit and continue testing.
vi. Decide on the style of your summit
Decide on the style of your summit and the length of each session. Would it be an interview style? A presentation style? Or both? How many minutes will it be? I have seen summits ranging from 15-minute to 1-hour presentations.
vii. Create a schedule
Create a schedule and to-do list for the summit so you can stay on top of your tasks like writing sales pages, emails, and social media posts, interviewing your speakers, or following up on them to submit their presentations, etc.
viii. Create a marketing strategy and timeline for your summit.
Devise a plan to promote your summit and get people to attend. You can promote the summit on your blog, social media, and email list and get your speakers to promote it to their audience. This will increase your visibility and help you reach more people. If you have a budget, you can include ads. However, you don’t need ads to have a successful summit.
b. How to get speakers
Getting the right speakers is one of the most important parts of hosting a summit because it can make or break your summit. Don’t just go with the first name that comes to your mind; find people who can deliver on your topics.
Do a brainstorming session and write the names of people who fit into your summit. Take out some time to research people that can be a good fit. Social media, especially Instagram and LinkedIn, are good places to search for speakers. You can also ask people you know to recommend speakers to you.
Write a comprehensive list and send out the invitations to confirm them as speakers.
c. Tools and platforms you need to host a summit
i. A hosting platform:
You need a place to host your summit. You can do it on your site using some plugins or host it on other places like YouTube or online hosting platforms like Podia, Teachable, etc.
ii. Landing page:
You can create landing pages with your website or use tools like Leadpages.
iii. Organizational tools:
Planning and hosting a summit can be a lot, so you need organizational tools that will help you streamline your activities. You can use Notion, Asana, Airtable, or other tools, or work with a team using these tools and monitor your progress.
iv. Community:
Having a community makes your summit better. You can organize giveaways and Q&A sessions; these will increase participation. Most people use Facebook groups for the community.
v. Email marketing platform:
You need to send out emails to your attendees, so you need an email platform. If you already have one, you can use it; if not, you can use platforms like Convertkit, MailerLite, GetResponse, etc.
vi. Others:
If you want to interview your speakers, you need a good microphone, webcam, and editing tools for your video.
d. How to monetize your summit
You can sell tickets to the replay to make money from your summit. It means people have a certain period to watch it for free, but they must purchase it if they want access to the replay and other bonuses.
You can sell your products or services and get sponsorship, which means you will sell advertising spots to brands and businesses wanting to reach new audiences.
9. Start A YouTube Channel
Since you are already creating content for your blog, you can start a YouTube channel to have more distribution and build more audience. It will help you create another source of income.
a. How to start a Youtube channel
i. Get a name for your channel.
You can use your name, the same name from your blog, or choose another name—the choice is yours.
ii. Decide on your niche.
It shouldn’t be hard because you already have a niche, except if you want to choose a different niche for your channel. You can decide to stick with your original niche and try to incorporate more personal content and stories.
iii. Set up your channel
Set up your channel, and upload a profile picture, channel art, and channel description.
iv. Research other creators in your niche
Research other creators in your niche to see what types of content they are creating, their best-performing videos, and the kinds of titles and thumbnails that are working.
v. Keyword research
Do keyword research to see what people are searching for and what’s trending. Include relevant keywords in your title, content, description, and tags.
vi. Create high-quality videos.
Create high-quality videos consistently and engage with your audience. You can start with at least one video per work or more. Create a schedule so people know when to expect your content.
vii. Promote your channel
Promote your channel on your blog, social media platforms, and email list.
viii. Tools and equipment needed
The truth is that you don’t need fancy equipment to get started. You can start with your phone and use natural light for your videos, and that’s if you have a good source of natural light. If not, you will need an artificial light like a ring light or a softbox.
Here is a list of some equipment:
A camera or a phone with a good camera
Microphone
Lighting: ring light, softbox, LED light
b. How to monetize your channel
You can monetize your YouTube channel through brand deals or sponsorship, Google AdSense, affiliate marketing, your products or services, and digital products.
10. Start a Podcast
Starting a podcast will allow you to create different content and tap into a diverse audience pool outside your existing audience. You will be able to go deeper with your content. Instead of just writing, you can have in-depth conversations about your niche. For example, Smart Passive Income started as a blog but evolved into a podcast with in-depth discussions.
a. How to get started with podcasting
i. Decide your niche or topic.
Since you already have a niche, you can stick with it. Next, decide on the topics you will cover in your show and consider how to bring more value to your listeners.
ii. Choose a name for your podcast.
It doesn’t have to be complicated. You can use the name of your blog or your brand. Or choose a name that reflects your podcast’s content, or go with an abstract name. Do whatever works for you, but don’t dwell on this.
iii. Determine the show format.
Will you interview guests? Talk solo? Do a roundtable discussion? Figure out how you want to structure each episode. A solo show is easier to produce, but having guests is a great way to add variety and different perspectives. Consider a blend of both. Experiment with other formats to keep things interesting. Think about a format that matches your strengths and allows you to create great content.
iv. Decide on your podcast art cover and design.
If you already have a brand, you can use your branding. Remember that the podcast cover is the first thing people see when they find your podcast, so you want it to be attractive and pull people in to listen.
v. Brainstorm and map out the first season of your podcast.
How many episodes will it be? What topics will you cover, and if you will be bringing guests, who will you be inviting? Having a plan before you begin is essential so there is continuity.
vi. Get the necessary equipment.
You will need a microphone to record your voice and audio editing software to assemble the show. You may also want headphones. Invest in professional podcasting equipment like a microphone, audio interface, and editing software for good sound quality. You can use Garage Band with a Mac or Audacity for editing for other laptops.
vii. Set up your podcast hosting.
Hosting platforms like Fusebox, PodBean, Buzzsprout, and more will help you distribute your podcast episodes to platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. Your hosting platform will provide an RSS feed to submit to podcast directories, allowing you to embed players on your website. Ensure you choose a service that fits your needs and budget. Also, consider options that provide analytics to track your listeners and engagement.
viii. Record your podcast.
You have everything ready, and it’s time to hit the record button, but first, outline your talking points. Start with the end in mind. What do you want your listeners to learn from the episode? What stories or examples will you use? How will the points flow?
Create a structure to hook your listeners from the beginning to the end. If you are doing an interview-style podcast, write out the questions you want to ask and determine the show’s flow. It will make your show more engaging for your listeners.
As you keep on recording, you will get better. You don’t need to record the entire episode in one take. You will make mistakes, and that’s okay. Pause the recording and start from where you made a mistake. Editing is where the magic happens. Take out the mistakes and long pauses to create a cohesive show. When you are done, save the file as an MP3 and upload it to your podcast hosting service.
b. How to monetize your podcast
You can monetize your podcast through brand sponsorship, affiliate marketing, your products or services, digital products, and a membership—where you offer exclusive content to only members. Initially, you won’t get brand sponsorship until your podcast grows; hence it will be easier to start with affiliate marketing.
11. Ads Placement
You can make money blogging by selling advertisement space on your blog. However, this is our least favorite option. There are two ways to do this.
Option one: Offer ad placement directly to companies; you will have to find them yourself.
Option two: Sign up on advertising networks so they can show ads on your blog. They pay you for taking up space on your blog. You can use platforms like Google AdSense, Mediavine, or AdThrive. The last two require you to fill out an application to join the network, and a minimum page view is needed (60,000 and 100,000, respectively).
After signing up on the platform, they will show ads tailored to your blog. You can customize where ads appear on your site.
How to set up Google AdSense for your blog
You can set up Google AdSense in three easy steps:
Step one: use your Gmail account or sign up for one to access AdSense.
Step two: fill out your phone number and mailing address associated with your bank account to get paid.
Step three: Add code to your site to connect to AdSense. Google will take care of the rest.
Google pays per 1000 impressions, meaning you need high traffic to your blog to make money from ad placement.
12. Sell Physical Products
You can make money selling physical products on your blog. It can be your products or merchandise like T-shirts, mugs, journals, etc. You can use print on demand company to sort it out for you. You can also do drop shipping, where you don’t have to touch the products; they will be delivered directly to your customer.
How to research the right product
To find the right products, research to see what people want. You can check Google Trends to see what’s trending. Do people have a pain point that you can get a product to solve it? Or are they interested in a specific product? Or maybe they have been asking you about a particular product. For example, if you have a food blog sharing different recipes, you can sell products like food spices or kitchen wares.
How to source your products
There are different ways to source your products. To start a print-on-demand, you must find a reliable company that can deliver. For other products, you can find local vendors or use international marketplaces like Alibaba and AliExpress.
FAQs on how to make money blogging
Can I make money blogging?
Yes, you can make money blogging.
How much can I make as a blogger?
You can make quite a lot of money as a blogger, but you must put in the work. SARMLife made approximately $15,000 in 2022, but we didn’t achieve this overnight.
Can I make money blogging as a beginner?
Yes, you can.
It will not be an overnight success, but it is possible. You can start with a monetization strategy that only requires a small audience.
Which blogging platform is the best when it comes to making money blogging?
Although platforms like Squarespace, Blogger, Ghost, and more exist, WordPress is still our all-time favorite.
Do I need to be an expert to make money from my blog?
No.
You don’t need to be an expert; you can share your experience and teach what you know. There will always be people who need what you offer. And if you continue to create content in that niche, people will start seeing you as an expert.
Final Thoughts
There are different ways to make money blogging; you just have to find the one for you!
You can start with a single monetization strategy and work from there. Don’t try to cut corners because every good and lasting thing takes time.
The most important thing when monetizing your blog is to get your foundation right before you monetize.
Define your niche, target audience, get good at writing, give value, have a good SEO strategy, and you’re on your way to being a six-figure blogger and more!
Which of these monetization strategies will you use? You can start by selling a digital course or coaching.
READ ALSO: SECRET SEO TECHNIQUE TO INCREASE WEBSITE TRAFFIC BY 121% IN 10 DAYS (coming soon)
You will agree that there’s always a part of SEO that isn’t ‘techy’ but not basic.
SEO analysis was something I wasn’t too keen on, but I needed to learn because it is the key to every good SEO strategy.
I always include SEO analysis and reports when working with clients and for my brand. If not, how will you measure your growth? How do you keep track of changes in the algorithm?
You can do many things with a proper SEO analysis of your site and blog.
Are you looking for how to make SEO analysis simple? Read on!
What Is SEO Analysis?
SEO analysis is the process of evaluating your website to discover SEO issues and evaluate your SEO strategies’ effectiveness.
With SEO analysis, you can better understand how your website is faring and the specific corrections you need to make to your strategies. So, you are not making a wide guess; you know where your SEO is hurting and can diagnose it accurately.
You can discover issues that range from low-ranking content and spammy backlinks to site security and crawlability issues.
SEO analysis is like playing doctor with your website as the patient.
Some website owners outsource SEO analysis and reporting to SEO agencies. This idea is usually good if the SEO issues with your website are more technical than content-related or something you can fix easily.
There was a time when I had to contact a technical SEO expert to work on my website, and he did a fantastic job. He even worked on areas of SEO that I didn’t know were important.
However, you must understand SEO analysis to the extent that you do not need to contact an expert for all the issues you discover.
Why SEO Analysis Is Important
Knowing what SEO analysis is can give you an insight into its importance. But I am here to provide you with even more reasons why you need an SEO analysis for your website:
a. Measures the effectiveness of SEO strategies
Imagine you paid huge money to learn SEO from an expert; maybe you even signed up for one of our SEO services! How would you know if the actions you’ve taken on your site are effective?
How much difference is your SEO strategy making on your website’s performance?
This is why you need to understand SEO analysis because it allows you to measure the effectiveness of your SEO strategies.
b. Pinpoints holes in your strategy
Aside from knowing how effective your SEO strategies are, SEO analysis also shows you the optimization errors on your website. It shows you the exact problem with your website and content.
It doesn’t just tell you that you have a hole but also where it is.
c. Helps you rank higher
SEO analysis indirectly helps you rank higher organically because most tools will show you the problem and suggest how to improve it.
Showing you what to change allows you to correct essential issues that reduce your ranking potential.
d. Achieves your goals faster
Achieving your SEO goals is faster when you schedule time for site analysis. You don’t have to guess or skim around the main issues; you know precisely what is wrong and the action you must take to rectify it.
e. Increases your competitiveness
Website analysis allows you to spy into your competitor’s data and discover the keywords they are ranking for, where they get their backlinks, and the content gaps between your site and theirs.
This valuable insight allows you to match content strategy with competition and even outdo them.
f. Algorithm update alert
By carrying out analysis on your website, you can notice changes that are caused by Google algorithm updates. This helps you to know what part of your content needs to be updated to fit the algorithm changes.
g. Makes optimization easy
SEO analysis makes optimization easy by giving you actionable insight into your website’s code, content, and structure. It also helps you understand your keywords’ performance in real-time and search rankings.
There is no exact time to analyze your website; you can schedule site analysis based on how often you change your strategy.
You can also do an SEO analysis when you notice these things:
Declining traffic
If you notice a consistent decline in your site’s traffic and conversion, it might be due to the SEO issues with your content and site. It could be due to bad content, low page speed, or crawlability problems.
Content not being indexed
If you want to know which of your pages Google has indexed, you can search with this “site:domain.com.”
It shows you all the pages on your website Google has indexed. If the number of search results shown does not tally with the amount of content you have, you have indexing issues, and it is time for SEO analysis.
