On-Page SEO: A Guide for Food Bloggers

One skill you have to master as a food blogger is search engine optimization or SEO. On-page SEO is especially important to learn.

“But it’s hard! SEO is complicated! It’s overwhelming! It’s boring!”

Yep, we’ve heard all of those objections. Heck, we’ve said all of them. But just because something’s hard or boring doesn’t mean we don’t have to do it. 

If anyone has told you that being a food blogger is always easy and fun, they lied. 

We say that while it’s sometimes easy and fun, it’s always doable. We’re sure that if you follow the steps we outline in this guide, you can become proficient in on-page SEO. 

No, it might not be lots of fun but yes, you can do it.  

The Food Writing School uses the YOAST plugin for WordPress for on-page SEO. There’s a paid version with extra bells and whistles. But the free version is fine for most websites.

The plugin won’t fix any on-page SEO problems you might have. YOAST won’t rewrite a headline for you, for example. It will, instead, highlight the problem and call it to your attention so that you can fix it.

The plugin grades your post with green (good), orange (needs improvement), and red (bad) bullets for individual issues. You’ll see green, orange, and red smiley faces for total SEO and readability.

By the way, The Food Writing School is not a YOAST affiliate. We don’t earn any commission from YOAST sales.

WHAT IS ON-PAGE SEO

There are three types of SEO – on-page SEO, technical SEO, and off-page SEO. We’re focusing on on-page SEO for this guide. 

On-page SEO is the practice of optimizing web pages, including visible content and the HTML source code, to rank higher in search engines.

Good on-page SEO requires creating content that readers are searching for. (As a food blogger, you want to meet your readers’ needs.)

For our purposes, optimizing content also includes making it engaging and accessible for readers. 

The end goal here isn’t simply getting your content searched and indexed by Google. You want your content found and used by readers. 

So we define on-page SEO as creating content that search engines can find, search, index, and rank, that readers are searching for, and that’s engaging and accessible for readers.

Not fun and easy, we admit, but completely doable. 

HOW SEARCH ENGINES WORK

While there are several search engines, for this guide we’ll focus on Google. With more than a billion users each month, Google has more than 90% of the searches in the world. All search engines work in basically the same way.

Think of Google as a digital library. Instead of books, it contains copies of websites and webpages.

Basically, Google does two things. 

First, it gathers information. It sends out Googlebots or “spiders” to crawl through each public site and page.  Google adds all of that information to its search index.

Second, Google uses that information to answer user queries. An algorithm ranks hundreds of factors to find the best matches.

Google understands and rewards specific writing and formatting practices. Incorporate those practices in your writing and you’ll make Google’s spiders happy. 

Write in an engaging, comprehensive manner about relevant, fresh topics and you’ll make your readers happy. 

Do them both at the same time and you’ll have a winning website.

Write for People First, and Google Second.

HOW TO PERFORM ON-PAGE SEO

CONTENT

Write for people first, and Google second

It’s tempting to write for Googlebots and forget that eventually real, live people will be reading your posts. The two want different things. Bots want order, keywords, meta descriptions, and URLs. Readers want spark, shine, and useful information. Write for people first. Satisfy your readers first and then employ the on-page SEO techniques.

Craft an engaging title using words that evoke emotions

Titles are the first thing readers see. Many readers won’t go past the headline. In order to get them to read the article, promise them something valuable in the title. Good titles elicit strong emotions, they entreat and entice readers. You’ll see more suggestions about titles in the technical section, but first craft headlines for your readers.

A bot will be happy with “Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe” as a headline. It’s accurate and tells Google what it needs to know. Readers want “A New Twist on Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies.”

Add the year to the title if the content is updated or brand new

Some content is quickly outdated. Add the year to a headline if the content is updated or new.

Consider these two headlines: “The Best Air Fryers” and “The Best Air Fryers 2021.” Which would you read?

Craft a strong opening

A strong opening ensures that readers engage with the article, it prompts them to continue reading.

A strong opening won’t impress a Google bot but it will go a long way with your readers.

Write at least 300 words minimum per post

Google tends to rank longer, comprehensive content higher but that doesn’t mean senseless filler is ever okay. At the minimum, 300 words per post satisfies the bots and we think any topic worth writing a post about can’t be covered adequately in less than 300 words.

