From within the minor panic that threatened to take over all the hard work I’d done to grow my blog, I realized that I needed to make a change.

That was when I learned of the utmost importance of SEO for bloggers.

SEO allows your site to rank higher on Google and brings traffic to your site through organic searches like Google. When your blog or website is optimized for SEO, you will see an increase in traffic from search engines.

Currently, my largest traffic source is from search engines. This was a major feat because it gives me the comfort that I am in control of the traffic coming to my blog.

Although Pinterest is a close follower in referring traffic, I know that no matter what algorithm changes that platform makes, my traffic can remain steady and growing.

SEO allows you greater control over your incoming traffic. It allows you the constant and reliable traffic from sources like Google and it brings high-quality and converting readers.

So let’s dive into the best SEO tips for bloggers that I’ve used over the past few years to explode my Google traffic.

Disclaimer: Before you do any of these to your blog post, be sure that it does not subtract value from your post. You want these additions to be seamless and unnoticed by your readers. I like to go by the standard that if my readers can tell I’m trying to up the SEO by throwing in this keyword, I shouldn’t place it there. Don’t let SEO distract your readers or take away value.

1. Internal Links & External Links Will Boost Your SEO

Links are a powerful way to boost your SEO.

Internal links are links that go to another post or page on your site. These links help your readers find their way to related topics and they also help to boost your search engine ranking.

I try to include at least 1-2 internal links in every single post.

External links are the links that go to other blogs or websites. These also are important in boosting your search engine ranking. You can link to other blog posts that are related or to another website that you feel fits your topic.

It is really important to include the link within the text or keyword. Don’t put the link on text such as “click here” because Google won’t understand what you’re linking to.

If you’re linking to a post, highlight the keyword and link to the post through that word.

Links are important and as you create each blog post, you can add these naturally and boost your SEO.

2. Keywords are Essential to Boost SEO for Bloggers

Speaking of keywords, your keywords can sometimes make or break your SEO for a post. If you spend a lot of time focusing on finding the right keyword, you can really rank high in search engines like Google.

The easiest way to find keywords is to start typing in the Pinterest search bar and see what comes up.

The easiest example would be to type in chocolate chip cookies. Labels such as gluten-free or paleo or easy will auto-fill and give you ideas on more specific or long-tail keywords.

There are a few important places to put these keywords.

• In the Yoast plugin, fill out your keyword in the Focus Keyword section and try to include it in the meta description.
• Try to fit the keyword into the title
• If you can without subtracting value, add the keyword into the first sentence of your post and bold it.
• Sprinkle your keyword throughout your post and include it in headings where possible.
• Put the keyword in the image text (more on this later)

Find keywords that are specific enough that you’re not competing with every blog post out there and this will really boost your SEO.

3.Guest Post! Guest Post! Guest Post!

When you guest post for other bloggers you have an amazing opportunity to do these things:

• Be seen by another dedicated audience
• Include backlinks from your site to theirs and theirs to yours increases your authority on Google
• You may have the opportunity to promote a free resource or opt-in to a new audience
• You build connections with other bloggers and network

Guest posting is a great way to collaborate and it can be refreshing to switch up your normal topics. I love to find others who are in a similar but not exactly the same niche as mine.

I even suggest doing a guest post swap and if the opportunity arises, ask them to write a post for you as well.

4. Include Related Posts in These Places

Including space where your readers can easily find and click to another similar post is extremely important.

This will not only increase engagement and encourage readers to stick around, but it is a great place to include more links on your page and in some cases, more images.

This means more opportunities for keywords too!

5. What Your Images Need for Better SEO

Finally, the last and most easily forgotten place for keywords is within your images.

There are a few important places for keywords in your images.

The first is in the image file before you upload it. This will translate to the URL that goes to the image. Sometimes I will add a number after it so that my post URL can include the keyword without interfering.

Post:

nicolekauffman.com/gluten-free-cookies

Image:

nicolekauffman.com/gluten-free-cookies-1

When you upload your image, you will have a few options on the right-hand side (if using WordPress).

Here you will change both the Title and the Alt Text to include your keyword or multiple keywords.

A lot of people forget this step and when their image is pinned or saved, it saves with basic text that includes no keywords at all!

Remember to make the changes to your uploaded image because this will definitely help boost your SEO.

These 5 tips are some of the best SEO tips for bloggers that I’ve found over the past few years. They’ve helped to explode my search engine traffic and I’m confident they will help you too.

Just remember, when you update your SEO it will take a few weeks to take effect. You won’t notice much of a change at all in the beginning, but after some time you will start to see your referring traffic from search engines growing!

What SEO tips for bloggers have helped you?