SEO for many people is a really overwhelming topic, there are so many different factors and issues that most people just don’t know where to start. Every day I see bloggers sharing their best advice on how to improve your SEO, how to build your DA and how you can definitely rank number 1 on Google every time. Every time I see one of these posts I feel like I have to click it, mainly out of curiosity.
In the last few years, I have worked as a Copywriter, an SEO training coordinator and more recently I have been an SEO account manager for a large SEO agency. So I like to think that I know what I am talking about.
So when I see blog posts offering SEO advice to bloggers, I want to check how up to date and correct the advice is. More often than not the advice is outdated or just straight up guesses. Sometimes I might send a polite email correcting and making suggestions which I know can come across as rude, but I genuinely want to see people exceed.
Recently I clicked on a post which offered some horrendous advice and had loads of comments thanking them. I just wanted to shake the writer and scream “where did you get this nonsense from!!!” at them. The only thing this advice would do is limit the potential reach for some really talented writers.
I have now reached out to the blogosphere and found out what bloggers are struggling with when it comes to SEO.
I have broken this down into content, keyword research, and DA. So let’s get started. Here is my best SEO advice for bloggers!
Why is there so much contradicting SEO advice for bloggers?
A few years ago, your website could rank pretty well even if it barely worked, the only thing that was important was keywords. By keyword stuffing you could skew results and sneak your way up the rankings. Google quickly caught on to these blackhat techniques and adapted what it’s crawlers look at.
The answer is that SEO is constantly changing, Google often releases updates that affect indexing and what is important to its readers. It has been announced that in its next update mobile will be taking centre stage as a major ranking factor, so make sure your blog works nicely on mobile.
You can subscribe to the Google blog to get updates as and when they are announced. Or you can read my breakdown of Googles Webmaster Guidelines.
Content
What is Metadata?
Metadata something that is on every page of your blog, it helps Google understand your content better. Metadata is made up of several parts which help Google better understand your page.
The main 2 things you should be aware of are the Meta Title and the Meta Description tags. The meta title is a direct ranking factor so it is essential that you complete that section.
Meta descriptions are not a direct ranking factor, however, they still present ample SEO opportunities. It is your chance to sell your page to new readers who have come across your page on the search results. 
What other metadata tags you should be aware of
There are loads, most of which you do not need to know about. The main ones are;
Meta Keywords
These used to be a huge thing when search engines and the internet first became a thing. They still exist, however, you really shouldn’t bother using them as Search Engines have not used them since 2009.
Author/web author
This tag is used to name the author of the page.
Expiration/date
“Expiration” is used to note when the page expires, and “date” is the date the page was made. Are any of your pages going to expire? I doubt it.
There are loads more, some much more technical. I will write an in-depth blog post about them all.
How long should a meta title be?
A meta title should be 50 to 60 characters long, including spaces.
How long should a meta description be?
A meta description should be 150 to 160 characters long, including spaces.
What should I include in a meta description?
I always like to include; a summary of the content of the page which includes a keyword and a call to action.
Use the meta description for this page as a template.
I see bloggers sharing their advice on how to improve SEO & most of the time it’s not right. Click to find up to date and correct SEO advice for bloggers!
How many times should I use a keyword?
There is no set amount on how many times you should use your keyword in an article. I typically follow this format.
– 3 times for an article that is 300 words or less – including once in the meta title or description.
– 6 to 8 times for an article that is 700 to 900 words long – including once in the meta title or description
– For articles that are over 1000 words long, you can use the keyword as many times as you’d like as long as the article reads naturally and keywords don’t seem forced.
The most important thing you can do is write directly for your readers and not for Google. The Google crawlers are smart enough to be able to see when keywords are forced/stuffed and they will penalise you for that.
Should I write directly with a keyword in mind?
That is completely up to you if you prefer to write your article first then edit in a keyword focus that is completely fine. I prefer to do the research first so I don’t have an extra editing step.
What is keyword stuffing?
Very, often, it, looks, like, this.
But with keywords.
Keyword stuffing is where someone has written their copy to target as many keywords and phrases as possible. You can normally spot it straight away as it normally looks like an out of place list.
Keyword Research
Click here for my indepth advice on keyword research for bloggers.
During or after writing a post you should think about what your article is about and what problems it solves. I’d then try to think of how you would describe this content, try to only think of a maximum of 5 words. Once you have those 5 words run them through a keyword research tool to see if it has any search volume and how difficult it could be to rank for.
Ahrefs have a really handy and free keyword research tool which you can find here. This tool will also suggest similar keywords so you can shop around a little.
DA
So what is the deal with DA? On a professional level, DA is something I tell my clients not to worry about. I much prefer them to look at backlinks and link juice. However, as a blogger, DA is something I do worry about because I need it to work with PRs and brands. It sometimes gives me a bit of a headache.
What is DA?
Domain Authority (DA) is a metric created by Moz. It will assign you a score between 1 and 100. The score represents the authority of your website, the higher the authority. The more likely you are to rank.
What is PA?
Page Authority (PA) is the sister to DA. It is also a metric created by moz that assigns scores to your page. So instead of look at your entire website and scoring it, PA is scoring specific pages on your blog.
Click here to find my indepth advice for improving your DA.
Conclusion…
So there it is the first edition of SEO advice for bloggers. Like I’ve said that things change a lot, so the advice is only correct for a few months. There are a few things that are constant but we never know what will happen next.
There is a lot more to mention about all of these topics but I think they would be easier explained as their own blog posts. If you have any questions at all about SEO please tell me in the comments and I will get back to you and maybe write an in-depth overview of the issue.
These are useful tips. This is so particularly on areas touching the DA and backlinks. I often encounter these terms but it is only now that I ‘ve learned so much about them. Thank you for sharing your expertise!
Such a helpful post! I’d love to see a myth busting post from you because I know you’ve got a lot of knowledge and I think a lot of the info out there is super confusing.