Everyone knows a well-written blog post can bring new visitors to your site. It does it by giving you more opportunities to rank higher in search engines which makes your business stand out in your industry.

But a successful blog post requires more than using ChatGPT to spin up a few paragraphs and hitting publish.

Today, it’s true that many people use AI to speed up the blog writing process. And while AI can help with some tasks, relying on it 100% leads to content that feels robotic and lacks depth.

Readers can tell when a post has been generated by a machine rather than crafted by a real person. The disconnect damages trust and reduces engagement with your site. It makes your blog feel less relevant and helpful.

For a blog to perform well, it needs real human touch, insight, and purpose.

In this article, we’ll walk you through how to write a blog post for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). We’ll share the exact process we use to write posts that rank on the first page of Google with the help of AI.

We’ll cover which tools to use, how to do keyword research, how to structure your content, and how to write SEO-optimized titles.

If you follow these steps, you can create relevant blog posts that attract readers, increase site visibility, and help you build a brand people trust.

Step 1: Prepare Your Tools

To write a great blog post that ranks well in search results, you’ll need to have the right tools on hand.

Below are the tools we use when writing blogs.

At a bare minimum, you’ll need two of them: The Google Keyword Planner and a content editor like SEMRush or Surfer SEO.

We recommend using all three tools below for the best results.

Google Keyword Planner

A good blog post starts with finding the right keywords, and Google Keyword Planner is the ideal tool for this.

You can access it by creating a free Google Ads account. Once you have an account, click Tools > Planning > Keyword Planner in the menu on the left of your account overview page.

The Keyword Planner lets you see how often users search for specific terms. And how much competition you’re up against if you choose to target them.

It’s one of our favorite tools because you’re looking at real search data, straight from Google. It helps you target keywords that bring in traffic and match the content you write with your user’s search intent.

ChatGPT

ChatGPT is a helpful starting point for brainstorming ideas and creating a first draft. But using it without careful edits can result in a post that feels flat or too generic.

Readers can generally tell when something was written by AI, and they tend to trust it less.

Here’s why we don’t recommend using ChatGPT as a “source of truth” when writing blogs:

It Lacks Depth: AI content can sound basic, without the detail readers expect in a good blog post.
Fact-Checking Needed: ChatGPT sometimes adds inaccurate information that could mislead readers if it’s not fact-checked.
Incomplete Expertise: Readers want to know your perspective. Your knowledge, experience, and unique insights make a difference. Relying on ChatGPT alone means you’re not showing the full value you bring to the topic. As you write, you need to make sure you’re layering in your own expertise to avoid sounding like a robot.

Surfer SEO

Surfer SEO takes SEO content writing to the next level.

Surfer automates a huge portion of the keyword research people usually perform by hand and gives you a clear path to creating SEO-friendly content.

It’s a data-driven tool that scans the top-ranking content on search engines. Then it shows you what keywords and themes to cover in your post if you want it to rank for a specific term.

For example, if you’re writing about “how to write a blog for SEO,” Surfer will scan the pages and articles that are already ranking on the first page, then show you which keywords they used. These might include terms like “blog title,” “relevant keywords,” and “engaging blog content.”

It also has an AI-powered feature that will write the first draft of the article for you. It basically gives you the same content you’d get from ChatGPT.

While Surfer is excellent for SEO, it’s kind of like ChatGPT in the sense that using it alone isn’t enough.

Using Surfer without any human edits can leave your blog feeling stiff. Especially if you used their built-in AI features to write.

It’s awesome for structuring your post and finding keywords, but you should still add personal touches and natural language by hand.

SEMRush Writing Assistant

The SEMRush Writing Assistant provides similar SEO analysis to Surfer. However, it also provides extra guidance on style and readability.

You need a paid SEMRush subscription to use it, but it provides details that Surfer doesn’t cover.

It analyzes areas like writing tone, readability, and originality in addition to keyword optimization.

All of this makes it ideal when you’re ready to “humanize” the final draft of a blog you wrote with AI. It identifies areas where sentences could be clearer or more engaging, so you know where to adjust.

