{"id":6404,"date":"2020-02-12T07:05:34","date_gmt":"2020-02-12T05:05:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/?p=6404"},"modified":"2022-09-05T19:24:25","modified_gmt":"2022-09-05T17:24:25","slug":"how-to-optimise-your-blog-for-seo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/seo-blog\/how-to-optimise-your-blog-for-seo\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Optimise Your Blog for SEO"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"DSM<\/div><\/div>

They say that \u2018content<\/a> is king\u2019, and not without good reason. Almost every single piece of marketing content put out there, since the dawn of advertising, has featured wording of some kind. Visuals might be more attractive than text, but copy will always be required to explain a visual so that the viewer can understand the message. Blogging is the one way that brands can get messages across to their target audience, but without the right search engine optimisation nobody will find the blog articles when searching for relevant information. This article offers an SEO<\/a> checklist you can use to ensure your blog is optimised for the search engines:<\/p>\n

Keywords<\/strong><\/h2>\n

These are arguably the most important SEO elements of your blog. Google and other search engines will scan your content for keywords, and match them to keywords that internet browsers type into the search bar. To find out what keywords are being search most often, use online tools like SEMrush or Keywordtool.io. These will give you search volumes for keywords, and suggest possible keyword or phrase variations you can use.<\/p>\n

Headings<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Your blog should feature a main (H1) heading and a few lower-ranked headings (H2, H3, etc.). Make sure that you include your main keyword in at least one of these. Your main heading should summarise exactly what the article is about, and lower headings should introduce sections in a clear and concise manner. Be sure to only assign one H1 heading, or the search engines won\u2019t know which is the most important and will penalise the content.<\/p>\n

Text structure<\/strong><\/h2>\n

How readable is your blog? Search engines measure content against the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test, which grades your piece of content on how easy or difficult it is for the average reader to comprehend. The test assesses text based on a number of criteria, including how long the sentences are, how many sentences there are in a paragraph, and how many multi-syllable words you use. Try to keep your sentences short and sweet, with no more than two sentences per paragraph. Also, try to only use words that contain no more than three syllables<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>