How to create a blog that ranks?

So you decided to start blogging.. that’s a great choice.

Now, you will want your blog article to be read by people. For that, your blog must rank at the top of the results page. But you don’t know how it’s done. This is when SEO comes into play.

Let’s briefly understand SEO.

SEO stands for search engine optimization.

For eg you have written an article on “diet for weight loss”. So if any user searches this term, your blog would appear on the results page.

But for the blog to rank on the results page some criteria needs to be fulfilled.

Let’s discuss some of the factors that will help your blog to rank on the search results page (SERP):

1. Choose an appropriate niche

The first step of writing any blog is to decide your niche. Niche is a segment or industry in which you have an interest and knowledge. As search engines are user-driven i.e search engines rank that website which answers the questions of the readers and adds value to them.

One must select a niche in which they are expert so that you can provide consistent and valuable content for your readers and thereby impress the search engines.

2. Do keyword research.

To make your blog rank on the search results it is important to identify the keywords which your target audience is using on search engines. Several tools can help you to find out relevant keywords for your blog.

Some of the best keyword research tools are:

- Google keyword planner

- Ubersuggest by Neil Patel

3. Check on the competition.

If you have just started writing blogs, the best way to get an idea is by checking on your competitor’s articles.

-Notice how long their content length is.

-How many images are there

- Headings / sub-headings

- Tone of the content

- Internal linking

• Conclusion, call to action, etc.

4. On-page SEO.

We write blogs for our target audience and our objective is to rank on the search engines results page. But, Google is not human and thus we have to optimize our blog in such a way that Google can understand.

This can be done by following these things:

- Don’t use too many keywords.

- Optimise the images by adding alt text, reducing the image size.

- Use subheadings, tables, charts, etc so that it’s easy to read.

- Include keywords in your subheadings and headers.

- Add keyword in the meta description.

- Optimize URL, alt text.

One of the best All-in-one SEO tools is YOAST SEO, which will help you in creating SEO-friendly content.

5. Loading speed of your site.

One of the important factors which search engines look for in a site is its speed. We often lose interest if the site loads too slow and this can increase the bounce rate of your website. A good speed of the site depends on many factors such as the size of the images, videos, etc.

6. Build backlinks.

This is the most important factor that determines the ranking of your blog post. Let me explain this by giving an example.

Suppose your neighbor tells you to drink “green tea” to lose belly fat. To check its relevance you will ask other people about it too. If a well-known fitness coach says “Green tea can help you in reducing belly fat and increases metabolism” then you might believe it.

The same thing goes with search engines. If a well-known site directs to your site, Google will think your site is good and increase the chances of ranking on the search results page.

7. Good quality content.

A blog must be value-driven and must answer the questions and solve the problems of the reader. Do proofread your blog before publishing and make sure it sounds as complete as possible. A well-satisfied reader will want to read from your site again and become a loyal customer.