As of 2018, there were 505 million blogs available on the internet. This number is increasing at a rate of 4 million blogs per day!
In today’s digital age, there are some critical elements that your blog needs or you will not be able to compete against the other blogs out there.
At KWSM: a digital marketing agency we specialize in writing and optimizing blogs to be posted in such a way that Google search will notice it, and readers will find it. Here are our 5 most essential elements needed to get people to read your blog:
1. Tags
The reason you need tags is that it helps group your blog posts. Take this blog for example, which is tagged ‘Content Optimization (SEO).’ As the reader, you may want to read more about those topics and are not interested in learning about ‘Online Advertising’ or ‘Video-Photography.’ Because we are using tags, you can now more easily find blog posts that interest you and keep you on our website longer. If we didn’t have tags, you may not see anything exciting and leave our website. Long story short – tags help people find similar blogs that interest them more easily.
Where to find it: Tags are a tool that comes standard with any WordPress blog post template. Usually found in the right-hand column of the “Posts” page.
2. Featured Image
The featured image is the photo that shows up anytime your blog post is being ‘previewed.’ If you have a Blog page on your website, you will see the featured image next to the title of the blog and a small excerpt of the blog. If you are using social media, the Featured Image will also automatically show up when you paste your blog post link into a social media post. Without a featured image, people will be less likely to notice your blog and therefore not read it.
Not sure which image to use? Read my best practices on choosing a great featured image for your blog.
Where to find it: The Featured Image is also in the right-hand column on the “Posts” page. On some websites, it is found below the main article. When you upload it, do not forget to add the alt-tags, as well!
3. Meta Title & Description
The meta title and description are important for SEO reasons. When Google crawls your website, it will pull the information from your title and description to understand what your blog is about. This information is then used to rank your website against all the other web pages discussing the same topic. If you do not have it filled out, you will miss out on a big SEO boost.
Where to find it: It is easiest to find and edit these settings when you download an SEO plug-in. Our agency prefers All-in-One SEO Pack, but there are many great ones out there you can use.
4. Focus Keywords
Like the Title and the Meta Description, the focus keyword(s) help Google understand what your blog is about. We recommend adding 10-15 keywords that directly relate to your blog post topic. This way, if a person types those words into Google Search, your blog posts are more likely to show up than blogs that do not have keywords. It is a quick step for you but will benefit you a whole lot in the long run.
Where to find it: The focus keywords are usually a part of the SEO plugin. If you downloaded the All-in-One SEO pack, you would see it right below the meta description box.
5. Internal Links to Relevant Webpages
When people read your blogs, it is always helpful to add hyperlinks to your other content. This way you provide people additional resources without having to go into full detail in your current blog. A great example of an internal link was my call-to-action to check out my other blog about choosing a great featured image (back in element #2). It helps you discover more relevant content on this website, without interrupting the blog you are currently reading.
Where to find it: These will be created by you by highlighting a piece of text and choosing to ‘Add a Link’ using the toolbar, you should look for the icon that looks like a small chain.
If you have any questions or would like to know how your blogs measure up, we encourage you to contact us.
4 million blogs are created every single day.
Are you curious about how your blogs measure up to the competition? Our team is currently offering a website audit in which we will review your blog posts and let you know how you can improve them to help you stand out.
CLICK HERE to sign up for a complimentary 30 Minute Website Audit