Utilizing a blog SEO checklist helps you create content that ranks highly on search engines, targets the right audience, and attracts relevant leads.
The search engine optimization (SEO) techniques you will find in this checklist consist of steps on how to write a blog post that is relevant to your audience’s needs while ranking high on search engine results pages (SERPs). That way, you can get your will expertise noticed by people who are searching online for a solution like yours.
Search algorithms are always changing to better answer a searcher’s query. Techniques that may have worked in the past, like keyword stuffing and link spamming, will no longer get your website to the top of the search. Modern SEO techniques focus on understanding the reason behind a search and giving the reader a direct answer.
SEO success is more than what is written on the page. This checklist will walk you through the technical aspects you should include to enhance the user experience (UX) of your blog posts.
The goals this checklist will help you achieve include:
- Help search engines understand your blog content
- Get a higher rank on the search results page
- Establish credibility in your company’s knowledge of the subject
- Get relevant prospects to find your content
The checklist covers four main areas to consider whenever you create a blog post:
- Keyword research
- Content creation
- Visual support
- On-page optimization
We recommend keeping a copy of the checklist and attaching it to each blog post you’re working on so you can assign each team member the relevant section they are responsible for.
Download our SEO Checklist for Blog Posts
Create well-designed blog posts that increase search visibility by downloading our free interactive checklist.
How to Create a Keyword Marketing Strategy in 3 Steps
Pinpointing your primary keyword is the foundation of writing optimized blog posts. Before you begin building your keywords list, you’ll want to identify specific search terms you want your post to rank for. Search terms are phrases users type into a search engine to find answers to their queries. Start by having a specific topic you’d like to target, then create a list of relevant keywords you could use for the post.
Usually, the digital or content specialist writing the piece creates this list. Assign the keyword research to someone on your team who understands SEO and buyer psychology.
Follow these 3 steps to narrow down your keyword research:
- Build a list
- Assess keyword value
- Determine search intent
1. Build a list
Once you decide on a topic, use Google to see how people are searching for it. You can build out your list of keywords using Google’s autocomplete function. Another helpful tool is the related search suggestions, which you will find at the bottom of the SERP (Search engine results page).
We recommend putting together a list of 10-15 potential keywords for your topic. A great way to reach your intended audience is by implementing long-tail keywords into your blog post. A long tail keyword is a search term that usually contains three or more words. Although broad keywords tend to be searched more frequently, long-tail keywords will help you find your specific audience without getting pushed out by big corporations or competitors.
Using tools like Moz can help you create a list based on keyword data. Looking into monthly views and click-through rates can help you narrow down which keywords will keep you from drowning in broad search terms. Specific keywords will reach your ideal buyers and help you rank higher in relevant search terms.
2. Assess keyword value
After creating your keyword list, you’ll want to determine which search terms are worth your time. At EBQ, we use Moz’s Keyword Explorer, which gives us insight into the value of each keyword we research.
When looking into your keyword list, consider the following metrics:
- Search volume: The amount of times the term is searched each month on average
- Difficulty: Estimates the difficulty of outranking other pages that appear for the term
- Organic CTR (click-through rate): Assess the percentage of clicks that go to organic results
- Search Intent: Gives you a rate on how well the search term aligns with the purpose of your blog post
The search intent rating will highly impact your SEO and can be difficult to quantify.
The next step will continue to elaborate on the search intent and help you decide what your top keywords should be.
3. Determine search intent
Search intent, or what the user is trying to learn, is the essential requirement for a user’s search term choice. The last step in determining a primary keyword is determining what people are looking for when searching for a specific term.
Most of the time, you can infer the search intent simply by looking at the keyword. For example, there is a difference between Googling “B2B marketing funnel” and “B2B marketing funnel template.” Targeting the template keyword requires you to offer a template the reader can use because that’s what they are specifically looking for. A technique for finding search intent is looking at the content that’s ranking high for that keyword.
The purpose of a search engine is to give users an easy experience by providing them with the most relevant answers to their queries. A website ranks at the top of an organic search result because Google has decided that it answers the question and offers a good user experience.
Take some time to decide which of your top keywords is most aligned with your target audience, the topic, and the content you plan to write. Don’t get rid of the other keywords in your list. These can be used as secondary keywords throughout your blog post. Using secondary keywords helps search engines understand the content and relevancy of your post.
