Most small business owners write blog posts and then wonder why no one reads them. The content might be genuinely useful. The writing might be excellent. But if the post was not built for how search engines discover and rank content, it will sit unread.
Learning how to write blog posts that rank on Google is a learnable skill. It does not require an expensive agency or technical expertise — it requires understanding a handful of principles and applying them consistently. Here is exactly how to do it.
Start With Keyword Research Before You Write a Single Word
The most common mistake small business bloggers make is choosing topics based on gut instinct rather than search data. Writing about what you find interesting is fine for a personal journal. Writing to rank on Google requires knowing what people are actually searching for.
Before starting any post, answer these three questions:
What terms are people actually searching? Use Google's autocomplete to discover real queries — start typing your topic and see what Google suggests. Google Search Console shows you what terms are already sending traffic to your site. Free tools like Ubersuggest or the keyword research features in Ahrefs or Semrush give you monthly search volume data.
How competitive is this keyword? A brand-new website has essentially no chance of ranking for "best digital marketing agency" — that keyword is dominated by major publications and national agencies with years of authority. But the same site might rank well for "digital marketing tips for Frederick MD restaurants." Targeting realistic keywords is not settling — it is strategy.
What is the search intent? Search intent is the most important concept in keyword research. Someone searching "how to write a blog post" wants a tutorial. Someone searching "blog writing service Frederick MD" wants to hire someone. Your content must match the intent of the keyword you're targeting. If it does not, you will not rank regardless of how good the content is.
Aim for long-tail keywords — specific multi-word phrases with lower competition. They are easier to rank for and typically attract visitors with clearer intent who convert at higher rates. Read our full keyword research beginner's guide for a deeper walkthrough of the process.
Structure Your Post With Clear Headings That Signal Content
Google reads your heading hierarchy — H1, H2, H3 — to understand what a post covers and how the content is organized. Well-structured posts also keep readers engaged longer, which sends a positive behavioral signal to Google. Both effects improve your rankings.
Use headings this way:
- H1: Your main post title with the primary keyword included naturally. Every page should have exactly one H1.
- H2: Major sections of the post. These should be informative on their own — a reader skimming only the H2s should understand the entire post's structure.
- H3: Sub-points within a section when a section has multiple distinct components worth separating.
Beyond headings, break up body text with short paragraphs, bullet points, and numbered lists. People do not read web content the way they read books — they scan first, then read what looks relevant. Write in a format that rewards scanning.
Walls of unbroken text drive readers away. Readability is not just a user experience consideration — it directly affects how long people stay on your page, and time on page influences rankings.
Place Your Keyword Strategically — Without Forcing It
Your primary keyword should appear in specific high-value locations throughout the post. Google gives extra weight to keyword placement in:
- The post title (H1)
- The first 100 words of the post
- At least two H2 subheadings
- The meta description
- The URL slug
After those placements, write naturally. Forcing your keyword phrase into every paragraph is called keyword stuffing — it makes content worse and can trigger penalties. Use natural variations and related terms instead. If your keyword is "how to write blog posts that rank on Google," related terms like "SEO content," "search ranking," and "Google algorithm" signal the same topical relevance without repetition.
Internal Linking Builds Site Authority and Keeps Readers Engaged
Every blog post is an opportunity to guide readers deeper into your site. Internal links — hyperlinks from one page on your site to another — serve two important purposes: they help Google map your site's structure and pass authority between pages, and they keep visitors engaged longer by pointing them to relevant content.
When writing any new post:
- Link to related posts on your blog where a topic naturally connects (this post might link to a post about SEO content optimization or local SEO strategies)
- Link to relevant service pages when the content provides a natural transition ("if you need help with content strategy, see our content services")
- Use descriptive anchor text — "read our guide to email list building" is far more useful to Google and readers than "click here"
A reliable rule: include at least 2 to 4 internal links per post. More than that risks feeling forced.
Not getting the search traffic your content deserves? Amble Media Group helps small businesses in Frederick, MD build content strategies that rank and convert. Contact us for a free consultation.
Write a Meta Description That Earns the Click
Your meta description — the short text that appears under your title in Google search results — is not a direct ranking factor, but it determines whether people actually click your result. A search result that ranks third but has a compelling meta description will often get more clicks than the result ranked first with a generic one.