Step 2: Consider Your Audience

Once you’ve prepared your tools, you need to understand who you’re writing for. Your audience will shape how technical or detailed your content should be.

Understanding the type of reader you want to attract also helps you pick the right keywords for your blog post topic.

For example, if you’re writing for beginners, keeping the language simple and approachable is key. But if your audience is more experienced, they might expect your posts to include more detailed information. That means you should include specific examples and use more advanced terms in your content.

To understand what your audience wants to read, you need to understand the intent behind their search.

Think about why someone might search for the keywords you’re targeting. For most blog posts, you’ll want to find keywords that balance two common types of intent: informational and transactional.

Informational intent means readers are searching for helpful details on a topic. They may want to learn how to do something or understand a concept. A blog focused on keywords with informational intent should offer tons of valuable information that helps readers achieve their goals.
Transactional intent means readers are close to buying a product or signing up for a service. These terms are generally better to target on landing pages where you can sell your services. But if you really want to write a blog that targets this type of intent, you can show your expertise to build trust. If a reader trusts your content, they’re more likely to buy from you when they’re ready.

Using the right types of keywords will give you the chance to attract readers at different stages of their journey.

Plus, writing blog posts for your audience that display your expertise and authority also gives readers a reason to return. Focusing on what you know best results in blog posts that are as informative as they are credible.

Every time you write, keep your readers in mind. Personalize your approach and language to what your target audience expects and needs.

Step 3: Brainstorm Topics

Choosing a topic for your blog starts with defining your goal.

Are you aiming to sell more of a specific product or service?
Are you hoping to attract readers to join your mailing list?
Or maybe you just want to increase traffic so you can earn more from ads on your site?

What you want to achieve will help you decide what to write in different types of blog posts.

If you want to sell more of a product or service, write a blog post that shows you’re the expert on what you want to sell. Show readers how well you know what you do. Build trust. Give readers confidence in what you’re offering.

If your goal is to grow your email list, you could write about a topic that aligns with one of your lead magnets. Give them valuable information and share some of your trade secrets. At the end, you can ask readers to join your mailing list to download the lead magnet if they want to know even more.

If you want to boost traffic to your site, try writing broad content that appeals to a huge audience. This kind of approach can be useful for web pages that thrive on ad revenue.

Once you’ve identified your goals and brainstormed some topics to write about for each one, add your ideas as a column header in a spreadsheet using Excel or Google Sheets.

Step 4: Perform Keyword Research

Once you have a list of potential topics, the next step is to decide on the keywords for each blog post.

Your topics will help you find the right keyword, but the keyword itself will shape how you frame the content. You can think of keywords as the foundation for your post. They direct the writing process by telling you what to cover, and how to cover it to connect with what people are searching for.

Start by opening the spreadsheet you created in the brainstorming phase.

For each topic you listed in your header rows, think about searches a user might type into Google if they wanted to learn more about that topic.

Picture phrases or questions your audience might use to search Google, and add them to the spreadsheet under each topic.

Write these out as if you were running a search on Google yourself.

For example, at ClearBrand, one of our specialties is SEO. So, when considering keywords, we’d think of what someone might search for if they wanted to improve their SEO skills.

Here are some examples of searches our audience might run:

“How to write a great blog”
“How to do on-page SEO”
“What is technical SEO”
“How to perform a keyword audit for SEO”
“What tools are best for SEO”
“How to write an SEO optimized blog post”

Each search query tells us what people might want to learn or accomplish. So we look at them, learn from them, and write content that gives the people what they want to know.

This sort of approach helps our readers understand the value have to offer. And It lets us demonstrate that we’re an authority on the subjects we write about.

At this point, you’re not ready to start writing just yet. For now, you’ve only listed ideas based on what you think people are looking for.

Next, you’ll want to discover the actual phrases people use in real searches.

This is where keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMRush are important. Both let you find the specific words and phrases people are using when they search online. You can use this information to write blog posts that better align with real user searches.

For now, go ahead and duplicate the spreadsheet you created with your topic ideas and potential search queries.

Label this new sheet something like “Keyword Terms” to keep things organized as you prepare for the next step.