If the number of search results is smaller than expected, your pages are not being indexed. If it is more, it probably means you have several indexed duplicate pages.
High bounce rates
A high bounce rate is usually a result of low page speed and bad content structure. A detailed analysis will show you the pages with high bounce rates and what you can do to reduce these rates.
So, if you notice your site visits have a high bounce rate, you must analyze your site.
Types of SEO Analysis
To perform a site analysis, you have to understand that there are different types of SEO analysis.
Here are the different types of SEO analysis and issues you will often encounter under them:
1. Technical SEO analysis
This is an analysis of the technical health of your website.
What is technical SEO?
Technical SEO is the part of SEO that directly or indirectly affects the ability of web crawlers to crawl and index your website and improve organic rankings.
It also involves certain aspects of your website that can affect user experience.
Technical SEO is also essential for your content to get to your audience. You don’t want all the investments in your content to go to waste.
Technical SEO analysis checklist
To do a technical SEO analysis of your website, these are the relevant things you need to check:
i. Crawlability and Indexing
This is the most crucial aspect of your analysis. If your website’s content isn’t crawlable, then whatever you do goes down the drain.
If your content is not being crawled, it simply means Google can’t rank them.
These are some of your site’s data that are relevant to the crawlability and indexing of your pages:
5xx error code:
5xx error codes are server-based error codes that prevent a user from accessing specific pages on your site.
If web crawlers come across pages with 5xx errors, they can remove them from the search index, meaning that your page will rank less, and you’ll lose traffic.
Robots.txt files are code files that tell web crawlers the URL of pages you want to crawl.
It does not mean that robots.txt files can keep a page out of Google. According to Google developers, if other pages use descriptive texts to point to a page with a robots.txt file, Google can still index that URL without visiting the page.
Instead, you use these files to manage the crawler traffic to your website to prevent the crawling of unimportant pages.
When performing SEO analysis, you will sometimes see issues affecting your robots.txt files, including missing robots.txt files, format errors, blocked internal resource issues, etc.
XML sitemaps list the important pages on your website and show them to Google crawlers. It is like a map for your web pages, allowing Google to find them quicker.
Sitemaps make it easier for web crawlers to understand your website’s structure and ensure all your important pages are crawled.
Add them to your Google Search Console account to ensure Google finds your sitemaps.
Whenever you need to check your sitemaps, you can go to the ‘sitemap’ section on the page and check if Google has indexed all the pages in your sitemap.
Most SEO analysis tools like Ubersuggest, AISEO, SEMrush, and others will clearly show you the crawlability issues with your websites.
They also give suggestions and additional information to help you understand each report, like this example from SEMrush SEO Analyzer:
ii. Site Security
The primary issue with a website’s security is usually the use of encrypted HTTPS protocol. However, there are other security issues aside from your SSL certificate.
You will see the SEO issues on your site, including your site’s security status.
SEMrush’s SEO Analyzer also does a good SEO analysis for websites, and you can use it to check your website’s security and HTTPS status.
Here are ways you can make your site’s security better:
Get an SSL certificate for your website.
Redirect all HTTP pages to HTTPS.
Make sure your security protocols are up to date.
All your subdomains should support SNI.
All your pages are secured.
All your plugins are updated.
Prevent SQL injections.
Back up your data.
Protect against DDoS attacks.
Download only secure plugins.
iii. Site Speed
If your website isn’t loading fast, chances are you are losing many visitors. Site speed is a crucial ranking factor because it directly affects user experience on your site.
Using your SEO analysis tool, you can check how fast the average page on your site loads.
The easiest way, however, is to use Google PageSpeed Insights. It will show you the most crucial issues relevant to your SEO strategy and what you are doing right!
This is an essential part of your on-page SEO analysis because mobile optimization is a key ranking factor on Google.
Most users surf the internet from their cell phones, making it crucial.
You can easily check if a page is usable on mobile devices using Google’s mobile-friendly test. However, to check and monitor the mobile optimization status for your entire site, you need to use the Google Search Console or your SEO analysis tool of choice.
How to optimize your site for mobile devices:
Use responsive designs.
Improve your page speed.
Use mobile-friendly themes.
Avoid intrusive interstitials.
Do mobile testing for your website.
Enable lazy loading.
Enable browser caching.
Use AMP markups.
Compress images.
Decrease HTTP requests.
v. Core Web Vitals
This technical SEO factor also affects the performance of your website to users, which means that these factors also directly affect user experience on your site.
It is a new ranking factor and a group of metrics that prioritizes user experience.
Using Google’s PageSpeed Insights shows your performance scores for these factors. You can also get your Core Web Vitals using the Google Search Console.
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
Largest Contentful Paint is the loading performance of your website, which measures how fast your web page’s main content loads. Ideally, a good LCP should be within 2.5 seconds of loading.
In these 2.5 seconds, LCP should span 75% of all web pages on your site.
First Input Delay (FID)
First Input Delay is the Core Web Vital that measures interactivity, i.e., how fast your site responds to a user’s interaction.
It captures the load responsiveness of each user on your site and is to be within 100 milliseconds of clicking.
It means the time it takes for a user to click on an icon on your page and the browser’s response to loading the destination page is crucial to SEO.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Cumulative Layout Shift measures the visual stability of your web pages. When elements shift during viewpoint, it is referred to as layout shifts.
CLS measures how much of the visual elements shifted on your page and the distance they were shifted.
All layout shifts are expected to occur within 500 milliseconds of a user’s input.
2. On-page SEO analysis
This is an analysis of your content; it evaluates the performance of your content both to search engines and users.
What is on-page SEO?
On-page SEO refers to the processes involved in optimizing your web pages. Unlike technical SEO, which deals with the website in general, on-page SEO has to do with the content of a web page.
According to Search Engine Journal, on-page SEO includes headlines, HTML tags, links, keywords, and images.
You need to check some relevant data to conduct an on-page SEO analysis of your website. You can get an in-depth insight into your content’s health using a good SEO analyzer.
However, if your SEO analyzer allows you to manually check specific SEO attributes of your site, look out for the following:
i. Cannibalization
Cannibalization occurs when multiple pages on your website have the same or similar keywords. This means that two or more pages are competing for traffic within the same site.
Google will get confused about which pages to rank for a search query, and rather than selecting just one of them, it shares ranking across all the pages with similar keywords.
When you discover cannibalization from pages on your site, you can redirect weaker pages to a main one or combine all the pages and create a single source page for that topic.
Meta Description is a summarized version of your blog post on the search engine result page for a searcher’s query. They are essential for organic traffic because they can be the deciding factor for a user to click your post leading to high CTR.
You can use SEO analyzers to determine if your meta description is optimized for engines and users.
Crawling my website on AIOSEO Analyzer shows me all the critical SEO issues I have on my website, including a lengthy meta description, alt attribute issues, and even header tag issues.
iv. Formatting
Formatting relates to how your content is arranged to make it readable for users.
It includes using header tags and images to make content easily skimmable.
Header tags:
You need to have appropriate header tags for your content.
For example, you cannot use an H1 tag twice on your content. H1 tags are usually reserved for headlines and appear only once on a page.
Image audit:
You should optimize all the images used on your page; you shouldn’t have low-quality or high-sized images that will slow down your page speed.
Most SEO analyzers will show you the readability of your pages.
However, if you are using a hosting provider like WordPress, you can see the readability of each post from the backend of your website before they are uploaded to the internet.
v. Links
Links are essential to SEO; they show search engines that your content is valuable enough to be referenced by others in your niche.
External links:
External links are links to other websites from your site. It shows you respect other experts’ opinions and are all about value for your readers, making search engines tag your content as reliable.
Internal links:
Internal links are links to other pages on your website that help search engines better understand your site structure and contents.
My website’s SEO analysis on AISEO Analyzer shows I have an uneven ratio between my internal and external links.
While this might not directly affect ratings, there should be a good balance between your internal and external links.
Some of the common link issues on your website can include the following:
This analyzes other factors outside your website that can affect your SEO health.
What is off-page SEO?
Off-page SEO is the actions taken outside of your site that may directly or indirectly affect your rankings on search result pages.
Off-page SEO is important for Google to determine your brand trustworthiness beyond your blog posts. It considers factors such as brand mentions and backlinks from websites in your niche.
Off-page SEO analysis checklist
Here are the most important off-page SEO factors to consider when doing an SEO analysis on your site:
i. Backlinks
Backlinks are links to your site from relevant websites in your niche. You need to develop a link-building strategy for your website to get credible backlinks.
Backlinks are one of Google’s top ranking factors. Based on the new way Google’s algorithm is tailored, websites with high domain authority are prioritized for search results, mainly when the searcher uses voice search.
High domain authority shows your level of experience, expertise, authority, and trust (E-E-A-T) in your niche, aligning with Google’s guidelines for determining content quality.
NOTE: The fact that you have a low domain authority does not mean you cannot rank for organic results. SARMLife’s current domain authority is 11, yet we have had posts ranking above relevant sites in the SEO industry.
Domain authority contributes to top ranks, especially when it’s YMYL content, but Google ranks web pages, not websites.
Here are some major backlink issues you can see on your website:
No backlinks
Spammy links
Links from spammy sites
Press release links
Random nofollow links
You can check for backlink issues with your website using your favorite SEO analyzers like Ubersuggest, Ahref, SEMrush, and others.
ii. Local SEO
This is an essential off-page SEO for businesses. You need to optimize your website for local searches.
Using the Moz Local tool, you can get valuable insight into how your business is faring in local directories and social media platforms, including Google searches, Google Maps, Facebook, Bing, Foursquare, etc.
4. Traffic analysis
Analyze the visitors coming to your site and find ways to improve your SEO strategies.
What is traffic analysis?
Traffic analysis is an analysis of the visitors coming to your website. It shows you details on organic and paid results, the source of traffic, and user interactions on your website.
The best tools to use for traffic analysis are Google Analytics and Google Search Console. These tools show you in-depth information as efficiently as possible and give you information on each metric’s significance.
Traffic analysis metrics
You get to see many metrics on your analytics tool that are impossible to mention.
Here are some of these metrics:
Total clicks
New users
Gender
Traffic source
Browers
Pages
Devices
Countries
Total impression
Average CTR
Average position
How to Perform SEO Analysis on Your Website
Now that you know the essential things to look out for in an analysis, what is the best process for conducting an SEO analysis on your website?
Do you go to the SEO analyzer and type in your domain? How do you make an effective SEO analysis? The end goal of an analysis is not just to know what is wrong with your SEO strategy but also to fix it.
To perform SEO analysis on your website, follow this process:
a. Set your goals.
Before analyzing your site for SEO issues, you must have your goals down. What do you want to achieve? What are the major SEO challenges you need to address?
When you have a goal, staying focused on the metrics you need to track is more effortless.
b. Decide your metrics.
When you do an SEO analysis, you will see many metrics and factors; they are so many that one can get distracted and curious about the numerous figures and data.
This is why the first step is essential. When you know your SEO goal, you will be able to understand the exact metrics that are relevant to you.
c. Choose your tool.
What SEO analyzer tool do you prefer?
Numerous SEO analyzers can give you in-depth insight into your site’s SEO health.
However, you need to consider different factors:
Pros and cons of each tool:
Some tools prioritize and are great at analyzing specific aspects of SEO but are weak in some other areas. Your tool choice will depend on your goal and the SEO analyzer’s ability to carry it out.
Budget:
The free features of most SEO analyzers are okay, but if you want a more detailed analysis, you must be ready to pay for it.
The prices also vary, so consider the amount you can spare for the analysis.
Experience:
Depending on how experienced you are, the user interface of some tools is easy to understand, even without technical knowledge. However, some require a certain level of expertise to understand and navigate.
d. Crawl your website.
This part is pretty much automated. All you need to do is to insert your domain name in your tool, and it will crawl all the pages on your website to detect SEO issues that it might have.
I often enjoy SEO analyzers that highlight the parts I am doing well and not just focus on the issues on the site.
e. Effect corrections.
Usually, your SEO tool will give you suggestions on each issue and how you can make it better. If the tool you use doesn’t, I suggest you switch.
These suggestions are effortless most of the time. However, some suggestions involve coding, and you might have to outsource.
f. Review your website.
When you are done making the corrections, it is best to run another diagnosis on the site to see if these corrections have been updated on the web. You can also test manually on your device.
For example, if you worked on page speed or mobile optimization issues, you can check whether these have been rectified on your device.
g. Create an action plan.
You will have discovered fundamental issues in your SEO strategy from the analysis. The next thing to do is to create an action plan to avoid future occurrences.
It might mean changes in your content writing processes, intentional link building, or image optimization.
Your action plan should indicate what to do, how, and when to do it.
h. Implement the strategies.
Implement these strategies continuously and also make sure to stay updated regarding industry changes that affect SEO.
NOTE: You can always outsource your SEO analysis to an expert.
SEO Analysis Report
After carrying out a thorough analysis of your SEO health, the next thing to do is to draw up a report. It doesn’t matter if you are doing the analysis yourself or from an agency; it is crucial to have an analysis to track your progress better.
What is an SEO report?
An SEO report summarizes the SEO issues discovered on a website that shows how a website performs over time.
SEO reports are relatively easy to create, and most SEO analysis tools automatically generate a report for your analysis.
For example, when I used the AIOSEO analyzer to analyze my website, I got a 13-page detailed report that included the issues and the solutions. It also had details like the date and categories.
It even had a table of content!