Write meta descriptions that:
- Stay between 150 and 160 characters (longer gets cut off on most devices)
- Include your primary keyword naturally
- Communicate a clear, specific benefit — what will the reader get from clicking?
- Sound like a human wrote them, not a robot stuffing in keywords
Write your meta description before you write your post. Forcing yourself to summarize the value of the post in 160 characters is a useful discipline that sharpens the post itself.
Content Length: How Long Should a Blog Post Be?
The honest answer is: as long as it needs to be to fully and specifically answer the reader's question — no longer. That said, research consistently shows that longer, more comprehensive content ranks better for competitive keywords because it demonstrates depth of coverage.
For most business blog posts, aim for 1,000 to 2,000 words. Shorter posts can rank if the keyword has low competition or the search intent is satisfied by a brief answer. Longer posts make sense when you are covering a genuinely complex topic or targeting a highly competitive keyword.
What matters more than raw length is completeness. Look at the posts currently ranking in the top three for your target keyword. What do they cover? Are there questions they leave unanswered? Write a post that covers everything they cover, plus the gaps they miss.
A focused 1,200-word post that answers every relevant question will consistently outperform a padded 3,000-word post full of filler.
On-Page SEO Elements You Should Not Ignore
Beyond headings and keywords, several technical elements affect how Google evaluates your post:
Title tag: This is the clickable headline in search results. It should include your primary keyword, ideally near the front, and stay under 60 characters to avoid truncation.
Image alt text: Every image on your page should have descriptive alt text that explains what the image shows. Alt text helps Google understand image content and improves accessibility for screen reader users.
URL slug: Keep your post URL short, descriptive, and keyword-rich. Delete filler words like "a," "the," and "of." The URL /how-to-write-blog-posts-rank-google is better than /2023/02/15/how-to-write-blog-posts-that-rank-on-google-tips-for-small-businesses.
Page speed: A slow-loading post drives visitors away before they read anything. See our post on how website speed affects SEO rankings for specific fixes.
Consistency Compounds — Publish Regularly and Watch the Results Build
One well-optimized blog post per month, published consistently, will outperform five posts in January and nothing for the rest of the year. Google rewards sites that maintain an active, consistent publishing cadence. Each post you publish is another indexed page, another set of keywords you can rank for, another opportunity for other sites to link to you.
Set a realistic schedule — weekly is excellent, monthly is sufficient for most small businesses — and commit to it. The businesses that dominate their local search results through content did not get there with a single brilliant post. They got there by publishing consistently over months and years.
Pair your blogging effort with a complete digital marketing strategy that reinforces the authority you are building through content.
Frequently Asked Questions About Writing Blog Posts That Rank on Google
How long should a blog post be to rank on Google?
For most competitive topics, aim for 1,000 to 2,000 words. Length alone does not determine rankings — completeness does. A 1,200-word post that thoroughly answers the reader's question will outperform a padded 2,500-word post. Look at what the top-ranking posts cover for your target keyword and make sure your post matches or exceeds their depth.
How many keywords should I use in a blog post?
Place your primary keyword in the title, first 100 words, at least two H2 headings, and the meta description. After that, write naturally using related terms and variations. Keyword stuffing — forcing the exact phrase into every paragraph — makes content worse and can actually hurt your rankings.
What is search intent and why does it matter?
Search intent is the underlying goal behind a search query. A post about "plumber near me" should not read like a tutorial on plumbing — people searching that phrase want to hire someone, not learn a skill. Matching your content to what the searcher actually wants is one of the most important factors in whether your post ranks.
How long does it take a blog post to rank on Google?
For new websites, typically 3 to 6 months before meaningful ranking movement. For established sites with existing authority, a well-optimized post can rank within weeks. Consistency over time compounds — the longer you publish regularly, the faster new posts tend to gain traction.
Do internal links really help with SEO?
Yes. Internal links help Google understand your site's structure and distribute authority between pages. They also keep visitors on your site longer by pointing them to related content, which sends a positive engagement signal. Include 2 to 4 internal links in every post as a baseline practice.