Discover how bloggers drive more traffic to their websites with the right SEO tactics

It seems like blogs are not going away, from 2016 to 2020 there was a 14% increase in the number of bloggers in the US, according to Statista. And while some choose to maintain a blog, 22% of bloggers do not make any revenue from their blogs. Earnings are being driven by affiliate marketing (19%), selling products or services (17%), and then it’s dispersed amongst search ads, display ads, sponsorship, rich media ads, and public speaking, according to FirstSiteGuide.

As a result influencers are shifting their strategy and incorporating the use of influencer marketing strategies and platforms, such as LTK to drive traffic to their blogs and generate revenue. While many influencers are opting not to spend the time, effort and money on a blog or personal website to share and promote their shoppable content, those who continue will want to be sure they maximize search engine optimization. 

Blog posts that specifically use a variety of on-page search engine optimization (SEO) tactics can give bloggers and influencers more opportunities to rank in search engine results and get new readers to visit their sites. 

Pro Tip: The Yoast SEO plugin makes optimizing for SEO a breeze! Yoast is also considered the most comprehensive search engine optimization software. It. goes the extra mile in automating a large portion of technical optimization, such as generating unique URLs for your posts and suggesting even more keywords to help you write more relevant content. 

SEO blog post checklist

1. Do your keyword research.
2. Categorize your blog post.
3. Create your meta title (aka blog post title), meta description and slug.
4. Set up subheadings and heading tags.
5. Decide on a format for your blog posts’ body copy.
6. Write the blog post - implementing keywords and interlinks. 
7. Rename and upload your imagery. 

1. Keywords + topic research:

Keep your content focused and do your research. Intentional, helpful, and informative content starts with topic research.

• Use Google for keyword and competitor research
• Use Google to research your focus keyword and topic and see what other websites are writing about. Sites showing on page 1 or 2 of search results rank high for a reason. Click through a few of the top sites to see why they rank so high and how you can do it better.

• Use keywords everywhere for keyword + topic research
  • Monitor Google’s “Related Keywords” section
    • This section shows a list of top related keywords people are searching for related to your initial search query. Use this to determine other ways to phrase your keyword or what to focus the content on. It takes a vague search and gives your ideas on something more specific to focus your topic on which can be easier to rank for and potentially drive more traffic.
  • Monitor Google’s “People Also Search For” section
    • Look over this section to find what other keywords or related topics people are searching for to see if there are other areas you can expand on within your blog post. You can also use this section to find future blog post ideas based on what people are searching for!
      
      

2. Categorize your blog post

Creating content organization is key. Blog categories organize your site and allow readers to find the information they want. They're high-level topics that make it easy for people to understand what your blog is about and navigate to the content that interests them. Think of it like a table of contents. The categories provide structure to your site by organizing individual posts and sub-topics under several main topics 

• Pro-Tip: Approved Creators on LTK can set-up their own Shop and categorize their shoppable content into easy-to-shop Collections.

3. Create your Meta title, Meta description and slug

• Meta title (blog post title)
• The right Meta title entices click-through. When optimizing a blog post, the first component you want to focus on is the title. ‘Meta title’ is the technical name given to how the title of your blog post shows up in Google search results. The title of your blog post is a search engine's and reader's first step in determining the relevancy of your content. Creating a thoughtful blog post title that conveys emotion or curiosity is a sure-fire way to get users to click through to read. 
• Pro Tip: Make sure your titles are less than 60 characters, do not use all caps, and avoid keyword stuffing. 

• Meta description
  • Describing your content optimizes a blog for better click-through. A meta description is a snippet that summarizes a page’s content in 160 characters or less. It describes what is on the page and if it is relevant to the user’s search. Your meta description should match the content and contain the focus keyword. Avoid one description for multiple pages; descriptions should be as unique as the content on the page. Studies actually show that click through rate is highly dependent on a compelling meta description. 
  • Pro tip: Include a call to action in your meta description to encourage searchers to click through to read.

4. Set up subheadings and heading tags

Creating content organization with page headings are a major part of your content that search engines give weight to in figuring out what your page is about.

5. Decide on a format for your blog post body copy

Structured blog post copy is essential to enhancing SEO. As mentioned, make sure to add structure and organization to your content by using subtitles and heading tags to make the post skimmable and easy to read. Use paragraphs and bullet points to add structure. You want your content to be easy to digest. 

• Pro Tip: Avoid thin content! Google likes text-heavy content. If you’re able to include more text that is relevant to the keyword and your topic, then you should include that in your post. 300 words or more should be your standard length. *Remember, this is a commitment! A personal blog is no longer a necessary step for influencers.

6. Write the blog post, implementing keywords and interlinks

Creating intentional copy solves a problem or fulfills a need for your readers. Think quality over quantity. When crafting blog posts, the more you write, the longer users will stay on your page. The minimum word count for a blog post is 300, however, more than 1000 words is ideal. Each paragraph should be 300 words or less. 

Where to use keywords:

• Page and/or post title
• Page and/or post meta description
• Permalink (URL or slug)
• Consistently throughout the blog post copy
• Make sure your focus keyword is included in the title, first paragraph and last
• Image file name
• Image alt text
• Headings (aka header tags in your copy) 

• Driving internal traffic with internal linking
  Google uses links to find out what content on your site is related and the value of that content. Internal links can establish a hierarchy on your site, allowing you to give the most important pages and posts more link value-we call this SEO juice. Add at least 2-3 links to other relevant blog posts that would be of interest to readers throughout the post. This helps keep readers on the site longer, in turn improving session duration for better SEO.

7. Rename and upload your imagery

There are 3 fundamental strategies to enhance images on a blog post.

• Reduce file size
• Reduce image file sizes by 70% to improve loading times.
• Image file names
• Use your keyword in your file names before uploading to the blog.
• ALT text
• Use to the point descriptions of the image and use your keyword if relevant to the image. 

It’s important to understand blogging is a commitment, the average blog contains 1,236 words and takes about 4 hours to craft, according to Content Powered. And remember 22% of bloggers do not earn revenue from their blog, but rather affiliate marketing, so why not partner with the pioneer in influencer marketing, LTK? 

Approved LTK Creators are given direct access to innovative technology, 8 million monthly high-intent in-app shoppers, access to more than 5,000 premium brands, proprietary brand, shopper and creator performance data to formulate and provide growth consulting, and so much more! LTK always works harder for its community of creators by providing insights and analytics so those in our network are always set up for success.

Discover creators who choose LTK to provide for themselves and their families by sharing what they love.

How do I join LTK?
It’s easy to apply, all you need as an influencer is:

• A public social media profile
• A significant and engaged social media following on at least one platform
• High-quality, shoppable content posted regularly (most LTK Creators post at least daily!)
  
  

Are you ready to join? Apply now to begin your career as an LTK Creator!