Step 5: Choose Keywords That Align With Your Audience (And Their Intent)

With your spreadsheet open, it’s time to put together your keyword list. Do this by finding terms that fit your topic and audience.

First, open Google Keyword Planner and start by taking the search phrases you brainstormed earlier for each topic. Paste them into the Keyword Planner’s search bar and hit ‘enter’.

The tool will show you related keywords based on real search activity, which you can target in your post.

But when choosing keywords, don’t just pull the first five that show up and call it good.

Review the results carefully to see which keywords match up with your goal, your blog topic, and your audience’s intent.

You’ll need to choose one term as a primary keyword. Then, you can choose up to five others as supporting keywords. The more closely related they are, the more the more likely you’ll be to rank for each term.

As you choose, pay special attention to two areas: search volume and competition level.

Search Volume: “Search Volume” shows you how many searches take place for a given keyword each month. Focus on choosing a primary keyword with 1,000+ searches if you want to reach a larger audience. Keywords with fewer than 1,000 searches per month might not bring in the amount of traffic you’re looking for. But don’t count them out; terms with lower search volumes can still be excellent supporting keywords.
Competition Level: Aim for keywords with low or medium competition whenever possible. Keywords with high competition can be tough to rank for. Especially if you’re trying to get a brand-new website to the top of search results.

Some keyword choices may be obvious because they perfectly align with your topic, have high search volume, and are low in competition.

But sometimes, you’ll need to weigh the search volume against the competition level to make a smart decision.

If there are high-intent terms that have low volume and high competition, you might need to choose different ones. Or if it’s appropriate for your audience, you can broaden the scope of your blog so you can target a similar keyword with a slightly different focus.

Now, choose one primary keyword for each blog post topic.

This main keyword will shape the direction of your post, so place it at the top of your spreadsheet under the right topic.

Then look through the remaining keywords and pick out the ones that best support your main keyword. Place these secondary keywords in the rows below your primary keyword. You’ll use them as secondary keywords when you begin writing.

Once you have a list of focused, relevant keywords, you’ll have a clear guide as you start writing.

Step 6: Research Top Performing Blogs That Target The Same Keyword

Once you’ve settled on a primary keyword for the topic you want to write about, the next step is to see which articles are already ranking for it. This helps you understand how to frame your post so you can align your content with what readers want, and with what Google sees as important.

Plus, you’ll get insight into the topics, styles, and formats that perform best on the search engine results pages.

Start by opening a private browsing window and running a search for your primary keyword.

Take note of the URLs for the first five articles at the top of the search results, but skip any sponsored posts. These don’t rank based on content quality. They’re placed at the top through paid advertising.

Next, open each URL in its own tab and read the articles from start to finish.

Take careful notes. Look at each article’s title tag, main points, structure, and overall tone. What do these articles have in common?

If you find patterns between top-ranking articles, you can make smarter choices when writing your own post.

Focus on recognizing what makes these posts successful so you can include similar information in your own writing. But remember, none of this process should involve copying the content from other blogs. We don’t condone plagiarism in any shape or form.

That said, check the headings in each article to see if they use similar content structures. If they do, consider using a similar layout in your own blog post.

Also look for areas where you can add unique insights, examples, or extra resources through internal and external links.

This is your opportunity to set your post apart.

A well-rounded, informative post that covers the basics and adds something new stands a strong chance of ranking.

Again, don’t forget be mindful of keeping your content original.

It’s okay to follow the general structure and ideas from top posts. But your language, examples, and insights should be unique. Google values fresh content, and readers appreciate a new take rather than a repeat of what they’ve already seen in other articles.

Step 7: Create An Outline

Now that you’ve reviewed the top-ranking articles, it’s time to use your notes to build a clear, focused outline for your new blog post.

Do this in a note-taking application.

Choose A Title For Your Post

Start by looking at the titles of each of the blogs that are currently ranking for the keyword you want to write for.

In most cases, you’ll notice that the title of each article contains the exact keyword you’re targeting! That means that the title of your blog should include the keyword, too.

Brainstorm a few titles based on what you’re seeing in the other articles. Then choose the best one, and write it in your notes app.

