Back in the day, people blogged to share personal stories but nowadays, blogging is also one of the best ways for businesses to attract more customers. So, how exactly does blogging help SEO?
High-quality blog posts position your website as a relevant source for your customers’ questions. When you combine it with some of the proven off-page and on-page SEO tactics, you have more opportunities to rank in search engines and bring more traffic and leads to your site.
In this article, weâll share the best SEO practices for blogging and give you advanced tips on how to create content that gets indexed by search engines, ranks well, and builds your authority online.
Does Your Website Need a Blog?
For most niches, a blog can be highly beneficial. It can help you rank for relevant keywords, build topical authority, and attract more prospects and sales. Let’s unpack why this is the case and look at the importance of blogging for SEO.
When you add optimized blog posts to your site, youâre making your business more visible to people who turn to Google for answers on nearly any topic. A blog is also a great way for potential customers to get to know you â 70% of internet users prefer learning about a company through blog posts rather than ads.
High-quality content demonstrates to both search engines and your audience that youâre an expert and a reliable source of information. Formats like original research or industry reports can also earn you mentions or backlinks from other sites. Now that we see the value of SEO services, let’s move on to some of the best practices.
Best SEO Practices for Blogging
To see all the benefits of blogging for SEO, there are certain tactics you need to follow. Weâve broken them down into actionable steps that apply to any niche.
Define Your Strategy and Goals
Before you start writing, take a step back and think about why youâre blogging in the first place. Determining what you want to accomplish will help you decide on the types of posts to write. It’ll also prevent you from creating random articles that donât move the needle for your business.
For example, if you want to get more leads, you could write posts that solve specific problems your audience has and offer them free resources like ebooks or templates in exchange for their contact details.
On the other hand, if your main priority is to get more eyes on your website and increase organic traffic, then top-of-the-funnel, informational content will work best. Once you know your goals, you can continue with the next step.
Understand Your Audienceâs Needs
To create a blog that connects with your audience, you need to get clear on who they are and what they care about. Tools like Google Analytics 4 and SparkToro can help. The latter is especially useful for finding out the demographics of your audience and what topics they are interested in:
Reddit is another great resource. Subreddits in your niche are full of real conversations where people ask questions and share their problems. Reading these can give you plenty of ideas for topics that will resonate.
Itâs also important to know who your ideal client profile is. Are they small business owners looking for quick tips they can use right away? Or are they professionals who want detailed guides? The better you understand their needs, the easier it is to write content theyâll find useful.
Write for Search Intent
To see the SEO advantages of regular blogging, think about the reason someone types a specific query into Google, also known as search intent. For example, some people can look for an answer to a question (informational intent), while others compare options (transactional intent) or are ready to make a purchase (commercial intent).
Knowing this helps you create content that gives people exactly what theyâre looking for. You’ll also have more chances to rank for this content as Google always strives to provide users with the results that match their needs.
So, wherever you start working on your blog post, take the time to figure out what your audience expects to see when they use your target keyword. Look at the top search engine results to check what types of content are ranking. If most of them are how-to guides, write one too, but aim to make it better and unique by adding examples or visuals.
Matching your content to search intent not only helps you rank higher but also keeps readers on your page longer. When your blog meets their expectations, theyâre more likely to trust your site and explore what else you offer.
Create Expert, Niche-Specific Content
The E-E-A-T guidelines Google created suggest that your content should show expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trust to rank well in search engines. For example, if youâre a lawyer, articles on “Estate Planning for Families” could show both readers and search engines that you specialize in this area.
You could also include case studies of your work and client examples that prove you’re not just theorizing. This can give your content more credibility and help you rank above competitors who share basic advice. The other benefits of writing niche-specific blog posts are that they:
- Have less competition than broad topics
- Show Google you’re a subject matter expert
- Convert better as they address exact pain points
As a bonus, expert content has better potential to get mentions from other sites. This, in turn, can improve your link building efforts and also drive more referral traffic to your blog.
