Business Blog Post Writing and SEO Checklist for 2025

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Business Blog Post Writing and SEO Checklist

 

 

This is a very basic outline of SEO blog post writing. It does not dive into advanced topics like LSI (latent semantic indexing), SERPs (search engine results pages), EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust), keyword research, or other deep SEO strategies. Instead, it’s designed to get you, as a small to mid-sized business owner, started with website blogging for marketing without overwhelming.

Let’s Begin… Before You Start Your Business Blog Post Writing

Don’t write a blog post just to tick an item off your to-do list. Instead, write with purpose, for a specific audience, and with an end goal in mind.

Purpose

Going back to Composition 101: what is the reason for writing this blog post? Are you presenting yourself as an expert in your field (self-promotion), sharing information useful to prospective buyers (informative), or introducing new products or services (sales)? Clearly define your purpose before you begin.

Specific Audience

Who’s your reader—customers, clients, patients, or peers? If you’ve heard of a buyer persona, it’s a clear and detailed profile of your ideal reader based on research and insights into their interests, challenges, and preferences. Creating buyer personas helps you craft blog content that resonates with your audience, addressing their needs and keeping them engaged.

If you’re writing posts to connect with more than one audience (e.g., peers and consumers), create a buyer persona for each. When you write, keep in mind the persona you’re targeting and adjust the tone, level of language, and content accordingly. For instance, a web developer writing for peers may use technical jargon, while that same developer writing for clients might simplify terms or use analogies.

Goal

What action or takeaway do you want from your readers? If you’re pitching a product or service, include a call-to-action (CTA) that encourages readers to order or learn more. If you want readers to set up a consultation, link to a contact form or appointment number. For blogs focused on sharing information, guide readers to related articles or resources for further learning.

Once you’ve outlined the purpose, audience, and goal, use the following checklist to optimize your blog post for SEO.

Before diving into the checklist, I recommend installing a plugin to streamline your SEO efforts. Two excellent options are SEO by Yoast and All in One SEO (RankMath is another choice). While I prefer their paid versions for additional features, the free versions are also effective and a great starting point if you’re on a budget.

Blog Post Writing for Business SEO Checklist

Cornerstone (Pillar) Content or Regular Blog Post?

How long should your blog post be? That depends on whether it’s cornerstone content or a regular blog post.

Cornerstone content is a comprehensive and in-depth post that serves as the foundation of your site’s content strategy. It covers key topics your audience frequently searches for and is designed to link to and from related posts, boosting SEO and authority in your niche. Cornerstone content is evergreen (content that stays relevant over time) and typically runs between 3,000 to 6,000 words, featuring headings, subheadings, and detailed sections.

When to use cornerstone content: Focus on this type when targeting highly competitive keywords or phrases critical to your business or industry.

Regular blog posts, by contrast, are shorter—usually 500 to 800 words—but can still rank well if they are high-quality and purposeful.

Focus Keyword

Define a focus keyword or phrase for your post—the term you want it to appear under in search results. For local businesses, include geographic references naturally within your content.

Once you’ve written your post (or as you write), ensure your focus keyword appears in these areas:

Other Factors

 

How Many Blog Posts?

At a minimum, aim for one post per month. Ideally, strive for 4 to 6 posts per month (one or more per week). Yes, AI tools like ChatGPT can assist with writing, as long as you ensure the content is unique and retains your voice—but that’s a topic for another day!

 

More Bang for Your Word Count

Repurpose your blog posts to maximize their reach:

 

Blog Post Writing for Your Business is Beneficial

With today’s AI tools, your expertise, and a wealth of free and paid resources, small to mid-sized businesses have more opportunities than ever to connect with their audience online. All it takes is the decision to begin. If you’d like assistance, check out our “Marketing Tasks Off Your Plate” service, especially the “Google Business Updates + Blog Posts” section.

If you want to know the benefits of blogging for your business, check this post out.

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