Blogging is a fabulous SEO tool for boosting your search traffic by immense amounts. In fact, studies show that websites with blogs retain over 55% more viewers than sites without a blog. How so?

Well, search engines deem fresh new content as “relevant” and boost up your ranking points each time you update your blog, and if someone links to it. If you do this often, or even better, grow a following from it, your search engine ranking will skyrocket! Google’s algorithm is changing on us constantly, so our search engine optimization practices must always be up to date, but a good blogging habit is a guaranteed way to build and maintain a positive relationship with search engine crawlers. Make note of the most important components to a successful blog, listed below!

Know your audience: Make user retention one of your top goals in mind while writing your post. In order to keep people reading or sharing your blogs, you need to offer a valuable piece of information to your target audience, whether it be a solution to a common problem or a personal story that they identify with.

Be Straight To The Point: As of 2014, almost 70% of Americans use the internet to get their news (American Press Institute). Yes, it’s official, web articles are the new newspapers. But users are barely even making it past the first couple of sentences before clicking the X, and the average attention span isn’t going to lengthen anytime soon. In fact, this article on Slate gives a detailed account on how (and how little) people are reading articles online.

Even though technology has made our way of doing things ages and ages faster, the overload of information makes the average user filter their use immensely to prevent ourselves from wasting our time. Keep it relevant, short and sweet (around 500 words).

Optimize: It’s important to maintain your own personal voice so your readers can identify you, but make sure you alter your posts a slight bit to include phrases and categories that people would search for to find your post. Descriptive titles are a must, for both search engine optimization and the purpose of capturing the reader’s interest!

Update and Share Regularly: Posting often ensures that search engines are constantly reminded of your website’s existence and the topics your site specializes in. The more frequently you post new content, the more likely Google and other search engine crawlers will pass your site and begin to revisit your site on a regular basis. Make sure to share your web content on social media platforms to optimize your potential reach. Social sharing buttons should be easily accessible on a blog post to encourage sharing by readers who enjoy your content!

Encourage Dialogue: Tell stories with your web content and spark a conversation with your readers. This is the number one way to increase your brand’s engagement. Teach your readers, entertain them, even do both! A great way to start a conversation with your readers is by inviting for comments at the end of a post by asking a question or requesting their personal experiences.

Try some of these tips when writing your next (or first!) blog post. Keep it simple, but make your blog stand out, and your blog (and thus, website) will get more visibility and engagement. What other components of a blog have helped you with SEO? Let us know in the comments below!