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SEO Writing Tips
There are two factors to consider for writing optimized content:
- Understanding why you’re writing the content
- Ensuring your content is properly optimized for SEO
This checklist section is intended for the person writing the post. To ensure that all strategic SEO elements are considered before and after your writer drafts the content, web developers can refer to Chapter 7 of our B2B Marketing Strategy Framework.
Content Intent
Before writing the post, it’s essential to understand the reason for writing this specific content, what the readers are looking for from the piece, and how you can outrank search competitors with your keywords.
A great way to start your writing process is to ask yourself the following questions:
What is your business case for writing this blog post?
- Explain how your blog post topic and the keyword search intent connect to the offering
- Include the buyer persona your content is targeting and how the blog will prompt the reader to purchase your offer
How are your competitors discussing the topic?
- Research the top-ranking pages for the keyword you’re focusing on and try to understand the strategy behind their content
- Find what type of content is performing well on the SERP and position your post to compete against those pieces of content
How will your blog post address the needs of your readers?
- Once you have a working title and a strong understanding of what your readers are looking for, decide how to make your content reliable and comprehensive.
- Always look into your past blog posts that can be linked as an additional resource in your new content
Doing this work before you start writing will help you create valuable content that could outrank your competitors.
Content Structure
When your writer has completed the draft, they should thoroughly review it to ensure they follow SEO best practices. When examining the content, look for things like readability, user experience, and technical elements.
The technical elements of a blog post act as indicators for the search engine. Using a heading hierarchy will help readers understand the flow of the content, and search engines can see how your content is related to the topic. Headings and subheadings should always include keywords you’re targeting to help you rank.
<h1>Blog SEO Checklist: How to Optimize and Rank High on SERPs</h1>
<h2>How to Create a Keyword Marketing Strategy in 3 Steps</h2>
<h3>1. Build a list</h3>
Let’s decipher the use of each type of heading:
Heading 1 (H1): An H1, labeled by the h1 tag, is the main title of your blog post. There should only ever be one h1 in a post containing the primary keyword you gathered from your research.
Heading 2 (h2): You can use h2 tags to break up the sections of each blog post. Using 2-3 h2 tags in a blog post is recommended, and if you can, use some keywords you found in your research. The h2 tags allow the search engine to see that it’s a new section of content.
Heading 3 (h3): Think of h3 headings as subheadings to your h2 tags. They tell search engines that the content includes information relating to the h2 title that it sits under.
The headings range from h1 to h6 and should always be set in logical order. Remember, each type of heading is viewed as a subsection of the one it’s placed under. Having multiple h3s under an h2 or h4 under an h3 is a great way to break up content blocks.
Subheadings give you another chance to use the keywords you gathered so you can increase the page’s relevance to the main topic.
Understand the format of blog writing
Most of your readers will skim through a piece hoping to quickly find their answer. Make the information easy to scan by keeping your paragraphs short, with four lines of text or fewer.
Break up your information with bulleted lists, quotes, graphics, or other visuals to help give your readers a better UX experience. These tips will keep them from exiting your page in frustration and encourage them to share your piece with their peers.
Internal and external links
Linking your blog post is a great way to show readers that you are backing up what you’re saying with additional resources. It also creates an opportunity to link your blog post to a product or solution page if it relates to the topic of your blog. There are two ways you can use linking to your advantage.
Internal links allow search engines to understand the connection between your different pages, what your site is about, and the relevancy of the keywords you’re targeting. They will also lead readers to more resources you’ve created, increasing their interaction with your website.
Internal links also provide an opportunity for topic clusters. A topic cluster is a group of related pages on your site, with each containing one main page covering the overview of the topic. You can connect all of these pages to create a topic cluster with internal links improving your SEO and topical authority.
External links show readers and search engines that you are backing up your claims with research outside of your company. These links will contribute domain authority from the external site to your site. We recommend using 2-5 external links, but remember to never link to your direct competitors.
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Subscribe to EBQ's Bimonthly Newsletter
How to Optimize Images
Use your targeted keywords to optimize images by labeling file names, alt text, and captions, and most importantly having a quick loading time for your page.
If you have a graphic designer or an individual responsible for UX (user experience) for your blog, this part of the checklist will help support them through visual optimization.
