How To Write An SEO Blog Post

15 Apr How To Write An SEO Blog Post

Here you are, reading an SEO blog post about how to write an SEO blog post! You’re off to a great start. 

Let’s begin by assuming you are well-versed in your subject matter. The topic of your blog post answers a question customers have asked you many times. As an authority on this common problem, you can create a knowledgeable and trusted resource to share with others. Blogs act as cornerstones of your website, guiding future customers with similar questions directly to you.  

Let’s say you’ve written a tutorial about how to use a particular tool—maybe you’re explaining how to use a Cricut to cut fabric for applique or how to use an umbrella swift and winder to turn hanks of yarn into cakes. 

You’ve already taken into account the key to great SEO: it’s customer-driven. What pain points do your customers have? What questions are they asking to solve their problems? The tutorial post you’ve just penned answers customer questions. 

Now it’s time to get the post in shape to maximize SEO benefits. Using SEO best practices strengthens your post and helps drive organic search traffic to your site. 

SEO your Title

Your post title (H1) should include the keywords your customers are searching for. A highly effective tactic is simple rewording from question to statement:

How do I use Cricut to cut fabric for applique?

Becomes

How to Use a Cricut to Cut Fabric for Quilt Applique

It’s that simple. Don’t hesitate to include additional keywords to catch other searchers. Notice the addition of “Quilt.” Including “Quilt” should catch anyone who searches How do I use Cricut to cut fabric for a quilt? Your keywords are Cricut, Fabric, Quilt, and Applique.

Optimize the Slug

The slug is the chunk of the URL after the domain name. You want your keywords to appear in that slug. Many blog platforms will take care of this in the post editor. For instance, Shopify’s blog utility will take your post title and turn it into the slug automatically. Double-check your service and make changes if the auto-generated slug isn’t keyword-rich. 

SEO the Text

Search engines scan the full post to understand the post structure and to look for keywords. (A caution: don’t artificially stuff your post with tons of keywords that aren’t nicely integrated into the post. Search engines recognize keyword stuffing and demote posts like this in search rankings.) Review your post for these SEO opportunities: 

Opening sentences

The first two lines of your post should include your keywords, even if it means reorganizing your post. For instance, a common writing technique for tutorials is to set the scene by describing a scenario in which a hypothetical person is experiencing something frustrating. Your writerly impulse might be to open the post with a scene of an annoyed person tangled in a knot of yarn. It might be fun and colorful to write a list of the expletives going through your tangled customer’s mind, but opening with that approach will undermine the post’s SEO. You don’t need to ax that scene, but for SEO purposes you’re better served inserting a keyword-rich sentence first. You can use it to set the scene. 

“Reason #1 to consider getting your own umbrella swift and yarn ball winder:”

Then proceed with your humorous scene. 

Subheadings (H2)

We already know that readers appreciate subheadings because they break up walls of text and make a post easily scannable. Search engine indexers also use subheadings to understand the topic of the post and organize it within their database. Make sure that your subheadings include a keyword or two to indicate the focus of each section. And double-check to make sure you’re not using H1 for subheadings– that tactic undermines the purpose of using the header tags to show indexers the structure of your post. 

Closing Sentences 

In the last few sentences of each post tie in the post topic to your business and include helpful links. (Of course, sprinkle in your keywords.) For instance, if you offer classes related to the post topic, state that and include a link to the course description or shop calendar. If you’ve published posts on related topics in the past, add a sentence with the post titles and links. (Readers will appreciate this and search engines use it to further recognize your authority on the topic.)

Add Alt Text to Images

Your post should have at least one image to use as a visual cue of the post’s topic. (You’ll reuse this image in your social media posts to promote the blog post.)

When you upload the image, make sure to add a keyword-rich image description as well. The primary purpose of alt text is to enable visually impaired web users to hear their reader software describe the image. This attention to accessibility is important for users and it’s also scanned by indexers. Your first priority should be reader-centered; write a description that is clear but brief. Then take a second pass to make sure you’ve included keywords.

Need help writing effective, concise alt text? Read Optimizing Your Images with Alt Tags.

Add Meta-Text

Meta-text refers to the post description that shows up under the title on a search engine results page. (In this case, the word “meta” is not referring to Facebook/Instagram.) Your blog platform probably suggests an optional excerpt or post summary, but you should treat it as a requirement. Cut and paste the first one or two keyword-rich sentences from the post and place them in the description box. Now, when your post shows up in search results, the user gets a good idea of the topic of the post. And, of course, the search engine indexers will see this information and use it to further classify your post and your site. 

We hope this blog has shown you how to write an SEO blog post (see what we did there?). 

Stitchcraft has a library of free SEO advice for craft businesses: 

SEO Priorities for Craft Businesses

Is SEO Dead for Search? (Business of Craft Podcast featuring Leanne Pressly and Meagan Rodgers)

Improving Your SEO in 5 Simple Steps (a FREE whitepaper from Stitchcraft)

Do you need help writing an SEO-friendly blog for your business? Do you want help updating your existing blog archive for SEO? We can help! Stitchcraft Marketing is a marketing agency of crafting experts. We customize every program to showcase your brand, engage your customer base, and generate sales in a way that is nothing less than magical. If you’d like more help generating content for your craft business or devising an effective marketing strategy, contact us today!