Your Blog Posts Start Showing Up On Google’s First Page For Relevant Queries
Speak The Same Language As Your Target Readers
List common search phrases: Think about what you’d type into Google if you were looking for your content. For example, if you write about “best budget wireless headphones”, don’t just use that phrase—list variations like “cheap wireless headphones under $50”, “wireless headphones for small ears budget”, or “budget wireless headphones with good bass”. I use a free tool called AnswerThePublic (it’s like a brainstorming buddy) to get these phrases. Go to the site, type your main keyword, select your language and country, and it’ll spit out questions, phrases, and related terms real users search for. When I typed “budget travel to Europe” into it, I got phrases like “budget travel Europe tips” and “how to travel Europe on $50 a day”—I added those to my post, and within a month, my post was ranking for both phrases.
Add phrases to headings: Once you have your list, sprinkle those phrases into your H2 and H3 headings. But don’t force it—keep it natural. For example, if your post is about “vegan meal prep”, a H3 could be “Vegan Meal Prep Ideas For Busy Weeknights” (using the search phrase “vegan meal prep ideas for busy weeknights”). I learned this the hard way: my first post about “yoga for back pain” had headings like “Yoga Poses 1” and “Yoga Poses 2″—no wonder no one found it. When I changed them to “Yoga Poses To Relieve Lower Back Pain” and “Yoga Stretches For Morning Back Stiffness”, the organic traffic jumped by 200% in a month.
Use phrases in first paragraph: Google pays extra attention to the first 100 words of your content, so try to include one or two of your target phrases there. But again, don’t stuff—make it flow. For example, if your target phrase is “how to grow tomatoes in pots”, your first paragraph could start: “Growing tomatoes in pots is a great way to enjoy fresh produce even if you don’t have a big garden. If you’re wondering how to grow tomatoes in pots successfully, you’re in the right place—this post covers everything from choosing the right pot size to watering schedules.” That’s natural and tells Google exactly what your post is about. I used to skip this step, but adding a target phrase to the first paragraph of my posts improved my rankings for 70% of my content.
Make Your Content Answer The Exact Questions Readers Have
Check Google’s People Also Ask: When you search for your target phrase on Google, scroll down to the “People Also Ask” section. These are the questions real users are asking. For example, if you search “how to make sourdough bread”, you’ll see questions like “Can I make sourdough without a starter?” or “How long does sourdough take to rise?”. I always add a section to my posts answering these questions—they’re like free clues from Google about what readers want to know. Last year, I wrote a post about “how to start a podcast” and included answers to three People Also Ask questions; that post now ranks for two of those questions in the top 5 results.
Include a FAQ section: At the end of your post, add a FAQ section with 3-5 questions related to your topic. Use the questions from People Also Ask or your own brainstorming. For example, if your post is about “traveling to Japan on a budget”, your FAQ could include “Is Japan expensive for backpackers?” or “What’s the cheapest way to get around Tokyo?”. This not only helps with SEO but also keeps readers on your site longer (since they don’t have to go to another page to find answers). I added a FAQ section to my post about “how to fix a slow laptop” and saw my average time on page increase from 1 minute to 2.5 minutes.
Use conversational language: Write like you’re talking to a friend, not a textbook. Avoid jargon. For example, instead of saying “utilize semantic keyword integration”, say “use words that are related to your main topic”. Google’s algorithms are getting better at understanding natural language, so the more conversational your content is, the easier it is for Google to match it to search queries. I used to write very formally—like “one must consider the following factors”—but switching to “you should think about these things” made my content more engaging and improved my rankings. A study by HubSpot found that conversational content gets 3x more engagement than formal content, so this is a win-win.
Google Indexes Your New Content In 48 Hours Or Less
Let Google Know Your Content Exists Immediately
Use Google Search Console: If you haven’t set up Google Search Console (GSC) for your site, do it now—it’s free. Once you have it, go to “URL Inspection” and paste your new content’s URL. Click “Request Indexing”. This tells Google to crawl your page right away instead of waiting for its bots to find it naturally. I do this every time I publish a new post, and most of the time, my content is indexed within 24 hours. I once had a post that wasn’t indexed for a week—after submitting it via GSC, it was indexed in 18 hours.
Create an XML sitemap: An XML sitemap is like a map of your site that tells Google where all your content is. You can use a plugin like Yoast SEO (for WordPress) to generate one automatically. Then, submit your sitemap to GSC. This helps Google crawl your site more efficiently, especially if you have a lot of pages. I forgot to submit my sitemap for the first six months of my blog—once I did, my indexation rate went from 50% to 95% in a month.
