From topic selection and gathering research to writing the post and pressing "Publish," the process often demands hours. That's why, if your post doesn't earn the traffic you expected, it can be a major letdown.

As marketers, we're always aiming to write content that'll rank highly on Google, and SEO is the bridge that'll help you get there.

if your website is not on the first page, there’s a small chance consumers will find your website organically. Fewer visits to your site mean fewer opportunities to generate leads, and ultimately, revenue.

Your next best option is investing in advertising to get those users to your site. But that costs money, and if you’re on a tight budget, why not invest time in SEO writing? It’s free and will likely bring you traffic for much longer than a campaign would.

Think of the crawlers as readers who are skimming your blog. They want an overview of what your article will cover, that’s your H1. Then your H2s, H3s, H4s break down the subtopics within the piece.

your subheaders should reflect the content in the body and include high-intent keywords. When you use the right keywords, meaning the ones your target audience is using, you have a much higher chance of ranking on the SERP.

Featured snippets on Google are the most direct answers to search queries. For instance, if I were to search, "How do you write a blog post?" Google might use a featured snippet to show the best answer.

To earn a featured snippet on Google, you'll need to answer the question thoroughly and succinctly.

Once you’ve done that, be sure to include part of the question in your answer.

If the keyword for which you want to capture the featured snippet requires a definition, write an answer that’s no more than 58 words.

With all these SEO guidelines, it can be easy to forget that when a user searches on Google, they are looking for an answer.

The best way for you to improve your chances of ranking is by writing high-quality blog posts.

Keep your buyer personas, their motivations, challenges, and interests in mind.

It’s also important to choose topics that will resonate with your potential customers and address their pain points.

Meta descriptions are another area Google crawls to determine search rankings. Meta descriptions are the one- to three-sentence descriptions, you'll find underneath the title of a result.

Make it compelling. After all, there are going to be other posts similar to yours so you’ll want your description to stand out above the rest.

With any image you add to your post – featured or body images – you'll want to add alt text.

Alt text describes what's happening in the photo and it helps Google (as well as those who are visually impaired) understand why the photo is in your post.

So, even if the reality is that this is a stock image, you can create a narrative that aligns with your blog post.

If you want to cut through SERP clutter and outrank your competitors, you need to target the specific keywords and phrases your potential customers are searching for.

If you’re ever running low on keyword ideas, get inspiration from your competition. Use competitive intelligence tools to see what keywords their domains currently rank for.

your focus keywords will evolve over time as trends shift, terminology changes or your product/service line grows.

Be sure to conduct keyword research periodically to ensure you’re still focusing on the right keywords for your target audience and not missing out on vital ranking opportunities.

The goal is to make your page fully optimized, not overbearing. Find natural fits for keyword additions, but don't force them to the point where your content is illegible.

your goal is to solve for your audience. If your users have a poor reading experience, that will signal to Google that your post may not be meeting their needs.

Linking to reputable websites not only offers blog readers additional reading material to expand their knowledge, but it also shows search engines that you’ve done your research.

Compelling stats help you build a more convincing and concrete argument that will help you gain trust from your readers.

In an age of short attention spans, you would think shorter blog posts are the way to go. But in fact, search engines like Google actually prefer longer, in-depth blog posts.

Think about it: the more content on the page, the more clues search engines have to figure out what your blog is about.

Turn a long-winded sentence into two and keep your paragraphs to three sentences or less.

Don’t forget about bullet points – they’re great attention grabbers and easily digestible, especially on mobile devices.

Linking to other pages or blog posts on your website helps search engines create an accurate sitemap.

It also helps your audience discover more of your content and get to know you as a trustworthy, credible source of information.

When linking to any pages on your website, or even outside sources, use natural language for your anchor text. Avoid using spammy or generic calls to action, such as "top-rated cheap laptops" or "click here."

Include links that enhance the points made in your posts and naturally tie in with the subject matter.

One of the leading culprits of page lag is large, heavy images. If you have several images in your post and each one is over 100KB, that can drastically impact your page speed.

If you suspect that your low ranking is due to slow page speeds, head over to Google’s PageSpeed site for a free analysis and recommendations.

Each webpage that links back to you is considered a vote for your website, which makes your content more trustworthy in the eyes of Google.

To make your website's blog post more linkable, include high-value assets in your posts, such as original data and thought leadership.

Conducting interviews with experts is another effective way of leading traffic back to your website.

To title your post with SEO in mind, write something compelling that also incorporates your main keyword.

You know how to write content audiences will love. Now, it's time to include elements that Google will love too. It can sound tricky at first, with these SEO tips, you’ll be on the first page of Google in no time.