Blogging Best Practices

Peter Hayes

SEO Blog Post Checklist for Small Business Websites

1. Start with Keyword Research

Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or Ahrefs.

Focus on long-tail keywords relevant to your niche and audience.

2. Optimize Title Tags

Use your primary keyword at the start of the blog title

Keep it under 60 characters to ensure it displays properly in search results.

3. Use Meta Descriptions Wisely

Write a compelling summary (up to 160 characters).

Include the primary keyword and a call-to-action (e.g., "Learn more," "Get tips").

4. Structure Content with Headings (H1, H2, H3)

Use H1 for your title (only one per page).

Use H2s and H3s to break content into scannable sections.

5. Focus on Readability

Write at a 6th–8th grade reading level

Use short paragraphs, bullet points=, and simple language

6. Incorporate Internal Links

Link to related blog posts or key service/product pages

Helps with site structure and time-on-site.

7. Add Relevant External Links

Link to authoritative sources to support facts or data.

Open in a new tab to keep users on your site.

8. Use SEO-Friendly URLs

Include the target keyword.

Keep URLs short and descriptive (e.g., `/eco-friendly-packaging-tips`).

9. Optimize Images

Use descriptive filenames and ALT text with keywords.

Compress images for fast loading (e.g., TinyPNG or WebP format).

10. Include a Featured Image

Helps with social sharing and visual appeal

Size properly (e.g., 1200x630px for social media previews).

11. Implement Schema Markup

Use structured data for articles to improve how your post appears in Google (e.g., stars, author, publish date).

12. Aim for 800–2,000 Words

Longer posts tend to rank better, but only if they provide real value

13. Keep Content Original and Valuable

Avoid duplicate content.

Provide actionable insights, unique opinions or local relevance

14. Encourage Engagement

End with a call-to-action (comment, share, read another post).

Ask questions to prompt discussion.

15. Add a Table of Contents

Especially useful for long posts.

Improves user experience and can generate jump links in search results.

16. Use Keyword Variations Naturally

Sprinkle LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords throughout your post.

Helps avoid keyword stuffing and improves semantic understanding.

17. Make It Mobile-Friendly

Ensure responsive design.

Test on mobile using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test

18. Update Old Posts Regularly

Refresh with new data or trends.

Add an “Updated on” date for credibility.

19. Share Across Channels

Promote your blog post on social media, email newsletters, and Google Business Profile

20. Monitor Performance with Google Search Console

Track impressions, clicks and ranking positions

Optimize underperforming posts based on this data.

< Older Post

New Projects & Capabilities

By Peter Hayes • May 22, 2025

New App, Design, Capabilities, and more!

5 Security Improvements for Small Businesses

By Peter Hayes • October 18, 2024

In honor of Cybersecurity Awareness Month throughout the month of October 2024 here is a quick post about the top 5 security improvements small businesses can make with minimal effort but big impact.

The Benefits of Having a Blog for Your Website

By Peter Hayes • September 3, 2024

A blog can offer numerous benefits, from enhancing your website's SEO to establishing authority in your industry.

An aerial view of the united states at night.

The Value of Joining Small Business Networking Groups

By Peter Hayes • August 20, 2020

Thursday Morning Coffee Early every Thursday morning, I hop onto a Zoom call with a small group of other small business owners. We drink our coffee or tea and share local news. This specific group is geared towards very local connections. In fact, it was originally proposed as a monthly in-person meeting, but due to Covid, it was moved online. It also morphed into a friendly weekly get-together where personal and local news is shared in addition to pure 'business' talk. Make Connections, Share Ideas, Learn From Others Our group has had guest speakers on such relevant topics as SEO in addition to providing a platform for bouncing ideas off other small business owners. It has been a way to learn from others in a wide variety of fields - from financial planners and real estate professionals to photographers and counselors - the insight and breadth of knowledge is inspiring. Its also a great place to ask for small favors like reviewing and/or promoting articles on LinkedIn or other social media. Start Your Own I highly recommend researching on Nextdoor, LinkedIn, or Facebook to find your own local small business group. If you can not find one, start your own! It is an amazing way to meet with others who share your challenges and have great ideas to share.

A man is walking down a foggy street at night.

How To Turn A Promoter Of Your Business Into A Detractor

By Peter Hayes • July 15, 2020

The title of this post may sound backward, because, for obvious reasons, the goal of any business is to energize potential employees (like potential clients, which they are) - not to turn them off. But many HR/marketing/leadership team members would and should be surprised to learn that their company regularly does exactly this. There is, in fact, a single surefire way to turn someone against your brand - and that is to treat (intentionally or not) job applicants with contempt, disrespect, and rudeness. How? By failing to send a rejection letter. Broad personal experience as well as the experiences of too many friends and family show me that without a doubt this is a consistent and widespread issue. So how can a company - especially one whose mission is theoretically to ‘attract top talent’ - ensure that they do not negatively impact their reputation through their poor treatment of candidates? The answer, again, is simple: send one timely, sincere, and empathetic email. As anyone who has been a job hunter has experienced, there is often already a lack of good-faith communication in the search/interview/hiring process. The system in general needs significant improvement. But for the scope of this article, let’s focus on this one. The issue - the fact that candidates who have engaged in the hiring process are simply left hanging with no communication - is, I believe, partly due to process issues (for example, having a disorganized approach to interviewing and interview follow-up), but I suspect that it is has a good deal more to do with the uncomfortable nature of saying ‘no.’ If this is the case, it is time to address that discomfort within your organization, no matter what size. Big or small, if your company is not proactively treating ALL candidates with respect and reasonably transparent communication, especially in issuing rejections, it is unequivocally harming your business.

A long exposure photo of a city street at night.

Tips for Increasing Traffic to Your Website

By Peter Hayes • July 12, 2020

In this post, Workroom Creative provides some helpful tips for increasing traffic to your website.

A laptop computer is sitting on a table with graphs on the screen.

SCORE - A Great Resource for Small Businesses

By Peter Hayes • June 23, 2020

SCORE is the nation’s largest network of volunteer, business mentors. They have approximately 10,000 volunteers in more than 250 chapters nationwide. Most, if not all SCORE mentors bring real-world business experience. They are typically working and/or retired business owners, executives and managers who have been through the same challenges and decisions that many entrepreneurs are facing today. I have personally worked with a number of volunteer mentors in a few different cities and have always found their advice to be honest (sometimes a bit too honest...) sincere, and trustworthy. They are objective and knowledgeable - especially about their local community - and very approachable. In addition to one-on-one conversations, I have found their online business resources to be be a great starting point whenever I run into new questions about starting/running a business. They also have an ongoing series of webinars and events that cover a variety of topics. From business plans and spreadsheets to marketing advice and general small business help, I highly recommend utilizing this set of free resources for your new or growing business. Learn more about what they have to offer at this link .