If you have only 250 words to say on a subject, do you really need to write a post on it?

Create original content

Of course, original content always ranks higher with both Google and readers. Duplicating your own content isn’t a great practice. (Updating content is different.) Duplicating other people’s content is a very bad practice.

As a food blogger, you’ll be bound by practicality to repeat some topics. You might have a fried chicken recipe or a chocolate chip cookie recipe. It’s up to you to make your fried chicken and chocolate chip cookie recipes new and fresh if you want to rank with Google and earn readers.

Write actionable content

Content should be actionable. Just giving readers information isn’t enough. The goal is to give them information that they can use, that makes their life better or easier somehow.

Create valuable content

As with actionable content, the goal is to give readers information they can use. Give readers value and they will appreciate it.

If you give your readers nothing but fluff, they won’t return to your website. Why should they? There’s nothing new or valuable there for them.

Craft relevant content

As a food blogger, you should create relevant content for your readers. That means food-related content. That’s what your readers want from you.

If you suddenly create a post on how to paint bathroom cabinets, it would confuse your readers. And rightly so.

It could be a brilliant post on how to paint bathroom cabinets but it would be irrelevant. It would be useless to your readers.

Produce linkable content

When we say linkable content, we mean content so good that others will want to link to it.

Links from other websites boost your credibility with Google.

Make sure you satisfy your reader’s search intent

Think about how readers find your content on Google. They enter a search term, a query.

If they enter “quick chocolate chip cookies,” and get your recipe, they’ll be frustrated if it isn’t a quick way to make chocolate chip cookies.

Good writing delivers on whatever is promised. Make sure your quick chocolate chip cookie recipe produces just that.

Some people want to rank for several search terms. They employ SEO that ranks for quick, easy, simple, fast, best, effortless, painless, delicious, no-bake, healthy, vegan, uncomplicated, tasty, kid-friendly chocolate chip cookies. You can imagine readers’ frustration when the recipe isn’t no-bake, healthy, vegan, simple, or fast.

Accurately credit any sources you use 

If you use information from an outside source, be sure to credit it correctly and include a link.

Make your content skimmable

Use subheadings to break up long sections of content. Readers like to skim. Subheadings give readers an idea of what each section contains.

Make sure your information is current and up-to-date

Nothing will turn a reader off like out-of-date information. Dated information is pretty much useless. Readers will resent having their time wasted. Make sure the information you’re giving your readers is up-to-date.

Write comprehensive content

There’s too much competition online to think you can get away with providing readers with thin content. Cover your topic completely.

If you do cover only a section of your topic, consider making the post part of a series.

Keep your post easy to read (6th to 8th-grade level)

Write at an easy-to-read level. The average American reads at a 9th-grade level. Most website reading is casual reading for entertainment. Aiming for 6th to 8th-grade level means your readers won’t have to run to the dictionary every few minutes.

Think of an average newspaper, not the Wall Street Journal, your local daily newspaper. Match its reading level and you’ll be on target.

And you can use the free Hemmingway app. It determines reading level, notes passive voice, lengthy sentences, and more.

Keep your paragraphs short

Short paragraphs are best for readability. Two or three sentences are fine. Five and six sentences are too long.

Vary your sentence structure

Use some simple sentences, some compound, some complex. Use independent and dependent clauses. Include declarative sentences, imperative sentences, interrogative sentences, and even exclamatory sentences. Mix them up.

A variety in sentence structures changes the rhythm for readers. That makes content more interesting.

Keep your sentences short

The majority of online readers use mobile devices. Mobile screens are smaller and short sentences suit them.

A short sentence can be seen in its entirety on a mobile screen.

Use an active voice

Review active versus passive voice if you need to. Basically, “Amy posted a video to Facebook” is active voice. “A video was posted to Facebook by Amy” is passive voice.

Active voice produces better content for your readers.

Employ transition words

Words like “and,” ‘but,’ “or,” and “because” are transition words. They show readers that phrases and sentences are connected. They move readers forward.

YOAST SEO looks for at least 30% of your sentences to include transition words.

KEYPHRASE

Use an original keyphrase, one that you haven’t used before

Writing about the same keyphrase over and over is a bad idea. Try to find different approaches and angles to topics to avoid repeating yourself.

