When I first heard about SEO, I’ll be honest, it sounded intimidating. All those terms like “keywords,” “backlinks,” and “meta descriptions” made my head spin. But once I took the time to really understand what SEO meant and how it could help my blog grow, I realized it wasn’t as scary as it seemed. In fact, SEO is one of the most powerful tools you can use to grow your blog without having to rely on social media every single day.

Let’s break it down in a way that actually makes sense.

What SEO Really Means

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It’s the process of making your blog posts easier for search engines like Google to understand. When your blog is SEO-friendly, it has a better chance of showing up when someone searches for topics you write about. For example, if you write a post called “10 Easy Weeknight Dinner Ideas,” you want it to appear when people type “easy dinner ideas” into Google.

That’s SEO at work, connecting your content with the people who are already searching for it.

Why Bloggers Need SEO

You can spend hours creating beautiful content, but if no one can find it, all that work goes unseen. SEO helps you reach new readers organically, meaning without paying for ads or promoting every post on social media. The best part? Once a post is ranking on Google, it can bring traffic to your blog for months or even years with very little maintenance.

I still get visitors to old posts that I wrote years ago, simply because I took time to optimize them for search.

How to Start with Keywords

Keywords are simply the words and phrases people type into Google when they’re looking for something. Your goal is to include these naturally in your blog posts so that Google knows what your content is about.

Let’s say you’re writing about “how to grow herbs indoors.” Before you write, you can search that phrase on Google and see what comes up. Scroll to the bottom of the results page and look for the “related searches” section. Those are additional keyword ideas that people are actually using. You can include a few of those naturally in your post.

For example, instead of repeating the same keyword over and over, use similar terms like “indoor herb garden,” “growing herbs in small spaces,” or “kitchen herbs that grow inside.” That variety helps your post sound natural while still signaling to Google what it’s about.

On-Page SEO Basics

Once you know your keywords, you’ll want to include them in key areas:

• In your blog title
• In the first paragraph
• In subheadings
• Naturally throughout the post
• In your meta description (that short summary that appears under your title in Google results)
• In your image file names and alt text

This helps Google understand your content, but it also helps readers know exactly what they’re getting when they click your post.

Don’t Forget About the Reader

While SEO is important, never write for search engines alone. You should always write for people first. Search engines reward blogs that readers actually enjoy. When someone spends time on your post, scrolls through it, or shares it, that tells Google your content is valuable.

One of the best things you can do is make your posts easy to read. Use short paragraphs, clear subheadings, bullet points, and conversational language. It keeps readers engaged longer, which in turn boosts your SEO.

The Power of Links

Links are another major part of SEO. There are two kinds:

1. Internal links — linking to other posts on your blog.
2. External links — linking to other credible websites.

Internal links help Google understand how your blog content is connected. They also encourage readers to explore more of your posts. External links show that your content is well-researched and trustworthy. Both types can improve your SEO performance over time.

Consistency Is the Secret

SEO isn’t something that works overnight. It’s like planting seeds. The more consistent you are with writing, optimizing, and updating your content, the more your traffic will grow. Be patient and trust the process. You might not see big changes right away, but the results will come.

I like to think of SEO as a quiet helper, working behind the scenes, bringing readers to your content long after you hit “publish.” Once you start seeing those results, you’ll realize why so many bloggers swear by it.

So, if SEO has been intimidating you, start small. Pick one post this week and give it a little SEO love. Add a clear title, include a few keywords, update your links, and write a helpful meta description. You’ll be amazed at how these small steps can make a big difference.