If you’re the owner of a business in the modern age, chances are you’re now aware that having an online presence is unavoidable. The problem is, simply publishing a website and hoping for the best is no longer enough to achieve virtual visibility. If you’ve scoured the internet for tips or consulted a marketing pro, it’s likely that SEO is now on your agenda.
Blogging is one of the best ways to showcase your value as a business – that’s a given. It’s SEO blogs that are the key to climbing the ranks of Google and ensuring potential clients or customers can reach your website.
If you’re scratching your head and asking yourself ‘what are SEO blogs?’, you’ve come to the right place. Our complete guide will tell you everything you need to know about this mysterious three-letter acronym, including how to write the best SEO blogs for your business.
There’s a lot to cover, so let’s jump in.
What Is SEO?
Before we can dissect the ins and outs of blog writing, it’s important to understand what SEO is and why it’s so important to your business.
SEO is an acronym that stands for Search Engine Optimisation.
Put simply, SEO (particularly in the case of SEO blogs) is a strategy used to make your content as discoverable as possible to anyone using a search engine. For example, if someone has a question they need the answer to – let’s use ‘what is SEO?’ in this instance – they’re likely to type this into Google with the hopes of finding a result.
Achieving a good SEO blog or website is all about following the right checklist – a series of best practices that make your copywriting as visible as possible to Google. If Google can identify your website as offering the best answer to the question at hand, it will then offer this as a potential result to anyone searching.
SEO doesn’t just apply to blogs. It covers any written content across the web, including product descriptions, home page content and news articles too.
What Are SEO Keywords?
SEO is a technical and creative strategy. While the technical side of things is important (see this page for more on that), the creative component is where SEO blogs come into play.
This element of SEO strategy is all about identifying keywords that your potential readers will be searching for on the net.
Imagine you’re in the market for a new toaster. You open Google to begin your search, and what do you type in? Here are some potential options:
- Toaster (simple, but effective)
- Toaster free delivery (adding a little more info)
- Pink toaster (who doesn’t want a pink toaster?)
- Best toasters (research, we like it)
- Second-hand toasters (making your budget clear)
All of these search terms will bring up different search results. But why?
Well, here’s the clever part.
The person writing the product descriptions, website content or blogs relating to the toasters that appear will have used a keyword strategy as part of their SEO. This means they’ll have purposely included search terms that they believe potential buyers will type into Google.
You can use online tools such as WordStream, UberSuggest or Moz to find the right keywords for your business – or you can hire an SEO blog writing service instead. Still confused about keywords? Check out this guide for a more detailed explanation.
Why Is SEO Important to a Business?
Now we’ve got a handle on what SEO is all about, it’s time to answer a crucial question: why is SEO important to a business?
The online world is a crowded place. Imagine we’re back in the 70s and you want to place an ad in the newspaper to showcase your business. Ideally, you’d want your ad to feature as close to the top of the list as possible so people reading will find your product or service first.
Online searches work in the exact same way, and SEO is the key to getting your website to the top of the list.
Here are some reasons why SEO is important to a business:
- Organic search is most often the primary source of website traffic – SEO helps people to find you naturally, without having to pay for ads or sponsorships.
- SEO blogs build trust, reliability and credibility – if your brand appears on the first page of Google and offers value to the reader, you’re likely to score loyal custom.
- SEO is a dream for building a local customer base – using location-specific SEO ensures people in your area can find you before your competitors.
- SEO is a cheap and long-lasting alternative to expensive advertising – pay for a great SEO blog writing service and the results might just surprise you!
What Are SEO Blogs?
So, we’ve established what SEO is and why SEO is important to a business. Now to answer the question you came here for: what are SEO blogs?
The truth is, ANY blog can be an SEO blog – as long as it meets the right criteria. Remember those best practices we mentioned earlier? An SEO blog is a shining example of content that ticks all of the boxes, weaponising the strategy designed for online success.
Here are the 5 BASIC components every SEO blog should have:
- Content that’s well-written, valuable and easy to read
- Keywords in title, headings and body text
- Relevant inbound and high-authority outbound links
- Keyword-focused alt text, meta tags and permalink
- 300 words minimum, but ideally between 800-2000
If you’re feeling lost already, there’s no need to panic just yet. Now you know what an SEO blog is, it’s time to find out how to write one…
How to Write an SEO Blog
1. Planning and Structuring Your SEO Blog
Let’s get down to business. If you want to learn how to write an SEO blog, always remember the most important tip: planning is everything. SEO is a lot harder to implement retrospectively, so mapping out your POA is a great place to start.
