Tips for SEO blog posting

Are you already blogging, but wish your blog was helping how and where you were showing up in Google? You need to get better at blogging for SEO—Search Engine Optimization.

Sure, I’ve shared a whole system for optimizing your blog posts for SEO before. But that can be a lot of work! Isn’t there something quicker you can do to optimize the posts you’re already writing?

Here are three relatively quick and easy tips to help your blog posts get noticed by Google and other search engines.

Tip 1: Do research

When you’re blogging, it’s important to ask what people are actually searching for. Even if you’ve already written your blog article—and especially if you haven’t—Google can help you do some basic research!

Here’s how it works:

1. Enter your blog topic into Google. Keep it short and to the point, not flowery.
2. In the results, look at the section “People also ask.” Anything in there you could use as your blog title? Anything you could use as headlines?
3. Also look at the bottom at the section “Searches related to…” Any title in there? Any headlines?

Keep in mind that you should only use those words and phrases if they are actually an accurate description of what your blog article—or individual sections of your blog article—is about. And it’s okay to tweak them a tiny bit to make them more succinct or more accurate.

Tip 2: Optimize your images

A website that has been well-optimized for search engines is a website that loads quickly. While you should definitely put some effort into optimizing the entire site, don’t neglect individual blog articles!

Images are an important part of a shareable blog post. But optimized images are an important part of a blog article that loads quickly.

First, use software like Photoshop to save with some image compression. If you’re saving a photo, play with the JPG settings, especially the compression. I usually have good results with 30% quality. If you’re saving an illustration with a lot of solid colors, a PNG file may work better. Be sure to play with those settings as well.

Next, use a lossless image compression service or software to reduce your image’s file size even further. You can use a WordPress plugin like Smush or—my favorite—software like ImageOptim.

Finally, after you upload your image, be sure to insert an appropriate image size. In WordPress, don’t use Full Size if Large will do. And don’t use Medium if a Thumbnail will do.

Tip 3: Include lists

If you’re answering a question and a bulleted or numbered list makes sense, then use one! Don’t put a big paragraph when a list will do. Not only is it easier for people to read, but that also gives you a chance of appearing as a list snippet in Google.

What is a list snippet? I’m so glad you asked! A list snippet is one type of featured snippet that Google can display. A featured snippet is a special box that sometimes appears at the top of Google results. When Google thinks it has found a succinct answer to the question someone is searching for, they’ll show that answer above the normal results, with a link to the page—or blog article—it was found on.

When that featured snippet is a bulleted or numbered list, it’s referred to as a list snippet.

And there you go! If you’re blogging yourself and want some quick changes to help your blog post have a positive SEO impact, use those three tips. If you have more time, consider using an entire system for blogging for SEO.

And if you have more money, consider investing in hiring an SEO blogging expert to help you. Of course, I may be a little biased on that one…