{"id":14291,"date":"2021-12-01T12:51:09","date_gmt":"2021-12-01T17:51:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.multiversemediagroup.com\/?p=14291"},"modified":"2022-07-30T18:26:07","modified_gmt":"2022-07-30T22:26:07","slug":"blogging-for-seo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.multiversemediagroup.com\/content-marketing\/blogging-for-seo\/","title":{"rendered":"Blogging for SEO: A Guide to Organic Traffic [2022]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this article, we\u2019ll discuss blogging for SEO. We will look at specifically what it takes to build targeted organic traffic with search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing, get more of your ideal customers to your website, and keep them there. There’s a strong focus on blogging for niche sites on this one, so if that’s your goal, read on. If not, there’s something here for anyone interested in improving their blogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a closer look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Blogging for SEO: All You Need to Know<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In short, successfully driving organic traffic to a website with optimized blogs involves doing several key things correctly and consistently over time. This includes writing original, informative, and engaging content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to that, you need to find a way to monetize your traffic, so if all your blog content is just about faq for random inquiries, you will most likely get a lot of traffic but it will not benefit your company or personal brand. It’s important to know what stage of the buyer’s journey your blog is written for – is it going to lead to a purchase or education? Note, sometimes educations lead to purchases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will write a blog on this in the future, and link to it here, but for now, let’s stick to the basics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, some organizations invest a lot of time and money into blogging, but their blogs don\u2019t generate traffic. The reasons for not generating traffic or leads can vary. Sometimes the fix is just a matter of making a few SEO tweaks. Other times, issues with site structure, keyword selection, site speed, and other factors can have serious impacts on a site\u2019s organic ranking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below we\u2019ll go into detail about what keeps a web page or blog from getting organic traffic. We\u2019ll also explore how to write an optimized blog that gets organic traffic from search engines. If you run a business, consider checking out our blog on Blogging for Business<\/a> as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, we\u2019ll touch on some fundamentals for having a website and blog that is attractive to the Google algorithm<\/a>. These key website features can play a critical role in getting a website\u2019s blogs indexed in Google in a position that draws in potential clients and customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Building Organic Traffic with SEO and Blogging<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For some organizations, blogging can just be an exercise of going through the motions and hoping that a newly published blog thrown at the \u201cinterwebs\u201d will stick in a good position in search results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, without doing the necessary work before writing a blog, results can often be disappointing. In other words, a blog might get little to no traffic and might not bring in a single lead or sale. Conversely, a well-optimized and engaging blog can bring in numerous leads and sales for years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are several components crucial to successful blogging<\/a>. Although the Google algorithm changes frequently, there are some practices and essential components of writing a successful blog that always remain constant. These are things that are essential for writing great blogs – blogging for SEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Do Keyword Research Before Starting a Blog<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Keyword research is where it all starts. This step in blogging can\u2019t be skipped if you are looking to write an optimized blog that has a chance at ranking and getting organic traffic through search. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research keyword phrases – learn the data on keywords to make a case for blogging using a particular phrase. Don\u2019t just write about a topic or keyword phrase because you think that people are searching for it. Look at the numbers – the data. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, look at Search Volume (SV)<\/a>. This is the estimated number of times a keyword phrase is searched by every month. Also, you\u2019ll want to look at Keyword Difficulty (KD)<\/a>. Keyword difficulty shows how hard it is to rank for a particular keyword phrase on a scale of 1 to 100 with 100 being the most difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep in mind, many variables will determine if one website or blog can outrank another website in search results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The search term, \u201ccredit cards\u201d is highly competitive. So if a big bank publishes a blog about \u201ccredit cards for business,\u201d the chances of a small-time blogger outranking the bank is slim to none. Wait, let\u2019s just go with none.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, depending on the market, keyword difficulty and the ability to rank can vary considerably. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take the keyword phrase, \u201cblue crayfish,\u201d for example. This is a keyword phrase that currently has a monthly search volume of 8,100 and a keyword difficulty of 45. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"blogging
