If you’re getting ready to launch a blog for your business and publish your first post online, you might be wondering if your blog post is optimized for search engines like Google, so you can learn how to boost blog traffic. While some content publishing platforms like WordPress have built-in tools to help you track your on-page SEO efforts to make this process easier, on-page SEO can trip up even the most experienced blogger. You’ll need to complete a series of steps to optimize every piece of content if you want to boost blog traffic . If you’re not sure what a blog post with perfect on-page SEO is supposed to look like, we’ve got you covered. Use this checklist to make sure that every blog post you publish is optimized for Google.

Title Tag

Every blog post needs a title. Try to put your chosen keyword in the title. Some titles do a better job of attracting readers online than others. You can use words and phrases like “best”, “how to” and “Top X Ways to …” to attract more readers online. Titles with 6-13 words attract the highest and most consistent amount of traffic.

URL

Some content publishing websites will automatically create a URL for every blog post you publish, but you can also create custom URLs as well. Make sure you include the keyword in your URL.

H1 Tag

Just like your post title, try to use the keyword in your H1 tag. This is the first heading that people will see when they click on the post.

Visual Media

Your readers want to see visual media on every blog post you publish. It breaks up the text on the page and it keeps the viewer engaged with what’s happening on the screen. Blog articles with images get 94% more views.

First 100 Words

Make sure you use your keyword in the first 100 words of your blog post, usually in the introduction. Google puts a greater emphasis on keyword usage at the top of the post. This tells the algorithm what the piece is about.

Mobile-Friendly

Your blog needs to be mobile-friendly to be a success on Google. Google will penalize your blog if it’s not optimized for mobile devices.

Internal Links

Google likes to see pieces of content that link to other websites. Try to incorporate quotes or statistics in your blog posts to give them more authority and link to other websites, not your competitors, that are considered authorities in your industry, such as Entreprenuer.com or Forbes Magazine.

Site Speed

Google looks at site speed when ranking content. Your blog needs to load in 3 seconds or less, or your readers will get impatient and may leave your website all together.

Use LSI Keywords

In addition to your main keyword, try to use some LSI keywords as well. These are words or phrases that are similar to your main keyword. Add a few to your blog post, so Google can make sense of the topic at hand.

ALT Tags

Every image needs to have a text alternative. This is usually just a few words that describe what the image represents. Use terms that are related to your business and the topic of the post.

Social Media

Google wants you to be social. Adding social media buttons to your blog post encourages your users to share your content online.

Content Length

Don’t get lazy with your blog posts. Longer posts tend to get more traction on Google. Increase your word count to at least 500 words, if not 1,500 words. The average blog post is 10,50 words.

Every blog post needs the attributes listed above. This ensures that Google can recognize and interpret the content in your blog posts, making them available to new readers and potential customers online.