Write H2 Headings To Include Key Information

Next, look over your notes on what the top-ranking articles all have in common. Those are the basic elements of any strong blog post on this topic, so you’ll want to hit those points in your post too.

Add H2 headlines that let you cover the key information below the title you just wrote.

As you write the headings, think about their order. Move them around if you think it’s necessary. You want to write in a way that guides readers through the post logically topic from start to finish.

Add H3 Headings To Expand On Your H2 Headings

Once you’ve written titles and H2 headings, go through your outline one more time and add H3 headings between them. Any H3 headings should let you break down the ideas from your H2 headings into chunks that are easier to read.

Generate More Ideas With ChatGPT

Once you’ve added all the headings you think you should include, copy and paste your outline into ChatGPT.

Then use this exact prompt to find out if there are other key ideas you should include in your post. Make sure to replace the capitalized text with the information from your outline and notes.

I have an outline for a blog post called “TITLE.” I want it to target the keyword “KEYWORD” and I want it to discuss “TOPIC” comprehensively, but with a focus on the keyword. Look at the headings in my outline. Are there any others I should consider adding?

ChatGPT will then help you brainstorm other angles or supporting points that might strengthen the content.

But don’t just blindly insert them into your outline – be selective.

Refine Your Outline With Ideas From ChatGPT

Review the suggestions, then choose the ones that align with your target keyword and your goals for the post. Add the ideas you want to keep to your outline wherever they make the most sense.

When your outline is complete, review it one more time to see if each heading flows naturally from one to the next. Read the headings out loud to someone else and ask them if they can tell you what you plan to write about.

If they can, you’re in good shape.

If they can’t, go back and refine your headlines further so that your outline is more complete.

If you need to refine your headlines, think about what the reader needs to know and how each section builds on the last.

Step 8: Add Talking Points And Incorporate Your Expertise

With your initial outline in place, it’s time to shape it into a perfect blog post. Do this by adding bullet points under each heading. The bullet points contain the information you want to include in the body of your post.

Start by adding bullet points that cover the details of the key ideas from the top-ranking articles.

As you add talking points, work in your own expertise. If you think the other blogs don’t mention something important, add it to your outline.

This is the key to making your post align with what readers and search engines want to see in an SEO blog post.

Next, go back through each section and add unique insights that aren’t covered at all in the other blogs.

This is your chance to offer real value that sets your blog apart from others on the same topic. Your personal additions are what make the content rich and engaging.

Remember, you’ll use AI to draft parts of the article later. The more detail you put into the outline now, the easier the writing process will be. If your outline is clear and well-organized with plenty of supporting points, AI can help you expand each section without needing heavy edits.

Take your time with this step. Building a strong outline is one of the most important parts of creating SEO-friendly blog posts that rank well and catch the reader’s eye while they’re using search engines.

Step 9: Create A Content Editor In Surfer

With your outline refined and ready, it’s time to set up a content editor in Surfer.

This tool is where you’ll do the bulk of your work. It helps you structure an SEO blog post so that it has a better chance of ranking for the keywords you identified earlier in the Google Keyword Planner.

First, adjust the location setting.

Surfer’s recommendations are based on your location. Targeting the right area helps you reach your audience.

If you want your post to rank locally, select the specific city you want to target.

If you’re aiming for a national audience, keep the location set to “United States.”

Next, enter the keywords you want to focus on.

Start by typing the keywords you chose from the Google Keyword Planner into Surfer’s search bar. It will use them to suggest additional terms.

You can add these suggestions, but be strategic about how many you choose. Here’s what to keep in mind:

Keyword Priority: Surfer sees the keywords you enter first as highest priority. So the order you enter your keywords will influence Surfer’s final recommendations. For example, if you type “SEO” before “How to write a blog,” Surfer will treat “SEO” as the main focus, and give it more weight than “How to write a blog” when generating a list of keywords to include in your article.
Keyword Focus: Keep your primary keyword specific. Aim for 5-8 closely related keywords that are ultra-relevant to your topic as supporting keywords. Using keywords with a narrow focus makes it easier to create content that ranks well for your target terms. If you add lots of terms that are loosely related to your primary keyword, you’ll end up ranking for unwanted terms instead.