For example, you have several recipes for pot roast. Okay, one keyphrase is “simple pot roast.” Another is “traditional pot roast.” Another might be “hearty pot roast.”

Think about what makes each recipe or topic different. Include those differences in your keyphrases.

Keep the length of the keyphrase to four words

Keyphrases are best when they’re four words or shorter.

Use the keyphrase in the first half of your title 

Use your keyphrase in the first half of your title for best on-page SEO.

Keep exact keyphrase density to one per 300 to 600 words (whatever’s natural)

Please, no keyword stuffing. Use your exact keyphrase only as often as seems natural.

We’ve seen posts with 3,000 words and six exact keyphrases that read and ranked well. We’ve also seen 1,000-word posts with four exact keyphrases that read and ranked well.

There’s no hard and fast rule that says you must use one exact keyphrase for every so many words.

Use the exact keyphrase in your title and your opening paragraph. After that, only as seems natural.

Use keyphrase synonyms as well as the exact keyphrase

You might use a synonym of your keyphrase or a past-tense version of it in your post. That’s fine. You don’t have to use the exact keyphrase if it sounds awkward or makes more sense to use a synonym. Remember, write for readers first and bots second.

Include the keyphrase or synonyms in some of your H2 and H3 subheadings

Use H2 and H3 subheadings to break up long sections of content. Include your keyphrase or synonyms of it in some of your subheadings. Again, you want your writing to sound natural AND satisfy on-page SEO at the same time.

Use your keyphrase in your URL

Craft your URL so that it includes your keyphrase.

Good on-page SEO means that your content is easily identifiable to both bots and live readers.

Have at least half of your keyphrase in your slug

Your slug should accommodate a two or three-word keyphrase. Anything longer and you may have to eliminate some words. Include at least half of your keyphrase in your slug. Use more if you can, but half is the minimum.

TECHNICAL ON-PAGE SEO

Keep the length of your title to 24 characters or less

Longer titles get truncated in Google’s preview of your post. Keeping your title to 24 characters or less insures that the whole title is seen in the preview.

Keep your keyphrase in the front half of your title. That guarentees that readers see it even if the title gets truncated.

Make sure your title is in an H1 tag

If you’re working in WordPress, your title is automatically presented in an H1 tag. If you’re working in something else, be sure to tag your headline H1.

Use a subheading for every 250 to 600 words 

Break up big sections of content with subheadings.

Subheadings help readers skim articles. They can jump to the sections that most interest them.

Again, the goal is to sound natural.

Include outbound links

When possible and appropriate, link to a website or webpage outside of your own. If you’ve used someone else’s information, be sure to give them credit and add a link.

Include internal links

Always link to another post or webpage in your own website. If you’re discussing how to freeze herbs in your post and you already wrote a comprehensive guide to storing herbs that incldues freezing techniques, link to it.

Insert a live link between paragraphs saying: “See our Guide to Storing Herbs: How to Dry, Freeze, and Dehydrate Common Herbs for more information.”

If it’s not appropriate to do so in the body of your content, link to a related post at the end of your post.

It can be something as simple as, “For more brunch recipes, visit 12 Ideas for an Elegant Brunch.”

No related post to link to? Link to a post that could use some traffic instead.

Make sure your post is mobile-friendly

Be sure to preview your website page or post in mobile view as well as desktop mode. The majority of readers online use mobile devices to surf the web and you want to be positive that they can read your page or post without inconvenience.

Write a meta description that includes your keyphrase in the first half and is 120 to 150 characters long 

This is simple and direct. A meta description is used by Google to describe the contents of your post. You should write it using your keyphrase in the first half of the description. The description should be between 120 and 150 characters long.

Keep your URL short

If you’re working in WordPress, you can format your URL in different ways. With and without posting dates, for example. We suggest no posting dates, by the way.

Keep the URL as short as possible. It should still be descriptive but short.

Boost your page loading speed

Keeping your loading speed as quick as possible. A few milliseconds won’t matter but a few seconds will.

Readers don’t like to wait for websites to load and Google wants to deliver a good experience to users. That means slow-loading pages and posts get knocked down in rank.

IMAGES

Use original images if at all possible

Using original images isn’t usually a problem for food bloggers since they tend to present their own recipes and take their own photos. Just keep in mind that original photos are always best. If you do have to recycle some, try to vary them.

