Lockdown Live: How to Write Blogs For High SEO Ranking

Are you struggling to get your blogs to rank in Google’s algorithm? Writing a  search engine optimised (SEO) blog for Google is a daunting task for many, and various elements require careful consideration. While there is no set formula for success, a few SEO factors will significantly increase the chances of ranking in Google with your blog, and we will take you through them below.

Create a Page based on Your Main Keyword

Creating a page based on your main keyword is an excellent way to bring your blog up in the Google ranking algorithm; for example, if you want to rank for “Digital Marketing Consulting”, you have to create a page dedicated to that keyword. When creating this page, you should also aim to keep it location-based, and in this case, we are in Cape Town.

 

Therefore your ideal page title would be something along the lines of “Digital Marketing Consulting in Cape Town”.

Write for Your Audience

When writing a high SEO ranking blog that will rank in Google (or anywhere else for that matter), the most crucial factor is knowing your audience; before writing anything, you should know your audience and what content they appreciate the most.

 

If you are a digital marketing agency and your clients request tips on building a website, you should create a blog surrounding that topic, leading us to the next crucial factor; topic research.

Topic Research

Before you begin your blog writing process, you must first do proper topic research; you need to establish what blog content will be valuable for your customers and website visitors. Google Trends is an excellent free tool that can assist you with this process. 

 

You can use Google Trends to determine what people are currently searching for in your particular industry. For example, a gardening company can ascertain what DIY garden elements people want to implement in their gardens. After performing market research, this gardening company may find that people frequently search for “DIY backyard fishponds”, and they can write an appropriate blog titled “7 DIY steps to install a backyard fishpond”.

Draw Your Readers in with a Captivating Title

The rapid rate at which your customers begin to lose interest in your content is alarming, especially when it gets lost among all the other content online; however, there is a solution to retain the interest of your readers – a captivating blog title.

 

Formulating a captivating title is a tricky task, but there is a simple high SEO ranking hack that helps with blog title creation while also improving your blog’s ranking, and that is to include your keywords in your blog title. If you want to know something, you will search for it using Google, and your customers follow the same pattern.

Keyword Research For High SEO Ranking

When conducting topic research, you cannot exclude appropriate keyword research. Keyword research forms a strong pillar of SEO, and selecting the correct keywords for your blog can significantly improve your Google ranking. Fortunately, a few excellent SEO keyword tools can assist you in conducting effective keyword research, and we have outlined some of the best ones below.

i. Keyword Tools for SEO

• Google Keyword Planner is a free SaaS solution that generates suitable long-tail and short tail keywords for any topic. The Google Keyword Planner uses Google Autocomplete and other search engine functionality; the free version also provides valuable keyword suggestions and search volumes.

 

• Ubersuggest is a free online tool developed by Neil Patel that can help you brainstorm new keyword suggestions for your content marketing plan. UberSuggest provides the tools to help you succeed, especially whether you’re creating blog articles.

 

• Google Trends – Google Trends is a Google portal site that examines the popularity of top Google Search queries in different countries and languages. The website uses graphs to compare the number of search queries against a set of varying criteria. According to your customer’s questions, you can use Google trends to determine what topic you should write on.

 

• Yoast SEO – Yoast SEO is a WordPress plugin that improves your site’s performance in search engines such as Google. Yoast also provides you with the tools you need to enhance your content’s SEO and readability.

Deep Linking For SEO Ranking

Another way to improve your Google ranking is by inserting hyperlinks (also known as crosslinks) into your blog. Adding outbound hyperlinks to related blogs and other reputable sites adds credibility to your blog and flags Google’s algorithm to increase your ranking.

 

You should also not forget about relevant backlinks; Sometimes referred to as “inbound links”, backlinks are hyperlinks that lead straight to another relevant page on your website. According to Google and other major search engines, backlinks are “votes”, and the more credible backlinks in your blog article, the higher it will rank in Google.  

 

The process of inserting relevant inbound and outbound hyperlinks into your article is known as “deep linking”.

ii. Additional Tips to Improve and Optimise a High SEO Ranking blog for Google

Practice Makes Perfect

Yes, blogging improves SEO; quality writing is integral to successful digital marketing. Blogging provides businesses with a myriad of benefits, regardless of industry. 

