Module #5: Blog Post Optimization
To do
[progressally_objectives]
[progressally_progress_bar]
- Headings
- Paragraphs
- Conclusion
- Call to Action
- Main Picture
- Focus Word
- Slug
- Meta Description
- Headlines
- SEO Title
- Pinterest Picture
- Categories
- Tags
- Links
- Alt Tags
- Featured Image
Google likes headings because they’re a great way to organize your blog post.
H1
This is the very first heading in your blog post. You want to make it catchy and you want to use your focus word.
H2
I like to throw my H2 heading in the middle of my intro paragraph. You don’t have to do it this way, but I don’t like the way Heading 2 and Heading 3 look together. Your H2 heading should also have your focus word in it.
H3
Your H3 headings are how your readers will skim your blog post to see if it’s worth reading. If you have topics of interest, they will stop and actually read the article. Your focus word does not need to be in this heading type.
Properly sized paragraphs play an important role in making your text readable and scannable. Paragraphs help break down your text into bite-sized and easy-to-understand chunks, which puts your readers at ease. A good paragraph provides information on one single, well-defined aspect of the topic you’re discussing in your article. Paragraphs shouldn’t be over 200 words.
A Conclusion or Last Words is always a good idea at the end of a blog post. This paragraph will summarize what the problem was, all the ideas you gave to fix it, and what to do next. This is where you want to put your call to action. What do you want them to do after reading this post? Give them an action to take in your conclusion.
Example:
Last Words
For Melinda, the wedding planning process seemed daunting and she felt that time was limited. She suggests to everyone that they should set deadlines well before the intended due date and hire a coordinator to help keep things on track. If you need help planning your wedding, contact us today!
You should have a goal in mind when writing your blog post. What is the next action you want them to take? Here are some suggestions:
- If you found this article helpful, sign up to get more tips.
- Follow me on ______ for more tips and [xxxx].
- Explore more
- Schedule your free consultation now.
- Grab your free [xxxxx] now!
- Was this helpful? Why not share with your friends!
- Are you ready to SUBSCRIBE?
- Start your journey towards successful xxx.
- Find out what happens next!
- Discover more here.
- YES! Please send me a free download.
This is usually your featured image. This image will be posted anytime someone shares your blog link, so you want to make sure the image is clear, professional, and speaks to what your blog post is about. This picture works best if it is in the horizontal position. Be sure to use alt tags for this picture.
The focus keyword is the keyword that you want your page to rank for. When people search for that keyword, you want them to find you. You set it in the focus keyword input field. Once you’ve done that, the plugin evaluates the page’s content and provides feedback on how to improve the page for that keyword.
The meta description serves the function of advertising copy. It draws readers to a website and is a critical part of search marketing. Its main purpose is to get the visitor from Google to click your link. You want to entice your readers to click on your article. You must use your focus keyword when writing the meta description.
You should create a specific Pinterest picture for your blog post. This picture should be vertical and should have the title on it. Be sure to add alt tags to this image. I don’t like my Pin image to be too close to my featured image. You should also add a “Pin It” button to your website. A “Pin It” button could encourage readers to save your content to one of their Pinterest boards. In turn, they share your content with their followers and help Pinterest distribute it to other interested readers.
A great way to establish authority is by using links in your posts. You will need to use both internal and external links. Please try to avoid spammy links, which will only hurt your blog posts.
Internal Links
Internal links connect internal pages of the same domain (like from your website). A high number of internal links pointing to a particular page on your site will provide a signal to Google that the page is important. Just make sure it’s done naturally.
External Links
External links are hyperlinks that point to any domain other than your own website.