SEO Best Practices for Blog Writing in 2024

So, what are the SEO best practices for writing blogs in 2024?

SEO is imminent for blog writing. Blogs and articles are different forms of content marketing that can help you attract, educate, and convert your audience.

However, to achieve these goals, you need to make sure that your blog is visible and relevant to your audience. That’s why you need to follow SEO best practices in blog writing.

In this blog, we will point out the best SEO practices you need for writing a blog in 2024.

SEO Best Practices for Blog Writing in 2024

1. Match Content with Search Intent

Search intent is the goal or purpose behind a user’s search query. For example, if a user searches for “how to use AI to write a press release”, their search intent is to learn how to do that. To match your content with search intent, you need to:

• Understand your audience: You need to know who your target audience is, what their pain points are, and what they are looking for.
• Research keywords: You need to find out what keywords your audience is using to search for your topic and how competitive and popular they are.
• Create content that answers the query: You need to create content that provides the information, solution, or value that your audience is seeking.

AI can help you match your content with search intent by suggesting keywords, topics, and content ideas that are relevant and popular among your audience. You can also use AI to analyse your competitors’ content and identify gaps and opportunities.

2. Click-worthy Title Tags and Meta Descriptions

Title tags and meta descriptions are the snippets of text that appear on search engine results pages (SERPs) when your blog is displayed. They are a part of SEO best practices that any blog should follow, as they can influence whether users click on your blog or not. To create click-worthy title tags and meta descriptions, you need to:

• Keep them concise and relevant: Title tags should be no longer than 60 characters, and meta descriptions should be no longer than 160 characters. They should also include your target keyword and match the content of your blog.
• Use emotional triggers: Emotional triggers are words or phrases that evoke a positive or negative emotion in your audience, such as curiosity, urgency, fear, or excitement. Using emotional triggers can help you capture your audience’s attention and interest.
• Include a call to action: A call to action is a phrase that encourages your audience to take a specific action, such as “read more”, “sign up”, or “buy now”. Including a call to action can help you increase your click-through rate and conversions.

AI can help you create click-worthy title tags and meta descriptions by generating different options based on your keyword and content. You can then choose the best one or modify it according to your preferences. For example, if your blog is about how to use AI to write a press release, AI might generate the following title tags and meta descriptions:

• Title tag: How to Use AI to Write a Press Release in Minutes | Content Whale
• Meta description: Learn how to use AI to write a press release that follows the standard structure, optimises for SEO, and engages your audience. Try Content Whale’s new AI-powered press release writing tool for free today.
• Title tag: The Ultimate Guide to Using AI for Press Release Writing | Content Whale
• Meta description: Discover how AI can help you write a press release that is clear, concise, and captivating. Content Whale’s new AI-powered press release writing tool can help you create press releases in minutes.
• Title tag: How AI Can Revolutionize Press Release Writing | Content Whale
• Meta description: Find out how AI can assist you in crafting each section of a press release using natural language generation and understanding technologies. Content Whale’s new AI-powered press release writing tool is a breakthrough for press release writing.

3. Improve Site User Experience

User experience (UX) is the overall impression and satisfaction that a user has when interacting with your website or content. UX is important for SEO, as it can affect how long users stay on your site, how often they return, and how likely they are to share or recommend your content. To improve your site UX, you need to:

• Focus on visual appeal: Your site should have a clean and attractive design with consistent colours, fonts, and images. Your site should also have a clear and intuitive layout with easy-to-find menus, buttons, and links.
• Easy navigation: Your site should have a simple and logical structure, with clear and descriptive headings, subheadings, and categories. Your site should also have a search function, a sitemap, and breadcrumbs to help users find what they are looking for.
• Mobile friendliness: Your site should be responsive and adaptable to different devices and screen sizes, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Your site should also have fast loading speed, minimal pop-ups, and touch-friendly elements.

AI can help you improve your site UX by analysing your site’s performance, design, and content and providing suggestions and feedback. You can also use AI to create personalised and dynamic content for your users based on their preferences, behaviour, and location.

Oh, and BTW, if you’re wondering if AI-written content has any impact on SEO, we’ve written an in-depth blog to cover that topic here.

4. Target Topics with Search Traffic Potential

Search traffic potential is the estimated amount of organic traffic that a topic or keyword can generate from search engines. Search traffic potential is influenced by factors such as search volume, competition, and relevance. To target topics with search traffic potential, you need to:

• Choose topics that people are actively searching for: You can use tools like Google Trends, Google Keyword Planner, or Bing Keyword Research to find out what topics and keywords are popular and trending among your audience.
• Choose topics that are relevant to your niche and audience: You should focus on topics that are related to your industry, product, or service and that match the needs, interests, and goals of your audience.
• Choose topics that are not too competitive or too broad: You should avoid topics that are too competitive or too broad, as they may be difficult to rank for or may not attract the right audience. You should aim for topics that are specific and focused but still have enough search volume and demand.