Features of an SEO report
If you are making an SEO report for yourself or a client, here are some features to keep in mind:
i. Easy to understand
SEO reports are meant to be easy to understand, even for an SEO baby; it doesn’t need to be filled with many technical terms.
ii. Focuses on a few metrics
Your report should highlight the few and most important metrics. If you need to include more metrics, you can use umbrella words.
iii. Outlines issues
Clearly state the SEO issues that are relevant to your SEO goals. The issues are more than just metrics and data; an SEO report should clearly state what issues each data represents.
iv. Recommendations
Give recommendations for each of the highlighted issues. How do you expect them to be solved, tools that can be used, and the time it will take to see results?
v. Outlines results over time
For each analysis, ensure to include both expected and seen results over time.
Importance of an SEO report
SEO reports are vital, and aside from the fact that they allow you to access relevant data regarding your SEO health easily, they also enable effortless communication between you and your clients.
Also, with SEO reports, you highlight the critical metrics, allowing you to review months of evaluation in record time. You don’t need to waste time reviewing a metric only to realize it isn’t relevant to your goals.
What metrics should be highlighted in an SEO report?
The metrics that need to be highlighted in an SEO report depend on the SEO goals of the clients. If all the client wants is to increase traffic, the highlighted metrics will differ from those focused more on conversion.
However, specific metrics are essential to a website’s SEO health regardless of the goal. For example, if you want conversions, you must attract enough traffic.
No matter what the client’s SEO goals are, there are some metrics every client will want to know about their website. These metrics include:
Overall SEO score
Organic traffic
Keyword ranking
Backlinks
Domain authority
New visits
The list can vary, so you can ask your client if they have any specific metric they would love to see in the report.
Here are some other metrics that can be based on the client’s goals:
Conversions
Content gap
Backlinks
Traffic sources
Dwell time
Top Tools for SEO Analysis and Report
These are my top tools for carrying out SEO analysis and report:
1. Ahref’s SEO Analyzer
Ahref’s SEO analyzer is an advanced SEO resource tool that analyzes your website’s elements and shows you technical SEO issues, link analysis, and how specific pages are faring on your site. Some of its main features are content explorer, keywords explorer, site auditing, and site explorer.
Pricing:
Trial Period – $7 for 7 days
Lite Plan – $99/month
Standard Plan – $179/month
Advanced Plan – $399/month
Agency Plan – $999/month
2. Ubersuggest.
Ubersuggest is a freemium SEO tool that allows you to crawl your website in minutes and generate a detailed analysis. It helps you check performance and technical issues affecting your website and gives suggestions to make your site more SEO-friendly.
Pricing:
Free version
Premium Plan
Individual Plan – $12/month
Business Plan – $20/month
Agency Plan – $40/month
Lifetime access
Individual Plan – $120
Business Plan – $200
Agency Plan – $400
3. AIOSEO
AIOSEO analyzer allows you to discover SEO issues affecting your website effortlessly, gives you information on the data, and shows you how to fix it. It also gives you a detailed SEO report showing the places needing improvement.
The icing on the cake is that this tool also gives a free SEO audit to ensure your website’s SEO issues are fixed!
Pricing: Free
4. Google Search Console
Arguably one of the best SEO analyzer tools, Google Search Console allows you to analyze your site from scratch and helps you identify crawl errors, keyword rankings, mobile responsiveness, indexed pages, and even show metrics important to your SERP rankings.
To use the Google Search Console, you must confirm that the domain is yours through DNS verification. You can also select analyzing the entire domain or a single URL.
Pricing: Free
5. Google Analytics
Some people pair using Google Analytics with Google Search Console, which is good, especially when you cannot afford the paid version of Google Analytics.
This tool focuses on customers and allows you to filter your search sources, determine your engagement metrics and identify pages on your site that lead to conversion and those that don’t.
Pricing: Free
6. SEObility
SEObility free SEO checker is another SEO analysis tool that checks if your site complies with search engine guidelines. It analyzes your website for technical errors, meta information analysis, link structure, and server errors.
It also gives you tips on optimizing your website for future success in SEO. With SEObility SEO checker, you can access 1,000 subpage audits, alerts, keyword monitoring, and email reporting.
Pricing: Free
Screaming Frog
This is one of the tested and trusted analysis tools out there.
Screaming Frog SEO Spider helps you to crawl your website for crawl issues. It can carry out big-scale analyses of larger websites.
Pricing:
Free version
Paid Plan – €149/month
8. SEMrush
SEMrush is one of the biggest SEO analyzer tools trusted by big brands like Tesla, Walmart, and even Forbes. SEMrush’s SEO Toolkit allows users to track keywords, build links, and conduct keyword analysis and competitive analysis.
It covers things from content marketing to PPC and social media marketing.
Pricing:
Pro Plan – $119.95/month
Guru Plan – $229.95/month
Business Plan – $449.95/month
9. SEOptimer
SEOptimer is an SEO analysis and reporting tool that checks over 70 data or metrics. It covers on-page SEO analysis, backlink analysis, usability, performance, and local SEO analysis.
It also helps you create customized white-label SEO audits and conduct keyword research.
Pricing:
Trial Period – 14 days free trial
Paid – $19.99/month
10. Moz Pro
Moz Pro offers a range of recharge tools that help with SEO, including crawling up to 3,000 links for a given URL to search for errors influencing your SEO health. It also allows you to track growth, build reports, and identify SEO opportunities for your site.
Pricing:
Trial Period – 30 days free trial
Standard Plan – $99/month
Medium Plan – $149/month
Large Plan – $249/month
Premium Plan – $599/month
Final Thoughts
The best strategy for your SEO analysis is to ensure you have a goal in mind. It makes it easier to understand what metrics to look out for and how you can measure your growth.
It’s also okay for you to outsource the SEO analysis of your website, and it doesn’t mean you are less of a blogger. Sometimes, you need to work with a professional SEO marketer or agency because some issues are more technical and severe than others.
For SEO reporting, it’s necessary to do it for the sake of records and to make your metrics more accessible. It’s like a summary book that you can quickly review to get facts or quick reminders.
Overall, you want to ensure your SEO content strategy is in place and that you are not going against any of Google’s guidelines on your website.
How often do you carry out SEO analysis on your website?
We’ve had over eight clients with over 140 optimized posts since SARMLife became an SEO agency and launched her do-it-for-you SEO writing services in 2021.
Using proper SEO content writing strategies, we now have several posts ranking on the first page of Google and even some making it to the featured snippet spot!
We have posts ranking for keywords like ‘Challenges of an African blogger,’ ‘Ways to Build A Christian Home,’ and ‘Woman Evolve Quotes,’ among others.
Four years ago, SEO was an alien term. So, how did I go from knowing nothing about SEO to writing blog posts that are doing well on search engines? What is my SEO content writing process? And how can you optimize old and new posts to rank well on search engines?
I’ll cover these questions and more.
First, I want to explain the difference between content writing and copywriting because most website owners are unsure if hiring a content writer or a copywriter is the next best step for their site.
SEO Content Writing Vs. SEO Copywriting
Is content writing any different from copywriting?
Yes! The main difference is the search intent and content goal, although both involve SEO and content.
SEO copywriting uses SEO techniques to convert site visits to leads and sales through targeted content.
SEO writing can also generate leads and sales, but the primary purpose is to write content that satisfies a user’s query, i.e., answer questions on a particular topic.
Both content writing and copywriting involve having a form of content; however, the endpoint of SEO copywriting is conversion, usually in the form of sales.
Why SEO Content Writing Is Important
SEO content writing is the process of writing content that is fully optimized for readers and search engines.
SEO should be a part of your content writing process because you need SEO practices to get in front of your audience.
Remember, there are billions of blog posts on the web, and even for certain queries, hundreds of specific and related posts are in the search result.
Despite this number, the average searcher only reaches the first ten search results. The competition is even fiercer for voice searches.
So, SEO content writing aims to ensure your content appears as the first ten (10) search results.
Here are my top reasons why SEO content writing is essential:
It helps to increase your ranking.
Competing against thousands and millions of blogs for a single keyword is doable only with SEO in your writing.
You can increase your rankings on search result pages for most search engines through SEO content writing, which will help you become a go-to in your niche.
It builds domain authority.
When you consistently appear in top searches for niche-specific keywords, other website owners and bloggers in your niche will start to link to your content. You will also get quality backlinks from authority websites, helping to increase your website’s domain authority.
It builds brand authority.
Talk about being your niche’s go-to for information, products, and services. Not only will your business be profitable, but you will succeed in branding what you do. The mere sighting of your name on blog posts, webinars, and so on will automatically attract people to you because you have built enough authority in your niche, and it starts from writing optimized content.
SEO Content Writing Process
My content writing process is straightforward but takes a lot of intentional effort, from the idea generation to the final draft and editing.
The SEO content writing process involves the following:
1. Idea Generation
Consistently generating blog post ideas is one of the sure ways to grow your business.
It can be challenging to develop niche-relevant ideas that can be optimized.
Sometimes, your topic idea might not be voluminous to be a blog post, but there’s always a way to ensure your ideas are relevant and optimizable for SEO.
How to get blog topic ideas
Here are the ways you can get topic ideas consistently:
(I) Customer feedback.
One of the most effective ways to develop blog post titles relevant to your target audience is to get feedback from them.
They know what they want, and what better answer than from the horse’s mouth?
This step will help you to align your content to the needs of your audience.
There are ways you can get customer feedback.
Through social media platforms
You can create polls on Instagram or keep your DM open to your audience for topics they wish you would discuss.
You will get your audience’s pain points and challenges.
It could be information they’ve searched for and not gotten answers to.
When you create a blog post in response to feedback, alert them.
Also, your comment section is a great place to get topic ideas.
Your followers will probably ask a couple of follow-up questions in the comments.
Check your comments now and then to know what your followers want.
Conducting surveys
Create short, straightforward, and fun surveys.
Usually, with surveys, you ask the questions; all you need from your audience are the answers.
However, creating a survey and providing a blank section for your audience to write freely is better because your questions might not be satisfactory.
Your target audience might have other ideas, observations, and questions you didn’t include in the survey.
You can create surveys using Zoomerang, SurveyMonkey, or online surveys, but always keep your surveys simple and short.
Direct inquiry
You can inquire from your audience directly, online or offline, from friends and family.
You may have noticed a handful of your consistent followers who engage with your content online.
Go to their DM and ask them direct questions like:
Is there something you want me to talk about?
What do you wish we do that we don’t?
What are your primary concerns when it comes to (niche)?
Do you have any topic suggestions or collaborations? And so on.
(ii) Content gap analysis.
What keywords are your competitors ranking for that you aren’t?
These are tons of blog post ideas that are relevant to your niche.
A content gap is a topic your audience needs or is searching for but isn’t on your website.
Neil Patel describes content gaps as “missed opportunities” because these are topics your audience wants but are not in your content. The next step they’ll take is to check out your competitors’ websites.
Content gaps occur due to outdated information, keyword fluctuations, ignorance, and new updates in your niche.
Content gaps can be in the form of keyword, topic, or media gaps.
Keyword gaps concern the type of keywords you use for your posts.
Are they short-tailed, medium-tailed, long-tailed, or conversational keywords?
Topic gaps have to do with your content.
Are your topics/content relevant to your users?
Do they cater to all levels of knowledge?
For example, an advanced post about image optimization that only talks about technical and advanced tips will be useless to someone just getting to know about image optimization.
Does your content structure align with search intent?
These are all content gaps.
Media gaps are the multimedia on your posts.
Are your audience interested in infographics? Do they want to see a video explanation or just read texts?
What kind of images do top-ranking posts have? What type of videos are your competitors using?
After identifying your content gaps, you want to take active steps to rectify them.
The content gaps you discover (mostly keyword and topic) are ideas you can use for your next posts.
The media gaps will show you the multimedia you’ll add to your posts.
(iii) Industry trends.
It is essential to stay updated about industry trends because new industry updates = new blog post ideas.
In my guide to Google algorithm, I mentioned that one of the best ways to stay updated is to follow industry experts. Identify your industry experts and follow them on their social media platforms. If they have official information sites, it is also good to follow them.
For example, When ChatGPT rolled out, I noticed that many SEO experts were talking about its use for SEO, and I knew this would be valuable to our audience, so I wrote a blog post on ChatGPT for SEO.
The same goes for your blog. When new updates will be valuable for your audience, be among the first to share them.
You can also stay updated on industry trends through niche-specific communities, Google Trends, and subscribing to expert newsletters.
(iv) Personal idea.
You might have some personal experiences in your business that can be useful to your audience, and you can share these ideas.
However, when sharing personal experiences or branded strategy with your audience, relate it to an existing term in your niche.
For example, the skyscraper technique, developed by Brian Dean of Backlinko, helps with link building and traffic. To share this with his audience, he related it to link building in the post’s title and wrote it as ‘Link building case study: How I increased my search traffic by 110% in 14 days.’
If he had written a blog post titled ‘My skyscraper technique,’ no one would know what he was talking about, and the CTR for that post would be low.
So, in sharing your branded solutions with your audience, include a term they are familiar with.
For example, suppose you use a technique to keep your wigs tangle-free and brand this solution by giving it a name. When you write a post on it, you want your readers to know what solution your branded technique is giving.
In Brian’s case, it was link-building.
(v) Question and answer forums.
There are different types of question-and-answer forums on the internet today. Some have even been made into apps, valuable places to get your audience’s questions.
Question forums like Quora and Reddit have groups for specific interests.