Format for Readability
Your blog needs to be easy to read if you want the readers to stay and consume your content. As research from HubSpot shows, 73% of people tend to skim blog posts rather than read them fully. So if you want to grab the attention of your visitors and keep them on your page, your content needs to be structured in a way thatâs simple to scan and easy to follow. Here are a few simple tips:
- Keep your paragraphs short, preferably no longer than five lines.
- Use headings and subheadings to break your text into sections.
- Add bullet points or numbered lists to present your main ideas.
- Bold crucial details that you want to emphasize.
- Make sure your blogâs site is responsive on phones.
Another way you can get visitors to stay on your website longer is by linking to other pages that are relevant to your topic. This leads us to our next best practice.
Use Internal Links
A common best practice every blog should follow, that’s when you link from one blog post to other relevant pages on your site. This gives your readers a chance to see more of your content and keeps them on your site longer, which is a positive user interaction metric.
Search engines like Google rely on links to discover and rank your pages, which directly shows the influence of your blogging efforts on SEO. If certain blog posts on your site arenât linked, they might get overlooked.
Not only that, internal links also pass the link authority and show search engines the relationship between your pages. John Mueller, one of Google’s advocates, said the following about internal linking:
âI think itâs one of the biggest things that you can do on a website to kind of guide Google and guide visitors to the pages that you think are important.â
John Mueller
That said, donât overload your posts with too many links as it can dilute their value. Here are some other best practices on how to interlink your blog posts:
- Write anchor text that tells your readers where the link will take them.
- Don’t use “click here” or any other general phrases.
- Link to relevant pages or posts that naturally fit the topic.
- Regularly update older posts with links to newer ones.
Overall, internal linking improves navigation and helps search engines crawl and rank your website. The only thing you need to do is be strategic about it.
Avoid Keyword Stuffing
Keyword stuffing happens when you use a certain term too many times in a blog post to try to rank higher on search engines. Doing so can make your content awkward to read and might even get your site penalized by Google as it violates their spam policies.
So, when you optimize your blog posts for SEO purposes, always think about the readers first and use target keywords only where they fit naturally. The most proper places where to add them are in the title, headings, first 100 words, and a few places throughout the post. We recommend aiming for no more than 2-3% keyword density in your blog posts.
You could also use LSI to enrich your text. These are related terms or synonyms that will help you cover the topic fully without repeating the same words. It will help you sound more natural, and you’ll be able to rank for these terms, too. There’s a great free tool you can use to extract LSI, it’s called KeySearch.
Add Multimedia
When you read someone’s blog, what catches your attention first? Most likely, itâs a video, image, or infographic rather than just a block of text. And for a good reason. Visuals give us some room to breathe and help us understand a point better.
A recent report from HubSpot even found that multimedia like video and infographics deliver some of the best ROI compared to other content types. If you are a B2B company, you can use video on your website to showcase your productâs features or present your audience how it works, just like ClickUp did:
Similarly, you can add infographics to break down complex ideas, compare options and charts, and make stats and numbers easier to digest. Here’s how we did in one of our blogs:
Google and other search engines also prefer content with visuals as it usually brings more value to the readers. To help you optimize your multimedia, here are some SEO best practices to follow:
- Add alt text to images to improve accessibility for search engines and users (more on that later).
- Use descriptive file names for faster indexing.
- Include captions where necessary to add context to your visuals.
- Compress large files that can slow down your site.
Keep Content Relevant and Fresh
Search engine algorithms are never the same. They change all the time to provide the best experience and offer the most relevant results for the users. Because of this, content that ranked well a year ago may not perform as well later on.
So, if you want your blog content for SEO to consistently rank high and bring on new leads, you should refresh your posts from time to time. You could do it by adding new information, removing or replacing old links, or swapping keywords that no longer drive traffic. This will make your content useful again for your audience â and search engines will notice it, too.
SEO tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, and Search Analytics can help keep your blog SEO up-to-date. These tools scan your site and show which pages have had a drop in traffic or aren’t performing well. You can also use Google Search Console to see which pages have low click-through rates (CTR) or impressions and then add fresh content to them.
