Content marketing remains one of the most effective ways to attract visitors, generate leads, and build brand trust online. However, writing a good blog post is just the first step. To make sure your content ranks well and reaches your target audience, it’s crucial to understand the basics of SEO optimisation.
In this article, we’ll walk you through key SEO elements you should always include — and highlight common pitfalls to avoid, such as keyword cannibalisation.
Table Of Contents
Why Content Marketing and SEO Go Hand in Hand
Content marketing and SEO are two sides of the same coin. You can publish the most insightful article in your industry. Yet, if search engines can’t understand it or rank it, your target audience may never find it.
This is where SEO optimisation becomes essential. It helps your content get indexed correctly, appear in relevant searches, and attract organic traffic over the long term.
SEO Title
Your SEO title (sometimes called meta title or title tag) is the clickable headline that appears in Google search results. It should:
- Include your main focus keyphrase
- Be clear and engaging to encourage clicks
- Stay within 70 characters to avoid getting cut off
For example:
❌ Why Our Company Is Great
✅ Content Marketing Tips for Small Businesses | Crystal Web Solutions
Meta Description
The meta description is the short snippet that appears under your SEO title in search results. Although it doesn’t directly influence rankings, it strongly affects click-through rate.
To write an effective meta description:
- Keep it under 156 characters
- Summarise the article’s key benefit or insight
- Include the focus keyphrase naturally
For example:
Learn how to optimise blog posts for SEO success: SEO title, meta description, slug, keyphrase, tags, and more.
Slug (URL)
The slug is the part of your URL that comes after your domain name. A clean and keyword-optimised slug helps both SEO and user experience.
To optimise your slug:
- Keep it short and descriptive
- Use hyphens (-) to separate words
- Include your focus keyphrase when possible
Focus Keyphras
Your focus keyphrase is the main search term you want your blog post to rank for. It should match what your target audience is searching on Google.
Be sure to include it in:
- SEO title
- Meta description
- Slug
- Headings (H1, H2)
- Body content (naturally — avoid keyword stuffing)
- Image alt text
Example focus keyphrase for this article:
content marketing SEO basics
Tags
Tags are an optional tool to group related content together on your website. They can help users and search engines understand your content structure.
When using tags:
- Use them sparingly and strategically
- Avoid duplicating categories and tags
- Ensure tags are broad enough to cover multiple posts but not too generic
Example tags for this article: content marketing, SEO, blog optimisation
Watch Out for Keyword Cannibalisation
One common SEO mistake in content marketing is keyword cannibalisation. This occurs when multiple pages on your site target the same or very similar keywords. Instead of helping your SEO, it forces Google to choose which one to rank — often weakening your overall visibility.
To avoid this problem:
- Track what keywords each page targets
- Avoid creating multiple posts with the same focus keyphrase
- Update and consolidate older content when necessary
- Use internal linking to signal which page is most important for that topic
Other Important SEO Tips for Blog Posts
To further enhance your content’s SEO performance:
- Structure your content with headings (H1 for main title, H2 for sections)
- Optimise images with descriptive alt text
- Ensure your site loads fast and is mobile-friendly
- Add internal links to related articles
- Include external links to reputable sources where relevant
- Update content regularly to keep it fresh
Conclusion
Content marketing is a powerful tool — but only if your great content can be found. By mastering SEO basics such as SEO title, meta description, slug, focus keyphrase, and tags, you give your content the best chance to rank and perform.
Moreover, by staying mindful of keyword cannibalisation and following key SEO best practices, you can build a content strategy that drives sustainable organic growth.
At Crystal Web Solutions, we help businesses create and optimise content that performs. If you’d like help taking your content marketing to the next level, get in touch with us.