AI can help you target topics with search traffic potential by suggesting topics and keywords that are relevant, popular, and profitable for your niche and audience. You can also use AI to analyse your competitors’ topics and keywords and find gaps and opportunities.

5. Use Target Keywords Strategically

Target keywords are the words or phrases that you want your blog to rank for on search engines. They should reflect the main topic and purpose of your blog and match the search intent of your audience. To use target keywords strategically, you need to:

• Place them in the title tag, H1 heading, and URL: These are the most important places to include your target keyword, as they signal to search engines and users what your blog is about. For example, if your target keyword is “how to use AI to write a press release”, you should use it in your title tag, H1 heading, and URL, such as:
• Title tag: How to Use AI to Write a Press Release | Content Whale
• H1 heading: How to Use AI to Write a Press Release
• URL: https://contentwhale.com/how-to-use-ai-to-write-a-press-release
• Use them naturally and moderately: You should use your target keyword naturally and moderately throughout your blog without overusing or stuffing it. Overusing or stuffing your target keyword can harm your SEO and readability, as it can make your content look spammy and unnatural. You should aim for a keyword density of around 1–2%, which means using your target keyword once or twice for every 100 words of content.
• Use synonyms and variations: You should also use synonyms and variations of your target keyword to avoid repetition and to capture more search queries. Synonyms and variations are words or phrases that have the same or similar meaning as your target keyword, such as “AI”, “artificial intelligence”, “press release”, “news release”, and “writing tool”.

AI can help you use target keywords strategically by suggesting synonyms and variations and by checking your keyword density and distribution. You can also use AI to generate natural and engaging sentences that include your target keyword.

5. Use Short and Descriptive URLs

URLs are the web addresses that identify and locate your blog on the internet. They are important for SEO, as they can affect how search engines and users perceive and access your blog. To use short and descriptive URLs, you need to:

• Keep them short and simple: URLs should be no longer than 60 characters, as longer URLs may be truncated or ignored by search engines and users. They should also avoid unnecessary words, symbols, or parameters, such as “and”, “or”, “the”, “?”, “=”, and “&”.
• Use hyphens to separate words: Hyphens are the preferred way to separate words in URLs, as they make them more readable and understandable. You should avoid using spaces, underscores, or other characters to separate words, as they may cause confusion or errors.
• Include your target keyword: You should include your target keyword in your URL, as it can help search engines and users understand what your blog is about. You should place your target keyword as close to the beginning of your URL as possible and avoid using multiple keywords or keyword stuffing.

AI can help you use short and descriptive URLs by suggesting different options based on your title tag and target keyword. You can then choose the best one or modify it according to your preferences. For example, if your title tag is “How to Use AI to Write a Press Release | Content Whale”, and your target keyword is “how to use AI to write a press release”, AI might suggest the following URLs:

• https://contentwhale.com/how-to-use-ai-to-write-a-press-release
• https://contentwhale.com/ai-press-release-writing
• https://contentwhale.com/write-a-press-release-with-ai

6. Optimize Images

Images are an important element of blog writing, as they can enhance your content, attract your audience, and convey your message. However, images can also affect your SEO, as they can impact your site’s speed, accessibility, and relevance. To optimise your images, you need to:

• Resize and compress them: You should resize and compress your images to reduce their file size and loading time without compromising their quality. You can use tools like TinyPNG, ImageOptim, or Squoosh to do that.
• Use descriptive file names and alt text: You should use descriptive file names and alt text for your images, as they can help search engines and users understand what your images are about. You should also include your target keyword in your file name and alt text, if relevant. For example, if your image is of a press release written with AI, you can name it “press-release-written-with-ai.png” and use the alt text “An example of a press release written with AI”.
• Use relevant and high-quality images: You should use images that are relevant to your content and topic and that are high-quality and professional. You should also use original or royalty-free images and avoid using images that are copyrighted or that require attribution.

AI can help you optimise your images by suggesting relevant and high-quality images for your content and by resizing and compressing them automatically. You can also use AI to generate images from text using natural language generation and computer vision technologies.

7. Add Internal Links

Internal links are links that connect your blog to other pages or content within your website. They are important for SEO, as they can help search engines and users navigate and explore your site and understand the relationship and hierarchy of your content. To add internal links, you need to:

• Use relevant and descriptive anchor text: Anchor text is the visible and clickable text that contains the link. Use anchor text that is relevant and descriptive of the linked content and that includes your target keyword. For example, if you are linking to another blog post about how to use AI for content marketing, you can use the anchor text “how to use AI for content marketing”.
• Link to high-quality and relevant content: You should link to content that is high-quality and relevant to your blog topic and audience and that provides additional value or information. You should also link to content that is popular or authoritative, as it can boost your site’s credibility and trustworthiness.
• Use a reasonable number of links: You should use a reasonable number of internal links without overdoing it or underdoing it. Overdoing it can make your content look spammy and distracting, and underdoing it can make your content look isolated and incomplete. You should aim for around 2–5 internal links per blog post, depending on the length and topic of your content.