Here are some initial guidelines to follow:
- Decide on your topic and come up with a rough title (we’ll refine this in the next step)
- List the talking points you’d like your blog to cover
- Divide up your talking points into headings
- Remind yourself WHY you’re writing the blog – is it to sell, inform, or both?
- Choose a call to action – how do you want visitors to respond after reading?
2. Finding and Using SEO Keywords
To craft your Google-attracting SEO blogs, you’ll need a list of the keywords we talked about earlier. As we suggested, there are plenty of online tools you can use to identify which keywords are the best for your blog.
Let’s say you decide to use UberSuggest’s search tool – you can try it out for free before committing to anything serious, so why not give it a go while you read this blog?
Head to the Keyword Ideas page and think about what YOU would type in to find your content. Then start searching.
The best keywords to select are the ones that:
- Sound most relevant to your content
- Have a HIGH VOLUME, LOW DIFFICULTY rating
- Can be added to content naturally without sounding awkward
You’ll need one focus keyword that defines your content, then a series of variations to widen your field of optimisation.
Check out UberSuggest’s full guide for a comprehensive look, or hire an SEO blog writing service to do the work for you.
3. Creating Well-Written Content
One of the most important aspects of a good SEO blog is providing well-written, easy-to-read content for your audience. Text that’s confusing, long-winded or stuffed with keywords doesn’t appeal to Google, so it’s likely to work against you in the long run.
Investing in an SEO blog writing service or hiring an SEO copywriter is the perfect way to bypass this step. Not only can they help you come up with blog ideas and identify your keywords, but they can also structure and write your content too.
4. Internal Linking for SEO
When it comes to SEO blogs, there are two forms of link required to keep rankings high – internal and external. Also known as inbound links, internal links are those that direct people back to your own website.
Let’s say you own an accessory shop and you’re writing a blog about the most popular handbag trends of 2022. It’s likely that you’ll mention some of your own products in this blog, so why not link back to them?
This keeps readers on your website AND works in your favour when it comes to Google’s strict SEO rankings.
5. External Linking for SEO
Sometimes known as outbound links, external links take readers to other places on the internet. Believed by experts to be one of the best ways to ensure a higher ranking, external links establish trust, credibility and authority within your content.
Here’s the catch – linking any old site won’t automatically send your SEO through the roof. It’s important to choose quality links from reliable and reputable sources.
For example, linking to a mainstream news outlet or another site with established domain authority will serve you much better than an amateur blog with no readership.
6. Alt Text, Page Titles, Meta Descriptions + Permalinks
If you’ve got some experience in blogging, you’re probably thinking these aspects should come under technical SEO – after all, their names are enough to confuse even the most seasoned copywriter. No need to fear though – they’re not as scary as they sound.
Here’s a quick rundown of what these terms actually refer to and why they matter:
- Alt Text – This is short for alternative text used to explain to readers what’s in an image if they can’t see it. If browsers struggle to read the page for whatever reason, they’ll identify your keyword in the alt text and point people in the right direction.
- Page Titles – When you type something in Google and the search engine brings up the results, the page titles are the headings of each option presented. Having your focus keyword in the meta title is essential for making sure your website can be found.
- Meta Description – The meta description is a short snippet of text that summarises what’s in your SEO blog and why readers should bother clicking. A keyword here is important because it makes sure Google knows you’ve got the answers people are looking for.
- Permalink – The permalink is a link that never changes, meaning it will be attached to the web page for many years to come. For that reason, having your focus keyword as part of the link is SUPER important to SEO.
Where To Find an SEO Blog Writing Service
If you’re hoping to scale your business or create an SEO content strategy that sends your rankings through the roof, it might be time to consult an expert. An SEO blog writing service can be carried out by a copywriting agency or freelancer – and there are plenty of us about. If you’d prefer to work locally, drop a search into Google for local copywriting agencies and see what comes up.
We work with thousands of clients across the globe help them climb the ranks of search engines and win more sales. Why not ask us more about our copywriting services by booking a free consultation?
Still Have Some Questions About SEO Blogs?
We’re always happy to help, so why not get in touch and tell us a bit about yourself? We’ve delivered conversion-focused copy and content to thousands of happy clients, and we’d love to work on your next project.
Inspired Copy is a UK copywriting agency specialising in SEO-friendly content such as blogs, web copy, product descriptions, social media captions, and more. We’re based in the heart of Manchester, but our client base spans over 50 countries. If you’d like to get copywriting and content that effortlessly converts visitors, readers, and scrollers to customers, we’d love to help. We’re here to make words work for you, because great copy sells.