So, depending on your niche, you can search for groups or communities your audience will likely be in and read the questions being asked.
These questions are content ideas you can optimize as blog posts on your website.
The main difference between blog writing and SEO content writing is Research.
When it comes to blog writing, all the ideas generated in the first step are good to go, but with SEO writing, you need to ensure these ideas are optimizable by verifying them on search engines.
This step is optional, but I prefer to crosscheck each of my ideas against existing blog posts. It assures me my content is niche-relevant and gives me an idea of what type of content ranks in the top results.
This step is fast and easy.
Steps to optimize your topic ideas
To optimize my topic ideas, I use one or both of these tools:
(I) AnswerThePublic.
AnswerThePublic is a great SEO tool Neil Patel took over in May 2022. With AnswerThePublic, you see visualized data showing you the questions that Google Search users are asking.
To verify your content ideas, you can input the keyword in this tool’s search bar, giving you a concise list of related questions.
All you need to do is check if your topic idea is similar to any of the questions asked on Google.
The questions are organized into:
Most searched
Average searched
Least searched
The premium version will show you the search volume for each question, which is essential to know if you are optimizing your content for voice searches.
If you don’t get a question similar to your topic idea, it does not mean it is not optimizable; you can check Google to see if similar blog posts exist.
(ii) Google.
You can search on Google to check if blog posts are already written about your idea to optimize your ideas.
You will be surprised that only a few posts about your idea exist. It could mean your idea is not valuable to your audience, so it is better off as part of a post or a new topic in your niche.
If it is not something your audience wants, there is no need to write about it, except if you wish.
If it is better off as part of a post, you can create an umbrella post and add the idea as a subtopic.
If it is a new topic in your niche, ensure you understand it so you don’t post erroneous information for your readers. Or, you can wait till industry experts talk about it, read their posts, understand it, and then write yours.
If your topic idea exists, it means your audience needs it, and your competitors are talking about it—viable content.
The next thing to do is to take note of the top 5-8 ranking pages and check their content structure, title, word length, and even the keyword used (usually in the URL or introduction).
This information will help match user intent and tell you what you can do better!
3. Keyword Research
After verifying that the idea is one you can work with, the next step is to find the keywords you will use for your post.
Types of keywords
Here are the different types of keywords:
(I)Short-tail keywords.
Short tail keywords are one-word keywords that cover a wide range of topics. For example, SEO, branding, chatGPT, SEO writing, etc., are short-tail keywords.
Sometimes, short-tail keywords can also be two-worded. E.g., image optimization, voice optimization, Google algorithm, etc.
These keywords usually have a high search volume and SEO difficulty.
Short-tail keywords are inappropriate for your primary keyword, even with a high search volume, because they are too broad. Except if you are writing a guide, you may be unable to cover the entire topic.
Also, searches are now more streamlined, meaning people hardly go online to type in one or two words. They know what they want, and they are specific in their searches.
Short-tail keywords also reduce your chances of ranking because it is too competitive.
(ii) Long-tail keywords.
Long-tail keywords are more specific and streamlined. These keywords can form complete sentences and usually have a low search volume and SEO difficulty.
These keywords usually contain more than five words and can form standalone sentences that leave you no doubt about what the searcher wants.
For example, ‘$40000 a year is how much per hour’ is a long-tail keyword that tells you what the searcher wants.
SEO experts frowned at using long-tail keywords for a while because searchers usually opt for short-word queries.
However, long-tail keywords are returning with the prevalence of voice searches and their infusion into voice assistive devices.
Does this mean you should use the long-tail keyword as your primary keyword?
Not really.
However, you can use long-tail keywords in your content as FAQs or subtopics.
(iii) Medium-tail keywords.
This is the best option for your primary keyword.
Medium-tail keywords are between 3-4 words that give a bit of context to your keyword without being too streamlined.
These keywords allow you to cover a broader range than long-tail keywords while still being specific to a particular audience.
For example, if you want to talk about on-page optimization.
A short-tail keyword like ‘SEO’ or ‘SEO tips’ is too generic; a long-tail keyword like ‘on-page SEO strategies for businesses’ is too specific, but a medium-tail keyword like ‘on-page SEO strategies’ or ‘on-page SEO guide’ is just spot on.
(iv) Conversational keywords.
These keywords are similar to long-tail and are mainly used for voice searches.
They are long-tail keywords but more conversational—as if you are asking a friend a question.
SEO experts will advise you to use conversational keywords in your content so that your content can rank for voice searches.
For example, ‘How can I prepare tomato sauce’ is a conversational keyword used mostly in voice searches.
Conversational keywords should be a part of your content but shouldn’t be added as a part of your keywords.
The ideal number of keywords per post is 3-5 words. Usually, I create a balance of short, medium, and long-tail keywords. If I focus on one type of keyword, I will miss the benefits of having others.
Here’s how I structure keywords per post:
1 short tail keyword
2-3 medium tail keywords
1-2 long tail keywords
Tips for keyword research
(i) Understand search intent.
Search intent is a big deal for search engine optimization because search engines are now more focused on the searchers than the search engines themselves.
What are the searchers looking for? If your focus keyword is ‘on-page SEO tips,’ are searchers interested in listicles, images, guides, or short-form content?
When it comes to search intent, it includes what your searcher wants and how they want it.
Search intent is generally classified into four, namely:
Informational: This intent shows that the searcher needs informative pieces that give them specific answers to what they want.
Transactional: This shows the intent of people searching to buy at that exact moment. These searchers are usually specific because they know what they want to buy.
Commercial: These are more like transactional intent but usually to buy later. These types of searchers need a list of related products they can choose from instead of information on a single product.
Navigational: Navigational intent has to do with people that are searching for specific brands. With polysemic words like Apple, sometimes, Google can understand if a searcher wants the fruit or the company’s website.
(ii) Do a keyword gap analysis.
Keyword gaps imply the keywords your competitors are ranking for that you do not have on your website.
You can carry out keyword gap analysis using keyword analysis tools like Ubersuggest.
(iii) Know your keyword metrics.
Knowing and understanding your keyword metrics is essential for deciding the keywords to settle for. These metrics include:
Search volume is the number of searches made for a particular keyword. Usually, most keyword analysis tools give the average monthly search for a keyword.
CPC (cost per click) is the amount advertisers pay to get a pair of eyes on their ads. Even if you do not run ads, knowing how competitive a keyword is is crucial.
A high CPC shows that ranking organically will be more difficult.
Paid difficulty shows how difficult it will be to rank high for a particular keyword in paid searches.
SEO difficultyshows the difficulty of organically ranking for that exact keyword.
Trends show the searcher’s behavior for that keyword over time. Do searches increase during an exact period? Is it an active search?
It shows you the keyword’s relevance and if it is still relevant.
Other keyword metrics depend on the tool you use. However, these are the most important metrics to take note of. If you are focused on ads, you will want to dwell more on paid metrics like cost per click, paid difficulty, and trends.
(iv) Carefully select your primary keyword.
You should carefully select your primary or focus keyword to align with your content goals. I focus more on organic results, so my focus keyword is based on the search volume and SEO difficulty.
When writing for businesses with new websites, I go for lower SEO difficulty keywords so they can rank.
I focus more on the search volume when I write blog posts for more advanced websites.
(v) Understand keyword placements.
There are certain places you must input your focus keyword in your content:
URL: Your focus keyword must be part of your URL. URL optimization is one of the best practices for SEO; it gives web crawlers an understanding of your website and your content.
Title: Your focus keyword in your title is a must for SEO. It has to be intact with no dividing word, i.e., if your focus keyword is ‘voice search optimization,’ your title shouldn’t be ‘optimization practices for voice search;’ instead, it should be in any of these formats:
Prefix – (focus keyword) – suffix: You can insert your focus keyword between a prefix and a suffix to make your headline meaningful and provide context.
(focus keyword) – suffix: You can insert your focus keyword before a suffix to give it more meaning because some keywords cannot make meaning on their own, except support words are added.
Prefix – (focus keyword): You can put a prefix before your focus keyword so it makes sense.
(focus keyword): If you are using a conversational keyword, your entire headline can be your focus keyword.
First 100 words: Your focus keyword should appear in your introduction, preferably the first 50-100 words.
Headings: At least one of your header tags aside from your title should have your focus keyword.
Meta Description: Having your focus keyword in your meta description increases your ranking chances.
Images alt-texts: At least two of your images should include your focus keyword.
Your content should not be keyword stuffed; to do this, ensure your keywords appear as natural as possible. Also, leverage the use of semantically related keywords in your content.
Make your headlines or titles compelling to readers.
Your headline should tell a reader the content of your post in a straightforward way.
When a searcher types a query on the search engine, they get millions of results in a split second. They search through the search result and click on a web page.
They haven’t seen the post’s content yet but are deciding it seems better than the rest of the results. Why?
The headline.
The headline is your first chance to make an impression on your audience and should clearly state what the reader will learn upon clicking on your page—the more specific the benefit, the higher the chance of a clickthrough.
Best tools for headline optimization
Here are the best tools to use for headline optimization:
Usually, your headline analyzers will give suggestions to improve your headlines. However, to save time, you can use some helpful tips to develop the most compelling headlines.
Include your unique selling point in your headline.
Have a specific focus.
State the benefit of your content.
5. Content Research
This includes the content structure and information that needs to be in your content. What are the points that need to be in your post? What are searchers looking for? How should you structure your content to give you an edge?
With content research, I check existing blog posts using the same focus keyword as mine and look for ways to improve.
If they wrote a 15-list post, I would write a 20-list post or make a 15-list post that’s more detailed. If the word count is 2000, I will try to write more. The goal is to ensure your content is more valuable and up-to-date than existing posts.
You can create a detailed outline by comparing top-ranking results on Google, using the content idea section of Ubersuggest, or using an AI tool like ChatGPT.
Types of blog posts to write
How-to’s: These blog posts show how to perform a specific task.
Tutorials: These are similar to how-to posts but will mostly contain videos and graphical illustrations.
Industry studies: These are posts designed around industry research that you make. Industry studies are costly, but you can start with basic research that won’t exhaust your budget.
Award Bait: These posts are primarily about recognizing relevant businesses or blogs in your niche. Award bait posts are suitable for link building.
Guides: This post type shows the reader everything about a particular topic and guides them through everything they need.
Listicles: These are list articles; the significant part is you can create a list for anything.
Infographics: These are graphical illustrations from charts to tables and images. Infographics show important information graphically.
Ebooks: These are downloadable electronic books. You can create blog posts in the form of eBooks for users to re-read at their own pace.
Case Studies: These posts show behind-the-scenes, success stories, and even fail stories.
Expanded list posts: These detailed list posts contain carefully explained actionable steps about a particular topic.
Checklists: This post shows the reader actionable steps to take. It gives you a breakdown of what you need to do and how to do it sometimes.
Industry news: These posts talk about the recent updates in your industry. They don’t have to be lengthy but should accurately explain the new updates to readers.
Crowdsourced manual: This is a compilation of experts’ opinions about a subject in your niche.
6. Content Writing
How do you write posts that are optimized? What practices should be put into writing the content of a blog post?
The main juice of SEO content writing is in the content of your post because Google is working round the clock to ensure they deliver the best results to their users.
No matter how many updates are being rolled out, the main goal of Google is QUALITY.
From the introduction of your post to the conclusion, here’s how to create the best content:
(I) Meta description
A meta description is a summary of the content of your post displayed immediately after the headline and URL in a search result.
It is an HTML element, and you have to include it in your HTML code; however, most content management systems, like WordPress, allow you to type your desired meta description in a designated field.
They are essential to your content because they can directly impact your clickthrough rate.
Tips for writing good meta descriptions
Write short meta descriptions. They summarize your content, so it shouldn’t exceed 120 characters.
Use your focus keyword in the meta description. It tells the reader you stayed true to the context of your title.
Use a direct tone.
Include CTAs in your meta descriptions.
Make it compelling.
Align your meta description to the content of your post.
Note that Google can automatically change your meta description to match the search terms a searcher uses. Don’t be alarmed when the meta description for your posts is not the same as what you see on search results.
(ii) Introduction.
Readers first see your introduction when they click on your post.
It is not enough to have a good title and meta description; if your introduction is bad, it can cause a high bounce rate, bringing down your rankings on a search result page.
Your introduction is your chance to hook the reader on what you are talking about, raise anticipation, and keep them scrolling.
Types of introduction
The main point of every good introduction is to start with a captivating start line. There are different ways you can make your start line captivating. These include:
Statistics: Start with interesting statistics about your topic.
Story: Use a relatable story to keep readers hooked.
Question: Ask a thought-provoking question that addresses their pain point.
Quotes: Start with a famous industry or life quote relevant to your topic.
Comprehensive or long-form content is the best type of content to write.
Your content needs to be as detailed as possible so that a reader doesn’t leave your post with questions. Include FAQs to answer more questions and optimize your post to rank for voice search results.
Word length for a well-optimized post should be about 2,000-2,500 words. With this, you can be sure to cover a wide range of a topic.
However, there are power blog posts that go beyond 2,500-3,000 words; you can convert them into PDFs for easier, self-paced reading.
You should note that comprehensive content isn’t just about the word length; the content itself needs to be valuable and relevant to a query. You should also avoid stuffing your content with keywords or unnecessary words.
To get enough content for your post, you can browse related questions about the topic and answer them comprehensively in the post. You can also compare existing posts and add relevant updates to them.
(iv) Header tags.
