Write SEO Blog Posts That Rank Without an Agency

1. Go to semrush.com and sign up for a free account (or sign in) 2. In the search bar at the top, type your broad topic (e.g., "email marketing for small business") 3. Click "Keyword Magic Tool" in the left sidebar 4. Enter your seed keyword and click Search 5. Filter results by: KD (Keyword Difficulty) < 40, Volume > 100 6. Look for long-tail keywords (3-5 words) with "informational" intent — these are your best targets 7. Pick 1 primary keyword and 3-5 secondary keywords 8. Write them down: you'll use the primary in your title/H1, and scatter the secondaries through subheadings

1. Go to claude.ai and start a new conversation 2. Paste this prompt (fill in the brackets): "I'm writing an SEO blog post targeting the primary keyword: [your primary keyword]. My secondary keywords are: [list them]. My target audience is: [describe your reader]. Create a detailed blog post outline that includes: - An SEO-optimized title (under 60 characters) that includes the primary keyword near the front - A meta description (under 155 characters) with the primary keyword - An intro paragraph hook (2-3 sentences) - 4-6 H2 sections, each with the section heading and 3-4 bullet points of what to cover - Naturally place secondary keywords in at least 2 of the H2 headings - A conclusion with a clear call to action - 3 suggestions for internal links I could add (describe what kind of related content to link to)" 3. Review the outline — make sure each H2 answers a specific question your reader would ask 4. Ask Claude: "Now suggest 3 alternative titles and pick the one with the strongest click appeal"

1. In the same Claude conversation, paste this prompt: "Now write the full blog post based on the outline above. Follow these rules: - Write in a conversational, first-person tone (like a knowledgeable friend, not a textbook) - Keep paragraphs to 2-3 sentences max - Use the primary keyword in the first 100 words, in one H2, and in the conclusion - Use each secondary keyword at least once, naturally - Add a bullet list or numbered list in at least 2 sections - Include specific examples, numbers, or mini case studies — not vague advice - Total length: 1,500-2,000 words - End with a clear CTA that tells the reader exactly what to do next" 2. Review the draft for AI-sounding phrases. Ask Claude: "Remove any phrases that sound like AI wrote this — specifically phrases like 'in today's digital landscape,' 'it's important to note,' 'leverage,' or 'delve into.' Replace them with how a real person would say it." 3. Ask Claude to add a FAQ section: "Add 3 FAQ questions with short answers (2-3 sentences each) using 'People Also Ask' style questions related to [primary keyword]."

1. In the same conversation, ask Claude: "Now create the on-page SEO checklist for this post: - Write 3 variations of the meta title (under 60 chars each, primary keyword included) - Write 3 variations of the meta description (under 155 chars, include primary keyword and a reason to click) - Suggest alt text for 3-4 images I should include (describe what each image should show and write the alt text with a keyword) - Write a URL slug (lowercase, hyphenated, under 5 words, includes primary keyword) - List 3-5 places in the post where I should add internal links, and describe what content each link should point to - Suggest 2-3 external authority sources I should link to for credibility" 2. Copy the URL slug, best meta title, and best meta description into your CMS 3. Save the internal linking notes — you'll add these when you publish

1. Go to yoast.com/research/real-time-content-analysis/ 2. Paste your blog post title into the "Page title" field 3. Paste your meta description into the "Meta description" field 4. Type your primary keyword into the "Focus keyword" field 5. Paste your full blog post into the large text area 6. Review the colored bullets that appear: - Green = good, no action needed - Orange = could improve, worth fixing - Red = fix before publishing 7. Common fixes: add the keyword to a subheading, shorten a paragraph, increase keyword density slightly 8. Make adjustments in your draft and re-check until you have mostly green bullets