Do you want to know how to best format your blog to ensure great SEO benefits? You’ve come to the right place. Here at onefoursix, we want you to rank well on Google to attract as big an audience as possible to your blogs. That is why we have put together a guide on how to best structure your posts to achieve this.
1. Featured image
Firstly, you need to always remember to include a featured image that will appear at the top of your blog. This image will also appear when you put the weblink for your blog onto a sharing platform, such as Facebook. Below you can see the featured image for the onefoursix website to help you understand how it would appear when going to share on social.
This means you want to choose an image that best represents the topic of your blog. It is also important to always include alt text in any imagery you use in your blog. This is because Google cannot read images, and therefore will only be able to identify your photos through the use of alt text.
2. Title <H1>
Next step is to title your blog. Always consider the most relevant keywords in your title as this will be vital for SEO purposes. Be sure to format your title in a <H1> font – this stands for Heading 1. It will often appear as a bigger and bolder font than the rest of the text. However, the title will make or break whether someone wants to read your blog and therefore needs to stand out.
Another important consideration is to make sure your title isn’t too long. Google doesn’t like long URLs or blog titles so try to keep it short and precise, whilst using the most relevant keywords. You will really see SEO benefits when implementing this.
3. Opening paragraph
Be sure to catch your readers attention in your opening paragraph. Consider asking a question in your opening sentence as this can be an effective technique when engaging with your audience. The opening paragraph can vary between 1/2 sentences or 3/4 sentences. That is your choice. However, we recommend keeping your opening paragraph punchy and straight to the point to ensure your audience wants to read on.
4. Sub Heading <H2>
We then recommend using a sub heading before jumping into the main content of your blog. Again, this is a great opportunity to bring through any keywords. Using sub headings will help to create a well structured blog, ensuring an easy read. The suggested format for this sort of heading is <H2> (heading 2), which stands out over the body text but won’t appear as bold as the title.
5. Content
This is where you can get into the main body of your blog. We recommend 500 – 1000 words to see SEO benefits on Google – they like long posts! Throughout this content, try to stick a keyword or phrase in every so often without disrupting the flow of your writing. You want your keywords to sync into your sentences. This is why we suggest using 3/4 keywords throughout your content. To find out onefoursix tip and tricks on writing your blog for SEO benefits, click here.
6. Sub Heading <H3>
For some blogs, it may be useful to alternate between <H2> and <H3> sub headings in order to structure your content for SEO purposes. This is subjective to your blog topic. For example, if your topic has multiple categories, it may be useful to use <H3> sub headings to split these categories up. This sort of structure has been implemented in this current blog.
7. Call to action
Your call-to-action should include contact information, such as an email or phone number. Alternatively, you can include a weblink to your website if applicable. Another option is to include a question or sales pitch. You want the reader to take action through one of these three methods. That is what will drive engagement and activity on your blog. Including a link back to your website here helps with SEO and keeping readers on your site for longer.
Another consideration is to include social sharing buttons within your blog so that it is easily sharable. This will quickly increase eyes onto your blog.
Alternatively…
Here is a visual representation on how to format your blog posts for great SEO benefits. This may help you visualise the overall appearance of your blog structure.
For more information, get in touch with our marketing team today who can help you write, create and plan your blog posts!
