Content SEO: Basic Anatomy of an Optimized Blog Post

Welcome to Content SEO 101, where we go into the structure of an SEO-friendly blog post.

As you know, having a website alone won’t be enough to garner traffic. That’s why having a blog becomes valuable. It builds more avenues for people to arrive at your site.

But maybe you’re new to content writing, or your posts aren’t performing well. So you’re wondering – what does a well-optimized blog post look like?

Related Article: Blogging Best Practices for Businesses

It’s a good thing you’re tuned into this quick crash course because we have the fundamental parts of a high-performing blog. So get ready to take some notes because we’re going in!

In This Article:

Anatomy of an Optimized Blog Post

Let’s dissect each part of an optimized blog post and what function they play in your overall SEO.

URL

It’s key to have a descriptive yet friendly URL so that your page is easily searchable. People don’t have the time to type in random letters and numbers just to get to your webpage. So keep it simple and use a variation of your headline in your site address.

In addition, descriptive URLs are one of many elements that affect your search engine results. They give search bots an idea of your content’s subject matter, which helps you rank better for a specific query. That’s why it’s key to include keywords in your web address.

Title Tag, Headline

Arguably one of the most important elements of on-page SEO. Your title tag, also known as your H1 tag, plays a significant role in how you rank in search engines. Google uses title tags as more context for what your page covers. If the engine finds it relevant to a search term, you’re likely to be rewarded with a high search page result.

Not only that, the H1 tag is where the headline of your blog post will go. It will be one of the first things people will see. If your title is not interesting or eye-catching, people won’t click and read your content. So be sure to craft a compelling headline that people want to read. 

Note: There should only be ONE H1 tag.

Meta Description

Meta Descriptions are the short snippets of text that appear below the title on search results. While they’re not a major ranking factor, they do play a role in click-through rates. Along with the headline, meta descriptions serve as trailers or previews for the rest of the content.

Use it as another opportunity to include keywords and phrases that will catch users’ attention. Keep it less than 160 characters, which is often the cut-off limit on Google.

Featured Image

The featured image is your movie poster. It is a cover photo that complements the contents of your blog post. They’re essential for every article you write as they’re effective in visually engaging readers.

Featured images are helpful because they're often shown alongside your title, depending on where your post is shared. So it’s always a good idea to have a cover photo to set expectations and leave a first impression.

Related Article: SEO: 11 Things You’re Forgetting To Do

Introduction

Hook the reader quickly with a compelling introduction. In this section, you’re laying the foundation behind the purpose of your article. Your goal is to tell them why they should care and what they will get out of your content. Provide background information, tell relevant stories, and appeal to their pain points. Strongly drive home the point for why they need to keep reading.

Subheaders

Subheaders are great for both search rankings and readability. In SEO speak, these are your H2, H3, H4, H5, and H6. They’re a way of structuring and organizing your information that makes it easier for readers to find the info they need. In addition, search engines use headers to better understand your content, which is helpful for ranking for long-tail keywords.

Pro Tip: Be sure to practice proper header tag hierarchy – avoid skipping from H2 to H4, for example.

Sentence & Paragraph Structure

A blog should be easy to read. Think about it. If you saw a long paragraph with ten sentences, you’d probably feel overwhelmed. That’s why it’s good practice to write short, concise sentences and break up your paragraphs into chunks. It makes for a fast and smooth reading experience.

There are creative ways you can space out your content. You can do so through:

• Lists

• Images

• Subheaders

• Quotes

• Charts

Multimedia Visuals

As you know, blogs are becoming more visual. Adding images and videos to your post can enhance reader engagement because it gives them multiple ways of fully understanding the topic. 

Plus, they’re great for driving traffic. In fact, images and videos can get you 94% more views than articles with no visuals. So improve your blog’s performance by adding more photos and videos.

Links

Whether internal or outbound, links are beneficial for SEO. They tell search engines a couple of things. First, they indicate that a page is popular and valuable. Second, they show the relationship between the current page and the one you’re linking to. It’s a way for search engines to better understand the subject matter from your website.

Before publishing, make sure you have multiple links embedded within your text. But don’t just add any links. Instead, only insert links that are relevant to the subject of your blog post.

Call-To-Action

While you have the reader on your site, let the reader know what they should do next. Do you want them to read more of your blog posts? Do you want them to contact you?

Use it as an opportunity to show how your business can help and how they can connect with your brand.

Keyword Density

Last but not least, you want to achieve a healthy keyword density. When all is said and done, check how often your target keyword is used throughout the text. You don’t want there too much, but you also don’t want it to be too little.

To help you out, try our Keyword Density Tool to find out how many times your keyphrase appears in your blog post. Your goal is to achieve the ideal number of 2%.

Class Dismissed

Each part works together to put your webpage in the best-ranking position in search engines. But don’t forget about the content itself. While we taught you the structure, it’s up to you to fill in the rest with valuable information that people will need.

Need help curating SEO-ready blog posts? People First Content has a team of writers specializing in writing optimized content. Contact us to learn more.

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