Blogs are a powerful SEO weapon for improving your SEO score and ranking. You are missing a trick if you are not posting content as part of your marketing strategy. 

In a recent survey, 90% of businesses said they used blogging to market their brand within the last year. Blogs easily beat infographics, online events, e-books, and more – but what makes blogging such an effective SEO tool, and how can you ensure you’re using it correctly?

Blog posts have two audiences: your human readers and search engine algorithms. Therefore, any good SEO strategy will include regular blog posts, thanks to the power of a well-written article.

High-quality, well-written blog posts are essential to a high Google ranking. This is because Google’s algorithm rewards sites it considers high trust – and there is no better way to become trusted by Google than to update frequently with valuable content. 

Google’s algorithm considers various factors when deciding which websites should rank high in search engine results. We have called out a few essential tips to help you get ahead.

Blogs Are Fresh Content

The first factor is simple: Google likes accurate, up-to-date content. So, in the eyes of the algorithm, a site that is updated weekly or monthly is more likely to have relevant, recent information.

The more you update your website, the more search engine web crawlers (bots) will visit and scan your site. These crawlers “index” your site using a complex array of factors to determine how valuable your site is to the average reader and where it should rank. The more frequently your website is indexed, the algorithm will consider the changes to your site to be more current. Have you ever redesigned or overhauled your website and wondered why it’s taking search engines a long time to register the updates? Well, now you know it’s all to do with the algorithms!

However, not all content is equal in the eyes of Google: search engine algorithms are now sophisticated enough to differentiate well-written, helpful content from poor-quality articles stuffed with keywords. While the former will see your site ascend the rankings, the latter is a surefire way to get your site penalised by Google.

Blogs Are Keyword Opportunities

Because Google penalises keyword stuffing, it’s not advised to try and cram all your keywords into a few pages on your website. Instead, you can use blog pieces to give some of your keywords (and keyword phrases) their day in the sun, one at a time.

For example, you may have a main keyphrase that you try to push on your homepage – but what about other valuable keyphrases that you want to create SEO content for? Blog articles are a great way to make space for longtail keywords and keyphrases – keyphrases longer than two or three words. Blogging can also be an effective way to rank for keywords targeted toward specific services, products, or demographics. Finally, remember that your website’s homepage is one of only many pages that can rank highly in search results – particularly useful or well-written blog articles can also become high performers.

Blogs Prove Your Authority

One of the most critical factors for ranking well in search engine results is authority. How the Google algorithm judges your content’s quality, expertise, and usefulness determines your site’s authority. Therefore, websites with high authority will naturally rank higher.

How Google determines a site’s authority depends on many factors, but quality long-form content – scored by its readability and relevance – makes up a significant chunk of the final score. So, blog pieces are the perfect way to lend your site some extra authority. You may be asking what long-form content is. Well, blog articles contain between 1,200 and 3,000+ words rather than the standard 500 words.

You can lend your blog long-term credibility by prioritising evergreen pieces. Evergreen pieces are content designed to remain relevant for a long time rather than highly time-sensitive topical articles. This does not mean avoiding topical subjects altogether, particularly if the topic is highly relevant to your audience. Still, in the long term, your evergreen articles perform better for longer due to remaining relevant months (and even years) after publication.

How-to pieces, answering frequently asked questions, solving everyday problems, and delivering relevant advice will elevate your site’s authority. You can also boost your credibility by linking your blog pieces to other parts of your website – whether it’s other relevant blogs you’ve written or on-topic pages.

Blogs = Engagement

Engagement and SEO go hand-in-hand. If you can create a blog article your readers want to comment on, share, and link to from elsewhere, half of the SEO work is already done for you. There is no better way to create engagement than with blogs.

If your readers are leaving comments on your blog posts – and you are responding – then it’s not just your readers who are being encouraged to return to and check your blog; it’s also Google’s crawlers. Engagement is a great way to show search engines that your blog is active and alive.

You can also encourage your readers to boost your blog traffic by providing easy links or buttons enabling them to share it on social media. But, of course, you must create a blog article that people want to share to get those all-important shares!

How Do You Create Effective Articles?

Simply updating your website’s blog every week is unlikely to improve your ranking. Unfortunately, not all blog pieces are equal, and Google’s algorithm is designed to reward some blogs more than others.

What kind of blogs score well with search engines? 

Being readable and accessible is essential. Google gives all content a readability score; low scores will affect your overall ranking. Remember that voice search is increasingly popular, so content that is easy to follow when spoken aloud is preferable to highly complex, meandering paragraphs of text. Google’s algorithm also considers those using screen readers, so proper grammar and spelling are essential to keep your content accessible to people browsing your website via a screen reader.

One of the most powerful tools you can use to write effective posts is Grammarly. Grammarly ensures you are writing to a high standard and helps you create engaging content for your target audience.

Content that is linked to other sites – including social media – is also considered more trustworthy. This is just one of the reasons that “clickbait” and blog posts designed to go viral exist – the more people linking to your blog post, the better.

There is a lot to remember when creating an SEO-friendly blog post: keyword density, readability, transition words, optimal length, structure, and more. Unfortunately, Google’s algorithm is now so sophisticated that creating compelling blog pieces has become a complex art. However, with this article, you are now better informed.

In Conclusion

When used effectively, blogs are a powerful SEO weapon – but creating blog posts that will boost your search engine results takes a lot of work.

So, how do you make sure your blog posts are effective in helping your SEO? Follow the tips above to create content that engages and informs your readers while providing value for Google’s crawlers. 

If you need help putting together a comprehensive SEO blog strategy to make a splash on Google, consider reaching out to experts to ensure you rank sooner rather than later. SaneChoice also has other articles to help individuals and businesses succeed with SEO. To learn more, read our SEO articles in our Insights section. In the meantime, happy posting!

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