Blogging isn’t always about slapping some words on a page and calling it a day.
If you’re blogging for your business, chances are you want that content to perform well, too. As a writer, there are few things more frustrating than when you put in the time to craft some content, only to find that it just doesn’t work.
If you aren’t seeing the visibility, traction, or traffic that you hoped for, don’t worry.
You’re not alone.
There are numerous common blog SEO mistakes that I frequently see on blogs when I search the web. The great news is that you don’t need a site overhaul to see results or amend these issues. Small tweaks to your existing posts can be the power boost they need to start delivering on the ROI goods.
Here are four quick SEO-focused updates you can do right now – no, seriously, they don’t take long at all – to shift your blog posts in the right direction.
1. Refresh Your Blog Titles and Meta Descriptions
Your content could be hand-crafted by the finest copywriter that has ever graced this earth, but sadly, searchers see your meta information first, not the content.
If your post titles are unclear, generic, or missing altogether, you’ll be missing out on those juicy clicks.
Start by revising your older or underperforming posts. Evaluate the titles:
- Are they clear?
- Do they contain your primary/relevant keyword(s)?
- Would they make you want to click if you were searching for an answer?
If the answer is no, then that’s a good sign to rejig that title.
Similarly, with your meta description, aim to briefly describe the benefits or value users will receive by viewing your post, rather than repeating what the title has already stated. You can use site plugins, like Rank Math, to preview how your titles will look before you republish your changes.
Here are a few other insightful considerations you can make when overhauling older meta information:
- Your meta title and page H1 don’t have to be the same. You can frame your meta title for clicks and query captures, and your H1 for more reliability. Different titles help you capture more keywords, as long as they detail the same content
- Ensure your meta information adheres to character limits so they aren’t cut off in search results
- Start with a solid foundation that clearly explains what the post is about or what it answers. Then, consider implementing more engaging language with emotional and powerful words.
2. Add Internal Links to Relevant Pages
Internal linking helps Google understand how your site is structured while also creating a strong journey for visitors. Internal links within your blog help connect useful content you have written, creating stronger relevance between topics.
As a user, being able to click on hyperlinked text to continue the topic or answer a related question is significantly more efficient than having to revisit the main blog page and manually locate that content.
The trouble with internally linking is that, as newer content gets added, internal linking starts to become clustered.
Not in the “I’m working on blog clusters for SEO” way and more of the “I haven’t revisited these posts to add/swap links in over a year” way.
Revising older posts and linking them internally to newer posts helps drive this updated customer journey and maintain relevance. It also provides a more impactful way to boost under-performing pages with fresh links or feed into service pages if your primary goal is conversions and leads.
A small but powerful point – ensure your links are contextual.
“Click here” links aren’t ideal for SEO, and they also fail to convey to the user where they’re going accurately. You need to supplement these links with contextual content to prevent them from becoming somewhat redundant. Now, let’s imagine you’re writing a post about long-tail keywords. You’d instead continue the conversation by emphasising how you can use long-tail keywords in blog posts for greater effect.
And link it just like that.
3. Break Up Large Paragraphs and Add Subheadings
I’ll be real with you.
If I click on a blog post and I see any paragraphs over seven lines of text, I’m out.
Realistically, paragraphs should rarely be more than five lines, with four lines being largely recommended. Long, unformatted text walls are too intimidating. I’m here to read a blog post, not a novel.
Breaking content into shorter paragraphs makes it more inviting, especially if you strategically break up the flow with relevant H2 titles. Best practice formatting like this helps users scan content to quickly find the sections they want or need, while also improving general scalability on mobile.
The wording and flow of the content can stay; we’re just looking to make it easier to consume.
When I write a post, I like to first consider what a user may want to gain from the content. In many cases, it’s true to say that users will already have some knowledge of the topic, and they may just be looking to learn about a particular part in more depth.
A successful blog post doesn’t have to be 2000 words of completely read text, but rather provide users quick access to what they need.
Posts with clearer formatting often lead to lower bounce rates, higher engagement, and may perform better over time.
4. Optimise Image Sizes and Add Alt Text
Are you optimising your images?
It’s a trick question; the only correct answer should be yes.
Unless your website is built on Squarespace, who hate updating their system, for every other site, you should be looking to deliver images in next-gen formats, aiming for small WebP files.
Why?
Large, uncompressed images lead to longer load times. Similarly, if your website theme or design uses hero section animations or overlaying imagery, expect even more delays. These can drastically slow the First Content Paint of your page, increasing load times, which may cause users to leave before the page even loads.
If you can’t leverage next-generation formats, I recommend sticking to JPGs and compressing as much as possible without sacrificing the image quality.
Another element to consider is the alt text of your images. Alt text helps screen readers understand the image and provides search engines with extra context. It’s best not to overthink alt text; instead, look at it as a way to describe your image. Something like “business owner writing a blog post” will be far better and more impactful than “IMG_201242”.
Image SEO is a crucial element of your blog strategy, as having your in-post images rank in Google search is a powerful way to enhance your visibility for targeted keywords, especially for local SEO. Leveraging local elements in your alt text, such as location names (if relevant), can be a great way to impact local SEO with your blog.
A Quick Boost, but Not a Strategy Replacement
Blogging is a long game.
Forward thinking and a long-term focus, combined with strong strategy, consistency, and high-quality content, are what generate valuable results. With these in place, setting aside a small amount of resources to revisit potential small oversights can uplift even underperforming posts.
These quick fixes are practical, beginner-friendly, and often have a positive impact, especially if your blog isn’t taking off. Ensure that you strategically implement these changes while remaining aligned with your overall marketing strategy.
Adding Optimisation to Your Blogging Strategy
The powerful benefits of optimisation come when you incorporate it into your overall blogging strategy.
Sure, blog posts can do their job long after they’ve been written, but the trick to unlocking their full potential comes from regular optimisations and small tweaks to keep up performance.
Regular optimisation also ensures that you don’t look back one day and have hundreds of posts to revisit.
Because, let’s be honest, that sounds like a slog.
If you’re looking to get ahead of your post optimisations or want to formulate an optimisation strategy, get in touch, and we can go through your current posts, optimise, and plan for the future together.
FAQ: Quick SEO Blog Fixes
Do I need to update every blog post to see results?
Personally, I would start with high-impact or underperforming posts. Freshen underperforming posts with new updates to bring them in line with top-performing posts. You can also adjust internal linking within high-impact content to share visibility with underperforming posts and improve their performance accordingly.
How often should I audit or update my blog posts?
This drastically depends on your posting frequency.
A widely suggested time frame is every 6-12 months. However, you may wish (and probably should), do it sooner if you post frequently.
When auditing, look for shifts in keyword relevancy, broken links, outdated info, or missed internal linking opportunities. For really outdated posts, consider revising or expanding the content.
Will these changes make a difference if I only have a few posts?
Absolutely, and I would argue that these will be even more important if you have only a few posts.
Not only does this build a good habit for when you create more, but it ensures that the limited number of posts you do have are optimised and living up to their potential.
Can I optimise blog posts without technical SEO knowledge?
The changes I have noted in this post should be standard elements you consider when writing any post. They can all be completed without in-depth technical SEO knowledge. Similarly, these should be achievable within your CMS, without requiring coding or plugins.
If you’re on WordPress, I would strongly suggest leveraging an SEO plugin, for the sole reason that I makes adding meta information significantly easier.
The only consideration I would make for SEO knowledge is for keyword implementation and general metadata strategy. While you don’t need SEO knowledge, having some allows you to ensure updates and optimisations are aligned with your overall marketing strategy.
