5 Things that High-ranking blogs have in common
Moz, Neil Patel, Search Engine Journal, Hubspot, what do these sites have in common? They are successful. They would rank in the top 5 for almost every search term you insert in the digital marketing space.
One of the ways to know what works is by studying existing successful patterns. If you want your blog to rank high on search engines, then study the blogs that already rank high and find out what they have in common. Don’t worry, I have done this for you. I carefully studied 25 top-ranking blogs, and here are five things that stood out as common ground for all these blogs.
Outline
The first thing you would see after the headline of a blog that ranks high is a clear outline. This section will outline the content of the entire blog accordingly. In addition to giving your blog the right structure, including outlines make it easy for readers to scan through your blog.
By looking at an outline, a reader knows what section to expect next. Most times, the outlines are clickable and lead the reader straight to the selected section of the blog. This direct access saves time and satisfies the reader, which is the ultimate goal of Google. If Google observes that people always leave your page satisfied, then you’re certainly entering Google’s good books and securing a place for yourself at the top.
Long-form content
There are so many existing opinions about writing long-form content. Some experts think the length of your content does not matter as long as it provides value; others think that there is a specific length that a piece of content must have to even stand a chance of ranking on Google. Buffer, for instance, says you need 1600 words, and Hubspot says you need about 2100 to 2400 words.
Whatever the case is, it is clear that long-form content for in-depth topics tends to rank highest. The longer the content for an in-depth topic, the more information you can pass on, and the more satisfied your reader will be. As long as you are not writing fluff, then long-form content is the most explanatory type of content.
This type of content builds credibility for the reader, and it also gets more backlinks. Ultimately helping the content rank higher.
Clear Visuals
An easy way to make content easier to digest is by including relevant images. This can be pictures, charts, tables, or infographics. As long as it explains the topic in detail with lines and drawings, then it is easier for the eyes.
If you look at the top-performing sites on search engines, they have several visuals included in their blogs. A study from SEOHacker shows that images increase reader retention from 10% to 65%.
Visuals enliven content, break up large chunks of information, and help the readers better understand the information. The easier it is for them to understand, the higher their satisfaction rate, and the higher your authority scores on Google.
Related Articles Section
If you look through most high-ranking blogs, you will find a Related Article Section at the end of the blog. This is a section that lists other articles similar to the one you have just read.
This helps your visitors to easily find more of the type of content they are interested in without going through the process of searching for it. In addition to giving the reader a great site experience, this section also improves the readability of your site by keeping readers longer.
Another benefit of this page is that it reduces the bounce rate. The bounce rate can be measured when someone views a single page on your website and does nothing before leaving. If visitors are offered similar content to the one they originally visited the site for, it’s more likely they’ll stay and view more pages.
Search Engine Optimization
Optimizing your blog for search engines can earn you free traffic. The process of writing, optimizing, and publishing blogs designed to rank in search engines is called Blog SEO.
Some of the common SEO practices include:
Conclusion
Creating a successful blog takes focus, purpose, and planning, and it also requires enough flexibility. By including these five elements in your blog, you are positioning your blog at a high rank on search engines.
What other elements do you find in top-ranking blogs?