AI can help you add internal links by suggesting relevant and high-quality content from your website that you can link to and by generating appropriate and descriptive anchor text. You can also use AI to analyse your internal link structure and identify broken or missing links.

8. Cover Comprehensive Information

Comprehensive information is information that covers all the aspects and angles of a topic or query and that leaves no room for doubt or confusion. Comprehensive information is important for SEO, as it can help you rank for more keywords, satisfy user intent, and reduce bounce rate. To cover comprehensive information, you need to:

• Research extensively: You should research extensively on your topic or query, using reliable and authoritative sources, such as academic journals, industry reports or reputable websites. You should also use multiple sources to verify and cross-check your information and avoid plagiarism or misinformation.
• Address common questions and objections: You should address common questions and objections that your audience might have about your topic or query and provide clear and convincing answers and solutions. You can use tools like AnswerThePublic, Quora or Reddit to find out what questions and objections your audience has.
• Use different formats and media: You should use different formats and media to present your information, such as text, images, videos, infographics, charts or graphs. This can help you cater to different learning styles and preferences and make your content more engaging and appealing.

AI can help you cover comprehensive information by suggesting relevant and useful information from various sources and by generating different formats and media for your content. You can also use AI to check your content for completeness and accuracy.

9. Build Backlinks

Backlinks are links that point to your blog from other websites. They are important for SEO, as they can help you increase your site’s authority, trustworthiness, and relevance. To build backlinks, you need to:

• Create valuable and shareable content: You should create content that is valuable and shareable for your audience and niche and that provides information, solutions, or value that is not easily found elsewhere. You should also use different formats and media to make your content more engaging and appealing.
• Reach out to relevant and reputable websites: You should reach out to websites that are relevant and reputable in your industry, niche, or topic and that have a high domain authority and traffic. You should offer them your content as a guest post, a resource, or a reference and ask them to link back to your blog.
• Use social media and online communities: You should use social media and online communities to promote your content and build relationships with your audience and influencers. You should also encourage your audience and influencers to share and link to your content.

AI can help you build backlinks by suggesting relevant and reputable websites that you can reach out to and by generating personalised and persuasive outreach emails. You can also use AI to monitor your backlinks and analyse their performance and impact.

10. Optimize for Core Web Vitals

Core Web Vitals are a set of website performance metrics that measure how users experience your site in terms of loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. They are important for SEO, as they can affect your site’s ranking and user satisfaction. To optimise for Core Web Vitals, you need to:

• Improve your loading speed: You should improve your loading speed by reducing your page size, compressing your images, using a content delivery network (CDN), and enabling browser caching.
• Improve your interactivity: You should improve your interactivity by minimising your JavaScript and CSS, using lazy loading, and prioritising your above-the-fold content.
• Improve your visual stability: You should improve your visual stability by using responsive design, specifying your image dimensions, and avoiding unnecessary animations or pop-ups.

AI can help you optimise for Core Web Vitals by analysing your site’s performance, identifying issues and bottlenecks, and providing suggestions and solutions. You can also use AI to test your site’s performance on different devices and browsers.

11. Use HTTPS

HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, which is a secure version of HTTP, the protocol that transfers data between your site and the user’s browser. HTTPS is important for SEO, as it can affect your site’s security, trustworthiness, and ranking. To use HTTPS, you need to:

• Obtain an SSL certificate: An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that encrypts the data that is exchanged between your site and the user’s browser. You can obtain an SSL certificate from your web host, a certificate authority, or a free service like Let’s Encrypt.
• Install and activate your SSL certificate: You should install and activate your SSL certificate on your web server and configure your site to use HTTPS instead of HTTP. You should also update your site’s links, redirects, and sitemaps to use HTTPS.
• Test and verify your HTTPS: You should test and verify your HTTPS by using tools like SSL Checker, SSL Server Test, or Google Search Console. You should also monitor your site’s performance and traffic after switching to HTTPS.

AI can help you use HTTPS by suggesting the best SSL certificate for your site, and by installing and activating it for you. You can also use AI to troubleshoot and fix any issues or errors that may arise from using HTTPS.

Conclusion

To conclude, mastering SEO best practices for blog writing in 2024 is essential for ensuring your content stands out in the digital landscape.

Remember, the heart of effective SEO is crafting content that resonates with your audience. It’s about understanding their needs, addressing their queries, and providing valuable insights.

Alongside this, incorporating the latest SEO techniques — from optimising search intent and user experience to leveraging AI for content creation and keyword strategy — is crucial. Titles and meta descriptions should be captivating images optimised, and internal linking should be done strategically.

Furthermore, comprehensive coverage of topics and the creation of backlink-worthy content will significantly boost your SEO efforts. Don’t overlook the importance of technical aspects like optimising for Core Web Vitals and ensuring your site’s security with HTTPS.

Ultimately, the synergy of high-quality content and robust SEO practices is what will make your blog thrive in 2024 and beyond.

If challenges arise, reach out to us, and help is just a message away. Embrace these practices, and watch your blog not only rank higher but also genuinely engage and inform your audience, shining a spotlight on your business in the process.