Guide to Writing SEO-Friendly Blog Content
60% of marketers say that inbound (SEO, blog content, etc.) is their highest quality source of leads. Just think about your own purchasing experiences. You’re probably more likely to purchase a product or service that you’re already looking for vs. one that’s served to you in an ad.
But just because more leads convert from organic efforts doesn’t mean that writing low-quality blogs en masse will work. Getting your blogs to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) requires a well-structured SEO strategy.
This means using a mix of hierarchical heading tags, strategic keywords, interlinking, and alt image text. Each of these elements plays a key role in making sure your content reaches the right audience and aligns with SEO best practices.
At BNP Engage, our experts partner with clients in B2B industries to help them write SEO-friendly blog content that their readers love. Read on to find out how to incorporate SEO best practices and enhance your future blogs.
Crafting Content for Your Target Audience
While aiming to rank well in search results is an essential part of any digital marketing strategy, it’s crucial to remember that your primary focus should always be on your audience. Creating valuable, relevant content builds trust with your readers and helps create a loyal community around your brand.
Think of your blog as a conversation with your audience. Address their pain points, answer their questions, and provide insights that matter to them.
Search engine algorithms are also continually evolving to prioritize user experience. Content that genuinely resonates with your audience will naturally perform better over time.
Setting Up Your Heading Tags Hierarchy
Using heading tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) properly is fundamental to SEO. Imagine your blog post is a book. Heading tags are like the chapters and subchapters of that book. They help break down your content into readable sections, making it easy for your readers and search engines to follow along.
Your H1 tag should define the main topic of the post. There should only be one H1 tag per post, just like how there’s only one title of a book. The H1 should be different from the title of your blog but still include a target keyword.
Then, the H2 tags are like the main chapters covering the big subtopics. Within those chapters, you may have H3 tags acting like sub-chapters that dive even deeper into the details. Here is an example of what this will look like:
Organizing your heading tags hierarchically helps improve readability and signals each section’s importance to search engines. The clearer and more logical your headings are, the better search engines can understand and rank your content.
Keyword Use and Avoiding Keyword Stuffing
Using relevant keywords in your blog content is still an essential SEO best practice, but they should be used naturally and with intention. Choosing the right keywords involves understanding what your audience is searching for online related to your business.
It’s important to note that over 70% of search queries are made using long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords are specific and longer phrases that visitors are more likely to use when they’re closer to making a purchase or using voice search.
- Short-tail keyword: Marketing agency
- Long-tail keyword: Marketing agency for B2B businesses
Start with thorough keyword research to find terms relevant to your topic. Watch the video below for an in-depth walkthrough of how to conduct keyword research:
Include these keywords into your content where they make sense, but avoid keyword stuffing as this can hurt your SEO efforts. Keyword stuffing is the repeated and excessive use of keywords in an effort to drive search engine visibility.
It may be tempting to include your target keywords as much as possible, but doing so makes your content clunky to read for users. Search engines also penalize this practice as it diminishes content quality.
To avoid keyword stuffing, ensure your keywords truly add value and relevance to your content. Use primary keywords in your blog title, headings, meta descriptions, and the first 100 words of your content. Then, sprinkle secondary keywords throughout the post.
Interlinking in Blog Posts
Interlinking is the practice of linking to other relevant pages or posts on your website. Doing so helps keep your readers engaged and increases their time spent on your website.
In terms of SEO, interlinking signals to search engines that your content is valuable and related to other pages on your website. When choosing which pages or posts to link, prioritize those with high traffic and relevance to the current content.
For example, if you’re a life sciences business writing a blog about your filtration products, interlinking to your products page can help increase traffic on that page. When interlinking, use descriptive anchor text that clearly indicates what information readers will gain from clicking the link.
Creating compelling calls-to-action (CTAs) also helps nudge readers in the direction on your website that you want them to go. Your site visitors will be much more likely to click a link if they know what to expect from it.
Adding Alt Text to Images in Blog Posts
Images make your blog content more engaging, but they also provide opportunities to enhance both SEO and website accessibility. Alternative text (alt text) is a descriptor that conveys the context of your images.
Alt text can be read by search engines and individuals with low to no vision who require a screen reader to absorb site content. It should be concise and relevant to each image’s content.
Below is an example of what alt text looks like in WordPress:
Adding alt text to your images offers many benefits:
- Improves accessibility for users with visual impairments who rely on screen readers
- Enhances SEO by helping search engines understand the content and relevance of your images
- Provides context if an image fails to load, ensuring users still understand the image’s purpose
- Can contribute to better ranking in image search results, increasing your website’s visibility
- Supports usability and overall user experience by providing informative descriptions
Although alt image text can bolster your SEO efforts, remember to include keywords only when relevant. Neither users nor search engines will gain any value from your alt text if it’s just a list of keywords that don’t describe the context of the photo.
Adding Bullet Points for Enhanced Readability
Incorporating bullet points to break up large chunks of text is another effective way to enhance both readability and SEO. Bullet points create a structured and visually appealing layout that makes it easier for readers to absorb information quickly.
From an SEO perspective, search engines favor content that’s easily scannable and organized. Bullet points highlight key information, making it stand out to both users and search engine crawlers.
Use bullet points to:
- Summarize key takeaways
- List resources or tips
- Show steps in a process
- Compare pros and cons
- Outlining frequently asked questions (FAQs)
- Highlight important statistics
- And more!
This can enhance engagement rates by keeping readers on-site, signaling to search engines that your content is valuable and user-friendly.
Boost Your SEO Strategy with High-Performing Blog Content
Structuring your blogs with a focus on heading tags, strategic keyword use, interlinking, and alt image text is crucial for elevating your SEO strategy. Following these best practices helps ensure that your content appeals to your audience and ranks higher in search engine results.
Remember to always prioritize creating valuable and relevant content for your audience as the foundation of your SEO strategy. If your audience loves your content, their on-page engagement will be a strong positive signal to search engine crawlers.
At BNP Engage, we specialize in crafting SEO-optimized content that offers value to readers. Contact our experts today to start crafting high-performing blog posts that deliver value, drive traffic, and achieve your digital marketing goals.