5 Steps to Brainstorm an SEO-Friendly Blog Post
Struggling to get your content in front of hungry eyes? Here are 5 tips for building an SEO-friendly blog.
Unless you’ve been living under a digital rock, you know that the key to content being seen online is optimizing it for search engines — which is why an SEO-friendly blog post should be at the top of your priority list.
Whether you are a budding influencer or a veteran business owner, writing and posting quality blog content is one of the best ways to break through the noise.
So why is it so hard to come up with topics that will help you get those all-important organic page views?
The answer is simple: most people don’t know how to properly brainstorm and write up an SEO-friendly blog post.
If you’ve been struggling to come up with topics that will help your blog stand out from the rest, never fear — these five steps will help you get the ideas flowing and have you writing SEO-friendly blog posts in no time.
5 Steps to Brainstorm an SEO-Friendly Blog Post
1. You’ve Got to Know Your Audience!
This is step one for a reason — if you don’t know who you are writing for, it will be nearly impossible to come up with content that resonates.
Writing without a firm grasp on your audience is like throwing spaghetti at a wall and hoping something sticks.
Before you can start brainstorming topics, you need to clearly understand who your target reader is.
Some questions to consider:
- What age group are they in?
- What are their interests? What are they not interested in?
- What are their pain points?
- What kind of language and terminology do they use?
Answering these questions will give you a much better idea of the type of content that will appeal to your target reader.
2. Do Your Research
Now that you know who you are writing for, it’s time to start doing some research.
If you have a topic already lined up, you can skip this step — but if you’re starting from scratch, it’s crucial to spend some time looking for ideas.
Listen To What The Industry Is Talking About:
A great way to come up with topics that will interest your audience is to see what the industry is already talking about.
- What are the hot-button issues that people can’t seem to stop debating?
- What new trends are taking off?
- What do experts in your field have to say about current developments?
By staying up-to-date on the latest industry news, you’ll be able to identify potential topics that will interest your audience.
Check Out The Competition:
If you’re still stumped for ideas, take a look at what your competition is writing about.
- What type of content are they putting out?
- What topics seem to be resonating with their audience?
Of course, you don’t want to simply copy what they are doing — but taking a look at what’s already out there can give you some inspiration for your own blog post ideas.
Try Trusty ‘Ol Google!
If all else fails, try a simple Google search.
Enter some keywords related to your industry or niche, and see what comes up.
You can also use Google’s “related searches” function to find more ideas. This is an excellent way to find some high-value search terms and topics that you might not have thought of on your own.
3. Put Your Keywords to Work
Now that you’ve got a list of potential topics, it’s time to start thinking about keywords.
Keywords are the words and phrases that people use when they are searching for information online. Think of them as the key ingredients of your blog post.
Like a recipe, you need the right amount of each keyword to make your post come out just right.
If you stuff your post with too many keywords, it will turn off your readers and could get you penalized by Google. On the other hand, not using enough keywords will make it hard for people to find your content.
The sweet spot is using just the right number of keywords throughout your post so that it flows naturally and sounds like something your audience would say or think.
A good rule of thumb is to use your target keyword(s) 2–5% of the time. So, if you’re writing a 500-word blog post, you should aim to use your keyword(s) 10–25 times.
Not sure how many times your keywords appear in your content? Try using a keyword density tool or content builder. There are free and paid versions online to help you build your content!
4. Organize Your Thoughts
You’ve got the topic, and you’ve got the keywords. Now what?
Now it's time to bake!
Too many writers think that you simply sit down and start writing. But if you want to write an effective blog post, you need to take the time to organize your thoughts first.
Start by creating an outline of your article. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy — just a simple list of the main points you want to cover in your post.
If you’re having trouble getting started, try using a mind map. This is a visual way of brainstorming and organizing your ideas.
For SEO blogs, I love to use my keywords and key phrases to build out each section. This tells Google what my blog is about and helps to keep my keywords top of mind as I write.
5. Write, Edit, Repeat
You’ve done the hard part — now it’s time to sit down and actually write your post!
But before you hit “publish,” take the time to edit your piece. This is where you’ll catch any typos, clarify any confusing points, and add in any final touches.
A great way to edit your work is to read it out loud. This will help you catch anything that doesn’t sound quite right.
Ask yourself:
- Is my blog post clear, concise, and easy to read?
- Does it flow well?
- Does it sound like something a real person would say?
- Is it helpful to my audience — or too salesy?
If not, make the necessary changes.
And don’t forget to proofread! A single typo can make your whole post look unprofessional.
Don’t be afraid to add a call to action at the end of your post. This could be something like “subscribe to our newsletter for more tips” or “follow us on social media for the latest news.”
Publish that Baby!
You’ve worked hard on this blog post — now it’s time to get it out there and start driving traffic to your site!
Once you’re happy with your post, hit “publish” and pay close attention to your traffic. Make sure to share your post on social media and with your email list. The more eyes you can get on your content, the better!
By following these five simple steps, you can quickly brainstorm an SEO-friendly blog post that will help you attract more traffic and get higher rankings in search results.
Remember to focus on topics relevant to your audience, use the right keywords, and make sure your post is easy to read and flows well.
With a little bit of effort, you can quickly become an SEO master! (Or at least an SEO Padawan!)
