SEO Checklist for Your Blog Posts

Ready to publish a blog post?

WAIT!
Is it SEO optimized?

Every (and we mean every) post on your business blog needs to be optimized. Search engine optimization (or SEO) is crucial for digital marketing. You want people to find your post when they search related keywords, and SEO is how you make it happen.

SEO is all about appeasing the search engines so they show your content first. SEO is complicated, formulaic, and unfortunately changes often. This post will guide you through what you need to do for basic SEO of your company’s blog post. At the end is a quick checklist you can reference before you publish your article.

SEO Checklist for Your Blog Posts_Pinterest

Pick SEO Tailored Keywords

SEO is not about including every potential keyword under the sun in your post and cramming it in as many places as possible. Focus on a few keywords that embody what the post is about. Make sure it makes sense. Write quality content about those keywords important to your brand. Write like you are talking to a person, not a computer.

Place Keywords

You need to place keywords in strategic places. First, the keywords should be in the title of your blog. Place them as close to the start as possible (Google cuts off search engine results pages after around 65 characters).

Second, the keywords should be sprinkled throughout the blog post itself. Don’t try to force the keywords though. Putting too much effort into making the keywords fit often can hurt the post readability. Focus on creating a clear and informative post that naturally includes the keywords.

Third, include the keywords in your URL. Search engines check here for keywords, so it’s an easy way to improve your SEO.

Fourth, put the keywords in your meta description. The meta description shows readers (and search engines) what they can expect from your post.

Use Headings

Headings are a must for post readability. People don’t often read blog posts-they scan them. Headlines help guide their eye and keep their interest. Headlines are also checked by search engines, so be sure a few headlines include your keywords.

Make the Article Mobile-Friendly

More searches occur on a mobile than a desktop. Google knows this, which is why it shows mobile-friendly results first. If you want your post to show up in results, it needs to be readable on a mobile.

Optimize Your Images For SEO

You can place keywords in the image’s alt text (which tells the search engine what the image is about) and the image file name. Be cognizant of what you name a file when you upload it and make sure it matches the content you want to use if for.

Include Internal Links

When you include links to your other blog posts or pages, it shows search engines your content is relevant. Plus, it directs your audience to your other valuable pieces of content they might enjoy.

SEO CHECKLIST

  • Are there 1-2 keywords?
  • Are the keywords in the blog title?
  • Are the keywords found throughout the blog post?
  • Are the keywords found in the URL?
  • Are the keywords found in the meta description?
  • Are there headings (and if necessary, subheadings?)
  • Are there some keywords in the headings and subheadings?
  • Is my article mobile-friendly?
  • Are my images SEO optimized?
  • Did I include internal links?

These are just the basics that can should be happening with every post and page you have on your website. SEO is a necessary strategy for your business blog. If you lack the time for SEO (or blog writing) delegate those tasks to the experts at Quick Business Resolutions! We’re happy to optimize your blog or write optimized blog posts for you. You’ll get the digital marketing benefits while spending your time where your business needs you most.