Header tags are crucial for SEO, making your content more accessible for web crawlers to understand and easy for readers to go through.
These tags show the hierarchy of your post to both users and search engines.
There are different types of header tags from H1 to H6.
H1 tag: These tags are used for the headlines, although they are often used interchangeably with title tags.
H2 tag: These are used as the main subheading tags.
H3 tag: These are also used as subheading tags.
H4 tag: This shows a subsection of a subheading.
H5 tag: I try to stop my tags at H5 because they indicate a smaller subsection important enough to be tagged.
H6 tag: These tags draw attention to a mini point.
Header tags are like book chapters that give you an idea of the entire content.
(v) Paragraphs.
The readability of your content is also essential, and writing short paragraphs can keep readers on your page longer.
Short paragraphs are easier to read and understand, making your blog post look breezy enough to captivate your reader.
You must break down the entire content of your post into small paragraphs.
How long should a paragraph be?
I’d say 3-5 sentences long. Each paragraph should explain a single concept.
While writing paragraphs, you should ensure each of these paragraphs connects.
There should be sentence flow in your content; it increases the coherence of your content.
(vi) Reading level.
No matter your niche’s seriousness or professionalism, your content should be easy to understand.
Google does not explicitly state that this is a ranking factor, but we know that understandable contents consistently rank high in search results.
(vii) Tone.
Always try to write your content in conversational tones.
User experience is the most crucial ranking factor right now, and if your content is conversational, readers are bound to spend more time on your page and even share your content on social media pages.
Also, conversational tones are perfect for ranking in voice search results.
(viii) Links.
One of the essential SEO content writing practices is to include links in your blog posts.
There are two types of links:
External links: These are links to other websites from your web page.
External links are great for link building, but they also show professionalism and can increase trust.
It is always important to link to authority websites in your niche and include link-building strategies to help you get backlinks from credible sites.
Internal links: These are links to other web pages on your website. You should link each post on your website at least once to another post.
It shows site crawlers the relevance of that post.
With strategic internal links, you can increase the page authority of your blog posts and make it easier for web crawlers to index your posts.
When linking to other websites or posts on your site, take note of your anchor texts. With Google’s updated link practice guide, we see that Google prioritizes natural language anchor texts that make it easy to understand what the page you are linking to is about.
If you can’t use a natural language anchor text, it is best to resort to the focus keyword for that post.
Here are some best practices for linking
Only link to important pages.
Use keyword-rich anchor texts.
Use natural language anchor texts.
Avoid exact-match anchor texts.
Don’t use the same anchor text for two pages.
Avoid automating internal linking.
Link to only credible websites.
(ix) Conclusion.
Your conclusion is just as important as your introduction.
This part is where you summarize your main points so that even if a visitor does not read the entire post, they can get enough value through the conclusion.
Conclusions are usually short but can also be longer depending on how well you summarize your post.
Also, your call to action is a part of your conclusion.
Most SEO content writers should put more work into their CTA.
CTAs are necessary to lead a visitor to take a specific action on your website.
If it’s not specific to an action, it’s not a good CTA.
(x) URLs.
URLs are also helpful for search engines to understand what your web page is all about.
To create an SEO-friendly URL, here are some of the best practices to follow:
Make it short.
Include only your focus keyword.
Do not stuff keywords in your URL.
Use hyphens to separate words.
Avoid long URLs.
Do not include dates in your URL.
Avoid unnecessary words.
Use lowercase.
Include HTTPS in your URL.
Avoid using your post title as your URL.
7. Images
Your blog posts are only complete once you have added relevant pictures. Your posts need images to keep readers interested, give them information at a glance, and provide more context to your words.
Also, as popular as voice search is, Google’s image search is gaining traction among users, especially with the integration of Google Lens, which allows you to search using pictures taken on your phone.
It is a good idea to be able to rank for image searches.
Types of images in a blog post
Stock Images
Charts
Tables
Original Graphics
Screenshots
Ensure that every picture you insert in your blog post is appropriately optimized.
After adding images to your blog, you can upload them to your website.
However, don’t leave all the work to search engines after uploading your posts.
Here are some things to do:
8. Content promotion
No matter how optimized your content is, you don’t leave the fate of your post to search engines.
Ways to promote your content:
Email marketing: Big names in the industry, like Search Engine Journal and Neil Patel, among others, send newsletters with links to their blog posts.
Send strategic newsletters to your email list and add links to your blog posts.
Social media marketing: Social media is a great place to promote your content. You can include images from your post or make a shareable image summary and share it on these platforms.
You can promote your posts on:
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
Question forums: Answer questions on these forums and include links to a blog post that explains it in detail.
The fact that you want to link to your post does not mean you shouldn’t answer a question as detailed as possible.
It is best to give a detailed answer to a question and, afterward, offer a link to your blog post.
Users will trust you and click on your link based on how well you can answer the question.
9. Content Updating
Change is constant!
There are always new updates in every niche.
For example, on-page SEO practices three years ago are different now. There have been new updates based on Google algorithm changes, and even old techniques have experienced upgrades.
So, what will happen to the on-page SEO post you made three years ago? You have to update it.
Aside from this, search behavior also changes, so you want to ensure your content stays relevant through the years.
While updating your old content, you should also take note of the links, statistics, and industry updates.
Historical optimization is updating your old content and making it relevant in real-time.
This entire post explains the best practices for SEO writing, from getting ideas and optimizing them to performing keyword research and writing your fire post.
However, here is a summarized list of the best tips for SEO writing.
Understand buyer persona.
Match searchers’ intent.
Have a content calendar.
Invest in a human editor.
Use long-tail keywords in your headings.
Optimize your images.
Include FAQs in your posts.
Optimize for rich snippets.
Optimize for featured snippets.
Avoid keyword stuffing.
Add keywords to your meta description.
Include actionable tips.
Write what you know.
Write in conversational tones.
Update your old content regularly.
Optimize your URL.
Invest in original images, especially infographics.
SEO Content Writing Tools
These are tools that make SEO writing easy for you. Several SEO tools can make the content writing process breezy, from writing tools to writing assistants.
Here are my top picks for SEO writing tools:
1. Grammarly.
Grammarly is a writing assistant that helps to review your writing. It is one of the most used writing tools worldwide because it is easy to integrate into software and devices.
Grammarly is also AI-powered, so you quickly get real-time suggestions that will help to improve your writing.
Features of Grammarly
Grammar checker
Plagiarism checker
Citation generator
Essay checker
Tone detector
Style guides
Snippets
Analytics
Brand tones
Plans
Free Plan
This plan focuses on basic writing suggestions and tone detection.
With the Grammarly free plan, you get help with grammar, spelling, punctuation, conciseness, and tone detection.
Premium Plan
This plan is designed for individuals and focuses on helping with clarity, vocabulary, and tone improvements.
The primary focus for this plan includes everything in the free plan with full-sentence rewrites, choice of words, tone suggestions, and citations.
Pricing is $12.00 per month.
Business Plan
This plan is designed for teams, businesses, and organizations. The features include everything in the premium plan with style guides, snippets, brand tones, analytics dashboard, SAML single sign-on, account roles, and permissions.
Pricing is at $15.00 per member/month
2. Google Docs.
Google Docs is the best tool for writing, especially when collaborating with other writers. Google Docs allows you to write, edit, and collaborate on a document.
My favorite part of Google Docs is you can automatically update your changes. There is no fear of losing your content due to device breakdown or technical difficulties.
You also get to edit your document offline, and once you connect to the internet, your changes are automatically saved to the drive.
3. Hemingway Editor.
Hemingway Editor is a content writing tool that helps you to analyze your texts and revise your work.
With Hemingway Editor, you can revise your work no matter how lengthy.
Here are some of the analyses you can do with Hemingway:
Reading time
Letters
Characters
Words
Sentences
Paragraphs
Readability
This tool analyzes the text, highlighting complex sentences or phrases using color codes. Here are the color codes and their meanings:
Yellow codes show lengthy, complex sentences and common errors that should be split.
Red codes show dense and complicated sentences that need to be reworded.
Purple codes show sentences with shorter alternatives, and you can move your mouse over these highlights to get hints.
Blue codesshow weak phrases that you should replace with more powerful words.
Green codes show that the highlighted sentence has a passive voice or tone.
The online version of Hemingway is free, but the desktop version (Mac or Windows) costs $19.99.
4. NeuralText.
NeuralText is an AI-enabled SEO content optimization software that helps you to create optimized content in half the time. It can analyze top-ranking pages about a topic and create curated SEO-optimized content in record time.
It also gives you long-tail keyword suggestions, clusters semantically related keywords, and uses AI to suggest words to complete a sentence.
Features of NeuralText
Audit management
Competitive analysis
Content management
Dashboard
Editorial calendar
Keyword research tools
Machine learning
Multi-channel campaigns
SEO management
Natural language processing
Plans
Free Trial
$1 for a 5-day free trial.
Starter Plan
This plan supports only one user and allows you to generate 20,000 AI words, write and optimize five articles and get up to 2,000 keyword suggestions.
Pricing is $19 per member/month.
Basic Plan
This plan is also for a single user, and although similar to the starter plan, it can generate 20,000 AI words, write and optimize 40 articles, get 20,000 keyword suggestions, and cluster up to 5,000 keywords.
Pricing is $49 per member/month.
Pro Plan
This plan is available for three users, and it can generate up to 40,000 AI words, write and optimize unlimited articles, get 50,000 keyword suggestions, and cluster up to 15,000 keywords.
Pricing is $119 per member/month.
5. Jasper.ai
Jasper is an AI tool trained to write original and creative SEO content for users; it helps you to write optimized content ten times faster.
Jasper is probably the best AI writing tool out there because not only does it help you to write good blog posts, but it also helps with social media posts, email subject lines, and even product descriptions.
The features of Jasper.ai are so numerous that I can’t possibly list them all!
Features
Text summarizer
Paragraph Generator
AIDA framework
PAS framework
Product Description
Creative story
Content improver
Blog post topic ideas
Blog post outline
Blog post intro paragraph
Blog post conclusion paragraph
Feature to benefit
Sentence expander
Bio writing
Ad writing
Title and meta descriptions
Headline writing
Email subject lines
Text Rephrasing, and so on.
Plans
Free Trial
You get a free trial of Jasper for five days.
Boss Mode
This plan is designed for individuals and small-scale teams and can take up to five users. You get over fifty templates, a tailored brand voice, 30+ languages, browser extensions, Grammarly, a plagiarism checker, and SEO mode.
Pricing starts at $82 per month for 50,000 words/month—the more the number of words, the higher the price. Prices get as high as $500 per month for 700,000 words/per month.
Business Plan
This plan is designed for growing teams and businesses and is open to more than five users. But there is yet to be an exact plan and price for this option.
You get to contact the sales department and get personalized plans and pricing that depends on what you want for your team.
Have you been browsing the web recently only to find something resembling an Instagram story or a WhatsApp status? They are the new invention for displaying your content, and it’s called Google Web Stories.
They are Google’s version of the popular story format you see on other platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, etc.
Google Web Stories allow you to create and host content that engages your audience using visuals like videos, images, texts, animation, and audio. This format will enable you to bring your site’s users an immersive, full-screen experience and bring your content to life.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about Google Web Stories.
What are Google Web Stories?
Formerly known as AMP stories, Google Web Stories are immersive, visual full-screen experiences that are engaging and tappable. Your audience can watch quickly by swiping through it or tapping from one story to the next.
But unlike those other platforms, where your stories disappear after 24 hours, Google Web Stories are hosted on your website and powered by AMP technology.
So you have complete control over creating and distributing your Web Stories. You can share it directly with your audience or on other social platforms.
Where can Google Web Stories be found?
You can find Google Web Stories on:
Google Search: This is the regular search engine billions of searchers use worldwide.
Google Image: This is the image section of Google search where results are shown visually.
Google Discover App: This is the discovery feed you see when you open Google on your phone. It is a personalized, curated feed for you, available on Apple and Android devices.
Format for Google Web Stories
A Web Story has three parts: poster, cover photo, and story pages.
A poster is the first thing a reader sees on their Google Search result or Discover app. It is like a cover photo for your Web Story, and it will determine whether readers will engage with it.
It gives a preview of what your story is about. A poster should be visually appealing and enticing to pull in the reader and get them to click to watch your Web Stories. Consider your poster as your Web Story packaging.
Remember that the poster has some restrictions; videos and animations are prohibited. The poster must be a photo.
Cover page
This part is where readers will land after they click on your poster; it is the landing page for your Web Stories.
The cover page is the first part of your story. It should be captivating to grab the reader’s attention and get them to swipe to watch the remaining story.
You would want the poster and cover page to look similar so your readers don’t think they clicked on the wrong link.
There are not so many restrictions with the cover page; you can use videos, animations, texts, and music.
Story pages/panels
This part is where you begin to tell your story and narrative using video, text, animations, music, pictures, and other visually engaging creative assets.
For Google to distribute your story, each Web Story must be a minimum of four (4) pages, ideally less than 30.
But if you need more than 30 pages to tell your story, you can go for it. Remember that it is important to tell good stories your readers can follow.
Later in this guide, I will show you how to create a storyboard so your stories can flow cohesively.
Storytelling styles for your Google Web Stories
Here are different storytelling styles you can use for your Web Stories:
1. First-person narrative
Using this style, you tell the story from your perspective and pull your audience into the story.
Here you will share your point of view; you can share an experience, your unique way or perspective of doing things, a lesson you learned, etc.
