Your Foolproof Template for Writing SEO Blog Posts
Simply fill in the blanks
Hello! Before we get stuck in, let me introduce myself -
I’m Gabrielle. Journalist, digital marketer, and founder of The Coffee Edit.
The Coffee Edit was launched at the beginning of 2021 and provides social media solutions for coffee brands (the two best things combined!). However, I know that this post I’m about to write will be helpful and applicable to anybody who wants to grow their own brand. So if that’s you- welcome, and read on!
What is SEO?
Say hello to one of the most googled questions by entrepreneurs.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. Google is without a doubt the most popular search engine, but did you know YouTube is the second most popular? And Amazon is the third?
Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn also function as their own self-contained search engines.
Which is why SEO is pretty much applicable to all digital marketing if you want to boost exposure, traffic and- ultimately- sales.
SEO is like a science, but with no set formula or guaranteed results. Different tools work for different pages, and sometimes it’s simply a matter of trial-and-error while publishing as much content as possible.
Step Number One
The goal of SEO is to be the first result to pop up when potential customers go searching for something.
So when it comes to producing SEO blog posts, you need to consider the question: what are my ideal customers searching for?
Open up a blank document, type this question at the top of your page, and begin your list.
If you happen to be a coffee subscription company, here’s an example of what you might type:
- “Coffee subscription Melbourne”
- “Tips for brewing good coffee at home”
- “What coffee equipment should I buy to get started?”
- “Is the Ode coffee grinder worth it?”
Do you get the idea?
Step Number Two
Now, it’s simply a matter of turning each of these topics / questions into blog posts. As you write, remember that you’re writing for them. So continually ask yourself: Is this what my ideal customers want to hear? Is it helpful for them?
Step Number Three: The Formula
Okay so we have our blog topics. Now what? It’s time to start writing clear, helpful articles. These articles will connect you to your ideal customers, help them form a relationship with you and trust you, and ultimately boost sales! (Because at the end of the day, that’s what running a business is all about)
Without further ado, let’s go. 🚀
Main Heading
Sub-heading
By-line, date, logo and business name
Paragraph One: Introduce your topic and include two links to some relevant articles, demonstrating that you’ve done your research.
Paragraph Two: Summarise your entire article, and make it bold.
Then include a short, chronological list of what you aim to cover:
- See how this break ups the page
- And make things
- Easy on the eye?
Paragraph Three: Tell them how their life will be better after reading your blog post: “If you want to know [insert helpful point] and [another helpful point], this quick read will have you [insert helpful outcome here] in no time.
Paragraph Four: Include a link to one of your other blog posts. “Also read: [insert title and link here]”
Sub-heading (point number one)
Paragraph One: Introduce your first point.
Paragraph Two: Summarise with a bold statement or quote.
Paragraph Three: Include another short list of
- dot-points,
- if
- applicable.
Paragraph Four: flesh it out.
Paragraph Five: summarise.
Paragraph Six: Include a link to another one of your other blog posts. “Also read: [insert title and link here]”
Step Four: Repeat this process!
Continue with this template until you’ve covered 3–4 main points, making sure you sprinkle in lots of key words, micro-lists, images, simple diagrams, links, bold quotes and italics.
These editorial elements help your reader stay glued without presenting them with an overwhelming 5,000-word article in 10pt Times New Roman… journal article style!
There’s a time and a place for advanced, wordy articles. But unless your ideal target market is 50-year old university lecturers, your business’ web page is not that time nor place. Every blog post needs to be clear, fun, and easy to read. So as you write, imagine you’re writing to a 12 year old.
At the end of the day, your aim is to strengthen your website’s SEO by showing Google how helpful, relevant and interesting its content is.
And if you follow this basic formula, that’s exactly what you’ll do.
If you’re a business owner and you’d like regular social media tips and tricks, follow us over at The Coffee Edit.