Try a different, unused shot of a birthday cake rather than repeating one you used before. Even if you’re referring to the same cake recipe, use an unused, original photo if you can.

Use clear, concrete images, not abstract or symbolic images

Remember that your readers want to see exactly what they can expect if they make one of your recipes. Use clear, engaging images that give your readers something to aspire to. No wild effects. No abstract or symbolic images. Clear, concrete images are best.

Give all of your images alt attributes

When you load your images to your website, you should add alt attributes to them. These are used for visually impaired readers.

Be accurate and concrete in your descriptions. A vanilla cupcake is simply “a vanilla cupcake.” You don’t have to say “The photo shows a vanilla cupcake.”

If there’s text on the image, you can add “The text on the photo reads …”

Give all of your images accurate, descriptive names

When you download your images from your camera, the image is labeled something like IMG-1003. You’ll need to rename it before you use it on your website.

If the photo is a picture of a vanilla cupcake, label it “vanilla cupcake.” Stick to accurate, descriptive names. Nothing like “delicious creamy vanilla cupcake.”

Of course, if you have dozens of vanilla cupcake images, you’ll have to get creative. “Close-up of a vanilla cupcake,” “straight on vanilla cupcake,” and the like.

Compress your images 

Uncompressed images will slow your website loading speed. And slow loading speed will negatively affect your ranking with Google. Compress your images.

There are lots of WordPress plugins that you can use to automatically compress any images you add to a post.

CONCLUSION

Good on-page SEO satisfies both Googlebots and human readers. It requires creating content that search engines can find, search, index, and rank, that readers are searching for, and that’s engaging and accessible for readers.

ON-PAGE SEO GLOSSARY

Algorithm – a computer program Google uses to rank websites and pages. The Google algorithm decides which websites and pages are shown in response to a user search or query.

Alt attribute – alternate text for an image. If an image can’t be displayed, the alt attribute provides alternative information. Used for visually impaired readers.

Compress – Image compression minimization of the size of a graphics file while maintaining an acceptable quality.

Googlebots – Google’s web crawlers. They collect information about webpages and posts and return it to Google for indexing and ranking.

H1 tag – The HTML source code for a top level headline. Headline tags run from H1 to H6.

HTML source code – HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. Source code is the human-readable text written in a specific programming language. 

Internal links – Links to from one page or post in a website to another page or post in the same site.

Keyphrase – A keyphrase is the search term that best describes the content of a post.

Meta description – A meta description is an HTML element that describes and summarizes your page’s content for users and search engines. With a YOAST plugin, you can enter your preferred meta description. Google sometimes rewrites the meta description before it shows it to readers.

Mobile-friendly – A mobile-friendly website or page performs well on mobile devices including phones and tablets.

On-page SEO – On-page SEO is creating content that search engines can find, search, index, and rank, that readers are searching for, and that’s engaging and accessible for readers.

Optimization – In computing, to make the best or most effective use of content including rearranging or rewriting to improve the efficiency of retrieval and ranking by Google.

Outbound links – Links from one website to a different website.

Page loading speed – Page loading speed measures how quickly a website page loads for a user. Slow page loading speed definetly affects your ranking on Google.

Query – A search term entered by a user on Google. “What is a Googlebot?” is a query. “Pizza recipes” is a query.

Rank – To classify according to a grading system. Google rants websites and pages using hundreds of factors including page speed, user experience, content optimization, and more.

Search engine optimization – the practice of optimizing web pages, including visible content and the HTML source code, to rank higher in search engines.

Search intent – The purpose of a search. A user who searches for “air fryer” probably intends to buy an air fryer. A user who searches for “air fryer recipes” wants recipes. Matching search intent is important. If you want to sell air fryers, your keyphrase would be “air fryer.” It would be a mistake to use “air fryer” as a keyphrase if you’re offering air fryer recipes.

Slug – A slug is the part of a URL identifying a particular page on a website in an easy to read form. In WordPress, you can edit the slug when you write a new post.

Transition words – Transition words establishing logical connections between sentences, paragraphs, and sections of your posts. They include words such as “but, however, in spite of, nonetheless, after,” and “in contrast.”

URL – URL stands for “Uniform Resource Locator.” A URL is the address of a given unique website or webpage.

Read How to Create Food Blogging Ideas Quickly and Painlessly.