Are you writing blog content on a regular basis? Ultimately, your goal is to provide expert information to your customers about window film. How can you make sure that your blog is coming up on a Google search?
Braden Becker, senior SEO strategist for HubSpot, provided several tips on creating blog content designed to appear in Google search results. He gave his presentation, “Blog SEO: How to Get Your Owned Media Found” on Tuesday, Aug. 6th at the Florida Public Relations Association’s 81st Annual Conference in Tampa.
Here is a look at what he had to say:
My, How Times Have Changed
Becker provided insight into how blogs have changed over the years. From 1998 to 2003, standard operation called for writing content with key search words repeatedly placed throughout the content. Back then, Google pulled results based on those key words alone. The issue? Key words could be nestled in any content, credible or not.
In more recent years, Google got smarter. The search giant now pulls up sites using a complicated algorithm that includes using key words in content, on-page SEO tactics, scaling content volume, off-page SEO content and growing blog traffic.
Be More Searchable with Key Words that Matter
While Google’s algorithm may have become more advanced over the years, Google still relies on key words to assist with search results. Finding the right key words matters.
So, how do you to this? Becker suggested starting with a broad idea for a blog topic, such as “Vegetarian Thanksgiving,” and then conducting a key word search for that phrase (using software like SEMRush or Ahrefs) to further define the blog content and points that should be made.
Selecting the most popular key words (taking into consideration the amount of people searching using those phrases) will help guide the overall message and make your blog more likely to appear on a Google search.
Consider On-Page SEO Tactics
A typical blog page includes the following elements:
- Blog Title (Consider adding a key word here.)
- Featured image (Pay attention to the image name and ensure the size is small to lower load speed.)
- Subsections (Use subheads that also incorporate key words.)
- Image Alt Text (Be sure to use the proper alt text for your images because Google can’t “see” the image, but it will know what it is based on the alt text.)
- Add “fresh” data (Keep it new. Google ranks new content.)
- Publish Date (Google pays attention to when blogs were posted and will show the newest one first.)
- URL Path (Make a friendly URL.)
Incorporating these tips when building a blog post page will go a long way in assisting with Google search results.
Set Yourself as an Expert by Scaling Your Content Volume
Pay attention to how your blog is structured on your website. Becker said HubSpot is starting to recommend using “pillar pages” to first draw people to a topic. These pages are filled with basic, broad and general information about a specific topic. Branching off from pillar pages are blog posts that drill down details.
For example, a pillar page could be built on residential window film and the benefits of installing residential window film. The page content could be very broad in nature with overall stats on window film, related 3M videos, links to brochures about residential window film and testimonies directly from your customers who had window film installed on their home.
However, blogs should be linked to the page for further reading. Blogs could be about reducing energy costs, preventing fading furniture and floors, reducing glare and more.
Within the content of each blog, there should be a hyperlink back to the main pillar page about residential window film so that the campaign is fully linked together.
Ultimately, the goal is to let Google know that you are an expert on this topic with plenty of content so that users can learn more. Creating pillar pages with linked topic-related blogs will position you as an expert and will increase your chances of being found after a search.
Becker said HubSpot is recommending to build a pillar page with a minimum of five blogs.
Build Trust with Off-Page SEO Tactics
Becker said it is key to link to outside experts within your content. “The more links you have, the more trust you have,” he said.
In addition, see if others will link to your content. “Backlinks are the No. 1 ranking factor in the eyes of Google.”
“Make sure that you are linking relevant content and credible sources to your blogs. These links will go a long way in your SEO efforts,” Becker said.
Growing Your Blog Traffic in Time
When a blog is first posted to a website, it may not appear in searches instantly. In fact, HubSpot is recognizing that there is nearly a six-month delay before it sees major performance on its blog posts.
That lead time, Becker said, means that topics and content needs to be maintained to ensure relevancy. When you first write the content, be sure that it will be valid for more than six months. He also recommends re-optimizing old or “historical” content for SEO.
Choose your oldest content, look to see which blogs are performing the best, and then revisit and ensure the latest information is provided and the content is still valid.
Google is the world’s largest search engine and your blog can rank high on the search bar with a little SEO strategy. Becker’s presentation highlighted the importance of finding and using relevant key words, incorporating on-page SEO tactics, building trust with off-page SEO tactics, updating historical content and creating a website structure that sets you as an expert.
For more information about marketing services or to speak to an expert, contact Accent Distributing’s Inside Sales Team at [email protected].
