How to Optimize Blog Posts for SEO

For marketers, search engine optimization, or SEO, is critical. When you optimize blog posts, you make your website more apparent to individuals searching for your product or service on search engines like Google. Is your blog material, however, truly helping your company rank organically in search engines?

You’ll discover the solution to this question and more in this post. Prepare for an in-depth look at blog SEO, the elements that influence it, and how to optimize blog posts for the search engines.

Before optimizing, you might like to read How to write a blog post using WordPress then make sure you go here.

What is blog Optimization?

Blog post optimization is the process of improving and updating your articles with the latest updates.

If you want to stabilize your ranking position or improve your ranking in the top 10 then you need to optimize your post regularly with new updates.

When you are working on optimization then research your competitors and what they are doing. Read their articles if they add new points or updates and include more updated points on your article also.

In optimization you can change your Main Title with new keywords, you can add more keywords in the meta description. You need to read the full article on how to optimize your blog post.

Why Blog Post optimization is Important

First, tell me why do you want to start a blog? What is the reason? The main reason is to earn money from it.

Some of the bloggers post lots of articles on their website but they never update that article, so how will you get traffic.

You know that in the SEO and Digital Marketing world Google updates its search engine quality for users.

What is your work here?

You need to stay updated with the latest google algorithm update or keep an eye on your competitors if they add new points to their article.

Otherwise, you will not get any results. Because we all know that if you are running a blog and you don’t have traffic then what is the meaning of it?

The answer is nothing.

But remember after optimization also you will not get traffic from day one or overnight. You have to work consistently.

Then you will get the best result that you want.

12 Important Points How to Optimize Blog Posts for SEO

• Optimize Content with proper keyword research
• Optimize Your Main Title if it is not Working
• Optimize Meta description with the main keyword
• Optimize your internal and external links
• Keep your eye on your competitor what are they doing and update yourself
• Add focus keyword or keyphrase
• Optimize Speed for Mobile device
• Check LCP and CLS for both mobile or desktop
• Use Categories and Tags
• Prepared articles for Featured Snippet
• Always Use Jpg format Images 
• Does the FAQ Section Help in Optimization?

1. Optimize Content with proper keyword research

You need to do proper research about your competitors when it comes to optimizing your content before that.

Let’s say your competitor’s article length is 1000, then you need to write 1200 or more. Then there are some changes to improve the ranking.

But that’s not all.

Before this, you need to research new keywords and add those keywords to your content. Try to add new and latest information that your competitor is not using. This is the key point of the ranking.

If you understand what is your user intention or what they want and add the points that no one is using then they will definitely as your content and Google will also improve your ranking.

You can read our article on how to do competitor research will help you to understand.

2. Optimize Your Main Title if it is not Working

The title is the body of your article, we can say that it is the key of the article. Because users first see your title in the search engine, if your title is attractive then they will click on your link.

In September 2021, Google updated its policy on title tags. If your title tag is not impressive then Google will select the best title from your article.

You can read an article on Google’s new title tag generation policy by clicking here.

So after reading the article on Google New Title Tag Generation Policy, you will be able to understand the importance of titles.

You can also search on google, there are many tools to generate title tag matches with your article.

3. Optimize Meta description with the Main Keyword

This is an HTML tag that you can add to your blog posts. This is a summary or short description of a blog post that can help search engines or other crawlers understand what your blog post is about.

Many SEO experts in the market can tell you that it is not that important.

But here we would recommend you to use meta description in all your blog posts.

It can also increase your CTR (which is correlated with ranking). If someone can see a nice attractive meta description of your blog post then the chances of clicking on the blog post become so high.

Here you can see what the meta description is called. People also read these things before clicking on your blog post or any blog post.

Be sure to write an engaging description of your article so that the user can click on your link.

4. Optimize Your Internal and External Links

If you have written more blog posts to read then you can use internal links for your user to read more articles. This will help you to improve your bounce rate.

Internal linking will give you further improvement in ranking. If your old post is ranking top in search engines then you can add a new post internal link it will help you to get ranked faster on new posts.

External links help Google understand that you are suggesting another reliable website for your user to read, this is also a part of the ranking factor.

Check your internal and external links as you optimize your content. Because sometimes this link was changed to some new link or some expired. Then be sure to correct this link.

5. Keep your eye on your competitor what are they doing and update yourself

If you are a blogger or you want to enter the world of blogging or any online business. The main factor is to keep an eye on your competitors.

You can read one of our articles on Best Free Competitor Research Tools. So you can track them.

Competitive research is of most importance when you enter the online marketing business as you need to understand what products or services they provide.

If you do not know about the latest updated articles, products, or services of your competitors. Then how will you rank and compete in the market?

Therefore, keeping an eye on your competitors is of most importance. Don’t forget to research your competitors.

6. Add Focus Keyword or Keyphrase

Keywords also play a very important role here. Because first of all, it depends on the keyword- whether your blog will rank or not.

