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Hey friends,
Are you still guessing your way to the perfect blog post?
I’ve grown businesses across multiple industries over the last 10+ years, and with each one, I leaned heavily on SEO.
I’ve tried, tested (and dumped) countless variations of my SEO blog checklist to get it to where it is today: rock-solid, SEO-optimized, and ready for GEO.
This is the checklist I use to make sure every blog is positioned to convert.
Ready?
Here we go.
Better yet, skip straight to results. My team and I at TrioSEO are trusted by 6- to 8-figure brands to create “perfect” blogs that actually rank and drive revenue.
1/ Title
Include your target keyword in the title, and make sure it’s grounded in what SERP winners are doing.
Steer clear of clickbait. Instead, make it clear and compelling. Your reader (and Google) should immediately understand what the article is about.
Tip: Check the top 3 results on SERPs. Note the kind of titles that are ranking. Use that to guide the tone, length, and promise of your title–then make it better.
2/ URL
Keep your URLs simple, short, and keyword-focused. They signal relevance to Google, so don’t leave them random.
Build your bio for EEAT. Highlight the person behind the article–who they are and their expertise.
Make sure it’s linked to a relevant author page. Include details that help readers connect to the author as a person, not just an industry expert (such as hobbies and interests).
4/ Word Count (and Value)
Aim for 1,500+ words to ensure coverage depth based on what’s ranking for the keyword. Focus on value and eliminate fluff.
Tip: Adjust according to your niche. Look at what’s ranking to see their average word count. If the top performers are going at 3,000 words, see if you can match or exceed that–but only if you have truly useful content to offer.
Don’t just write to reach a target word count. Dept > article length every time.
Break up text and improve engagement by including:
5+ images
Videos or infographics
Metadata and descriptive alt tags
Make sure any media you add has real visual value and doesn’t just serve as filler.
7/ Readability and Formatting
There are 4 main formatting elements to consider for every blog:
Table of contents: Not every reader will read the entire article–that’s okay. Help them jump around your content (especially long-form blogs) to find exactly what they need in an instant.
Headings: Break down sections with H1, H2, and H3 keyword-optimized headings, making your copy skimmable.
Short paragraphs: Keep paragraphs short, typically 1 to 2 sentences containing just one main idea. You don’t want to crowd too many ideas in one paragraph, or you’ll lose your reader’s attention.
Bullet points and lists: Where applicable, simplify complex ideas into easy-to-digest bullet points or numbered lists.
Readable, clean UX: Choose a font color (#333333), font style (Ex: Poppins), and design that’s easy on the eyes. The less distractions, the better.
8/ Internal and External Links
Aim for 5 internal links to relevant content and 3+ external links to high-authority sources.
Tip: Scan your site for internal-linking opportunities. Use tools like Ahrefs Site Explorer to find relevant posts published on your site.
9/ Mobile Optimization
Ensure the mobile reading experience is smooth:
Responsive design
Looks great on all devices (mobile, tablet, and desktop)
Fast load speeds
Tip: Test your site for page speed and mobile-friendliness. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights help ensure your site is good to go before hitting publish.
10/ CTAs
Decide what you want the reader to do after reading your blog.
Do you want them to book a call? Sign up for a free trial? Download a resource?
Incorporate a clear Call to Action (CTA) that encourages that within your article.
Sprinkle these CTAs throughout to catch leads and trigger conversions:
In-content
Sidebar CTA
Exit intent pop-up
11/ Expert Quotes
Boost trust and credibility by pulling in subject-matter quotes from founders, advisers, and industry experts.
Also, pepper your article with just the right amount of personal anecdotes or real-world examples. It’s both a great way to add in human interest and optimize for SEO.
Encourage distribution beyond search by making it easy for people to share.
13/ Top-Notch Writing
Last but not the least–-polish for quality of writing.
Before giving the green light for publishing, ask: “Could this article be better?”
