by haleycclark
Welcome back to another post in the Series: How to Make Passive Income with Affiliate Links as a Writer! Last week, we learned and then practiced writing engaging content for your blog. This week, we’re discussing SEO again and, specifically, how to do-it-yourself in your blog content.
Did you know affiliate marketers who use SEO in their content see more traffic and engagement than those who don’t?
As an affiliate marketer, you want people to buy products from your links. To get people to buy through your affiliate links, though, you need them to read your blog posts. But to get people to read your blog posts you need them to be able to find your blog posts.
See where I’m going here?
If you want to be a successful affiliate marketer without spending a dime on ads, you need to know how to DIY SEO for your blog content.
Sound good? Keep reading and I’ll show you how.
DIY Your Blog Content with SEO Basics
So here’s the thing. I’ve already shown you all the SEO basics for content you’ll ever need in Post #12 of this series.
That’s right– the methods you’ve perfected using SEO keywords for copywriting on your website are the same strategies you’ll use to optimize your content.
Here’s a brush up of the keyword strategies you need to DIY your blog content SEO.
- in titles and headings
- in the body of your content
- in the URL and Metadescription
These shouldn’t just be your short and long-tail keywords. You should also use the close matches you find bolded in meta descriptions when you search you keyword on Google.
Now that you’re all brushed up on the basics, I’m going share with you my top 3 secrets you need to know for do-it-yourself SEO content writing. Ready? Let’s do it!
There’s a lot of information online about using SEO in your content.
Some of it’s great, some of it’s old, but most of it is way over the top. To get ranked on Google, all you need to do is:
- Create the right niche for your affiliate content
- Use images, videos, and interactive content in your blogs
- Write skimmable blog posts and copy
- Do good keyword and competitor research
- guest post on other blogs
Well, that and use these 3 secrets of SEO content writing to draft blog posts your audience will never forget.
Secret #3. High-Quality over Keyword Quantity
In the days before Google grew from infant to giant, you could stuff a bunch of keywords in your content and immediately rank on the first page of search results. No longer.
Nowadays, Google rewards quality of writing and information over quantity of keywords stuffed into the article.
When you write articles with a ton of free information, your users will appreciate it. Google recognizes when readers think what you have to say is valuable and will reward you for it.
That’s why I encourage a more authentic approach to SEO content writing. Just like building passive income, an authentic SEO strategy takes more time upfront, but it pays off in the long run.
While SEO is all about competition, you should focus more on giving your audience a high-quality, genuine experience than trying to one-up your competitors. That way, you’ll not only attract a lot of traffic with your awesome SEO skills but you’ll also keep all that traffic for years to come.
Secret #2. Blog Frequently and Consistently
Google loves websites that frequently post or update their content.
So do readers.
It’s no wonder, then, that blogging at least once a week on a regular basis is one of the best-kept SEO secrets.
In fact, sites publishing 16 or more blog posts per month see 3.5 times more traffic that sites that publish only 0-4 blogs per month. But that’s not to say you should blow your audience up with content.
Blogging frequently and consistently is about building trust. So the last thing you should do is scare them away with spam-like posting schedules.
Make a schedule (with a reasonable number of posts per month) and stick to it. Your readers will look forward to the days you typically post. And this also makes it easier on you to schedule out your writing sessions.
In addition to posting frequently, you should also update posts regularly. That way, your “How to be an Awesome Writer in 2019” article is still relevent in 2020 and beyond.
Secret #1. Tell Your Audience a Story
While Google may not know the difference between a narrative that speaks to a readers’ emotions and one that doesn’t, your audience definitely does.
Been following this blog for a while? You’ve probably noticed I recently changed my branding. That’s because I read a lifechanging book called Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller.
I learned about the magic of using storytelling in your content and copywriting.
When you offer your audience high-quality content, you convince them intellectually that you’re awesome. And when you blog frequently and consistently, you give your audience proof that you’re reliable.
But when you tell your niche audience a story, you connect with them on an emotional level.
Marketing professionals have sworn by storytelling techniques for a while now. It’s about time we marketing content and copywriters got on board.
That’s all I have for you today, writers! Leave a comment and let me know if you want to know more about Donald Miller’s Building a Storybrand. Happy writing!
Don’t have time to DIY the SEO for your blog content? Get in touch and let me tell your story to the digital world.
Want More?
How to Earn Passive Income with Affiliate Links
How to Create Your Niche Affiliate Blog
How to Choose the Right Site Builder for Your Affiliate Blog
Haley Clark | Freelance Writer 