We're going to be looking at how to optimize our blog for search, and we're going to go over six simple steps that you can do every time you publish a piece of content to make sure that it actually is going to work for you. Now a lot of people just buy into the belief that content is king. Content is extremely important, but the reality is if you just create a bunch of content it doesn't necessarily mean you're going to rank. It doesn't necessarily mean you're going to drive organic traffic. There's tons of blogs on the web, like trillions, pages on the internet that get no traffic. I don't know about trillions, but you know what I'm saying. There's a lot of content out there where people just spend time and energy and effort creating, and sometimes they don't spend any effort in creating, and that's one of the reasons they're not getting traffic. But the reality is, is not everybody is going to rank. When you're talking about page one, there's only ten spots for every query. So what do we need to do to ensure that our content actually gets seen? That's what we're going to be looking at in this video.

1. OptimizeYour Blog
forSearch
WithThese 6 Simple Steps.

2. Step 1:
Keyword
Research
Research the best keywords for your audience and niche.
Use keyword volume, competition, and relevance to determine whether
or not particular keywords are worth using in your blog titles and
content.
FreeTools:
 Moz Keyword Explorer
 SerpStat
 SEM Rush
 Google Ads Keyword Planner

3. Step 2:
Topic
Generation
Use the keywords you just researched and generate topics you can write about.
Types of ContentThat GenerateTraffic
 Cost – Articles related to cost address the price issue and factors that determine the cost.
You don’t have to specifically list the cost if there are too many factors to determine exact
cost.
 Problems –Tackle problems or customer objections head-on by addressing common issues.
 VS or Comparisons – Help buyers decide by comparing options.
 Reviews – List the best (your niche) in (location). List the competition or businesses in this
niche. Don’t put yourself on the list.You will get a high ranking and generate traffic which is
the goal.
 Best – “Best” articles attract buyers by providing lists of Best Products, Best Practices, or
Best Solutions.

4. Resources and
Tools to
Develop a List
ofTopics
GoogleTrends – Enter your keyword to see if it has a high volume over time so you
can create evergreen content. If you’re looking for a trendy topic, explore current
trends.
Google Suggest – Enter your keywords in a Google search and see whatGoogle
suggests.
Google PeopleAlso Ask –This section of the SERP is below the featured snippet and
gives you suggestions for related questions.
Google Related Searches – Scroll to the bottom of the search engine results page
(SERP) and discover related content ideas.
Keywordtool.io –This tool lists topics people are searching for in Google and other
search engines.

5. Step 3:
The
Optimized
Post
When writing and formatting your blog post, include your
keywords in these specific sections:
1.Title/Headline
2. At Least One Heading
3. BodyText
4. URL
5. Meta Data and Meta Description
6. Image URL andALT tag

6. 1.Title
Include the keyword in the title, near
the beginning of the title if possible.
It helps Google and your readers
determine the subject of the article.

7. 2. Headers
Include the keyword in at least one heading.
Google’s web crawlers read the header tags
as important, and it helps the bots know what
your article is about and whether or not it
answers the search query.

8. 3. BodyText
When writing your blog post, you will aim to include the
keyword in the body a few times but don’t force it and
stuff the article with the keyword. Google will penalize
you for this, and it detracts from the readability of your
article. Make sure you are using the keywords in a
relevant way that flows naturally.
Instead of stuffing the keyword into the article, include
Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) keywords which are
words that are semantically related to your keywords.
LSI keywords are words or phrases that support your
main keyword. Include them in your article, meta
description, and headings.
Longer posts perform better in search. Google ranks
them higher because they answer questions in more
detail. Aim for articles that are at least 1000 words long.

9. 4.URL
Google looks at the URL to know what the
article is about.Try to keep the URL to around
five words.You may need to edit the URL
which is automatically generated when you
upload your article.
Cut out unnecessary words and be sure to
include the keywords.

10. 5. Meta Data
Be sure the article meta data includes the keywords
by checking the SEOTitle of the article. Google
publishes the first 50-60 characters of the title tag
so keep the title under 60 characters or include the
keywords in the beginning of the title.
Also, include the keywords in the meta description.
Although meta descriptions are not a ranking factor,
they inform the searcher about the subject of the
article and whether or not the article will answer
their query. Google will bold the search query string
or keywords in the meta description, drawing the
searcher’s attention.

11. 6. ImageAlt
While computers are getting better
at image recognition, they are not
perfect. Add ALT text in your images
and be very descriptive.This will
help add context and could end up
helping you rank in image search.

12. Step 4:
Use Links
A good rule of thumb is to link to at least one outside source
and two internal pages or posts.
This helps to inform Google what your article is about.
Internal links also offer your visitors additional relevant
content and keep them on your site longer while they
continue reading your content.

13. Step 5:
Think Mobile
More people are searching from their mobile devices than
their desktops (B2C), so Google prioritizes mobile-friendly
search results. Make sure your site is mobile responsive.
For blogs, consider leveragingAMP.

14. Step 6:
TrackYour
Progress
Use GoogleAnalytics to track your progress. See which
keywords are driving traffic, which ones are converting, which
ones keep site visitors on your page longer.
SEO is a long game so don’t expect quick wins. Keep at it,
consistently publish articles and continue to promote those
articles on relevant platforms, and you will start to see
progress.

15. GetYourCheatSheet.
We’ve taken blog SEO best practices and
condensed them into an in-depth checklist
that guides you through the process of
creating a blog that will attract your target
audience.