Check whether you could:
Tighten up the language
Fix any grammar issues
Write a stronger hook
Provide better examples
These seemingly small improvements can make the reading experience a whole lot better.
Force Quality at Every Step
Most blogs never rank because they skip the basics.
This checklist ensures you’re building depth + great UX for blogs that human readers enjoy and AI picks up and ranks.
There’s no way around this if you want great content.
Because here’s the thing: SEO starts long before you publish.
You have to make sure you’re prioritizing quality at every step.
Want more SEO resources like this? Check out my course, The SEO System.
Become an SEO expert with 30 actionable lessons on everything you need to know–from SEO fundamentals to analytics.
See you again next week,
Connor
Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:
1. My SEO Course: “The SEO System” teaches the exact daily, weekly, and monthly SEO processes I’ve used to scale multiple companies to 6, 7, & 8 figures in sales. Available for pre-sale now!
2. TrioSEO: Hire me & my team to create SEO content for your business. We’ll create a comprehensive SEO plan, execute, & keep you updated so your business gains more traffic, leads, & sales. Get a Free SEO Audit.
3. Promote yourself to 100,000+ SEOs, marketers, & entrepreneurs by sponsoring this newsletter and my social channels. (Booked out 1 month). Email me for info.
Connor Gillivan has been building six, seven, and eight-figure businesses for the past 10 years with SEO. It’s my personal mission to create a community and services that help you grow your business by finding more people who would benefit from what you. When I started out, I wanted to make the community an inclusive, welcoming table where everyone can come to get help using high-end SEO strategies to take their businesses to the next level. After several years, and over 3000 combined followers across Facebook and LinkedIn, I will always aim to get better at what I do every single day. In addition, my primary focus is on my relationship with you. This way every time you interact with me, you end up getting ideas that take your project to the next level. I particularly appreciate when my following provides feedback via testimonials, reviews, and comments left on my site or social media accounts. Because with that feedback, I can use it to make your next experience even better than the last. Since I put so much effort into my relationship with you, I hope that any investment in me is exactly the way you hoped it would be. Because by choosing to utilize my services, it’s my promise that I will provide an experience that you will love over and over again. Now, as much as I care about making the world a better and more efficient place for businesses like yours, I also care about your privacy. I’m committed to the right to your privacy and strive to provide a safe and secure user experience. My Privacy Policy, to which you can find a link at the bottom of my website homepage, explains how I collect, store and use personal information, provided by you on my website. It also explains important information that ensures I won’t abuse the information that you provide to me in good faith. By accessing and using my website, you can trust that what you want to be kept private, will be kept private. If at any time you would like to read the Privacy Policy and get a better understanding of your rights and liabilities under the law, feel free to visit my site, find the privacy policy in the footer, and read it. If there is something you are concerned about or wish to get more clarity on, please let me know by replying to this email. The Privacy Policy also informs you of how to notify me to stop using your personal information. If you wish to view my official policies, please visit my official website.
When you visit my website you may provide me with two types of information: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected on an individual basis and website use information collected on an aggregate basis as you and others browse our website. For example, you may need to provide the following information: your name, website URL information, email address, and home and business phone number.
In addition to providing the foregoing information, if you choose to correspond further with me through email, I may retain the content of your email messages together with your email address and our responses. We provide the same protections for these electronic communications that we employ in the maintenance of information received by mail and telephone. It also explains important information that ensures we won’t abuse the information that you provide to us in good faith. By accessing and using my website, you can trust that what you want to be kept private, will be kept private. If at any time, if you would like, you can read my Privacy Policy and get a better understanding of your rights and liabilities under the law. Feel free to visit the site, find the Privacy Policy in the footer and read it. If there is something you are concerned about or wish to get more clarity on, please let me know by contacting me by replying to this email. The Privacy Policy also informs you of how to notify me to stop using your personal information. If you wish to view my official policies, please visit my website.