Knowing about SEO for bloggers is the difference between success and failure in your article writing.
The most important thing you can do before writing your blog is finding a keyword phrase that people will Google and find on the first page. Too many people write great blogs, but don't think about how they are going to be found in the intergalactic universe of the Internet.
You can make your blog stand out and be read if you spend the time to find the right keyword phrase before you start.
SEO For Bloggers--Google Keyword Planner
SEO for bloggers is simple and fast when you use a couple of tools.
The first is, of course, the Google keyword planner tool. You can put in your keyword phrase and Google will give you traffic estimates and costs. The catch is that you have to have a Google Ads account. Setting one up is free and only takes a few seconds.
Once you have a Google Ads account set up, go to your account and click on the wrench icon in the toolbar at the top of the page.
In the far left column under planning, you will see the keyword planner.
Click on it, and you will be taken to the planner. After that, the process is self-explanatory.
Put in a bunch of keyword phrases that you think you're going to be writing about in the Google keyword planner. It will come up with what people are actually searching for. Look for keyword phrases with reasonable search volume and not too much competition. Those people are looking for a solution your blog is going to solve. This is the essential first step in SEO for bloggers.
SEO For Bloggers—Keywords Everywhere
The second tool, which I absolutely love, is Keywords Everywhere. This is an add-on extension to either the Firefox or Chrome browsers. When you turn on Keywords Everywhere, every time you do a search, related keywords phrases show up on the right side of the page.
There is a modest cost to using Keywords Everywhere based on how many searches you do. However, the ease and speed of the tool make the cost worthwhile if you are writing a lot. This is another great tool for SEO for bloggers.
Here's a screenshot that shows you what it looks like:
​When I write a blog, I think about the topic I want to write on and maybe even write the headline. Then I do a Google search on the headline and see what comes up in Keywords Everywhere.
Many times, my headline is not even close to what people are really searching for. By using a keyword phrase that people are searching for, and making that all or part of my blog headline, the likelihood of my blog being ranked and found is much higher.
I'm pretty happy if I can find a keyword phrase that will generate between 100 and 500 searches per month. I don't like going for the Big Bang keyword phrases with thousands of searches. The competition on the first page of Google is steep and takes too long for me to penetrate.
Stay modest. Even with 100 searches per month, you are bound to get visitors to your blog that you might otherwise miss. And every visitor is your next potential customer.
How to Use The Keyword Phrase In Your Blog
Now that you have your keyword phrase, you have to use it. Here some guidelines for SEO for bloggers.
Put the keyword phrase in your blog title as close to the beginning as possible.
Put the keyword phrase in your slug so that it will be in the post URL.
Put the keyword phrase at the beginning of your first sentence and bold it.
Put the keyword phrase in two headlines
Put the keyword phrase in no more than 14 other sentences, evenly distributed through your article.
Make one of the instances of the keyword phrase hyperlinked to the URL of the blog. This is an internal link.
Use at least one image and one infographic. Put the keyword phrase in the alt parameter for both.
Put the 15th keyword phrase in the last paragraph and italicize it.
Put the keyword phrase in your meta-description.
Put the keyword phrase in your rich snippet, if you create rich snippets.
Install the Yoast plug-in onto your WordPress site. Yoast will check your SEO and make recommendations for other improvements.
That's the simple lesson on SEO for bloggers.
By the way, I've found a marketing system by John Thornhill that is really impressive. My mentor convinced me to sign up. Man, am I glad I did. John Thornhill's system is a money-making machine, if you are willing to do the work. It's perfect for bloggers because you can promote the program without spending a ton of money on paid traffic. Check out the webinar here and sign up for the system. This is not for the lazy, so don't bother if you don't want to work hard.