If you’re new to blogging, the world of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) can feel overwhelming. Meta descriptions? Backlinks? Keyword density? It’s easy to feel like you need a marketing degree just to make your blog visible. The good news? You really don’t. With a few simple, beginner-friendly SEO tips, you can start improving your blog’s reach — and you don’t need to know everything at once.
Here are the SEO tips for beginner bloggers I wish I’d known when I started.
Start With One Focus Keyword Per Post
It’s tempting to try and rank for lots of keywords in a single blog post, but this can confuse search engines and weaken your SEO. Instead, choose one main keyword or keyphrase per post — something your target reader is likely to search for.
For example, if you’re writing about travelling to Cornwall with toddlers, a good keyphrase might be: “Cornwall with toddlers”.
Use your keyword in:
- The blog post title
- The first paragraph
- At least one subheading
- The meta title and meta description
- The URL slug (e.g. yourblog.co.uk/cornwall-with-toddlers)
Keep it natural. Don’t overdo it — Google knows when you’re stuffing keywords.
Write for People First, Search Engines Second
Google is clever. It rewards content that is helpful, clear, and relevant — not just content packed with keywords. So always write with your reader in mind.
Ask yourself:
- What question am I answering?
- Is this genuinely helpful?
- Can I make this easier to understand?
Use short paragraphs, headings, bullet points, and a friendly tone. Think of SEO as a way to guide your content, not control it.
Make Use of Free SEO Tools
You don’t need to spend money to optimise your blog. These free tools are great for beginners:
- Google Search Console: Helps you track performance and fix issues
- Ubersuggest or Answer the Public: Great for keyword ideas
- Yoast SEO (WordPress plugin): Helps with on-page SEO and readability
Spend a little time exploring these and you’ll quickly feel more confident.
Optimise Your Images
This is one I completely overlooked at the start. Images should be resized for web (to help page speed) and include descriptive file names and alt text.
For example:
- Instead of “IMG_8375.jpg”, name it “family-walk-in-lake-district.jpg”
- Use alt text like: “Family walking in the Lake District in autumn”
Alt text improves accessibility and gives search engines more context about your content.
Internal Linking Helps More Than You Think
Adding links to your own related blog posts helps search engines understand your site structure — and keeps readers on your blog longer.
So if you’re writing about family holidays in France and you’ve already written about Disneyland Paris, link to that post. Make the anchor text descriptive (e.g. “read our Disneyland Paris tips”) instead of just “click here.”
Don’t Worry Too Much About Backlinks (Yet)
Backlinks — links from other websites to yours — are important for SEO, but they take time to build.
When you’re starting out, focus on creating high-quality content. As your blog grows, backlinks will come naturally. You can also:
- Join blogging networks and comment on other blogs
- Share your posts in relevant Facebook groups or forums
- Sign up to platforms like Press Loft or Get Blogged to connect with brands
Check and Update Old Posts
One of the best ways to improve your SEO is to revisit older posts and optimise them. This is something I’ve worked a lot on lately. It’s quite time consuming but I noticed it was making a difference within a week. Look for:
- Better keyphrase options
- Opportunities to improve formatting and headings
- Image optimisation
- Adding internal links to newer content
Google loves fresh content, so updating older posts can give them a new boost.
Final Thoughts
SEO doesn’t need to be scary. By focusing on one keyphrase, writing helpful content, and using a few simple tools, you’ll start seeing improvements in how your posts perform. The most important thing is consistency — keep creating, keep learning, and don’t be afraid to experiment.
You don’t need to master everything at once. Start with these beginner SEO tips and build from there — your blog will thank you for it.