Choose Quality Over Quantity
With content creation, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that more is better. But the truth is, itâs all about quality. Sure, longer posts often perform well in search rankings, but pumping out more content isnât going to get you far if itâs not valuable.
Google cares how well your content answers the questions people are searching for. And even though blogging frequency can be essential for keeping your site active, it’s the relevance and quality of your posts that matter most.
So always choose relevant topics, do the research, and offer something of value for your readers that others arenât covering. That’s how you’ll get rewarded and see the blogging benefits in action.
At SeoProfy, weâve helped hundreds of businesses across niches rank well on Google and drive more traffic and sales through their blogs. Hereâs what we can do for you:
- Create a detailed content plan
- Write high-quality content
- Promote your blog to achieve top rankings

7 Reasons Why Your Blog Isn’t Bringing Traffic or Leads
Since we are trying to answer âHow does blogging help SEOâ, itâs also natural to look at why it might not perform well. Youâve spent time and budget creating blog posts, but new leads arenât coming in. Sounds familiar? This happens to many businesses, and we’ll explain the reasons why. The good news is most of these problems can be fixed.
- Indexing issues: Technical issues are often to blame if you don’t see any traffic. This happens when search engines canât find or properly index your content.
- Low site authority: Google favors sites that show expertise and trustworthiness, so if your content isnât seen as reliable, it can be harder for you to rank.
- High competition: Entering a very competitive niche, it might be hard to rank and drive traffic in the initial stages since you have to gain authority.
- Lack of high-quality content. Your blog posts will likely not perform well in search engine rankings if the content is mediocre and doesn’t add any value to users compared to other websites.
Even when you do get traffic, converting visitors into leads is another issue blogs often deal with. Here are a few reasons why this might be the case:
- Irrelevant or unhelpful topics
- Weak or missing CTAs
- Poor-quality writing or outdated content
So, if youâre seeing traffic but no sales, itâs time to rethink your strategy. You could check the quality of your pieces and add relevant CTAs to move your visitors to the next step.
9 Tips to Optimize Blog Posts for SEO
Writing your blog is only part of the process. To make sure people find it, you need to set it up so search engines know what itâs about. Here are some tips on how you can do it:
#1. Start with Keyword Research
One of the ways in which blogging improves SEO is that it helps you rank for relevant keywords. If youâre new to search engine optimization, you probably donât know much about them. So, what exactly are they? In short, keywords are the words or phrases people type into search engines like Google when theyâre looking for information.
They help search engines understand what your content is about. This increases your chances of showing up in SERPs (search engine results pages) when potential customers are looking for answers, products, or services related to your business.
For new blogs, itâs difficult to rank for highly competitive keywords as they have no authority. So, in the beginning, youâll need to aim for low-competition queries that are relevant to your niche.
These are often long-tail keywords, which may not have as much search volume, but they are usually easier to rank for. You can start your research of these terms with free options like:
- Google AutoSuggest: Type a topic into Google, and check the dropdown suggestions for searches people make.
- Google Keyword Planner: Enter a seed term, and it will show you keyword ideas with average monthly searches and ad competition levels.
- Answer the Public: Learn about the questions people are asking about your topic and use them as blog ideas.
You could go deeper and get information on the competitiveness of queries, their search volume, and related terms using keyword research tools like Ahrefs or SE Ranking. These tools will help analyze your competitor’s keywords, too, and find gaps they havenât covered.
#2. Write Optimized Titles
Coming up with great blog titles is harder than it seems. And even expert copywriters often struggle with it. Yet, it is important to get them right as they are your first chance to grab your prospects’ attention and convince them to click.
Search engines also use your blog titles to understand what your post is about and where it should be placed in search results. That’s why it’s necessary to include your primary keyword in the title, preferably at the beginning. This lets search engines know right away the context of your page and improves its chances of ranking.
Google tends to display up to 60 characters of a title. Though it is calculated by pixel width rather than character count, keeping your title concise ensures your text doesnât get cut off.
Matching the search intent of your keyword is just as critical. Your title needs to align with what people are looking for when they search. If it doesnât deliver on their expectations, theyâll skip over it or leave your page.
