A Step-By-Step Guide to Write a Blog That Hits the Top SERPs

Successful content marketing is almost impossible without creating and publishing blogs on your website and social media profiles.

Blogging is a great way to increase traffic, establish industry authority, user engagement, networking opportunities etc. The content provides a foundation for effective blogs, so producing them the right way is critically important.

According to Optinmonster, 57% of marketers agree that they have attracted customers through blogging. However, 65% of marketers mention that their biggest challenge is to create engaging content.

But wait. No matter how strong online presence you’ve built, the real key to victory is managing your posting consistency as it drives optimum SEO results.

If you are not consistent with your efforts, you cannot improve search engine ranking (SERPs).

How to write a blog that ranks high in search results

I have discussed below some basic steps that I use personally for composing write-ups that drive high rankings on Google.

1. Find niche topics & relevant keywords

What to blog about?

First things first. Understand the science behind the user’s search intent. If you know what your target audience is looking for and what their intent is when they write something in the search bar, half of your job is done.

Getting inspired by others

Check out top Google Trends, search topics on Pinterest and Instagram to get a sense of what everyone is seeking to learn more about.

You can write about the latest technology trends and news, digital marketing, things related to a pandemic or whatever your expertise are.

Our previous guest posting project shows that websites accept more articles that are linked with technology.

A pro tip is to breakdown complicated facts or concepts into a simple structure. That’s easier for you to write and for the reader to understand.

Some useful ways to find niche topic are:

  • Pick a topic you enjoy discussing
  • Forum websites like Quora
  • Section’ searches related to’ on Google page
  • SEO software keyword suggestion
  • Take help from salespeople if necessary.

Take help from Ubersuggest

Step 1: Search a broad niche topic such as ‘Website traffic

Step 2: Click on keyword ideas in the left sidebar.

Step 3: Review the results

A Step-By-Step Guide to Write a Blog That Hits the Top SERPs

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Now that you’ve found the right keywords to focus, add them into your title:

  • Website traffic increase with these simple five steps.
  • What will website traffic drivers work for me in 2020?
  • Top 10 website traffic tracker tools you should definitely check out.

Add these keywords in your content too but don’t overdo it as it will lead to keyword stuffing. The number of times you want to add the keyword depends on you. Just make sure it sounds natural.

A Step-By-Step Guide to Write a Blog That Hits the Top SERPs

2. Write irresistible titles

What kind of write-up would you be interested in reading: Social media marketing tips Or How to use social media marketing to increase website traffic?

I am pretty sure you would choose the second option because I understand the user’s search intent. This is the reason why picking the trending topics in your field is important. Hook your readers with capturing titles. Titles with 6-13 words are likely to attract consistent traffic.

Write any digital marketing topic on Google’s search bar, and you’ll see multiple catchy headlines pushing you to click them.

A Step-By-Step Guide to Write a Blog That Hits the Top SERPs

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3. Optimize for keywords and content

Rule # 1 of your actual SEO strategy is to identify the best keywords and optimize them because Google only rewards optimized sites and content.

When your keywords and content are structured in an SEO friendly way then

Use these tips:

  • Get a top spot by making in-depth blog posts with 1000 words or above.

A Step-By-Step Guide to Write a Blog That Hits the Top SERPs

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  • Increased readability factor by using free tools like
    • WebFX tool
    • Text optimizer
    • Grammarly
    • Analyzer
    • SEMrush SEO Assistant
  • Update your content frequently

For example, in a search for ‘Christmas cake recipe,’ this article stands out because it is recently published.

A Step-By-Step Guide to Write a Blog That Hits the Top SERPs

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On the other hand, this article was published last year.

A Step-By-Step Guide to Write a Blog That Hits the Top SERPs

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4. Your content should resolve customer issues

Your blog content must possess practice value for visitors because this is the only way to keep them engaged till the end. They want to read something purposeful that not only answer their queries but also inspire them to take certain actions to improve their lives.

According to 60% of customers, blog posts help them in the early stage of the buying process (Oberlo). It implies that the more actionable posts you share, the power your blog has to pull search traffic.

