Tips on SEO optimising your blogposts: a guide for small business owners

As a small business owner, you know how important it is to get your brand in front of the right audience. And if you’ve been blogging for your business, that’s a great start! But here’s the catch: even the best-written blog posts won’t help you much if no one can find them. That’s where SEO optimization comes in.

With Google driving over 53% of all website traffic (BrightEdge, 2019), your blog posts need to be optimized for search engines so they can actually reach the people looking for what you offer. The good news? You don’t have to be an SEO wizard to make your blog posts more visible.

Here are some practical tips that you can start using today to make sure your blog content is SEO-friendly and ready to attract more readers.

1. Start with keyword research

Before you even start writing your blog post, take some time to figure out which keywords your audience is searching for. Keyword research helps you understand what your customers are interested in and what they’re typing into search engines.

What to do next:

• Use free tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or AnswerThePublic to find relevant keywords related to your industry.
• Focus on long-tail keywords—these are specific phrases that are usually easier to rank for and often reflect more intent from the user (e.g., "how to improve blog SEO").
• Naturally work these keywords into your blog post, especially in the title, introduction, headers, and conclusion.

Tip: Don’t force keywords where they don’t fit. Focus on writing for your readers first, and let the keywords blend naturally.

2. Create attention-grabbing titles

Your blog title is one of the first things both readers and search engines notice, so make sure it’s clear, compelling, and keyword-optimized. A well-written title can be the difference between someone clicking on your post or scrolling past it.

What to do next:

• Include your primary keyword near the start of your title.
• Keep your title under 60 characters so it doesn’t get cut off in search results.
• Make it engaging: Titles with numbers or that solve a problem often perform best. For example, “5 Simple SEO Tips to Boost Your Blog Traffic.”

Tip: Experiment with adding numbers, questions, or action words to make your title more clickable.

3. Use headings to structure your content

Headings are not only important for breaking up your content into readable chunks, but they also help search engines understand the structure and relevance of your post. Google loves well-organized content that’s easy to scan!

What to do next:

• Use H1 for your main blog title (this should only appear once).
• Use H2 for main sections and H3 for sub-sections.
• Include your keywords in some of your headings (but only where it feels natural).

Tip: Break up long paragraphs with subheadings to improve readability and keep your audience engaged.

4. Write a strong meta description

A meta description is the short snippet of text that appears below your blog title in search results. While it doesn’t directly affect your rankings, it plays a big role in whether someone clicks on your post. A well-crafted meta description can improve your click-through rate (CTR).

What to do next:

• Write a meta description under 160 characters to make sure it shows up fully in search results.
• Include your primary keyword naturally.
• Use action-oriented language to entice readers to click, such as “Learn 5 simple SEO tips to boost your small business blog.”

Tip: Focus on making your meta description appealing to human readers, not just search engines.

5. Use internal and external links

Both internal links (links to other pages on your website) and external links (links to authoritative sites) help enhance the quality of your blog and make it more valuable for your readers. They also show search engines that your content is well-researched and connected to relevant resources.

What to do next:

• Link to other blog posts or pages on your own website that are relevant to the topic you’re writing about.
• Include links to external resources from credible sites to support your content.

Tip: Make sure external links open in a new tab so your readers stay on your site while exploring other resources.

6. Check the quality of your images

Images make your blog posts more visually appealing and easier to digest, but they also need to be optimized for SEO. If your images are too large or don’t have proper descriptions, they can slow down your page speed or confuse search engines.

What to do next:

• Compress images using tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim to reduce file sizes without sacrificing quality.
• Use descriptive file names for your images (e.g., “SEO-tips-blog.jpg” instead of “IMG_1234.jpg”).
• Add alt text to describe each image. This helps search engines understand the content of your image and is also important for accessibility.

Tip: Use your primary keyword in your alt text where it makes sense, but don’t overdo it.

7. Focus on Creating Quality Content

At the end of the day, even the best SEO tactics won’t make much of a difference if your content isn’t valuable to your readers. Search engines prioritize content that offers real value, so make sure your blog posts are informative, engaging, and relevant to your audience.

What to do next:

• Create content that solves problems or answers common questions your audience has.
• Aim for long-form content (1,500+ words) where appropriate. Longer posts tend to perform better because they offer more in-depth information.
• Keep your blog posts updated over time to reflect new trends or changes in your industry.

Tip: Avoid keyword stuffing and focus on delivering content that reads naturally. You’re writing for humans, after all!

8. Improve Your Page Load Speed

Your blog post could be filled with great content, but if your site loads slowly, readers are likely to leave before they even see it. Page load speed is an important factor in both user experience and SEO rankings.

What to do next:

• Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to test your site’s speed and get recommendations for improvement.
• Compress images, enable browser caching, and minimize heavy plugins to boost your page speed.

Tip: Aim for a page load time of under 3 seconds to keep readers engaged and improve your search rankings.

Final thoughts: Get your blog SEO-Ready

Optimizing your blog for SEO might seem intimidating, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes a part of your routine. By implementing these simple SEO tips—like keyword research, optimizing titles, structuring with headings, and improving page load speed—you can ensure your blog posts reach the audience that’s already searching for what you have to offer.

Need help with your blog content?

If you’re a small business owner looking for a freelance copywriter to help you create SEO-friendly blog posts that drive traffic and build authority, I’d love to help! Send me a message and let’s work together to take your content to the next level.

Article bibliography

Sources:

• BrightEdge. (2019). 53% of traffic comes from organic search. Retrieved from https://www.brightedge.com/resources/webinars/organic-search-stats

Tools:

• Google Keyword Planner. (n.d.). Keyword Research Tool. Retrieved from https://ads.google.com/home/tools/keyword-planner/
• Ubersuggest. (n.d.). Free SEO Tool for Keyword Research. Retrieved from https://neilpatel.com/ubersuggest/
• AnswerThePublic. (n.d.). Search Listening Tool for SEO. Retrieved from https://answerthepublic.com/
• TinyPNG. (n.d.). Image Compression Tool. Retrieved from https://tinypng.com/
• ImageOptim. (n.d.). Free Image Compression Tool. Retrieved from https://imageoptim.com/mac
• Google PageSpeed Insights. (n.d.). Website Speed Testing Tool. Retrieved from https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/