Blogger do’s and don’ts: SEO & Copywriting pointers for newbies

Being a Marketing professional, I have a fair share of understanding when it comes to blogger outreach, SEO, copywriting and all that jazz. When I recently did a course in SEO & Copywriting, it was highly emphasised to us about how absolutely clever google has become over time, as a search engine. Things like keyword density did not matter anymore when it came to articles and blog posts and it was, in fact, all about proof words and qualifiers, which in layman terms, means naturally occurring words and phrases around a particular topic. 

Keyword stuffing is very 90's!

So if you are talking about ‘blusher’ for instance and you can naturally include words such as ‘skin’ ‘cheek’ ‘makeup brushes’, it instantly becomes clear to google that you are genuinely writing about a makeup product and in particular, a blusher, and it will consequently prefer your blog post to many others which instead rely on keyword stuffing.

Make your content topically strong and if google feels the search term has the same sentiment at the keyword/key phrase in your copy, it will produce the same results for a user. Putting your keyword in the headline is also not as important for modern day search optimisation, so create a headline for your audience. Fist bump for quirky titles!

Links, links and more links

Inbound and outbound links are just as vital as they have always been for search rankings. This time however, it’s all about quality over quantity. It’s common practice for bloggers to link to products and services within their blog post, but it won’t harm if you also share some love by linking to other bloggers and YouTubers, as long as they are relevant.

As for inbound links or more commonly known as backlinks; collaboration with other influencers, blogger outreach professionals and industry experts is key. Not only will it help broaden your horizons, expand your network, give exposure to your platform, add credibility with valuable backlinks, but may also help you monetize your blog, which is never a bad thing.

Meta data, Alt tags & Navigation

Adding a brief summary of what your article is about in the meta data section of your content management system is highly appreciated by google. This can be a pain to do but renaming images in blog posts to something that makes more sense compared to the usual caeu284jfk is seen as a huge plus for ranking your content higher. Don’t forget to cast your eye over your blog’s layout, user interface and mobile optimisation as google’s latest algorithm changes love themselves some smooth navigation on mobile and tablets in particular. 

Overall, it all comes down to storytelling which is the heart and soul of modern day SEO & Copywriting. Your unique voice that sets you apart and cobbles together a fleet of loyal readers that follow you around to know your take on a product/brand/experience. So find your voice, stick to it, turn a blind eye to haters and keep blogging!