Demand Curve - The Growth Newsletter #178

Read on demandcurve.com

The Growth Newsletter #178

The perfect SEO blog post checklist

Generative AI search results are here, but people are still clicking links.

On average, these AI responses contain 10 links to content it used to inform its answer. This will likely remain a trend. 

So, in this newsletter, we'll dive into the anatomy of the perfect SEO blog post.

Let's dive in 🫦

– Neal

Brought to you by Athena

Every founder does a lot of things they shouldn't.

To maximize your productivity, you need to delegate the busy work.

Athena doesn't just give you an assistant. They give you a productivity partner and a system for leveling up your delegation skills. Get access to:

• A dedicated assistant pre-trained in their methodology
• AI tools that supercharge your assistant's efficiency
• 100+ tried-and-true delegation playbooks
• Delegation coaching to help you become a master delegator
• A community of entrepreneurs and executives to learn from

Delegate with confidence and develop a productivity system that lets you accomplish more by focusing on what you do best.

Accept your invite →

Want to be featured in front of 101,794 founders and marketers? Learn more here.

The perfect SEO blog post checklist

Insight in partnership with our friends at Contact Studios.

You don’t need “link building” trickery to rank in Google.

Here’s a startup whose only SEO strategy was to consistently publish perfectly optimized blog posts a few times per week:

They started with zero authority, zero backlinks, and a new domain.

So, what makes a blog post “perfectly optimized?”

It's a blend of art and science. Let’s dive in.

The anatomy of a perfect blog post

Before we do, an important message:

A perfect blog post is optimized as much for humans as it is for machines. You need to make it engaging, thought-provoking, and thorough. It needs to solve the person’s problem and sustain their interest throughout the process as time on site and “terminated user’s search” are strong SEO signals.

#1. SEO metadata

No, this is not for SEO ranking. It’s to improve clickthrough rates when your post shows up on Google. Treat it like ad copy—it must be compelling.

• Title: Craft a compelling title with your target keywords. Though not a direct ranking factor, it's bolded in search results and should include a CTA.
• Description: Treat it like ad copy, hook their interest so they click.
• URL: Ensure it matches your target keywords. Avoid duplicate page structures and refrain from including years in URLs.

For example, if you’re targeting “blog post checklist” do “/blog-post-checklist”

Resources to help:

• Above the Fold Playbook (teaches header + subheader writing)
• 10 Ways to Hook People
• All our copywriting tactics

#2. Schema markup

• Implement schema types like Article, BlogPosting, and Breadcrumbs so your content displays on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). If yours doesn’t, someone else’s will.

#3. Original images

• Every image should have a descriptive Alt attribute for SEO visibility and accessibility. Don’t just lazily say “image of UI.” Describe the key elements as if someone can’t see them.
• Break up or replace large amounts of text with visuals.
• Stock photos, no thank you.

#4. Content length:

• Aim for a minimum of 700 words, adjusting based on:
  • Competition: If competitors are at 1,000 words, make a more thorough article that’s 1,500+ words.
  • Query specificity: A shorter article is probably sufficient if the keyword is super specific. If it’s broad, like “brand marketing,” then a very broad and thorough article is likely required.

Don’t just add random nonsense like AI blog post writers seem to do. Instead, add contextually relevant sections and examples to round it out.

#5. Table of contents with anchor links:

• For longer articles (1,000+ words), add a table of contents to make it easy to jump to what they care about.
• Use anchor links throughout the content for easy navigation. Google indexes these, enhancing user experience (UX) and providing valuable data.

#6. Heading structure:

• Use only one H1—the article's title, ideally with the target keyword.
• Add supporting text under each heading to add context.
• Use H2s, H3s, and H4s appropriately.
• Make headings compelling. You have to keep them interested.

#7. Internal links:

• Internal links are extremely important. Many SEO experts say they’re more important than backlinks.
• Ensure every page has internal links leading to and from it. This aids in crawl efficiency and contextual relevance.
• If you have a long article targeting a high-level keyword ( ), each section in that article could link to another dedicated blog article (ex: top brand marketing examples, what is brand marketing).
• Aim for posts to have 7+ internal links by cross-linking related articles.

#8. HTML elements:

• Use lists, tables, and accordions to capture featured snippets. This makes the post more legible and delightful for readers, increasing their time on site and the chance they terminate their search with your post (and maybe subscribe).

#9. YouTube embed:

• Ideally, pair each blog post with a complementary YouTube video. Embedding videos act as backlinks and enhance visibility on both Google and YouTube.
  • Shopify grew its YouTube to 230k subs in 18 months with this strategy.

#10. Clear, compelling CTA

• Add clear CTAs throughout the article to turn readers into leads. This can lead to better interaction metrics and conversions.
• Add contextually relevant lead magnets (email courses/PDFs) to each article.
• Add popup modals that trigger based on time on the page (a few minutes) or scroll depth (>50%).

To practice what we preach, here’s a helpful visual to go with it (click for higher-res)

Use this checklist when creating blog posts and it’ll resonate with readers and search engines alike.

Thanks to our friends at Contact Studios for help with this one.

If it’s helpful, we collaborated with them to create 4 free blog post templates. They’ve used them to generate millions in organic traffic in the past 8 months.

Zero pressure, of course. You can easily write articles without them, but they’re a nice starting point.

What did you think of today's newsletter?

😍 Loved it:  Forward to a friend, or reply—a simple 😍 will do! It really helps.

🤷‍♀️ Meh: You can unsubscribe here, or manage your subscription here.

🤔 I'm new here: You can join the party here.
🤩 Give me more: Check out all previous growth tactics in our Growth Vault.

Something fun

;0

How we can help you grow

• Read our free playbooks, articles, growth guide, and teardowns—we break down the strategies & tactics used by fast-growing startups.
• Enroll in the Growth Program, our marketing course that has helped 1,000+ founders get traction and scale revenue.
• Become UNIGNORABLE. Join the waitlist for the next cohort of our popular audience building course.
• Need help running ads? We’ve built the ads agency for startups.

• Looking for a growth freelancer or agency? We’ll match you with a vetted partner for free.

• Get in front of 101,794 startup founders by sponsoring this newsletter.

Thanks, everyone! I hope you all have sunny weekends ;0

Neal O'Grady

Justin Setzer