When you’ve entered all of your keywords, hit ‘Create for 1 CE credit’.

Surfer will generate a personalized guide you can use to start writing an article that hits all the right notes for your audience while keeping Google’s search algorithms happy.

Step 10: Review Surfer’s Recommendations And Sort Keywords Into The Right Headings

Once you’ve created the content editor in SurferSEO, give it a moment to generate its recommendations.

When it’s ready, click to open it up. You’ll see several helpful metrics to guide you as you write. These include:

A composite score of your post’s overall SEO strength that shows how well your draft stacks up against articles that rank for your keyword.
A recommended word count to keep your content within an ideal length range.
A suggested heading count for easy navigation and engagement.
A recommended number of paragraphs to break up the text and improve readability.
A list of up to 80 keywords that you can include throughout the body of your written content.

Locate the keyword recommendations section and scroll to the bottom.

Click the “copy all” button in the keyword box to save the list of suggested keywords to your clipboard.

Then, open a new conversation in ChatGPT.

You’ll use it to sort these keywords into the headings headings in your outline.

Use this prompt to have ChatGPT sort the keywords from Surfer under the headings where they fit best.

“I created an outline for a blog post about [KEYWORD]. You’re going to help me write the post. Before we begin, look at the outline, and look at the list of keywords below. Sort the keywords into the appropriate section of the outline. Only place each keyword into one section. Do not repeat keywords in different sections.”

Outline:

“PASTE YOUR OUTLINE HERE”

Keywords:

“PASTE YOUR KEYWORDS HERE BETWEEN QUOTES”

Don’t forget to paste your keywords at the end of the prompt before you hit enter. When you do, ChatGPT will incorporate your keywords into your outline.

After checking to make sure that ChatGPT put the right keywords under the right sections, copy it and use it to replace the old outline in your Surfer Editor.

Step 11: Write with AI (Generate a draft with Chat GPT)

Now that you have your outline with sorted keywords in the Surfer Editor, it’s time to use ChatGPT to write a draft of your blog post.

Go back into ChatGPT and use it to write each section of your outline one at a time. Keeping each section separate helps create long-format evergreen content that lives up to Google’s SEO standards.

Avoid asking for the entire blog post at once, or you’ll end up with a super short article.

How To Generate Content For Your Outline

Start by copying the first section from your outline in the Surfer content editor abd pasting it into the prompt box on ChatGPT.

Then, copy and paste this prompt below the section from your outline:

“Write the content for the section I pasted above. As you write, all content must meet the following requirements:

Sentence structures must be simple
Sentences must not contain more than 2 clauses
If you want to write a sentence that has 3+ clauses, you must break it into smaller sentences.
All language must be at an 8th grade reading level or below.
All content must be written so that an adult with a low reading level could arrive home from work and easily understand the content.
All content must not sound like it was written by AI.
You must not use the word “ensure” in any form.
You must not use sentences that use this structure: “it’s not just… it’s also…” or any variant of this.
You must make all writing sound like a human. It must not sound typical of an AI or LLM.
You must not embellish content unnecessarily.
Each section of this blog must be written to naturally follow the one that precedes it. The context should make sense, and information should not be repeated between sections.
All content must be [ADJECTIVE], [ADJECTIVE], and [ADJECTIVE]. We want to write in a way that gets [TARGET AUDIENCE] to feel [EMOTION] about [OUTCOME].”

Do the same thing for each section in your outline. Replace each section of your outline in the Surfer Content Editor with the content from ChatGPT as you go.

Once all sections are completed, you have a completed first draft!

Read through the entire draft. The writing may seem robotic or AI-like at first, which is okay at this stage.

We’ll focus on humanizing the content soon.

Step 12: Edit In Surfer

It’s time to refine your draft further in SurferSEO.

Start by using the filter function in the content editor to display keywords that don’t appear in your content.

Next, carefully add each of these keywords to your post. Insert terms where they make sense without disrupting the flow of information.