With this style, your audience is emotionally invested in your story.
For example, “How I spent my summer holiday in Greece without breaking the bank.”
2. Third-person narrative
This style involves telling the story from an inactive perspective. For example, “What to do in Greece during the summer.”
The story usually focuses on the subject, so it does not have much human connection and is not very relatable. But it has its place. You can use it for educational purposes or listicles. I will tell you more about these two storytelling styles as we go further.
3. Educational stories
In this story style, you educate your audience on something. It could be how-tos, a guide, a product review, or you are answering your audience’s question.
For example, “How to make homemade pizza.”
4. Evergreen or updating
These stories are like a log or journal you update regularly; it can be every day, once a week, or whatever you choose. These stories have a beginning but no end because you will keep updating them.
For example, you can use it as a travel log or my daily life journal to update daily happenings in your life or a season. You may be working on a project and want to give daily updates or progress.
5. Live stories
These are good for live updates, breaking news, or anything happening. Unlike evergreen stories, you update the stories in real-time, and your audience can see the live update.
6. Experiential stories
This storytelling style allows the audience to experience an event or a place. For example, you visited a place; you went for an event like a concert, a sporting event, a family dinner/vacation, etc.
You are taking your audience with you and allowing them to experience it.
7. Listicles
Almost everyone likes a good list; this storytelling style will help you bring your lists to life.
You can make a top 10 list, list your favorite products, and include your affiliate link. You can even turn some of your list blog posts into a story format to make them more engaging.
8. Quizzes and polls
You can engage your audience with interactive quizzes and polls. You can ask them questions and reveal the answers.
You can take a poll to learn more about your audience and their interest. You can also use it for other purposes, and it functions just like the quizzes and polls you see on Instagram stories.
Google Web Stories examples
Here are some examples of real-life Web Stories as seen on the internet:
This is an inspirational story about two sisters who returned from the U.K. to start a food business in Kenya. The story was told in a first-person narrative, pulling the audience into this story.
Different video shots and angles showcased their food truck, behind the scenes of the burgers, and the two sisters talking directly to the camera.
These different shots and the cohesive arrangement of the story made it enjoyable to watch from the beginning to the end.
This Web Story is an example of a listicle. This story showed seven food stores where you could get delicious things at North 3rd Street Market in New York. The videos showed the behind-the-scenes of making the food and the finished product.
This made it more experiential for the audience and made them feel more connected to the story because they watched the process. Instead of just listing the places with a picture of the food, this Web Story created a desire for the audience to try some.
Vogue did a Web Story about an actress in India. The whole idea of the story was to get to know her better. The story used pictures, videos, text, and sound.
The zoom-in and out animation of the pictures kept the reader’s attention, so it was not boring. Having a video come between the pictures made it enjoyable to watch. The videos acted as a pattern disruption, so it was not monotonous; an excellent example of how to mix images and videos for your Web Story. A little animation will make your still photos more interesting to watch.
This creator used the first-person storytelling style for her Web Stories. She took her audience on a journey to the nail salon, showing the process of getting her nails done and the final result.
Her audience got to experience this visit to the nail salon with her. Something about this type of story gets the audience hooked until the end to see the outcome.
How to Use Google Web Stories
Tell your brand story.
Everybody has a story to share, and Web Stories have made it easier for you to share your story engagingly and interestingly. You can share why you started your brand and the journey so far.
Teach your audience something new or exciting.
You can use Google Web Stories to educate your audience. It could be a recipe, a DIY project, how to do something, etc.
You can bring your list post to life with engaging Web Stories.
Use immersive visuals to make your list more captivating and enjoyable to watch.
You can share tips with your audience.
Use Web Stories to share helpful and valuable tips with your audience. You know those things you wanted to share, but they are too short for a blog post? You can turn it into engaging Web Stories.
Tell interesting or inspiring stories.
You can tell stories about exciting things that happened to you or someone and share stories that inspire your audience. Make sure the story is relatable to your audience and something they will find valuable.
You can share personal stories.
Share personal stories about your life and business, or share your experience. An example is “A Day in a Life of,” “Travel with Me,” “Shop with Me,” etc.
How to make Google Web Stories
Here is a stepwise process to make Google Web Stories:
Decide on the story narrative.
Before creating your Web Stories, you need a compelling storyline/narrative with a definite beginning and end. Clarity is important here because you will build the rest of your Web Story creation process in this phase.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
What will the story be all about?
What is the concept of the story?
What is the title?
What visuals are needed to tell this story; images, videos, texts, animations, voice-over, etc.?
What storytelling style will you use?
Start by writing out all your ideas (do a brain dump). It does not have to be perfect. Just write everything out, then you can flesh out your ideas and organize them in the storyboard.
Create a storyboard.
The storyboard is a graphic representation that shows how your story will unfold from start to finish. This part is where you determine the flow of your Google Web Stories. The storyboard is like a road map that guides you while creating your stories.
First, decide how many story pages will be needed to tell your story. You can keep it between 10 to 12 pages; you don’t want your story to be too long that you lose your audience’s attention.
The next thing is to write and draw a rough representation of what each story page will look like and include visuals and copies that you will need. This is where you will plan out your poster and the cover; it should have the hook, the story pages, where to include the call to action and links and the closing slide.
If you need to shoot some videos, write out the shots you will need and the actions that will be taken during the shots.
Suppose you are making a recipe. What will be the first, second, and subsequent shot, and how will you end it? This way, you have everything planned, so you don’t miss any important shots.
Whether you are sharing a recipe, teaching something, sharing your travel experience, or doing a DIY project, creating a storyboard before you begin to make your Web Stories is crucial.
Also, if you want to use pictures and stock videos, you want to write out the type of videos or pictures you need to communicate your message to your audience.
Now that you have drafted your storyboard, it’s time to create or curate your content. You should set aside time to create your content, whether you are using videos or pictures.
And if you already have content you can repurpose or want to use stock photos and videos, you should sort them out and create a folder so it will be easy to access.
Choose your editing tool.
You want to choose an editing tool that works for you and is easy to use. If you have coding skills, you can use AMP technology and follow this guide and tutorial from AMP on creating a custom functional Web Story.
If you use WordPress, you can install the Google Web Stories for WordPress plugin, built by Google. It is a user-friendly editor that will help you create your Web Stories. It includes templates, drag-and-drop tools, easy access to your WordPress media library, and customizable design elements.
Newsroom AI is an editor with a user-friendly interface with freestyle functionality allowing you to manage shapes, media, or text layers. You can manage your brand element and templates and assign tasks to your team. Sign up with your Google account, set up your account, and start creating.
This editor has different prices with different features, but the free version is enough for you to get started. You can create stories, collaborate with your team, get analytics, and monetize your stories through ads.
With the paid version, you can connect your domain to publish, save or update your stories without any subsequent upload.
Newsroom Studio automatically takes care of your site map so your content is discoverable on the search. The paid version integrates with Gretty images, giving you access to a photo library.
MakeStoriesis an editor with a simple drag-and-drop functionality. It has a library of templates, designs, fonts, animations, stickers, illustrations, and shapes you can choose from.
When you click “create a new story,” the app guide will walk you through its functions. It is fully packed, and sometimes it might feel overwhelming because of its features, but you will get used to it after creating two to four Web Stories.
This editor also has a WordPress integration. However, it allows you to connect your website directly via FTP and export your story as a zip file to publish directly on your site. You can host your story on MakeStories shared hosting and export it as PNG to use on social media.
MakeStories has a publishing tool that helps you validate your Web Story and verify the metadata.
Other editing tools for Web Stories include:
Unfold
Instories
StorifyMe
JOIN Stories
Ampstor
Visual Stories
Tappable Stories
Viqeo Studio
Create your Web Story.
It is time to create your Web Stories using your storyboard, editing tool, and content. While creating your Web Stories, remember that visual content is vital. Use as many videos as you can and create original content. Design your Web Stories in a way that keeps your audience hooked.
Test your Web Story.
After creating your Web Stories, testing them before you hit the publish button is important. Here are some things you need to check:
Verify the metadata: For your Web Stories to be eligible to appear on Google Search or Google Discover experiences, ensure you include the correct metadata.
Use engaging elements: animation, quizzes, and polls can increase engagement and make your stories more interesting.
Use animation thoughtfully and use animation styles that suit you or your brand. Too much animation might make it difficult to watch.
Add captions to videos to keep the audience engaged. Some people watch stories without sound, so using captions in your stories will make them more accessible.
Use your branding identity. Use your brand colors, logos, and other elements to create a cohesive feel. You want your audience to know that it is you.
Use CTAs that are relevant to your Google Web Stories. Let people know the next step to take after watching your story.
Optimize your Web Stories for Google search. Verify the metadata of your Web Story.
Benefits of Google Web Stories
It’s a new way for people to find you.
Web Stories can be a source of traffic to your site because they can be found on Google Search and Google Discover. More people will be able to find you when they search on Google, and using the CTA, you can drive traffic back to your site. Remember that Google is one of the most powerful search tools.
You own the content.
Unlike other social media platforms where the stories disappear after 24 hours, you have complete control over the ownership and distribution of your Google Web Stories. You can embed them on your site or share them with your audience on other platforms.
You will be bringing an immersive experience to your website.
The immersive nature of Google Web Stories helps to bring your story to life and engage your audience with a full-screen immersive experience.
They have unique ad opportunities.
Using a programmatic ads solution, Google is making it easier for creators and brands to monetize their Web Stories. The Web Story ad is an engaging, fascinating full-screen experience that flows naturally with the storyline and makes the user experience seamless. Depending on your story’s purpose, you can include calls to action for a product, a landing page, an affiliate link, etc.
Your audience will enjoy watching them.
The story format is already widely popular on social media platforms, and the engaging format makes it interesting to watch. Your audience will enjoy consuming your content in a different format.
They are fun to create.
Web Stories are another way to express your creativity. You can have fun creating and telling different types of stories and experiment with different styles of stories to see what works.
Google Web Stories SEO best practices
Provide high-quality content.
Keep the title of the poster between 70 and 90 characters.
Add metadata to all elements of your Google Web Stories.
Add alt text to images to increase discoverability.
Ensure you don’t include a noindex attribute to your story and add your Web Story to your site map.
Make your Web Stories self-canonical. Make sure your Web Story has a link rel=“canonical.”
Include structure data in your Web Story to help Google Search understand the structure and content of your Web Stories.
Integrate Web Stories into your website.
Ensure your Google Web Stories are AMP valid.
Use the proper aspect ratio for your poster and logo.
Add support for landscape displays to enable Web Stories to appear on Google Search results.
FAQs for Google Web Stories
What are Google Web Stories?
Google Web Stories are immersive, visual full-screen experiences that are engaging and tappable. Your audience can watch at their pace by swiping through it or tapping from one story to the next.
Where can you find Web Stories?
You can find Web Stories on Google Search, Google Image, and Google Discover App, available on Apple and Android devices.
Can you make money with Web Stories?
Yes, you can. You can monetize your Web story using a programmatic ads solution that creates a seamless ad experience for your audience. You can include calls to action for a product, a landing page, an affiliate link, etc.
Do Web Stories disappear after 24 hours?
Your Web Stories can exist for whatever time you desire, and you have complete control over them.
Web Story allows you to reach more people and engage your audience with an interactive, captivating experience hosted on your site.
The best part is you have complete control over creating and distributing your content.
You can customize your Web Stories with drag-and-drop editors and ensure you follow the tips and guidelines I have shared to get the most out of your Google Web Stories.
Don’t sleep on this opportunity that Google has provided to get more traffic, engage site users, and monetize.
Start sharing your stories today!
Will you start using Google Web Stories on your website?
Guest blogging is one of the most effective ways to get high-quality backlinks to boost your SEO rankings. Sixty percent of blogs write 1-5 guest posts per month, with 3% writing over 100 guest posts per month.
However, it’s not how many guest posts you write that matters, but how you do it. If you’re doing things wrong, writing more guest posts won’t help much. By focusing on the following five tips, you can maximize your guest blogging efforts and get superior results from the guest posts you are already writing.
1. Determine Who and Where Your Customers Are
The first step is figuring out your target audience. By determining who your customers are and which online spaces they are hanging out in, you’ll be able to better target your guest post submissions to reach the right readership.
Don’t just guest post on random blogs. Let’s take that a step further: Don’t just guest post on random blogs in your niche. It should be self-understood that writing guest posts on blogs that aren’t relevant to your niche is a waste of effort. However, even within your niche, your readers may be spending more time on certain blogs than others.
You first need to know your readership demographics, information you can get from Google Analytics, Facebook, Instagram, and other sites. There are a few ways to figure out which sites they are spending time on.
One way is to look where your referrals are already coming from. If you have done some guest posting in the past, which guest blogs were effective at driving traffic?
Another way is to poll your readership. Create a pop-up survey on your site or send it to your email list. Ask them about the top blogs they like and trust in your niche. Ask them which influencers they look up to and trust.
Yet another way is to figure out what your readers are searching for online. Start by figuring out the top keyword phrases driving traffic to your own site. Google Analytics and Google Search Console will come in handy for this.
Then, find out which other blogs are consistently ranking for those same keywords. You can also ask your readers directly which issues concern them most.
Finally, you can find out where your competitors are getting their backlinks from and pitch guest post ideas to those same sites. Use a tool like SEMrush and Ahrefs to run a backlink analysis on your top competitors. If you don’t want to write guest posts on your main competitors’ sites, this is an excellent strategy.