  • Warm up the readers with a good introduction (ask questions, share statistics, make a comparison, tell a story, emphasize on urgency etc.).

A Step-By-Step Guide to Write a Blog That Hits the Top SERPs

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  • Grab the reader’s attention using the AIDA (awareness, interest, desire, action) model.

5. Write an appealing meta description

Make a great first impression by providing an opening message to Google. If you don’t write a meta description, then users will see a random snippet of your article.

A Step-By-Step Guide to Write a Blog That Hits the Top SERPs

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Here is an example of a proper meta description.

A Step-By-Step Guide to Write a Blog That Hits the Top SERPs

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Remember that this isn’t the core message you want to deliver to your reader. Instead, it is a custom phrase that shows up in the search result page.

Some SEO tips to optimize your blog article for Google

Every business needs SEO, and so as your blog article. Here are some more specialized tips to optimize your blog posts.

a) Create backlinks for your blog

Link building is the backbone of SEO and supports high ranking with off-page SEO. There are a couple of ways to enhance the quality of your links

  • Acquire backlinks from other credible sources. Pitch for guest posts and try to gain more contextual backlinks.
  • Do more internal linking. Look at Wikipedia’s page for Steve Jobs.

A Step-By-Step Guide to Write a Blog That Hits the Top SERPs

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  • Fix broken links as soon as possible by using tools like Dead Link Checker, Google Webmaster etc.
  • Add keyword-rich anchor text. For example, instead of placing a link on ‘click here’ place your link on ‘these low-cost interior design ideas’.

b) Optimise it through schema markups

An effective way to boost blog traffic, your website’s SEO and rank high is optimising a blog post using schema mark up. It is used for multiple content types like articles, blogs, events, restaurants, movies, local business, book reviews, etc.

How does it work?

  • Visit Google’s structure data markup helper.
  • Select the content type you want to markup.
  • Insert the URL of your blog.
  • Highlight the core elements for markup.
  • Add schema markups to your website page.

c) Utilize social media to market your blog

Extensive distribution and sharing of content on social media platforms increase the lifespan of your posts and improve its visibility on Google. It helps you attracts organic traffic, brand recognition, and reputation.

A Step-By-Step Guide to Write a Blog That Hits the Top SERPs

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  • Tweek URLs of your blogs and attract traffic to your blog site (not in a spammy way)
  • The links you post on social helps Google with indexation your blog.
  • More likes, shares, and comments on your blog mean higher rankings.

Here is an example

An article got viral on Facebook with 68000 likes, 31500 shares, and 34280 comments.

A Step-By-Step Guide to Write a Blog That Hits the Top SERPs

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With such a high response, the article went to the top in Google’s ranking page. All credit goes to the shares it gathered on Facebook.

A Step-By-Step Guide to Write a Blog That Hits the Top SERPs

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In conclusion, make sure you add social media sharing buttons in your blog posts and enhance its shareability.

d) Enhance responsiveness

Even if your blog articles are of superior quality, they could be still lingering down the search result page due to the layout of your website.

Improve your site layout

SEO+UX= Success

Effective SEO is when user experience is enhanced. It means that your layout should be simple and allow users to navigate easily.

Make mobile-optimized blogs

Smartphones are here to stay. In fact, mobile responsiveness is a key Google ranking factor. In other words, poor mobile experience can be damaging for you no matter how flawlessly your desktop version works.

e) Embed different types of media

The options of adding media in cover letters are limited, but when it comes to blogs, you have numerous opportunities to add whatever you want.

f) Optimize blog for voice search

The latest Google search trend is searching using voice.

Voice search is a top SEO trend and can optimize your optimization tactics.

Today, thousands of students use the voice search feature in their smartphone to search student-related products and services such as cheap apartments or personal statements.

A Step-By-Step Guide to Write a Blog That Hits the Top SERPs

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For this purpose, you need to add conversational phrases people commonly use in routine life such as ‘Near me’, ‘How do I’ etc.

Conclusion

A well-written blog post could go viral and drive hundreds of referral visitors to your website. Follow these tips and tricks will help you do systematic blogging and drive robust search engine rankings.

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Author: Stella Lincoln

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