Here’s How You Can Get More SEO Juice Out of Your Blog

By Harry Mackin

Blogs have seemingly lost much of their luster in the content strategy world. But according to the latest CMI benchmark report, they still represent the second-most common platform for distributing content, used by 78% of respondents.

It’s true that a lot of blogs aren’t very effective when it comes to driving business results. But that’s not because they can’t be effective. Blogs are too often treated as afterthoughts and obligations rather than major opportunities to draw relevant eyeballs to your brand and build your domain authority.

If you want your brilliant blogs to impact your business and grow your brand, you’ll need to back them with an equally brilliant blog SEO strategy. A search-informed perspective should define and guide every aspect of your blogs, from keyword strategy to writing approach to publishing cadence.

Here’s how you can make sure you’re being strategic and purposeful in getting the most out of your blog from an SEO standpoint.

Make each blog a part of your larger content strategy

While content marketing is helpful throughout the funnel, if you’re aiming for SEO reach, most of your blogs should focus on the top and middle of the funnel, as these are your best opportunities to prove helpful on topics with high search volume.

Upper-funnel content

At the top of the funnel, your blogs attract audience members for the first time, even if they’re out of market, and start generating memorability for your brand. The more memorable your brand, the more likely your audience will think of you when they are in-market.

Upper-funnel blog SEO best practices

Target relatively broad, industry or product-based terms.
Limit brand or product mentions.
Present incremental next-steps (e.g. newsletter sign-up or related content).
Evaluate performance based on brand growth metrics.

Mid-funnel content

Your middle funnel content is dedicated to showing your audience what our Guide to Full Funnel Lead Gen calls the four keys to best answer content: credibility, quality, authenticity, and experience.

Demonstrating these qualities of your brand to your audience sets you apart from your competition during the consideration stage.

Mid-funnel blog SEO best practices

Target high-intent keywords that relate directly to pain points or purchase triggers.
Speak directly to a distinct (often advanced) audience.
Focus on attracting the right people versus more people.
Offer actions and next-steps that move prospects further into the funnel, such as asset downloads or links to solution pages.