You have a domain, a host, and now your blog! So how do you get seen on search engines like Google? SEO, of course! SEO stands for search engine optimization. It incorporates all the things to get your site seen in the first page of search results. To have great SEO, you want to make sure your blog posts are of high quality and are SEO-friendly. Here are some simple blog post SEO tips for beginners to make sure your audience is seeing what you’re posting!

Use an SEO plugin

SEO can be super overwhelming, but even a free plug-in like Yoast SEO can help you figure out when you’re doing the right thing when it comes to SEO! Yoast signals you when you are on the right track with readability and search engine optimization by signalling a green dot, which means “GREAT” SEO! Orange signals “OK”, and red means “Needs Improvement”. Your goal is to get green dots! Yoast SEO’s free version is perfect for beginners. The free plug-in features the following:

One Keyword or Phrase

Communicates your topic with Google

Manual Page Updates

Google Page Previews

Readability Ranking

Primary Category Set-Up

No Duplicate Content

Works with Gutenberg or Classic Editor

Updated for Google’s algorithm

The Yoast plug-in was the first one I installed on my blog!

Use your keyword in the first paragraph (and throughout your post).

Make sure to use your keyword throughout your post without overdoing it. You can avoid redundancy by using synonyms. For example, if I am writing a blog post on SEO tips, I may use keyword phrases like “SEO tips” or “SEO-friendly content”. Google will pick up your first paragraph, so it’s important to have that keyword early and often.
How do you know what keywords to use? Think about what questions you may ask in a Google search. What keywords are included? Try to get specific while still staying in your niche. It’s going to be near impossible to rank for “teaching resources”, for example, but “kindergarten math remote learning resources” could be something your audience is searching for.

Use subheadings

You’ll want to use headings and subheadings in your blog posts. This organizes your content and signals Google to what you’re writing about. If you’re writing in an HTML editor, you’ll notice heading tags.

H1: This is your blog post title. Put it at the beginning of your post. You won’t use H1 again in your blog post.

H2, H3, H4, H5, H6: These are all subheadings. It’s not necessary to use all of these tags. If you don’t use H2 in a section, for example, don’t use H3. Think of it like an outline. You can customize the fonts and sizes of your headings within your theme.

Write a meta description.

If you’ve installed Yoast, you’ll see where to write your meta description. This is a summary of about 155 characters that shows up under your post title when it comes up on a search engine, like Google. Keep it short and sweet and use your keyword or keyword phrase in the meta description. You don’t want your meta description to auto-fill. If you don’t specify one, the first paragraph of your post will show up. If you have an affiliate disclosure, that’s what people will see first when they Google, so it’s so important that you write a meta description!

Use keywords in image names.

I see so many bloggers have images saved as image123.jpg. Make sure your image name, the description, and the alt text (the place where you describe what’s in the image) use your keywords. Don’t overload your blog post and images with keywords and keyword phrases, however. This can affect your SEO in a negative way. Yoast will let you know the optimal amount of times to use a keyword dependent on the length of your post.

Use your keyword in your permalink.

The permalink or the html address of your blog post should use your keyword or keyword phrase. If it defaults to something else, simply click edit and change the permalink before you post. This is an easy way to get your blog post recognized for what it’s about on search engines! These blog post SEO tips for beginners will set you up for success and help you start your site off strong! Even if you’ve been writing for awhile and are just starting to think about SEO, utilize these tips to help get your site on the first page of Google!

*This post contains affiliate links.  By making a purchase using the links provided, I will receive a small commission on your purchase.  This commission does not affect the price of your items 🙂