Aim to work each keyword in at least once, but skip any that feel out of place or irrelevant to your blog post.

When you’re satisfied with the keywords you’ve added to the body of your post, click the “headings” tab within the keyword box.

Check that your H1 heading includes the most important keyword, which is the primary keyword your post is focused on.

Then, add other recommended keywords to your H2 or H3 headings. This structure helps search engines recognize your blog’s topic hierarchy, which can improve its ranking.

Once your keywords are in place, read through the draft again. Compare it with the bullet points you added to your original outline. The draft should follow your outline as closely as possible. If it’s missing information, you’ll need to go back and add it by hand.

Then check for any repeated information and delete duplicates. Repeated text can signal AI-generated content to readers and search engines alike (Note: for search engines, writing with AI isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Google doesn’t penalize websites for using AI, but users won’t stick around to read the post if it isn’t valuable. The same is true if your final copy sounds more like a rough draft – users won’t find it interesting).

Next, look for any statements that ChatGPT might have stated as facts. Fact-check GPT’s claims by finding at least three reputable sources to back them up.

If you choose to link these sources, you can add them to the article as external links. Verified information from strong sources helps build credibility with Google and your readers.

After you’ve fact-checked and removed repeated info, you’re ready for the next step: humanizing your content in SEMRush.

Step 13: Humanize With SEMRush

Humanizing your content helps show Google that you focused on writing helpful content instead of just throwing AI-generated text on your site.

Then, copy and paste your draft from Surfer into the Writing Assistant. Add your keywords to the keyword panel on the right side of the screen.

Use the exact same keywords you used when setting up the Surfer Content Editor.

Once you’ve added keywords, click ‘Generate Recommendations’ to get SEMRush’s feedback on your draft.

When the analysis is complete, you’ll see four main areas to focus on:

SEO
Originality
Tone
Readability

Go through the recommendations in the following order.

SEO Recommendations

Start with the SEO feedback.

Look through SEMRush’s keyword suggestions and check your draft for spots to add them. These suggestions usually overlap with SurferSEO’s recommendations, but they aren’t always the same.

Add as many keywords as you can fit smoothly, but don’t overdo it.

Google prefers readable, user-focused content over posts that use keyword stuffing to try and look more valuable than they really are. Overloading keywords can make the post feel unnatural and hurt your ranking.

Readability

Next, move to readability.

SEMRush will highlight sentences it considers too complex in purple.

Sentences that might be too simple or off-tone are highlighted in blue.

Start by addressing the purple sentences. Break down long or complicated sentences, and switch any passive voice to active voice to make the text easier to read.

For blue sentences, focus on correcting areas that disrupt the flow or sound out of place. SEMRush’s readability suggestions help make your blog engaging and accessible so it appeals to a broad audience.

Tone

SEMRush may suggest tweaks to make the tone of your writing sound more consistent. These are usually recommendations like simplifying complex vocabulary and editing casual sentences to make them sound more formal.

Follow these recommendations where they improve clarity or make the post easier to scan. Ignore them if they make the post harder to read.

Originality

Finally, check for originality by running the plagiarism checker. SEMRush will flag any matches with other web pages.

If the flagged content is from your own site, you can ignore it.

But if it matches content from other pages or external sites, rewrite these sections to keep the post original.

Step 14: Add Images With Alt Text

Including images with optimized alt-text can help your blog rank even higher. So go back and find locations to add images to your post.

Add a line break where you want to add your images so that it’s easy to return and upload them to your post later.

Choose Your Images

Find the images you want to add to your post. You can use your own, or you can download them from a stock photo website like iStock (paid), Pixabay (free), or Pexels (free).

Then, upload the photos you want to include to your CMS. Go through your content, find the line breaks you added a moment ago, and add the images to the body of your post.

Write Alt Text For Each Image

Once you’ve got the images in your post, write alt text (alternative text) for each one.

Alt text is descriptive text that increases accessibility for visually impaired users who load your site with screen readers. It also appears on your site when images fail to load.

But it’s helpful for SEO too, because you can include keywords from Surfer and SEMRush that didn’t make it into your final draft. Adding these extra keywords in alt text can help your post rank higher on Google.

