Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for bloggers like you. It drives organic traffic by helping more people find you through search engines.

In fact, according to a 2024 report from Conductor, a third of all traffic comes from organic search. So blogs that don’t optimize for search engines are missing a huge chunk of visitors.

But it’s not enough to simply rank on search engine results pages (SERPs). You need to be at the top.

Let’s explore the best ways to get you there.

Why is SEO important for bloggers?

SEO is all about visibility. It’s the primary strategy for pushing your blog up search engine rankings to make your content easier to find.

Research from Backlinko says that more than 50% of clicks go to the top three Google search results, with the number one spot netting a third of all clicks. By the time you get to the 10th result, you get 10 times fewer clicks than the top result. And less than 1% of searchers make it to the second page.

With this in mind, if you want accurate visibility, you need an effective SEO strategy to help you rank at the top of SERPs.

6 SEO tips to increase your blog’s search engine visibility

Here are six of the most essential SEO techniques you should be using on your blog:

1. Answer the questions people search for

Focus on providing helpful content that matches your target audience’s search intent.

This helps search rankings in two ways.

Not only is it easier for Google to rank blogs directly related to specific queries, but Google also favors high-quality content. Quality content that is helpful to readers is Google’s number one ranking signal.

Craft blog content that addresses content gaps within the specific search terms your audience looks for. Use keyword research tools, like Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest. These SEO tools help you find popular queries and target keywords.

Look at the “People also ask” section on SERPs. This will give you ideas for similar questions around topics you’ve already covered.

This approach increases your chances of appearing in Google’s featured snippet—the short website summary that answers a question at the top of the SERP.

2. Optimize with keywords

Including relevant keywords in your blogs shows Google that you’re talking about a particular subject. This helps Google rank it under the correct search terms.

Conduct keyword research to find a focus keyword for each blog. Concentrate on using long-tail keywords since these terms have higher click-through rates.

While you need to include this keyword within your content, remember to include it in all your on-page SEO elements. Place these terms naturally in your titles, headers, meta descriptions, URL structure, and content. 

Use tools like Frase or MarketMuse to find secondary keywords to include in each blog to support the focus keyword.

Be mindful of keyword stuffing, though. While you want as many keywords as possible, the writing should flow easily so your target customers find it easy to read.

Also, be aware of overlapping keywords, which can cause keyword cannibalization. In other words, when multiple pages on your website share similar keywords, search engines get confused, and the pages compete against each other.

For example, if you’re running a travel business blog and writing about hotel PMS software, writing two pages with the key terms “hotel booking software” and “hotel reservation software” could be problematic. Instead, make sure each article offers different content.

For instance, you might list the benefits of using a hotel PMS in one while the other one focuses on comparing different systems.

3. Link internally and externally

Internal links create bridges that allow Google’s spiders to crawl your website.

These links connect content so Google can get a full view of what your blog is really about. This will help Google index your content more effectively.

When linking, whether internally or externally, use keyword phrases as anchor text. This demonstrates the relevance of your links to Google.

4. Build a backlink profile

Backlinks are one of Google’s most important ranking factors. This is why pages with more backlinks rank higher than those with fewer.

When another site links to your blog, it shows that you are considered an authority and endorses your content as valuable.

To build high-quality backlinks, create helpful content others want to link to. Then, politely ask other relevant bloggers and websites to link back to your site.

You can also try guest-posting on other relevant blogs in your preferred niche and linking to your site. (Just make sure these blogs have high domain authority scores and will give you do-follow links.)

5. Optimize for mobile

Mobile optimization is a critical step in your SEO strategy.

Since September 2020, Google has used mobile-first indexing. This means that Google considers your site’s mobile version the main one when ranking your content.

To rank well, your blog needs a responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes. This makes it easier for Google to understand and categorize your blog.

6. Include an XML Sitemap

An XML sitemap helps search engines accurately crawl and index your website’s content.

It lists your site’s pages and structure so search engines can understand how to navigate your content.

To create an XML sitemap, use a website builder or SEO plugin.

Once you’ve created a sitemap, submit it to Google Search Console. This tells Google how to crawl your site. (Ask your website developer for help if needed.)

Let’s optimize for search

SEO isn’t just about creating relevant content with common keywords.

You also need to make your content easy for Google to understand. Leveraging SEO services can help you show search engines that other subject matter experts trust your information.

To do this, remember to:

• Optimize all on-page elements with relevant keywords — from your URL to your image alt text.
• Create a sitemap to help guide Google’s spiders in ranking your content.
• Create a backlink portfolio that demonstrates your credibility.