File names: The image file name should summarize what is pictured. Use primary or secondary keywords relevant to the image, but keep it to one or two keywords to avoid keyword stuffing. Typically, a file name should be no more than five words.
Alt text: Alt text is important to make your blog accessible to anyone who may use screen readers. This text appears when you hover the mouse over the image, helping visitors understand its purpose. Alt text is another way for search engines to comprehend your content and will help your post rank in image searches.
Image size: As we said above, the speed at which your page loads is a very important factor in SEO. Keeping your graphic files small without compromising the quality will help your page load. The image file should be sized at the actual width and height they appear on your page.
The graphics in your blog should give readers extra context about the topic. Adding interactive elements and branded graphics that can be saved or shared will make the users’ experience positive and memorable.
Remember that all original graphics should be in your brand style and colors, and any graphics pulled from external sites should always have a linked source. If you’re establishing a new brand or need help creating visuals that align with your goals, contact our visual design specialists for help.
On-Page SEO Optimization Elements
Now is the time to ensure all of the content and graphic elements in your blog post are optimized before publishing. Typically, this is done by a web developer who will review each item and collaborate with the team responsible for each element.
Page title: The SEO page title, indicated by <title> HTML tag, will appear in the search results. It should include, and hopefully start with your primary keyword. The blog post’s SEO title is usually the same or at least similar to the H1 title of the blog. Each title should be 50-60 characters in order to fit Google’s maximum 600px width for SERP titles.
URL optimization: The URL for your blog post should be your exact primary keyword or a close variation of it. Keep the URL concise and direct so your readers can easily find it.
CTA section: Every blog post should include a call to action (CTA) that tells them what to do next. An example of a CTA could be downloading a template, visiting your website’s contact page, or subscribing to your newsletter.
Meta description: A meta description is a short text shown on a results page under the title of the post. This description gives the reader a brief overview of what they can expect from the post. Keep it short, and, as always, use primary and secondary keywords wherever possible. A meta description should be between 120-155 characters long.
Capture featured snippets
If you’re looking to stand out on the SERP, take advantage of the feature snippets. These are the answer boxes you will see pop up when searching on Google. All it takes is a clear definition with your primary keyword included in the introduction and conclusion of your blog post.
Featured snippets help Google understand the point of your post and decide if your content gives a useful explanation. You can target your content with a few different types of feature snippets:
Paragraph
List
Table
It’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest snippet updates that Google enforces to ensure you are always following best practices and getting a feature in the SERP. Your content writer makes sure the featured snippets are structured well and will be able to rank.
Claiming a featured snippet has its pros and cons:
Pros:
- You quickly answer a search query
- Potential increase in visibility
- You may gain a higher CTR
Cons:
- Your CTRs will naturally lower because people will find their answers right away
- 24% of searchers avoid a featured snippet thinking it is an ad
- People may prefer a regular search result
Featured snippets can be a great tool if you are unlikely to rank as one of the top search results, it will give your page a chance to be clicked on first. Consider the pros and cons of featured snippets and decide what your content goals are for your business.
Set up engagement tracking
The last step in our checklist will guide you through the technical setup of any engagement tracking tech you use. At EBQ, we like to use a page scoring system, such as Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (formerly known as Pardot) and Google Analytics, to set goals for our downloadable content.
If you want users to download a piece of your content, you should include tracking elements. Tracking engagement allows you to see areas for improvement in your content strategy and keyword targeting. Many platforms offer engagement tracking features. If you would like some help setting this up, feel free to reach out to our digital marketing automation specialists here at EBQ.
Remember to always double-check all the technical aspects of your post before publishing to ensure you can track engagement and optimize your content strategy.
Download our SEO Checklist for Blog Posts
Create well-designed blog posts that increase search visibility by downloading our free interactive checklist.
Re-optimize Content to Increase Your Search Engine Ranking
Now that your blog post is live, take time to monitor rankings for your keywords and organic traffic that’s coming to your site. It’s important to revisit old blog posts to see where you can improve the optimization and keep your ranking. Simple adjustments to formatting, subheadings, or links can drastically improve search visibility.
Prioritizing user experience by understanding the search intent behind keywords and giving users straightforward answers will improve their experience and keep them coming back. Remember to always begin your blog post process with empathy for your audience and their informational needs.
Our content marketing specialists at EBQ have successfully built SEO-driven content for many different organizations and audiences and will happily answer any questions you may have.
