How To Create A SEO Content Strategy For Your Blog

This post will show you how to create an SEO Content Strategy for your blog.

Here’s a quick scenario of how new bloggers start their blogging journeys;

• They get influenced to start a blog because they heard it is a great way to build long-term passive income.
• Then they buy a domain name and a pricey hosting package, which is not sustainable.
• They buy a cute theme that prioritises aesthetics over functionality, which slows their website and affects their core web vitals.
• After this, they start creating random content with no strategy whatsoever. Depending on how long they blog, this can eventually rack up to over 100+ unoptimized posts that indirectly affect their traffic and potential earnings.
• THEN, they realize that they need to invest in SEO which they should have done from the onset.
• After taking a course or reading several ebooks, they are forced to go back and optimize all that 100+ posts for SEO, which is daunting, to say the least.
• Then, they are forced to create an SEO strategy that they can use going forward.

I can’t count how often I’ve seen bloggers wailing about going back and optimising old posts for SEO.

Some even get so frustrated that they outsource the entire process.

Why You Need To Start Blogging Intentionally From The Beginning

Now, I understand that many people start as hobby bloggers without wanting to monetize or grow their traffic.

They just need an outlet to document their thoughts.

I started the same way about seven years ago with my first blog.

But two years ago, when I was ready to launch my second blog, I did so intentionally.

I took all my past blogging experience/mistakes and digital marketing experience and launched with a bang!

I wanted to do things right once and for all.

This meant that I went in with a strategy.

Specifically an SEO content strategy.

I started to write for the search engines from the very beginning.

This way, I don’t have a backlog of posts to update later on.

So, I wasn’t just writing on random topics.

I always did extensive keyword research before each post and tried to write quality content as much as possible.

In the long run, this paid off because in about four months my posts started to rank on the first page of Google with some featured snippets.

Currently, my blog traffic is very well diversified with Pinterest and Facebook and I don’t have all my eggs in one basket.

This post is for you if you would like to become an intentional blogger by creating and implementing an SEO content strategy.

Here’s a Step-By-Step Guide On How To Create A SEO Content Strategy For Your Blog

When people hear the word ‘strategy’, they find it somewhat scary and complicated.

But no, it doesn’t have to be.

Your strategy can just be a five-point checklist that outlines the steps you need to take to achieve your goals.

It doesn’t have to be anything crazy, trust me.

Without further ado, let’s get right into it;

Identify your Blogging Goals

As I mentioned earlier, many people start as hobby bloggers, which is not entirely bad.

In fact, I recommend it for first-time bloggers. Instead of making investments, I suggest they start with a free WordPress site.

No, you don’t need a domain or hosting package.

Test out your ideas and see how consistent you can be before making any form of investment.

Once you start paying for things, they become bills, and if you’re not making money or have no plans to monetize, that bill adds up quickly.

So, if you plan to start a blog to make money as a side hustle or eventually grow to replace your 9-5, you must identify your blogging goals.

For any intentional blogger, three key goals apply to you;

• Traffic ( lots of it )
• Sales ( Affiliates/Products)
• Email Signups.

Before writing any post, I always ask myself what the goal of the post is.

This helps me structure and build a balanced content calendar.

This means that any post you write must achieve any of these goals.

No, I don’t believe in blogging for its own sake.

You’re wasting time.

I also don’t believe in personal posts except those tied to your blogging goals.

Brainstorm Well – Performing content for each goal.

After identifying your goals, you need to brainstorm the content you would write to achieve those goals.

Based on my experience, specific posts convert better than the others.

No, you can’t just write generic posts, sprinkle links, and expect them to convert.

It doesn’t work like that.

For instance;

• Posts like product reviews with a monthly search volume of 10,000+ have the potential to rank on the first page of Google and bring in steady, consistent traffic.
• Listicles/Compilation/Comparison posts tend to bring in those affiliate sales as long as they are well written for a relevant keyword.
• Detailed, result-oriented posts tend to attract email sign-ups. Your content has to be convincing enough to convert subscribers.

Personally, I don’t focus too much on the last point.

I just create occasional landing pages to collect emails.

I also use pop-up forms, which have a high conversion rate for me.

You must research different variations of well-performing content for each goal to create.

These are just examples that currently work for me.

It doesn’t have to be the same or you can just tweak them to fit your niche.

Undergo a Keyword Research

Now that you know the kind of content you should create that will convert, how do you choose the topics to write about?

This is where keyword research comes in.

Personally, I use the oldie but goodie Google Keyword Planner.

Before writing any post, I run it through the keyword planner to see the average search volume.

If it is searched enough, then I note it down.

My sweet spot is 10,000.

To increase my chances of ranking, I prefer to use low-competition long-tailed keywords.

There’s no point in competing with the high authority sites.

If you’re just starting out, target keywords that have 1,000 monthly average searches.

After a few months, when your traffic is consistent, you can gradually move to 10,000 MAS.

Populate your Content Calendar

Now that you have the content and topic ideas you want to blog about, populate your content calendar and create a blogging schedule.

Personally, I blog three times a week between my two blogs.

This means that my content calendar reflects my blogging schedule.

I’ve streamlined the entire process to ensure consistency without feeling overwhelmed.

At the beginning of each month, I use the Tailwind Pinterest Planner to brainstorm seasonal topic ideas.

I run them through the Google Keyword Planner and then populate my content calendar with topics with enough search volume.

Since I have two major blogging goals, traffic and affiliate sales, my topics are split into two categories across the four weeks of the month.

This way, my calendar is balanced, and nothing falls short.

Check out Content Writing Tips That Increase Engagement

In Conclusion,

If you are not one yet, I hope this post on creating an SEO content strategy will help you become a more intentional blogger.

Starting on the right foot will save you so much time and effort.

If you have started blogging already, it’s never too late to implement the proper SEO practices.