2. Target the Highest Authority Sites
Targeting the highest authority sites in your niche will ensure you get the most out of your backlinks. Domain Authority is not the only metric you should look at, but it’s a big one. Try to target sites with a DA of 80+, if possible. Try not to go below 50. The average DA score of your referring sites is one metric Google considers when determining backlink strength.
Check the site’s readership and relevance. Just because a site has a high DA doesn’t mean it’s good. It can be hard to figure out a site’s readership demographics without insider access to analytical reports, but you can check the comments section and tools like Similarweb to get a general idea.
One thing worth considering is whether the readers seem like customers or people who are mostly interested in free stuff. At the very least, they should be heavily invested in your niche and ready and willing to take action.
For local links and citations, you want to ensure the site you guest blog for has a strong presence in the community. Local links don’t always have to come from sites in the same industry. The fact that you serve the same community establishes a base to collaborate on.
In addition, if you live in a small town, only getting links from sites with DA scores of 80+ can sometimes be unrealistic. The most important thing is that the site is well-visited and the business is respected by the people you serve.
3. Establish Your Authority in Your Field
Guest posting isn’t just about getting backlinks. It’s an opportunity to establish yourself as an authority in your field. When you appear on influential blogs, it reaffirms your credentials. You will start becoming more well-known, and other bloggers may start reaching out to you to submit guest posts to your own blog or collaborate in other ways.
Writing a killer guest post is crucial. That’s why quality is more significant than quantity. Writing hundreds of bland, low-level blog posts that only superficially cover a topic or regurgitate the same content other bloggers are writing won’t help establish you as an authority.
Writing better quality posts will get you noticed more. You’ll be able to point to those blog posts as samples when submitting guest post pitches to other blogs. You’ll get more placements on higher-quality blogs.
What is a killer guest post? Some tips to consider include:
Do your keyword research beforehand. Target high-volume, low-competition keywords.
Write original content, and write about a new topic in each guest post.
Use high-quality sources and statistics.
Use personal experiences and original research or case studies to establish your authority and connect with new audiences.
Break up your article with headings, subheadings, and paragraphs.
Include plenty of white space, and make your article skimmable. Use bolding as necessary.
Optimize the article for SEO. Include the target keyword in the right places, and add LSI keywords.
Don’t forget about high-quality graphics. Invest in premium stock photos, or take your own pictures.
Insert quotes and CTAs as needed.
Link to the best pages on your site.
Take into account the publishing site’s guest post guidelines, formatting styles, and outbound link guidelines.
For an extra punch, create an accompanying YouTube video that the site owner can embed in the article. That can help you grow your YouTube channel as well.
Another way to use guest posts to establish your authority in the field is by writing a killer bio.
Typically, you’ll be able to add a short byline at the end of your article of 2-5 sentences or so. Since you’re limited in space, you’ll have to choose your words carefully. Write about who you are, what your blog talks about, and what your company aims to accomplish.
4. Talk About Topics You Don’t Cover in Your Site
It can seem a bit like too much effort to write new content for other sites when you could invest all that effort or money (if hiring writers) into your own site. Some of the sites you are guest posting for may even be competitors, which can sting even more.
You may wonder why you shouldn’t just rewrite blog posts you already published on your own blog, thus ensuring your competitors aren’t ranking for keywords you could have ranked for yourself.
Part of offering high-quality guest post services includes writing about new topics that you don’t already cover on your site. Rewriting articles for guest posts can come across as lazy, and high-quality sites won’t go for it. They want fresh content with fresh ideas.
It’s important to diversify your content and audience. Writing about a topic or keyword you are already ranking for can mean that the same people who already know about you find your guest posts. You won’t get any new traffic that way.
Write for other blogs as if they were your own. Put in the same money, time, and effort to ensure quality as you would if the post were going on your own site. It will be published with your bio, after all, so it will reflect on you either way.
5. Strengthen Your Connection in Your Field
Finally, use guest posting as a way to network and strengthen your connections in the field. With each blog post you write, build a relationship with the blog’s owner. Leave an open space for future collaboration opportunities of different types.
Networking is critical. By establishing new connections, you’ll open up additional guest blogging opportunities. The way you write your email pitch and how you communicate with the blogger you’re writing the guest post for is important.
Be professional, but be friendly as well. If you have any common ground or experiences that can help create a connection, talk about it in your email pitch. Whether you attended the same university or come from similar backgrounds, there are many ways to establish common ground. Do your research beforehand.
Try connecting on social media as well. Connecting with other bloggers on LinkedIn and even Facebook can help you expand your network.
Guest blogging| Final Thoughts
While there are other backlink building methods, such as broken link building, guest posting is perhaps the most effective strategy in the long run. Not only can you get backlinks, but you can network with other content creators and influencers and establish your credentials in the field.
Besides, writing guest posts tends to attract even more guest post opportunities.
Living in an era where content is the new black or orange has placed content writers in high demand. While we are still trying to maintain quality, the increased workload has made it almost impossible for us to avoid using content writing tools for SEO purposes.
This blog post is dedicated to all hardworking content writers who need content writing tools for SEO to improve the quality of their content and meet deadlines. The reward for us is when we see those blog posts that we write ranking on the first page of Google’s SERPs.
What is content writing?
Content writing is the entire process of planning, writing, and publishing content in written formats. These pieces of content take various forms, but whatever form they take, the endpoint is usually to convey a message to a particular audience.
Depending on the quality of your content, it has the ability to convert your audience into paying and returning clients.
The importance of SEO in content writing includes:
Visibility
No matter the platform you are writing for, the end game for every writer is to be able to showcase their work in front of an audience.
For example, when you write content for blogs, you want to see it show up on the first page of a SERP for its focus keyword. When you write content for social media, you want to see it get the needed engagement and traction.
Whatever content you write, what makes your efforts worthwhile is when it is visible to your target audience. What better way to do this than through SEO?
SEO allows your content to be visible to people who are searching for it.
Engagement
Due to the fact that SEO is based on research, it allows you to discover what people want to read about in the exact format that they want.
This lets you create personalized content, which promotes engagement.
Brand building
When your visibility increases, it helps you develop a strong online presence, which is advantageous to your brand.
As more people engage with your content, they become familiar with your brand, its values, and its offerings, fostering a positive brand reputation.
Builds credibility
When you consistently produce high-quality content that is optimized for search engines and users, earn quality backlinks from reputable websites, and optimize your website to enhance user experience, it will help to build your credibility as an authority in your niche.
Niche relevance
SEO-driven content ensures that your brand is associated with specific keywords and topics that are relevant to your target audience. By incorporating relevant keywords into your content, you align your website with the search queries that your audience is using. This targeted approach effectively positions your brand as a relevant resource for users seeking information or solutions within your niche.
Free marketing
Organic traffic is the icing on the cake when it comes to SEO. Unlike other paid marketing options, SEO is more long-term and rewards consistent, quality content with adequate research and cost-effective strategies.
How to choose the best content writing tools.
Selecting your most suitable content writing tools for SEO requires careful consideration of various factors to optimize your content creation process and achieve your SEO goals effectively.
Here are some factors to consider when choosing the best content writing tools for SEO:
Your Content Needs and Requirements
Assess your content writing needs and identify the specific tasks you want to automate or enhance with the use of these tools. Consider whether you need tools for keyword research, content optimization, plagiarism checking, grammar assistance, or a tool that combines these functionalities.
Ease of Use and Good User Interface
Prioritize content writing tools for SEO that offer a user-friendly interface and easy navigation, especially if you are a beginner. This little factor can significantly affect your workflow and productivity.
Accuracy and Reliability
Ensure that the content writing tools for SEO that you choose provide you with accurate and reliable data. This is crucial for making informed decisions about your content strategy and optimizing your content for search engines.
Pricing and Budget
Evaluate the pricing plans of these tools and compare the functionalities offered by different plans. Select tools that align with your budget and provide the features and functionalities you need without breaking the bank.
Free Trials or Demos
Take advantage of the free trials or demos offered by many content writing tools for SEO. This allows you to experiment with the tool’s functionalities before making a purchase.
Integrations with Existing Tools
Consider how well the tools you choose integrate with your existing content management system (CMS), analytics platform, and other relevant tools. It needs to have seamless and hitch-free integration with your existing tools for overall efficiency.
Customer Support and Resources
You need to consider the level of customer support provided by the developer. Access to comprehensive tutorials and responsive customer support can be your saving grace when troubleshooting issues arise.
Content Writing Tools for SEO Writing
Grammarly
If you are a content writer, I am absolutely sure you’ve heard of Grammarly at least once. This is because it is one of the best content-writing tools available.
The essential features of Grammarly cover spelling, punctuation, and grammar, but it doesn’t stop there. When you upgrade to the paid plan, you get plagiarism checks, vocabulary, and even sentence tone checkers.
One thing that distinguishes Grammarly is that it uses AI systems to detect subtle writing errors, making its reviews and feedback very accurate and spot on.
Although AI systems have certain disadvantages, including the inability to identify word structures outside of their programming, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. You can manually correct your writing where you deem appropriate.
The free version of Grammarly, though limited, is far better than most spellcheckers and editing tools as it offers a variety of features, including:
Integration with several browsers
Integration with Google Docs
AI system for spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors
Availability on mobile devices
Readability metrics
As expected, the premium version offers far more value than the free version and gives writers literally all the features needed to have a WOW effect on readers. It goes beyond the basic suggestions and checks word tone, style, ineffective word usage, and plagiarism. Another feature of the premium version is outsourcing your writing to an actual human proofreader, although this comes at an additional cost.
Grammarly Premium makes sure your writing has clarity and emotional appeal and is free from plagiarism.
Developed by SEMRush, this writing assistant has all the features necessary for content optimization, and the good news is that these features are automated. Unlike other content writing tools for SEO, the features are not exactly embedded in the tool but come from various integrations, including all the SEMRush tools.
I like this tool because it shows you recommendations and gives you feedback as you write. This means that you don’t have to wait till you’re done writing to make necessary corrections. You also get to finish your work faster and learn on the go.
The SEMRush Writing Assistant offers:
SEO suggestions
Real-time feedbacks
Google Docs integration
Integration with other SEMRush tools
It can be used as a WordPress plugin
The limitation of the SWA is that you cannot access it unless you have an active SEMRush subscription which starts at $120 per month.
There are several ways you can use the SEMRush Writing Assistant:
Inside SEMRush: This allows you to check the viability of your content right from the SEMRush platform, although this prevents you from styling options or image insertion.
As a Google Docs Plugin: More preferable than the first option, although you need to have a Google Workspace account. Then you have to install the plugin to your Google docs from the GSuite Workspace market, after which you enable the add-on via your Google Docs.
As a WordPress plugin: This is the most preferred option as it is easy to use with more available options. All you need to do is go to your WordPress plugin page, search for the SWA, and install and activate. Click on the ‘Flat mode’ in your post editor, log in to your account, and your SWA is ready for work.
For any content creator or writer, answerthepublic gives you insight into your customer’s minds. It compiles a list of search queries based on specific keywords. It then categorizes these queries into several forms, including:
Questions like why, where, how, who, what, can will, etc
Prepositions like without, near, with, to, without, etc.
Comparisons like versus, and, or, like, etc
Alphabetical: displays results in alphabetical order
Related
and presents it in an appealing visual format.
This tool is best for researching market trends and observing queries around specific keywords in any niche. These keywords are predictions of what your audience will search for, and it is an accurate analysis as these data are updated frequently.
The free version offers you search insights and allows you to download the displayed data, although you have a limited number of searches per day.
The paid version allows you access to unlimited daily searches, unlimited users, data comparison, and CSV export.
There is no free trial for answerthepublic, and the pro plan starts at $99 monthly with a 20% discount if you want to pay for an entire year.
Initially, when I started writing, I always loved using Microsoft Word for all of my writing until I discovered Google Docs.
Besides the fact that Google Docs automatically saves your writings to your drive or device to prevent the risk of losing your writing, it also allows you to add plugins that can help your content writing process.
Working with a team allows you to collaborate on a document and automatically syncs all inputs.
When writing blog posts, I always use Google Docs, and it’s incredible how I can highlight a particular phrase or word, search the internet for related posts, and automatically insert the links. This saves you the stress of having to insert URLs or add related links to your writings manually.
If you are using WordPress as your blogging platform, what you see on your Google Docs is what you will see at the backend of your website, so you hardly have to edit your texts.
If you aren’t using Google Docs as a blogger or writer, you should try it!
Possibly the best keyword tool for SEO writers, Ubersuggest brings all your SEO needs to fulfillment. Developed by Neil Patel, it offers insight into keywords, content analysis, website analysis, competitor analysis, link tracking, and many other features.
It has a reliable and vast database of keywords and uses the API (Application Programming Interface) for Adwords, specifically Google Keyword Planner and Google Suggest, to get its data. This gives its users insights that help their SEO strategies and ranks them better in search engines.
If you are looking for an SEO tool that covers all the aspects of SEO, then this has got you covered. The free version offers you limited access to keyword analysis and content analysis. There is also a 7-day free trial that gives you a preview of what you can have access to in the premium version.
There are three categories of the paid version:
Individual: $12 monthly or a $ 120-lifetime access
Business: $20 monthly or a $ 200-lifetime access
Enterprise: $40 monthly or a $ 400-lifetime access
One of the best tools is the Hemingway editor when it comes to streamlining writing styles and writing clarity. Perfect for writing concision and word phrasing, it shows the readability of the article and aspects of the writing that need corrections by using different color codes.