If youâre stuck on ideas, generative AI tools can help you brainstorm title options. They wonât always get it perfect, but theyâre great for initial research and checking different angles your online articles could take. There are even more use cases of such tools, which you can find in our statistics on using AI for SEO.
#3. Craft Catchy Meta Descriptions
A meta description is a short snippet of text that appears right under your meta title in search engine results. They give potential readers a quick summary of what your content is about and help them decide if itâs worth clicking. In short, theyâre your chance to invite users in and explain the value of your post in just a sentence or two:
- Keep it under 150â160 characters to make sure the full description shows up in search results.
- Just like with meta titles, you need to add your primary keyword naturally in the text to help search engines understand your content.
- Mention what your post will cover and use action verbs like “Learn how to⌔ to invite people in.
Sometimes, there are cases when Google rewrites your meta descriptions. This happens when Google thinks a different snippet from your page is a better match for the search query.
Even though you donât have full control over what Google shows, writing a good meta description is still worth it. It gives search engines and readers an idea of what your post is about. And when Google does display your description, it can encourage people to click and read your blog content.
#4. Organize Content by Topic Clusters
If you want to keep your content well-organized, topic clusters are a great SEO approach. You start with a broad subject and then create supporting pages that cover related subtopics in more detail.
With this structure, search engines can better understand what your topical authority is, and your visitors can go through different aspects of a topic without jumping around too much.
To start building topic clusters, choose a broad topic relevant to your business, conduct keyword research to identify subtopics, and create high-quality content that links back to your pillar page.
#5. Understand SERP Opportunities
When you search on Google, youâve probably seen more than just a list of links. There are also boxes with quick answers, questions people ask, images, or even local results. These are called SERP features, and they were created to help users find what they need faster.
Showing up in these features can be a big win for your blog and business. Featured snippets, for example, appear right at the top of the page, often before the first organic result.
Known as “position zero,” these features help you get more eyes on your content and increase your website traffic and clicks. Ahref’s study shows that 8,6% of clicks go to these results. As for the types of SERP features, there are:
- Image packs that are pulled from blogs and websites
- People Also Ask (PAA) in the expandable boxes
- Local packs of nearby businesses or services
- Review snippets that can include ratings and summaries
As you can see, there are a few options you can choose to optimize for. Image packs, for example, can be relevant for you if you are an ecommerce brand. At the same time, if you are a local business, say a lawyer, then local packs will be something to focus on.
#6. Optimize Your Content to Appear in SERP Features
Now, let’s look at the ways how you can optimize your blog posts to appear in SERP features and see a greater impact of blogging on SEO:
Answer Questions Clearly
Featured snippets often come from blogs that directly answer specific questions. Use Googleâs “People Also Ask” or Ahrefsâ SEO Toolbar to find the questions your audience is asking. Use those questions as headings or in FAQ and provide straightforward answers.
Good thing to know is that Google pulls snippets in formats like paragraphs, lists, or tables. So, choose the format that best fits your topic. For example, if youâre explaining steps, a numbered list works well.
Use Schema Markup
Schema markup gives search engines extra details about your content. FAQ schema, where you answer relevant questions can help your blog show up in the âPeople Also Askâ section, while product schema works great for e-commerce businesses.
Spy on Competitors
Use Ahrefsâ Site Explorer to analyze featured snippets your competitors are ranking for. Study their content structure, and look for ways to improve. With a few adjustments to your content, you can position your blog or product pages to take advantage of these high-visibility spots.
#7. Add and Optimize Images
Finally, let’s talk about image optimization, which is an essential part of your blog contribution to SEO. As we’ve mentioned earlier, visuals can benefit the user experience on your blog and improve your SEO efforts.
The most common content format bloggers use is images. When you optimize them for search engines, you can show up in Googleâs image search or image packs and drive more traffic to your blog posts.
So, how can you add and optimize your images correctly? First, you need to pick visuals that actually add value to your content. These can be product shots, infographics, or step-by-step screenshots.
