Want your blog posts to rank well when people search? Here are some suggestions. First rule is to keep posting fresh and relevant content. This is easier said than done because even authors of 1000 page books suffer from writer’s block. It is ok to search for ideas and create a post on it.

Research – Learn – Write

Search for articles on the topic you are writing about. You will get many ideas by doing this. Write down these ideas as headings for your post. Write a few paragraphs about each heading. Being specific on a subject really helps in SEO optimization.

Once you have your specific topic, it is time to do keyword research. I use a tool called Keywords Everywhere for this. Keyword research is a critical step in this process. If you use a keyword that no one searches for, all your efforts on SEO are in vain.

Update: New Keyword Research Tool

Keywords everywhere used to be free. While they still do display related keywords, details like search volume requires credits to unlock.

Fret not cause we came across a new keyword research tool called What’s My Serp. It works like Keywords everywhere but is free!. Only downside is it is available for Chrome browsers only. They would be releasing plugins for other browsers later.

We did a test using both tools and the results are below.

What Keywords to use?

There are long keywords and short keywords. It is easier to rank for long tail keywords than short tail keywords for the simple reason of number of competitors.

For example if you are a Dentist specializing in Dentures in Denmark, targeting for a short keywords like “dentist” or “dentists near me” may not be beneficial even though the later has a lot of searches. Reason is those searching for dentists near them need urgent help in dental problems and you are a denture specialist in Denmark.

How People Search

People searching for solutions online are targeted on solving their problem but they always start off with the wrong keywords. Not much of a problem for the searcher as they just have to fine tune the keyword used in order to find what they want.

Your job as a specialist is to be found when someone does a fine tuned search. People who do fine tuned search are seeking for solutions and are willing to pay. Using correct well researched long tail keywords is the key to be found when these people search for you.

Use keywords for impact throughout your post

Next step is to use the main keyword throughout your article. Make sure that you include your keywords in the title, in the subheadings, and in your paragraphs and anchor text.

Optimize your images

You need a main image with the main keyword. Make sure the image is appropriate for the keyword.