(Are you a side-hustle affiliate blogger? check out “SEO Ryan’s” Blue Crayfish<\/a> Blog for some inspiration – no association to Multiverse Media Group, not an endorsement to own a crayfish \ud83d\ude09 )<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Although this phrase is somewhat competitive, one needs to take into account the actual websites that are ranking in top positions on Google<\/a>. Are all of the front page listings big names like National Geographic, The Learning Channel, or a well-known science website?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If so, the competition might be a little too strong depending on your website\u2019s SEO ranking. But, if the top results are small WordPress blogs and affiliate websites, this keyword phrase could pay off assuming it\u2019s written correctly and published on a contextually relevant website. And, talk about engaging, I mean, a blog or website on blue crayfish? How do you beat that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smaller websites, or websites with a lower Domain Authority (DA), should select niche long-tail keyword phrases with a lower keyword difficulty and a search volume of at least a few hundred searches per month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Domain Authority is a number on a scale of 1 to 100 that ranks a website\u2019s SEO strength. Sites are considered pretty strong when they get to around 50 and over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Determine Search Intent<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After deciding on a keyword phrase with a good search volume and reasonable keyword difficulty score, it\u2019s important to determine the \u201csearch intent\u201d associated with a keyword phrase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Search intent shows what types of content are being served for a particular keyword phrase when searched in a search engine. In other words, if you were to search the term \u201cblue crayfish\u201d and you received a search results page full of recipes for dishes with blue crayfish, then blogging about blue crayfish as pets wouldn\u2019t be a good idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The science behind search intent is pretty simple. Google\u2019s AI learns what types of content end-users are responding to. In other words, Google determines which web pages are answering a user\u2019s search query.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So if you are checking the search intent on \u201cblue crayfish,\u201d and the search results are nothing but blue crayfish recipes, unless you are publishing a recipe, you\u2019ll want to find another keyword phrase or write a recipe blog to have a chance at ranking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other types of content pieces you may find are product landing pages, review pages, lists (Top 5 Blue Crayfish Recipes\u2026), and \u201cbest\u201d pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"keyword<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Blogging for SEO: SEO Tools<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To properly build a website\u2019s SEO strength, it\u2019s highly recommended that organizations use several SEO tools for analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many SEO tools and different types of SEO software used by online marketers, SEO agencies, and big corporations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agencies and corporations use tools such as SEMrush, or AHREFs, to research keyword phrases, monitor keyword positions, analyze competitors\u2019 keywords, backlinks, and run reports, among other things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, here’s a cool little Chrome plugin that is free. It’s called, Keyword Surfer. Basically, any time you do a Google search, this plugin will then give you the number of monthly searches and the cost-per-click (CPC) if you were to advertise with the keyword phrase in Google Ads. However, for SEO, it’s just a cool little tool to quickly get a feel for monthly search volume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, companies looking to better the performance of their websites organically should strongly consider using one of these SEO tools. Blogging for SEO rank can be pretty difficult as it is, and not having the right tools can make things nearly impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Make a Blog Outline<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After finding a keyword to blog on, and determining search intent, make a blog outline. This makes the blogging process so much easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To write an organized, detailed, and well-optimized blog, knowing what will be written makes things much easier. A blog outline is a roadmap of sorts and helps you arrange your thoughts and visually see the path to take on communicating your message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although blog outlines can and will often be modified while writing, starting with no direction can become very frustrating. Additionally, remember to use H2 headers for the bigger topics of the outline and support them with H3 headers and bullet points when necessary. And, always wrap up with some sort of recap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Write Blog Content that is Better than the Competition’s<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As you write a new blog, you\u2019ll want to make sure your content is better than the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the top blog in Google for the keyword you have chosen is 1,000 words, make your blog 1,500 words or more. Give more info, use infographics and videos, and be sure to make your content original. But the real focus beyond the length of the blog should be engagement. You want to make sure the content is engaging so that readers will want to stay on your page and read through your super-unique and original content that they can’t find anywhere else on the interwebs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, consider what types of things you might add to make your blog engaging and increase the amount of time the end-user stays on your page. Short and informative videos can be great, unique and useful infographics can work well, and anything that adds or provides value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doing these things will greatly improve your SEO and chances of outranking the competition. Doing these things will also make your readers happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>On-Page SEO<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For on-page SEO, or the SEO throughout the page, be sure to do the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n