You’ll also need to add the alt text. It’s a short description added to an imageâs code, which explains it in a way that search engines and visually impaired users can interpret.
The thing is, search engines can’t really see the image the way we do, so they need an alt text to understand what it’s about. Based on this information, they can later show your images for relevant queries on the search engine’s image results page.
A good alt text should be specific without being too long, around 125 characters. The other best practice is not to force your keywords in the description unless they fit naturally.
If you have a lot of images on your blog, you can create an image sitemap. Itâs a file that lists all the pictures on your site, along with details like captions, titles, and descriptions. This way, search engines can find and process your files faster and increase the chances that they will appear in SERP.
#8. Don’t Forget Mobile Optimization
Did you know that over 60% are done on mobile devices? And this number is only going to grow in the upcoming years. It’s one of the reasons why so many businesses add mobile optimization to their SEO strategies.
Google also favors mobile-friendly websites, which means if your blog doesn’t load well on a mobile device, it’s going to hurt your rankings, too. Here are a few best practices you can follow to make sure your visitors have a great experience on mobile:
- Use a responsive design: Your blog should look good on any device, whether itâs a phone, tablet, or desktop. Most website platforms, like WordPress, have templates that do this for you.
- Site speed matters: Mobile users wonât wait for a slow page to load. Compress your images, cut out unnecessary code, and enable caching to speed things up.
- Make it easy to navigate: Use simple menus, big buttons, and layouts that donât require zooming or endless scrolling.
- Keep it readable: Short paragraphs, headings, and bullet points make your content easier to read on small screens.
- Check your blog regularly: Test how your site looks and performs on a phone. Googleâs PageSpeed Insights is a great tool to spot problems related to technical SEO and get them fixed.
When your blog is mobile-friendly, it’s good for rankings and your readers, too. This naturally leads to another major aspect of optimization – linking to reputable external sources.
#9. Link to Related Blogs
Weâve already talked about how linking to your own blog posts can improve your SEO strategy. But thereâs more to linking than just internal connections. You can also add external links to credible, relevant sources to support your content, make it more useful to readers, and build trust with search engines.
When you link to reputable blogs or resources, it shows search engines that your content is well-researched and connected to reliable information. For example, if youâre writing about small business marketing, linking to a recent study on consumer behavior or a trusted industry report gives your content more weight.
How to Measure Your Blog Performance?
The last section weâre sharing with you today is, of course, about measuring your results. This can give you an answer to the question âdoes blogging help SEOâ so you understand what content resonates well with your audience and which posts drive the most traffic and leads. Hereâs how you can track it:
- Review your traffic: Tools like Google Analytics can show you how many people are reading your blog and where theyâre coming from. Pay attention to the posts that attract the most amount of traffic, theyâre a good sign of what your audience finds helpful.
- Check bounce rates: If people leave your blog after just one page, it could mean something isnât holding their attention. Maybe the content isnât answering their questions or the layout is hard to navigate.
- Track keyword rankings: Tools like Google Search Console can show you how your blog is performing for specific search terms. If some posts arenât ranking well, update them with fresh information or optimize them with better keywords.
- Measure conversions: In Google Analytics, track the SEO ROI of your efforts and look at whether your blog is helping you get more leads, sign-ups, or sales.
- Monitor new backlinks: The more high-quality websites link to your blog, the more authority your site gains in Google’s eyes. Tools like Ahrefs and Moz can help you track backlinks and their impact on your rankings.
There are both free and paid tools available to measure SEO performance. Google Analytics and Google Search Console are great starting points. If you want to go more advanced, check out Ahrefs, Semrush, or SE Ranking.
Conclusion
We went through a lot of information, and now you know the best practices for using blogs to improve SEO. But that doesnât mean you have to follow each of these tactics all at once. You can start slowly with a few blog posts and then build up from there.
What matters most is to know your audience’s needs and wrap your content around them. Over time, your blog will become a source of trust and rise through the search engine rankings.
If you’re looking for expert guidance to speed up this process, let us know. At our SEO agency, we have helped our clients create high-quality blogs in many niches and GEOs that drive traffic and revenue on a consistent basis.