Update old content regularly: Google loves fresh content. If you have an old post that’s still relevant, update it with new information (like new stats, updated tips, or new sections). When you update it, resubmit the URL to GSC. This signals to Google that your content is current, so it may reindex it faster. I updated a post about “best productivity apps” last month—adding new apps and removing ones that are no longer available—and it was reindexed in 12 hours. The post’s traffic also increased by 30% because the updated content was more relevant to current users.
Encourage Others To Link To Your New Content
Reach out to small blogs: Find blogs in your niche that have written about similar topics. Send them a friendly email (don’t spam!) and ask if they’d be interested in linking to your new content. For example, if you wrote a post about “best vegan breakfast recipes”, you could email a blog that wrote about “vegan meal ideas” and say: “Hi [Name], I loved your post about vegan meal ideas. I just published a post with 15 easy vegan breakfast recipes that your readers might enjoy—would you consider linking to it?”. Be sure to personalize each email (don’t use a template) and only contact blogs that are relevant to your topic. I did this for a post about “how to take better photos with your phone” and got three links in a week—each from small blogs, but they helped my content get indexed faster. Once you’ve built a relationship with a blogger, you can stay in touch using tools like WhatsApp Web (https://www.log-whatsappws.com) to send quick messages or share links to your latest content. This makes communication easier and helps you maintain your relationships.
Guest post on other sites: Write a guest post for a blog in your niche and include a link back to your new content. This not only helps with indexation but also drives traffic to your site. For example, if you write about fitness, you could guest post on a health blog and link to your post about “30-day workout challenge”. Make sure your guest post is high-quality (don’t just write it for the link) and that the link is natural (don’t force it into the content). I guest posted on a fitness blog last year—my post was read by 2000 people, and it drove 500 visitors to my site. The link from the guest post also helped my content get indexed in 24 hours.
Use internal links: Link your new content to old content on your site, and vice versa. For example, if you write a new post about “how to bake a cake”, link to your old post about “best cake decorating tips”. This helps Google crawl your new content faster (since it follows the links from your existing pages) and also improves the user experience. I always add at least two internal links to every new post—this is a simple trick that makes a big difference. A study by Moz found that internal linking can increase organic traffic by up to 40%, so don’t skip this step.
More Readers Stay On Your Site Longer And Click Through To More Posts
Make Your Content Easy To Read
Use short paragraphs: Keep paragraphs to 2-3 sentences max. No one wants to read a wall of text. For example, instead of writing a 10-sentence paragraph about “how to choose a laptop”, split it into 3 or 4 short paragraphs. This makes your content more scannable and keeps readers engaged. I used to write long paragraphs, but after switching to short ones, my average time on page increased by 30%.
Add subheadings often: Use H2 and H3 headings every 300-500 words. This breaks up your content and makes it easier for readers to find what they’re looking for. For example, if your post is about “traveling to Bali”, your subheadings could be “Best Time To Visit Bali”, “Where To Stay In Bali”, or “What To Pack For Bali”. I added subheadings to my post about “how to start a blog” and saw my bounce rate drop from 70% to 45%—meaning more readers stayed on my site.
Use bullet points and lists: Lists are great for making information easy to digest. For example, if you’re writing about “10 tips for gardening”, use a bullet list instead of writing a paragraph for each tip. This not only helps readers but also makes your content more likely to be featured in Google’s “Featured Snippets” (which are the boxed results at the top of the page). I added a bullet list to my post about “how to organize your closet” and it got featured in a Featured Snippet—this doubled my organic traffic overnight.
Add Engaging Visuals
Use original images: Avoid stock photos if possible—use your own photos or create your own graphics (Canva is a great free tool). Original images are more engaging and help your content stand out. For example, if you write about “how to make coffee at home”, take photos of each step (grinding the beans, pouring the water, etc.). I used to use stock photos for my food posts, but switching to my own photos made my content more personal and increased my time on page by 25%.
Optimize your images: Rename your images with descriptive filenames (like “vegan-chocolate-cake-recipe.jpg” instead of “IMG_1234.jpg”) and add alt text. Alt text is a description of the image that helps Google understand what it’s about. For example, the alt text for a photo of a laptop could be “silver laptop on a wooden desk with a coffee mug next to it”. This not only helps with SEO but also makes your content accessible to visually impaired readers. I optimized the images in my post about “traveling to Paris” and saw my image search traffic increase by 50%.
