Selecting the right blog categories is important for SEO, whether you run a service-based or product-based business. Proper categories help search engines understand what your site offers. When your categories match the keywords you're trying to rank for, it increases the chances of your content appearing in search results. This makes it easier for potential customers to find your blog when they're searching for services or products like yours.
Whether you're starting a new blog or refining your existing categories, this post will guide you on how to confidently choose the right categories for your content.
To illustrate how you can approach this, we’ll use Susanna, the owner of A Perfect Shirt, as an example. Susanna recently installed DropInBlog on her online store to help optimize her blog content and enhance her overall site. If you’re not familiar with DropInBlog, it's a tool that can help you optimize your blog content, add products within your posts, and much more. You can learn more about it here.
Let’s explore how you can choose the best blog categories for your site, just like Susanna. But first, let us quickly clarify what a blog category is.
What Are Blog Categories?
Think of blog categories as the main topics or “buckets” that your blog posts will fit into. They help organize your content, making it easier for readers to find what they’re interested in and for search engines to understand what your blog is about.
How to Choose the Right Blog Categories
Relevance to Your Audience
The first step is to choose categories that are important to your target audience. Consider what your readers are interested in and what topics they frequently search for. Your categories should align with these interests to keep your blog relevant and engaging.
Keyword Research
Use tools like Keywords Everywhere to find popular search terms related to your industry and products. Incorporate these keywords into your categories to help search engines identify the topics you cover, which can improve your SEO.
Keep It Simple and Clear
Avoid creating too many categories. Stick to around five main topics that cover all the content you plan to write about. This simplicity helps readers navigate your blog easily and improves the chances of your blog getting indexed by search engines.
Consistency
Make sure every blog post fits into one of your chosen categories. This keeps your blog organized and helps search engines categorize your content effectively. Always keep your primary keywords in mind when assigning posts to categories.
Example: Choosing Blog Categories for online business A Perfect Shirt
Susanna, owner of A Perfect Shirt, sells empowering shirts with sayings, including Black history shirts, Juneteenth shirts, and HBCU apparel.
Remember, every blog post she adds to the following suggested categories should include the keywords she wants to rank for, along with keyword modifiers. This means she'll always keep her target keywords in mind when writing blog content and make sure each post is placed in the right category.
Here’s how she might select her blog categories. Again, Susanna sells empowering shirts with sayings, including Black history shirts, Juneteenth shirts, and HBCU apparel.
Black History & Culture
- Posts that explore Black history, cultural significance, and the stories behind her Black history and Juneteenth designs.
Empowerment & Inspiration
- Focus on the empowering messages in her products, the importance of representation, and how her apparel supports these missions.
HBCU Pride
- Content centered around Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including stories from students and alumni, the significance of HBCUs, and how her apparel celebrates this heritage.
Juneteenth Celebrations
- Articles discussing the history and significance of Juneteenth, ways to celebrate, and how her shirts help commemorate the day.
Black-Owned Business Spotlight
- Highlights from her journey as a Black woman-owned business, insights, and features on other Black-owned businesses she supports or collaborates with.
Style & Fashion
- Tips on how to style her t-shirts, incorporating them into everyday outfits, and the impact of fashion on cultural expression.
Community Voices
- Stories from customers and influencers who wear her apparel and support her brand’s mission.
By organizing her blog around these categories, Susanna can successfully engage her audience and improve her store’s visibility on search engines.
Want to see how many Juneteenth, HBCU, Shirts with Sayings Susanna's store ranks for? Check it out here!
Don't forget...After selecting your blog categories and writing your optimized content, you want people to know that your blog is ready to be viewed. One quick and effective way to do this is by setting up push notifications via PushOwl.
What is PushOwl?
PushOwl is a Shopify app that allows you to send out push notifications via desktop browsers and mobile devices. It's a great way to alert your audience whenever you publish new content or run special promotions. If you're not using Shopify, there are plenty of other tools available that can help you achieve the same goal.
By using push notifications, you can ensure that your audience stays informed and engaged with your latest blog posts, helping to drive traffic and boost your SEO efforts.
ADD PRODUCT WITHIN BLOG CONTENT
NARRATED BLOG CONTENT