Yellow: Phrases highlighted in yellow indicate long, complex sentences.
Blue: Highlighted blue phrases show weak verbs and phrases. You might want to edit these phrases with context words and more impactful verbs.
Green: Green highlights are indicative of passive voice.
Red: Red highlights show that the highlighted phrase is difficult to read, and the readers will likely not get its meaning.
Purple: Phrases highlighted with purple usually indicate that you can shorten the selected phrase or that the highlighted word has a simpler alternative.
There are two ways to use the Hemingway editor. You can use it as a free tool online or download it as an app. The online Hemingway editor is entirely free, but the App version comes with a one-time fee of $19.99.
Although the features for both the online and app versions are the same, a significant difference is that you cannot download or upload your corrected work using the online version, but you can do that via the app. The app also gives you download options, including HTML, Markdown, or Word document.
The app version also allows you to use it without an internet connection, while an internet connection is necessary for the online version.
This makes it to my list because it is one of the few AI tools that can actually help you with SEO. The Jasper AI has integration with Surfer SEO to help writers and bloggers with on-page SEO.
What is Jasper AI?
Jasper AI is a GPT-3 (Third-generation generative Pre-trained Transformer) content writing tool that helps you create and edit content. The fact that it is a GPT-3 tool means that it can use a small amount of input text to generate large amounts of relevant texts using the internet data, making it a perfect choice for long-form and short-form content.
Another reason you will love this tool is that it offers a lot of templates:
Long-form assistant: to write long articles from start to finish.
AIDA Framework: Utilizes the AIDA model for copywriters (Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action)
Content Improver: To copy and paste pieces of your writing to make it better.
Facebook Ad Primary Text: Create highly converting copy for the ‘primary text’ section of your Facebook ads.
Google Ads Headline: To create highly converting copy for your Google Ads’ headline section.
Marketing angles: To add vibrancy to your marketing by researching different angles.
Video description: To create unique descriptions in your YouTube videos.
Email Subject Line: For compelling subject lines to get readers to open your mail.
Real Estate Listing – Residential: Creating enticing real estate listings that sell homes fast.
PAS Framework: For creating new marketing ideas using the PAS framework (Problem-Agitate-Solution)
Pricing for Jasper AI. starts at $29 per month for the starter plan and $59 per month for the Boss mode. There is an option to pay yearly with 2-month payments off.
Well, if you have an app that allows you to make amazing graphics for your content in record time and offer millions of templates, then maybe you don’t need Canva.
Visual content is just as important as written content. In fact, your written content is not complete without pictures, infographics, or short videos. Canva makes it easier for content creators to develop graphics they can use to hook their readers.
With millions of templates ranging from infographics, websites, concept maps, planners, posters, invoices, ebook covers, YouTube intro, blog graphics, Instagram posts, videos, and the list goes on! It is a must-have for all content writers and bloggers.
Pricing: The free version is available and has a lot of templates from which you can select.
As the name implies, this tool majorly helps generate topic ideas for your writing. This is the tool for you if you are continually hitting a creative block or running out of topics.
When you open the site, you get to add a noun that best describes what you want to talk about. Hubspot allows you to add up to five nouns, and it gives you days, weeks, or months’ worth of blog topic ideas that you can use.
You can access more ideas when you sign in to the platform using your website’s URL.
The Hubspot blog topic generator is completely free.
Improve your writing: In less than a month of using appropriate tools, the quality of your writing is sure to increase. As the tool makes corrections, you also learn aspects of your writing that need improvement.
Improve reader experience: One of the benefits of most content writing tools for SEO is that they optimize your content to be reader-friendly. These include paragraphing and flowing sentences.
Optimize for search engines: Yes, your content gets to go through SEO scrutiny and editing—keyword stuffing, paragraph length, keyword research, word count, etc.
Organize your content: Content writing tools help organize your content layout and make it visually appealing to your readers.
Professional content: After editing and revising your content, the final product is usually professional.
Instant feedback: Most tools instantly revise your content as you write and make suggestions where necessary.
My content SEO Tools: top picks
These content writing tools for SEO have a lot of advantages, and they are sure to improve your writing quality and optimize for search engines.
My top picks from these tools would be
AnswerThePublic,
UberSuggest,
Google Docs,
Grammarly, and
Canva
What tools have you tried out? Do you think they help improve your writing skills? Did I fail to include your go-to content-writing tool?
Have you ever wondered how to write a blog post that is clickable and engages your audience on all fronts?
The first time I wrote an entire blog post, I edited and backspaced a lot. Even when I submitted it for review, I was expecting a load of criticism.
Yes, it wasn’t perfect at first, but from that point till now, I’ve learned a lot of tricks in the trade that get me to a near-perfect blog post that ranks on the first page of Google. I will be sharing these trade secrets in this post, so sit tight and enjoy the ride.
If you are familiar with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), you will know it is specific to both the user and search engines. And all the tips in this post will help your SEO strategy.
But if you are not familiar with SEO, You might want to check out our blog post on SEO writing to learn how to incorporate SEO in writing blog posts.
What is a blog post?
In simple terms, a blog post is a piece of writing published on a website to entertain or educate. Usually, blog posts are written content but may contain infographics, images, or even embedded videos which are all used to further the purpose of that post.
Elements of a good blog post
What makes a good blog post?
Usually, I would say SEO, but that is just one of the crucial factors that makes a good blog post. There are several other factors your blog post needs to have.
Here’s what makes a good blog post:
Readability
Comprehensiveness
Visually appealing
Self-explanatory
Answers a question
Skimmable
Optimized
SEO is basically making sure your content is optimized for search engines, but you also have to think of the people who will read your post.
Now, the fact doesn’t change that SEO cares about the users, but it does not guarantee that every post ranking high has valuable content. I’ve seen high-ranking posts with less value than expected.
Why should you learn how to write a blog post that is engaging?
There are several reasons why your blog post needs to be engaging. Some are
It increases your chances of getting return visits
It increases your conversion rates
It establishes a connection with the audience
It increases the possibility of users sharing your post on social media
It moves the readers to comment, and this is a good signal for search engines
How to write a blog post in 14 steps
This is how to write a blog post that magically keeps your audience hooked;
Choose a good topic
Research
Create an outline
Craft a good headline
Give an irresistible intro
Get to the point
Deliver facts with experience
Add a personal touch
Write flow sentences
Use short paragraphs
Insert additional references
Use infographics
Finish off strongly
Promote your posts
1. Choose a good topic
When selecting what topic you want to write about, you must first be clear about your niche, target audience, and content bucket.
You also have to choose a topic that you and the audience will love.
Writing can be a bit tasking and overwhelming, so you want to select a topic that interests you, piques your curiosity, and energizes you.
When I have a massive workload, including writing a good and optimized blog post, I opt for topics that I’m more familiar with and are less technical.
By doing this, I reduce the mental stress associated with technical blog posts, meet up with deadlines, and also write a killer post.
Use the right tools to conduct topic research and focus on user-generated content from platforms like answerthepublic and Quora.
Optimize these topic ideas and move to the next step.
2. Research
Ubersuggest and Google pretty much got you covered on research. Research the topic to see if it’s an existing subject that people talk about. Study patterns of previously published posts (the headline, content structure, word count, and outline).
It’s basically fieldwork to get a lay of competitors’ work and do better than what they already have.
Research also helps you optimize your content for search engines. When your topic is a current subject, your keywords are on point, and your writing is superb, search engines will love you.
3. Create an outline
I learned that creating an outline works miracles (not literally, though).
Before creating an outline, I optimize all my ideas and have my headlines sorted out. This is to let me fully understand the entirety of the post; what it should and should not contain.
When you fully grasp what your blog post is about, you create an imaginary boundary around it that lets you know when you are going off point and gets you into your audience’s mind to predict what they will want to see in that type of blog post.
Many things can make up the body of your blog post; it could be reasons, elements, factors, benefits, or definitions, depending on the subject at hand.
When I wanted to write this blog post, I made an outline that contained what I thought my readers would like to see.
This isn’t just a guessing game. You need to check other reference posts, research questions users frequently ask about the subject, and insert questions that can easily be explained as part of your main content.
4. Craft a good headline
Recently, I wrote a post about Proven ways you can make money blogging in 2022. It was a perfect blog post with thorough research, statistics, comprehensive explanations, and in-depth points. Still, I was surprised to see other posts doing better because, in my opinion, this particular post was the BOMB!
So, I started analyzing the post and saw that nothing was wrong with the keywords or content, but the headline was the possible cause.
Headline rules you should follow:
Your headline should NOT be completely different from existing headlines.
Your headline should have your focus keyword or, at the very least, one of your keywords.
It should be similar but not the same as any existing headline. You can verify this by adding a quotation mark to the headline and searching on a good search engine (Google, Bing, etc.)
Make your headline a very long-tail keyword. This means making your headline something that a searcher can type out when searching as much as possible. This increases the chances of your post popping up for that search query because it is precisely what the searcher is looking for.
Your headline should not be more than 70 characters. I keep mine at 60 and the highest at 65.
Use numbers, trigger words, and add a promise at the end (what the reader will gain from the post).
5. Give an irresistible intro
Now that you’ve gone through all the trouble of getting a good topic, researching, creating a headline, and even an outline, your introduction will determine if your reader will stay through to the end or keep reading. The introduction is where you put your copywriting skills to work.
The introduction can be as long as 10-20 sentences, but what matters most is the first 2-3 lines, known as the hook. This is where you hook your readers and let them in on what you are offering. You want them curious and anticipating the rest of the post.
There are different types of introductions:
Sharing a story
Empathizing with a pain point
Giving mind-blowing statistics
Asking a question
Going straight to the subject matter
Stating a well-known fact
Addressing a controversy
Sharing what they will learn at the end of the post
Whichever introduction you decide to go with, you want to make sure that it is delivered well and don’t forget to add your focus keyword naturally in the first 10% of your post.
6. Get to the point
Your introduction should already give your readers insight into what they are about to read. Get to the point of the post.
It would help if you gave a background explanation before hitting the nail on the head. This is where your outline helps you, and your outline already gives you what you need to write and be on point.
Although there are times when you suddenly come up with an idea while writing, it’s all good as long as it is related to the subject and not just added words to increase your word count.
7. Deliver facts with experience
The body of your post is expected to contain verified data and facts. Statistics cover a lot, especially from authority websites, but you can also add personal experiences.
If you notice in this post, I have been adding my experience regarding writing blog posts because I want to connect with you and make you aware that I understand the struggles and that I’ve been there as well.
Your experience is also a fact, so make sure to add it to your post regardless of your niche.
8. Add a personal touch
Your personal touch equates to your personality. Let your personality reflect in your writing (if you are a humorous person, sassy, casual, etc.) Your brand tone should be informative, authoritative (I highly advise against this, though), relaxed, luxurious, etc.
Your writing should be identifiable to your audience and shouldn’t differ from one blog post to another.
Flow sentences are significant when writing blog posts. You don’t want to write a blog post where one paragraph is disjointed from the next.
The reader needs to be able to move smoothly from one sentence to the next, and without this, it is impossible to understand the full intent of the post. You can achieve sentence flow by using punctuation and connecting words correctly.
Also, when you are moving on to the next paragraph, make sure it is not entirely different from the previous one.
If you are bringing up an entirely new point, it is best to use it as a subheading instead, as this lets the reader know that the previous conversation has ended and another one is beginning.
10. Use short paragraphs
Long paragraphs shouldn’t be found in your blog posts. Most readers skim through a post till they find what they are looking for.
Short paragraphs make your post skimmable, which improves the user experience and encourages the reader to go through each line.
11. Insert additional references
Additional references are external links you insert in your blog post to let readers know that they are verified facts. It can also include links to your other content or social media pages.
If you own a website and have a YouTube account with videos related to the subject matter, you can insert links to them naturally within the post.
12. Use infographics
Infographics give a summary of your post in a visual format. Most readers actually appreciate infographics because it saves them a lot of time, and they can easily download and share them on their social media pages.
This is also a win for you because they do the marketing for the post without you paying a dime. Make sure to insert your website URL on the infographics so it is not pirated on the web.
It is best to insert the infographics earlier in the post and use Alt Text to describe it to search engines.
13. Finish off strongly
Your conclusion is just as important as your body. For readers who usually skim through to the end of posts, your introduction can convince the reader to read through the body.
When writing your conclusion, these are the main points you need to note:
Summarize the main point
Keep it short
Emphasize the benefits
Use a CTA
Link to related and relevant contents
Provide clear, actionable steps for implementing
14. Promote your posts
Your writing doesn’t stop at writing, and you need to promote this on your social media platforms and social apps.
Also, create links to social media platforms that the readers can use when they intend to share your content.
Create awareness as much as you can and sit back for the magic effect.
FINAL THOUGHTS
These tips are essential and should be used for all of your posts. At SARMLife, we’ve kept our blog posts ranking very high on search engines, and these tips are what we implement when writing each blog post.
Your next blog post will be able to cross that milestone using these tips.
The goal is not just to have your blog posts visible when people search for them but to be able to hook your readers, reduce the bounce rate for your site, and make them return to your blog.
You should save this post or download the Pinterest infographic and return to it when you want to write your next blog post.
Do you utilize any of these tips while writing your posts, or are some of them new to you? Share other tips you use while writing that have worked out for you.