 

When you start blogging, you have two options: You can hire a capable writer to write your blog for you, or keep things authentic and write the blog yourself. Writing is daunting at first, and although not everyone is born a brilliant writer, you can improve over time; practice makes perfect.

Appropriate Blog Format

When considering the format of your blog, there are two essential considerations to bear in mind, tone and readability. When it comes to tone, the nature of your blog should determine your register, and if you are unsure what style to convey, it is best to keep it friendly and fresh. 

 

Readability is crucial to effective blog writing; most people are lazy and don’t like to read everything, and often they will only scan through your blog if it is difficult to read. You can improve readability by keeping your points concise, and shortening your paragraphs or using bullet points is an excellent way to do this. Watching your word count is another way to ensure your blog gets read. Blogs should be at least 500 words; however, we recommend that each page on your website contain at least  2000 words, as Google’s algorithm gives more priority and authority to pages with a word count of over 2000 words.

 

Remember to stay up to date with Google’s algorithm requirements; currently, Google likes in-depth, comprehensive, accredited and valid content. 

Guest Posting and SEO Ranking

Guest blogging, often known as “guest posting,” creates content on another firm’s website. We recommend that you approach a business website that operates in the same industry and secondly has a high domain authority to endorse your content.  

 

DA stands for Domain authority, and these websites tend to rank higher, which is positive for any potential future affiliations.

If you struggle to garner any inspiration, look at your competitors and what content they are posting; you can get some quite creative ideas to incorporate in your blog; don’t forget to hyperlink their site. 

 

i. Publish at the right time

The time you publish your blog will depend on your audience and location. The best time to post a blog is on weekdays, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. EST. 

 

The peak time is between 9 and 10 a.m., that’s when you should plan or publish your content.

Always Promote Your Blog On Social Media Channels

Make people aware that you have posted a blog on social media such as Facebook and Linkedin. 

 

As an example, create an appealing visual post for Instagram – this could be an image, video or GIF to promote your blog. Remember to include a link to the blog post and the relevant hashtags. 

 

1. Add Social Sharing Buttons

It is in people’s nature to share things they enjoy or find entertaining and educational. 

 

Adding a social button to your blog on your website will increase the shareability and accessibility of your blog and make it easier for readers to share your content with their friends and followers on social media.

 

2. Embed Video’s or Photo’s

Adding a video or photo to your blog will immediately increase your content score; this also displays your photo or video on the image and video tab under the Search Engine Result Page (SERP). 

 

Alt tags and image video descriptions are other efficient methods to increase your content score. If you add an alt tag or meta description to any video or image you embed on your website, the description should align with the key terms and phrases your website visitors use when searching for your blog topic. 

The Benefits of Blogging For High SEO Ranking

When writing a blog, there are several benefits of blogging to consider:

 

• Build trust and credibility– For this, you have to be consistent, and it does take time, but it keeps your customer always wanting more. 

 

• Thought leadership – With your blog, you can become a pioneer in industry perspectives through your opinion. You can gain more respect, be validated and appreciated for your excellent work. 

 

• Increase website traffic – Without a doubt, if you start blogging today, your website traffic will increase in the following months. You will expand your target market and reach bigger audiences that will click your link. 

 

• Increase website DA – As previously mentioned, the more quality content and links your website holds, the better your website’s domain authority. 

 

• Reinforce your brand – Blogs get used to keep customers in the loop and remind them that you are still here offering superb quality. 

 

• Build relationships – Customers will admire your brand for its commitment to providing customers with what they want. It takes a great deal of telling stories and building reputable content, but you might have customers for life once you nail it!

 

About Dylan Kohlstädt

Dylan Kohlstädt started Shift ONE digital in 2011 and now has a team of top subject matter experts working with her from her offices in Cape Town and Jo’burg, and clients based all over the world.

 

Shift ONE specialises in getting you customers through authenticity: creating authentic content that builds communities and turns customers into fans. We create believable top-converting websites, that rank on page one of Google SEO, and next-level social media, online advertising, email marketing, graphic design, blogging, press and PR, lead generation, writing, video, animations, and more.