Because if you target a keyword that does not have search volume, then your chance to get rank will also be lost.

So first, you have to select it.

If you want to know how keyword research is done, make sure you go here.

Now, always try to focus on long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords mean keywords that contain more than three words.

If you focus on long-tail keywords, it means you are targeting the actual query of the people. So, here your conversion (getting clicks) rate will also increase.

Now, if your conversion gets higher then Google will understand that your blog has good content to read.

Then Google will rank your blog at the top of the pages. So, this part is also correlated with optimizing blog posts.

7. Optimize Speed For Mobile Devices

Most Google search traffic comes from mobile devices, so Google focuses website speed using mobile. Google has already started crawling your website with a Googlebot Smartphone.

There’s no getting around it: optimizing your blog for mobile will impact your SEO stats.

But, exactly, what does it mean to “mobile-optimize” a website? The general rule of thumb in the field is to keep things simple.

Most of the premade site templates are now mobile-friendly, so all you have to do is change the size of the CTA button around. Then, regularly monitor how your site is performing on mobile, using your Google Analytics dashboard and a mobile site performance test.

8. Check LCP and CLS for both Mobile and Desktop

The full form of LCP is- Largest Contentful Paint and the full form of CLS is-Cumulative Layout Shift.

Google introduced this ranking factor in 2021 to improve LCP and CLS for user experience.

LCP means that when someone visits your site, the first thing they see is a big image, animation, and advertisements. So these things will affect your ranking.

In CLS when someone visits your site they will face layout shifting. Like if I want to submit my information and when i click on submit button then this page is shifting to another page not submitting my information.

You can read more about FID, LCP, and CLS to improve your speed and ranking:

How to Fix CLS

How to Fix LCP

How to Fix FID

9. Always use Category and Tag

This is also an important part of the topic- How to optimize blog posts for SEO?

The category helps the readers to find out the posts that they want. It is very user-friendly.

And Google will rank those blogs that are user-friendly. The tags also help Google to show your posts to the people if they are searching queries related to your blog posts.

So, it will also increase your traffic. And if the traffic will increase then your ranking position will also increase.

10. Prepared Articles for the Featured Snippet

It is also a very important factor today. If you are writing a blog post on a particular topic like what is auto-blogging?

Then always write a short paragraph about it in the intro section and make a separate heading or subheading on this point.

If you can write about this question with a very impactful answer or a quality answer then Google will show only that para at the top of everything as a featured snippet.

This will increase your CTR and as well as ranking. Here you can see-

11. Always use Jpg Format Images

Always use Images in Jpg format because in Jpg format Images serve smaller size and Png format Images are very big in size. In Jpg format Images load faster on your site.

Images are more important for your user to interact with.

Just because it will help change the mood of the readers. Like if someone is reading an article of 2000 or 3000 words then it may be very boring for them.

But if you use images then it will help your user to refresh the mood. Because the mind and eyes of the readers are seeing something different from just reading.

So, it will retain the readers for a long time in your blog. That will decrease your bounce rate. ( Although bounce rate is not a ranking factor directly )

Now, if your readers are retaining for a long time then Google will understand your blog is very informative and good.

Now Google will start ranking your blog fast.

As well as if you are using images then these images can also drive traffic directly.

Read more on How to Optimize Images for Ranking.

Because when the images will rank in Google and if anyone will click on that then it will send the clicker into your blog.

But most importantly always use relevant images and make sure that you are using jpg format images.

12. Does the FAQ Section Help in Optimization?

Nowadays Google is giving so much priority to blogs that are using the FAQ section. It is a very important part of optimizing blog posts.

So, if you want to improve your SEO or optimization do not forget to use this section.

Recently Google is ranking the FAQ questions of a blog including the post also. Like-

Here you can see that the blog post is ranking with the FAQ part that this blog post has. It is a very important part of optimization. So, do not forget this.

Are themes an important factor for blog optimization?

If you are doing blog optimization then it is not related directly. But yes, it is very much related in-directly.

I think you know that if your blog is not opening fast then no matter your content is good, you have done optimization but your blog will never get a place in search engine optimization.

Theme plays a good role in the matter of speed. So, always use SEO-friendly and a lightweight theme.

So, that your blog can open first and can make a place in search engine optimization. So, now you can understand how much it is related to blog optimization.

Ok, now let me answer some of your most asked questions.

Frequently Ask Questions

Conclusion:

I think you got my points on How to optimize a blog post for SEO, I would recommend you that to follow all the parts of this article. Yes, indeed, the blog posts will not rank overnight.

But if you work properly and can add Google suggested keywords or questions, as well as LSI keywords in your blog post then your blog post, will rank very soon.

But you need to work consistently. If you are starting a new blog then there is no need for optimization right now.

But if your blog is at least a few months older then you can start optimizing.