Blog SEO: basic concept and techniques to increase organic traffic
Created on 28 May, 2023 • SEO & Optimization • 417 views • 4 minutes read
Learn about blog SEO and its techniques to increase organic traffic.
Blog SEO: basic concept and techniques to increase organic traffic
More than just a repository of content, a blog can be a powerful tool for acquiring organic traffic. That is, of course, if all the best blogging SEO strategies are applied correctly!
In this content, we'll explain the basic techniques you can use to take your first steps in optimizing a blog for search engines.
I guarantee you'll leave here with practical ideas to get your hands dirty as soon as possible! Now, without further ado, let's get to the content.
What is Blog SEO? Basic Concept of Search Engine Optimization
In English, the acronym stands for Search Engine Optimization. In plain English, website optimization for search engines.
That is, SEO is a set of optimization methods used to improve a website's positioning in search engines. And, consequently, attract more organic traffic.
Why? When a website page is optimized and meets the user's needs, it gets a good position on the results pages of engines like Google and Bing.
With that, the number of organic visits starts to grow. Along with the website's credibility and the company's market authority!
And does being among the top positions really matter?
It matters, and a lot! For you to better understand how positioning interferes with the acquisition of organic traffic, know that 76% of people click on one of the first three results.
After all, whoever is at the top is seen by the user as having credibility and authority.
From the point of view of searchers and Google's own algorithm, the former content is more relevant than the latter. If I don't find what I need there, then yes, there's a chance I can look elsewhere.
That is, it is not enough to even be on the first page. You need to achieve one of the top positions if you want to have SEO as one of the main sources of blog traffic.
OK! Now you understand the value of good organic positions, and you already know why the blog should be there. But how to optimize the site and posts to get there?
It's the million dollar question. However, the first step to obtaining this answer is to understand how search engines indicate these positions.
What does Google consider to rank pages? SEO factors for blog
Much is said about Google ranking factors, but little is really understood about them. After all, the operation of the algorithm is not fully known by SEO professionals.
However, it is possible to infer some issues that influence the positioning of a page. See the main ones below:
Keyword
The first step in optimizing a publication is to define which keyword will be used as the main guide for the development of all content.
For this, it is necessary to carry out a search to find the term that best corresponds to what readers are looking for and what the content offers.
A tip in this research is not to focus only on short terms that have large numbers of searches. Working with long tail keywords can also generate good results for you, as they are more specific and have low competition.
With the key phrase defined, try to use it in the following points:
Title
The title is one of the main items evaluated by search engines to understand what the content of a page is about. Therefore, it is also one of the most important.
The use of the keyword here is more than mandatory. Preferably, the term should be on the left, at the beginning of the Title. And in the initial 65 characters as it is Google's approximate display limit on the SERP.
Url
The page URL is also checked by search engines in the first moments of crawling. Remember to include the keyword here, but don't hesitate to make the URL nicer. That is, value objectivity and avoid creating very long URLs.
Meta Description
Here, the use of the keyword is not mandatory, as the Meta Description does not directly influence organic ranking.
However, it is the most advertising contact with your potential visitor. That's where you'll convince them to click on your result, not the others that populate the SERP.
Anyway, it is worth remembering that the Meta Description has been losing more and more relevance for SEO over time. After all, Google ignores the tag and rewrites it with page content over 70% of the time.
Content
As Google's goal is to provide specialized information to users, it can be assumed that content quality is an important aspect of blog SEO.
And it's not just him! All search engines demand original, in-depth and authoritative articles. To develop them, it is important to pay attention to the following items:
Planning
When you're going to plot the route for a car trip, you need to know where your destination is, right? The same premise applies to any marketing action, including content.
The planning stage is essential because it helps establish the foundation of the strategy.
You calmly reflect on the goals you want to achieve with the content, and this helps you understand which paths are most effective to get there.
Also, a big part of the planning includes understanding who the ideal persona for your blog is. Thus, content creation strategies become more assertive as you learn which elements to apply to your specific audience.