When you write alt text, keep it short (120 characters or less) and descriptive. Incorporate keywords when it makes sense, but don’t try to stuff them into your descriptions.

If you can add keywords, great. But your primary focus should be on writing clear, descriptive text that describes what’s happening in each image.

Step 15: Choose A URL

Choose a URL for your blog post. Keep it short, simple, and focused on the main keyword you want to rank for.

The right keyword helps search engines and readers understand what your post is about. That’s why you want to include the keyword in your post URL.

For example, if your keyword is “best blog post,” your URL could be something like “yourblogdomain.com/best-blog-post .”

Avoid using numbers, dates, or anything that might change over time as part of your URL. This keeps you from needing to update the URL and create a redirect if you edit the post later.

If you’re unsure about the best option for your URL, look back at the top-ranking blogs you studied earlier. See how competitors have structured their URLs for inspiration. Then do something similar for your own.

Step 16: Write A Meta Description

Meta descriptions are short summaries of your blog posts that appear in search results. They give users a quick preview of the content before they click.

Write a 1-2 sentence description that’s under 160 characters to fit within Google’s display limits. Place your main keyword at the beginning of the meta description if possible, and keep the rest of your description focused on the value users get from reading the post.

For example, if your keyword is “conduct keyword research,” your description might be:

“Learn how to conduct keyword research to create a high-ranking blog post. This guide covers the process step by step.”

Keeping it short, clear, and focused on the primary keyword will improve the chances of your post standing out in search results.

Step 17: Choose A Title Tag

A title tag is the clickable blue text that appears in Google search results and links to your blog.

Like your URL and meta description, it’s best to include your primary keyword in the title tag.

For example, if your post focuses on “how to write a great blog,” then your title tag should include that exact phrase, like this:

“How to Write a Great Blog Post | ClearBrand”

Aim for a maximum of 60 characters so the full title displays in search results. Keeping it short and simple prevents text from being cut off, especially on smaller screens.

Step 18: Add Internal Links

You’re almost ready to go post your blog. But now, you need to add internal links.

Internal links let you pass SEO power from pre-existing pages and posts into the new blog. Strong internal links help make sure that your new posts is as powerful as possible, right out of the gate.

Look through your website’s existing pages and blog posts. Take note of related pages that would make sense to link to in the blog you just wrote.

In general, you want internal links to be in the same category as the blog you’re going to post.

So if you wrote a blog about SEO, you’d want to link to other blogs or service pages related to SEO in your new post.

To maximize the benefits you get from your internal links, you can also link to the blog post you’re writing from other internal pages on your site. This lets you transfer as much authority as possible to your new post.

Step 19: Add External Links

Now it’s time to add external links. External links let your post reference pages on other websites.

Linking to other articles and resources from trusted websites helps Google see your post as well-researched and reliable. Especially when you get backlinks from high authority sites like industry leaders, educational (.edu) sites, or government (.gov) sites.

Choose external links that naturally support the points in your post.

For example, if you’re discussing SEO strategies, you might link to studies or official guides on best practices.

It’s also important to avoid linking to low-quality sites. They can hurt your post’s credibility.

Low-quality links often come from sites with thin content, too many ads, or a lack of authority in the field.

You can weed them out by looking for signs like poor grammar, outdated information, or spammy practices (like overly aggressive pop-ups or obvious keyword stuffing).

You can also use SEMRush’s site “Domain Overview” feature to see the authority of the sites you want to link to.

If the authority score is less than 20, consider omitting links to that site in your post or changing it to a link from a site with higher authority.

Step 20: Check Your CTA

A call-to-action (CTA) at the end of the post gives readers a clear idea of what steps you want them to take next.

To wrap up your blog post, create a CTA that links readers to your contact page, or to a service page relevant to your post.

Place the CTA at the end of your post, and keep it short and direct. For example, “Ready to boost your SEO? Visit our contact page to get started.”

Then add a link to your CTA so that users don’t have to go clicking around your website to figure out how to get in touch.

Step 21: Publish Your Blog Post

Now that your post is polished and ready to go, it’s time to post it on your website.