Add videos to your content: Videos are a great way to keep readers on your site longer. For example, if you write about “how to tie a tie”, add a short video tutorial. You don’t need fancy equipment—your phone’s camera is enough. I added a video to my post about “how to bake sourdough bread” and it increased my time on page by 40%. A study by Wistia found that videos can increase time on page by up to 2x, so this is a great investment.
Your Blog Gets Links From Other Sites Without You Begging
Create Content That People Want To Share
Write comprehensive guides: Instead of writing a short post about a topic, write a detailed guide that covers everything. For example, instead of “5 tips for running”, write “The Ultimate Guide To Running For Beginners: Everything You Need To Know”. Comprehensive guides are more likely to be linked to (since they’re a valuable resource) and shared on social media. I wrote a 3,000-word guide about “how to start a blog” last year—it’s been linked to by over 50 other blogs and shared on Twitter over 100 times.
Include original research: If you can, include original research in your content (like surveys, case studies, or data analysis). This makes your content unique and valuable. For example, if you write about “remote work”, you could survey 100 remote workers and share the results. Original research is highly linkable—other blogs will want to cite your data. I did a small survey of 50 bloggers about their SEO habits and wrote a post about the results; it got linked to by 15 other blogs in the first week.
Create infographics: Infographics are visual and easy to share. You can use Canva to create them for free. For example, if you write about “the benefits of meditation”, create an infographic that lists the benefits with simple icons. Infographics are often shared on social media and linked to by other blogs. I created an infographic about “the history of coffee” and it was shared on Pinterest over 500 times—many of those shares led to links.
You Spend Less Than 30 Minutes A Week On SEO Tasks
Automate Repetitive SEO Tasks
Use SEO plugins: If you use WordPress, install a plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math. These plugins automate tasks like generating XML sitemaps, optimizing meta descriptions, and checking keyword density. They also give you tips for improving your SEO. I use Yoast SEO—It takes care of most of the technical SEO stuff so I don’t have to spend time on it.
Set up Google Alerts: Google Alerts is a free tool that notifies you when your brand or content is mentioned online. This helps you find unlinked mentions (where someone talks about your content but doesn’t link to it). For example, if someone writes “I loved the post about X by Y”, you can reach out and ask if they’d be willing to add a link. I set up Google Alerts for my blog name and found three unlinked mentions last month—all of them added a link after I asked.
Schedule your SEO tasks: Use a tool like Trello or Google Calendar to schedule your SEO tasks (like updating old content or checking Google Analytics). For example, you could schedule 30 minutes every Sunday to review your SEO performance and plan your tasks for the week. This helps you stay organized and ensures you don’t forget important tasks. I schedule 20 minutes every Monday to check my Google Search Console and 10 minutes every Friday to update one old post—this keeps my SEO efforts consistent without taking too much time.
Build Relationships With Other Bloggers
Comment on other blogs: Find blogs in your niche and leave thoughtful comments (don’t just say “great post!”). For example, if a blog posts about “best hiking trails”, you could comment: “I loved your post—have you tried the X trail? It’s my favorite because of the views. I just wrote a post about hiking gear for beginners that your readers might enjoy.”. This helps you build relationships with other bloggers and can lead to links. I commented on a blog about “travel photography” every week for a month; eventually, the blogger linked to my post about “how to edit travel photos”.
Join niche communities: Find online communities (like Facebook groups or Reddit subreddits) for your niche and participate. Share your content only when it’s relevant (don’t spam!). For example, if you write about “vegan cooking”, join a vegan Facebook group and share your recipes when the topic comes up. This not only helps you build relationships but also drives traffic to your site. I joined a Reddit subreddit for writers and shared my post about “how to overcome writer’s block”—it got 100 upvotes and three links.
Collaborate with other bloggers: Work with other bloggers on projects like joint posts, webinars, or giveaways. For example, if you write about “fitness”, you could collaborate with a nutrition blogger to write a post about “how to lose weight by combining exercise and a healthy diet”. This helps you reach a new audience and build links. I collaborated with a beauty blogger on a post about “skincare for busy women”; it got linked to by 10 other blogs and increased my traffic by 30%.
WhatsApp Web FAQs Q: How do I fix WhatsApp Web not working on my computer? A: If you’re having trouble with WhatsApp Web not working, there are a few things you can try. First, check your internet connection—both your computer and phone need to be connected to the internet. If your connection is fine, try refreshing the page or closing and reopening the browser. Sometimes, clearing your browser’s cache and cookies can help too. To do this in Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data, then select “Cookies and other site data” and “Cached images and files” and click “Clear data”. Another common issue is that your phone’s WhatsApp app is outdated—make sure you have the latest
