So now you’ve picked your Goldilocks keywords, the ones that are juuuuuust right for you to start ranking on page uno of Google.  But what do ya do with them?  Here’s where the rubber meets the road when it comes to optimizing your content for search engines.  In this post, I’m gonna show you the best article writing format possible to use those newly found keywords like a champ.  Want to know the tips and tricks of this SEO boosted article writing format?  Keep on reading!

The BEST Free Article Writing Format for Improved SEO

Here’s the trick most people don’t realize: we need to write for our readers, but we also need to write for search engines.  And those two audiences?  Yeah, they read words on a page (or screen) kind of differently.

So when you write your blog posts, you absolutely have to keep BOTH readers and the search engines in mind.  And here’s the thing: you have to balance the two or your blog posts end up sounding kinda funky.

Here’s the process I use to optimize my blog posts and articles for both my readers AND Google.  You ready?

[bctt tweet=”When you write your blog posts, you absolutely have to keep BOTH readers and the search engines in mind!” username=”homebeautifully”]

[mailerlite_form form_id=9]

Using SEO Keywords in Your Article Writing Format

Here’s where we really want to pay attention to our keyword.  We want to incorporate them throughout the post in an authentic and organic way.

For this step, you’re going to rely on the Yoast plugin.  If you haven’t yet installed it, hop right here to download the most recent version of Yoast.  I use the free version. 

Then, in WordPress, click on plug ins, click add new, and upload the zip file you just downloaded.  Then activate your plugin.

Let’s say I’m writing an article about tiger art.  (Yes, I know it’s random.  But did you know that the phrase “tiger art” gets 2400 searches on Google PER MONTH?  Insane.  It’s totally a Goldilocks keyword with an SEO difficulty score of 7.  High search volume, low competition?  Done and done.)

So how do you structure your article to incorporate the words “tiger art” for SEO?

Input Your Keyword

In Yoast, enter your focus keyword in the box.  This keyword will guide you as you work through the next steps of optimizing your post for search engines.

Optimize Your Title

Use your keyword in your title, ideally towards the beginning.  Google cuts off your title at 65 characters, so make sure it’s not incorporated past that point.  I personally like using CoSchedule’s headline analyzer to think of creative titles.

Titles for this post might be like this:  “Love Outstanding Tiger Art?  Get This Free Print!”

I play with the title again and again until I get a green score.  That title above?  A score of 72.  (*Brushes off shoulders*)

I enter my title not only at the top of my post, but also in the Yoast box.  If you click on “edit snippet,” you can change the SEO title.  Again, be sure to use your keyword towards the beginning of your title.

Yoast will show you, with the little green line below the box, if your title is long enough or too long.  You want that little line to be green.

Improve Your Headings and Body Text

You’ll want to incorporate your keywords into your blog post headings, particularly your H1 and H2 headings.

You may need to go back to the draft you wrote to see how often you naturally incorporated your keyword.  If you didn’t, find places where adding the key term will flow organically.

I try to use the same version of my keyword (e.g., “tiger art) throughout headers and a few times in the body paragraph.  

[mailerlite_form form_id=9]

If you end up using the keyword too many times, Yoast will give you a heads up.  The little lights at the top will change from green to yellow or red.

Change Your URL

In addition to your title, headings, and body text, you’ll also want to incorporate your keyword into your URL.  You can choose your URL in Yoast by clicking the “edit snippet” button.

In slug, enter the URL you want for your post, using lowercase letters with hyphens between your words.  Be sure to incorporate your keyword here.

Amp Your Meta Description

The meta description is what shows underneath the title when you’re searching on Google.  Make the meta description catchy and compelling, something that readers will want to click through to read.

Again, use your keyword in this section in a way that flows naturally.  We want to give Google as many indicators as possible about the nature of the article.  Yep, Google, this post is about tiger art for sure.

Optimize Your Images

You want to also include your keywords in your images to give Google a sense of your pictures.

And, yes, you definitely want to use pictures in your posts.  That same study we talked about earlier showed that blog posts with images have a higher chance of ranking.  So put in some images!

Because Google can’t “see” images, you’ll want to describe your pictures with alt tags.  In WordPress, you can add your alt text in your media library.

Here’s an example image from a post I wrote about my favorite DIY blogs. (I’d stick with the “tiger art” example, but I don’t actually have any images of tiger art …yet!  With that SEO difficulty score, though, ya best believe I’m gonna be making the world some tiger art LOL.)

My Goldilocks keyword for this post was “DIY Blog.”  You can see in my media library that I used my keyword in the image title and in the image description.

Now, heads up, I have a special plugin called “Tasty Pins” that allows me to add a SEPARATE Pinterest description to my image.  Unless you have that plugin, you won’t see that little box.  Since Pinterest drives the majority of my traffic, it was important for me to be able to add a Pinterest description AND optimize my posts for Google.    

Add Internal Links

You want to interlink your site as much as possible.  Why?  By adding internal links throughout your site, you’re telling Google the relationships between your content.  Also, you’re telling Google about your content’s relevancy.

So, back to tiger art?  How would I add internal links to it?  I might include a link to the tiger art post about how to make rustic frames for art prints.

And then in a future post about decorating a jungle themed nursery, I might include a link to my tiger art print.

As a bonus, adding internal links will help your bounce rate since you’re ultimately encouraging readers to click around and stay longer on your site.  Two points!

When do you know you’re good to go?

You want to get green lights in Yoast.  So keep playing with your keyword usage until you get a green light for SEO.

The good news?  Yoast will tell ya exactly what, where, and how you need to fix your article in order to get a green light.  Sometimes it takes a minor tweak or two and sometimes you need a full overhaul.  But if you keep plugging away, you’ll get a green light eventually.

Here’s what I mean about the kinds of problems Yoast will identify for you:

Hopefully now you have a strong sense of the best article writing format you should use to optimize your posts for your keywords.   Leave me a comment below and lemme know — what’s the biggest struggle you’ve found incorporating SEO keywords into your blog posts?