There are different ways to publish your post. The process you’ll use depends on your CMS.

There are generally two ways to publish your blog. You can either use a visual editor to copy and paste your content from a Google Doc (or from a tool like the Surfer Editor), or you can use a code editor to enter your post as raw HTML code.

At ClearBrand, we manage our content using WordPress. When we upload our posts, we almost always use the built-in code editor.

The reason we prefer to use a code editor rather than a visual editor is to keep our blog styling consistent.

If you upload your posts using a code editor, you can check and verify that you’re not adding unnecessary style tags in your post.

But if you upload your new post with a visual editor, you don’t get this control. That means that you may publish content with styles that don’t align with your brand!

If possible, upload your new blog post using a code editor. You can take your finished content from the Surfer editor and place it into a tool like Word2CleanHTML to turn it into code you can paste into your site. Or you can create a script that turns your documents into ready-to-use HTML.

If you don’t have access to a code editor, you can still use a visual editor to upload your post. Just make sure you preview the content and review the layout to make sure it looks great before you hit publish.

Step 22: Write And Send A Broadcast Email To Go With The Blog Post

Your blog is polished and live. But publishing alone won’t bring in readers—you need to let people know about it!

Write a short email to your mailing list and invite them to check out your latest post.

Briefly highlight what the blog covers and why it’s valuable to them. The goal is to create excitement and curiosity, so they’ll want to click and read the whole thing.

Promote the Final Article

Once the blog is published and your email is sent, don’t forget to promote it on social media too.

Share a quick summary or a key takeaway from the post, and link back to the blog in your social media posts.

Need Help With Blog Writing?

Writing blogs that rank well on Google can be straightforward, but it takes careful planning and time.

For many business owners, time is precious, which makes it hard to give your blog the attention it deserves.

If you’re looking for effective, high-ranking blog content that connects with qualified leads, reach out to ClearBrand today.

We specialize in personalized SEO strategies that attract your ideal audience and drive more traffic to your site, so you can focus on converting visitors into customers.

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How To Write A Blog Post: FAQs

Is Writing Blog Posts That Target The Same Keyword A Good Idea?

It’s not a good idea to write posts that target the same keywords. If you do, you can confuse Google. The search engine won’t be able to easily tell which blog post should rank, so it ends up dropping the rank of both posts. This is called keyword cannibalization.

Why Should I Use A Keyword In My Blog Post Titles, URLs, And Meta-Descriptions?

Using your primary keyword in these places makes it easier for Google to see how your post relates to a specific keyword. Using the same keyword in all three areas shows Google that your content covers one specific topic. This makes it easier for Google to decide whether or not your post should show up on the first page when users run a search.

Which Content Management System Is Best For Posting Blogs?

Generally speaking, the process of posting a blog is pretty similar across different CMSs.

We like WordPress because it has a code editor that gives writers control over the amount of code on your site when you post.

Users who don’t have much experience working with raw HTML may find plug-and-play platforms like Webflow easier to use. On Webflow, you can post blogs without having any knowledge of HTML code.

Is Google Search Console Useful For Writing New Blogs?

Google Search Console is more useful for optimizing blogs you’ve written in the past than it is for writing new blogs.

This is because it shows you what existing pages are ranking for. However, it doesn’t provide information on search volume and competition levels for new keywords.

How Should I Choose A Featured Image For My New Blog Post?

Look for something relevant to the post’s content by searching a platform like iStock. If you prefer to use free images, you can search platforms like Pixabay and Pexels for images instead.

Should I Create A Dedicated Blog Domain In Addition To My Primary Domain?

Generally, no. This is a common tactic, but it makes it harder to track your site’s overall traffic in tools like Google Search Console. If you create a subdomain for your blog, you have to create a separate property in Google Search Console.

What’s Better: The Yoast SEO Plugin, Or RankMath?

If you want more features for free and a modern, detailed interface, Rank Math might be the better choice. Yoast SEO is simple and reliable but skips out on some advanced features unless you buy the premium version. For most users looking for value, Rank Math offers more without extra costs.

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How To Write A Blog That Ranks On Google (With AI)