Search engine optimization is essential for marketers. That’s why optimizing your blog post is a MUST. You are making it easy for users and search engine robots to comprehend your page thus improving your search engine rankings.

Search engines are ruled by algorithms and it takes a whole lot of work to influence them that your post belongs on the first page. But there are tweaks you can make to your post that provides the robots with positive signals to keep pushing your page up in the rankings.

In this post, we’ll cover the blog post optimization strategies you always need to keep in mind.

1. Keyword Research

Choosing the right keywords to target is key. Think to yourself, what keywords do I want this post to rank for?

By using Google’s keyword tool you can see a keyword’s average monthly search volume, related keywords and their relevance.

You always want targeted keywords to be included in:

• Title
• Headings
• Introduction
• Title tags
• Meta Descriptions
• Anchor texts
• Conclusion

2. Title

Choose an enticing and clear title. Like we stated above, add your focus keyword. The title is displayed in search results when somebody does an online search for your keyword so be sure to catch a reader’s eye.

Don’t forget to format using the <h1> header tag

3. Content

Give the readers what they need in a way that is easy to read and keep them moving through your content.

• Clear introduction and conclusion
• Break it up into chunks
• Big headings, bulleted lists
• Subheaders, breaking up the article into sections: these should be formatted using <h2> or <h3> tags, not just bolding
• Short paragraphs
• Short sentences – 15 to 20 words
• To-the-point post that is filled with information

Use focus keywords naturally throughout the content. Not too much! Obviously, Panda will penalize you if you pack your page with keywords and over optimizing. Make sure your content is accurate, authoritative, and trustworthy- especially if you have  YMYL type of business.

4. URL

Search engines look at your URL to figure out what your post is about. It’s one of the first things the robots crawl on a page. Make sure to include one to two keywords in it.

5. Title Tags

It’s the text at the top of the browser, in the tab above the address bar. These description tags are critical for achieving click-throughs from search engine results pages.

• 55 characters MAX

6. Meta Descriptions

Write a persuasive, accurate description of your content to lure traffic.
Underneath each link in a search results page is a piece of text. In Google, this text is most often pulled from your Meta description. Make it good! You want to attract clicks from searchers looking for the best article that comes up from their search.

• 155 characters MAX

7. Interlink

Use your primary and secondary keywords as anchor texts to carry links within your content piece. Provide readers with a chance to explore more of your content. Interlinking also communicates to search engines which pages you consider a priority.

Choose useful, related content and product pages BUT never link to the same page multiple times throughout the same post.

8. Images

Optimize your images.

• Save the file using your keyword as the file name
• Include your target keyword in the “alt text.”
• Resize your media to fit the width of your post space

9. Comments

No matter what type of content you produce, always encourage readers to comment or respond. At the end of your post, ask a question or invite additional ideas to keep engagement.

When visitors leave a comment, don’t just give a quick reply. Optimize the comments by adding in keywords.

10. Subscriptions

Give readers the opportunity to subscribe to your blog. Include subscription buttons and offer visitors the capability to subscribe to your posts through email when possible. This will allow subscribers to have a direct notification of your newest posts without having to check your site.

Last but not least…

11. Mobile-friendly

The amount of people surfing the internet via their smartphones is quickly increasing. You need to ensure that all of your visitors can access your post from mobile devices and enjoy the experience. Mobile is a space that you need to be paying attention to, check out Moz’s Mobile Optimization post to continue growing with mobile.