Let’s face it: writing a blog post and hitting “publish” is the easy part. Creating content that actually gets found by your ideal customers? That’s where most businesses struggle.

If you’re running a WordPress website with Divi, you already have powerful tools at your fingertips. But like any tool, knowing how to use it properly makes all the difference between content that sits in the digital void and content that drives real traffic to your business.

After helping dozens of businesses build their online presence, I’ve learned that successful blogging isn’t about writing more—it’s about writing smarter. Here’s everything you need to know about creating blog posts that work.

Why Your Blog Posts Aren’t Getting Traffic (And How to Fix It)

Most business owners make the same mistake: they write their blog post, maybe add an image or two, click publish, and wonder why nobody’s reading it.

The problem? Search engines like Google need signals to understand what your content is about and who should see it. Without those signals, even the best-written post gets buried on page 10 of search results—and we all know nobody clicks past page 1.

The good news is that modern WordPress tools make optimization easier than ever. You just need to know which levers to pull.

The Foundation: Writing Content That Matters

Before we dive into the technical stuff, let’s talk about content itself. I’ve seen beautifully optimized blog posts that still fail because the content doesn’t resonate with readers.

Start with a clear purpose. Every blog post should answer a specific question your customers are asking. Not sure what those questions are? Check your email inbox, listen to sales calls, or look at what people are searching for in your industry.

Keep it readable. Breaking content into short paragraphs, using subheadings (H2s and H3s), and adding bullet points makes your content scannable. People skim before they commit to reading—make it easy for them to find what they need.

Aim for depth, not fluff. Search engines have gotten smart enough to recognize thin content. Generally, posts between 800-1,500 words perform best because they provide enough detail to be genuinely useful without overwhelming readers.

The SEO Trifecta: Title, URL, and Description

Here’s where most people leave easy wins on the table. Your blog post has three critical elements that determine whether it shows up in search results:

Your SEO Title

This is what appears in Google search results—not necessarily the title on your actual page. It should be 50-60 characters, include your main keyword naturally, and make people want to click.

For example, instead of “Website Monitoring,” try “Why Every Website Needs Uptime Monitoring (And the Tool That Makes It Easy).” See the difference? One is generic; the other tells a story and promises a solution.

Your URL (Permalink)

Keep it short, descriptive, and keyword-rich. Use hyphens between words. Skip the dates unless you’re running a news site.

Good: yoursite.com/uptime-monitoring-guide Bad: yoursite.com/2024/12/blog-post-about-website-monitoring-services-and-tools

Your Meta Description

This is the preview text under your title in search results. You have 135-160 characters to convince someone to click. Make it count.

Focus on benefits: “Discover why uptime monitoring is essential for every website and how it prevents costly downtime, lost revenue, and reputation damage.”

If you’re using Rank Math SEO (which has a full-featured FRRE version for WordPress sites), there’s even an AI button that generates these for you. It’s a huge time-saver, though I always recommend tweaking the suggestions to match your voice.

The SEO Checklist: Your Quality Control System

One of the best features in modern SEO plugins is the real-time checklist. It’s like having an SEO expert looking over your shoulder.

When you’re using Rank Math SEO, you’ll see green checkmarks when you’re doing things right:

• ✓ Focus keyword appears in your title
• ✓ Keyword used in your meta description
• ✓ Keyword appears in your URL
• ✓ Keyword found in your content (but not overstuffed)
• ✓ Content is long enough (600+ words minimum)
• ✓ Title is readable and compelling

These aren’t arbitrary rules—they’re signals that help search engines understand and rank your content. The more checkmarks you get, the better your chances of ranking.

Images: More Than Just Pretty Pictures

Every blog post should have at least one image—ideally several. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to handle them.

Your Featured Image is the hero. It appears at the top of your post, in blog listings, and when people share your content on social media. Make it count:

• Use high-quality images (1200×630 pixels is the sweet spot)
• Keep file sizes under 500KB (you can likely go much lower) so your page loads fast
• Use descriptive file names before uploading (not “IMG_1234.jpg”)

Alt Text matters. Every image should have alt text that describes what’s in the image. This helps with accessibility for visually impaired readers and gives search engines another signal about your content.

Optimize before uploading. A 3MB image might look great, but it’ll slow your site to a crawl. Use compression tools to reduce file size without sacrificing quality.

Organization: How Categories and Tags Work

Think of categories as the main chapters of your blog. You might have categories like “Website Tips,” “SEO Guides,” or “Client Success Stories.” Keep it to 5-10 main categories max.

Tags are more specific—like index terms in a book. They might include “WordPress security,” “mobile optimization,” or “conversion rate optimization.” Use 3-10 tags per post.

The key is consistency. Don’t create a new category or tag every time you write a post. Stick with your established taxonomy so readers (and search engines) can find related content easily.

The Publishing Workflow That Prevents Embarrassing Mistakes

I’ve seen too many businesses hit “publish” prematurely only to find typos, broken links, or missing images. Here’s the checklist I use before any post goes live:

Content Check:

• Title is clear and includes target keyword
• Content is well-written and proofread
• Headings break up the text logically
• Internal links to other relevant posts
• Call-to-action at the end

Technical Check:

• Featured image is set
• All images have alt text
• SEO title, URL, and description are optimized
• Categories and tags are selected
• No placeholder text remaining

Final Review:

• Click “Preview” to see how it looks
• Read through one more time
• Check formatting on mobile
• Verify all links work

Only then do you hit “Publish.”

Scheduling: The Secret to Consistency

Here’s a truth bomb: one viral blog post won’t transform your business. But 52 consistently good posts published over a year? That’s a game-changer.

WordPress lets you schedule posts to publish automatically at a future date and time. This means you can batch-create content when inspiration strikes and maintain a consistent publishing schedule even during busy weeks.

Pro tip: Pick a day and time and stick with it. “New posts every Tuesday at 10am” trains your audience to expect and look for your content.

After You Publish: The Work Isn’t Over

Publishing is just the beginning. Here’s what to do next:

Promote it. Share on social media, send to your email list, mention it in sales conversations. Your best content deserves an audience.

Link to it. When you publish future posts on related topics, link back to this one. Internal linking helps readers discover your content and helps search engines understand your site structure.

Update it. Content isn’t set in stone. If information changes or you learn something new, go back and update your posts. Google rewards fresh, current content. This includes looking at older posts (say older than 6 months) and looking to update something, so Google sees new ‘Last Modified’ dates in your XML Sitemap.

Measure it. Check your analytics to see which posts get traffic and which don’t. Double down on topics that resonate and adjust your strategy based on real data.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

After working with dozens of businesses on their content strategy, I’ve seen these mistakes over and over:

Keyword stuffing. Yes, you need to include your target keyword, but forcing it into every sentence makes your content unreadable and can actually hurt your rankings.

Ignoring mobile. Over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices. Always preview your posts on a phone before publishing.

Publishing and forgetting. Your blog isn’t a dumping ground for content. Each post should serve a purpose in your overall marketing strategy.

Skipping the editing pass. Everyone makes typos. Read your post out loud, use spell-check, or have someone else review it before it goes live.

Not using the theme builder when you need it. Divi’s theme builder is powerful for creating standard layouts for posts (by category, if you want), so each post structure looks uniform and blends with your site brand. I don’t recommend using Divi to create the post. Posts are generally simple. and the WordPress editor is just find for adding and editing the content. The Divi Post template will do the work on structuring it.

The Bottom Line

Creating blog posts that get found and read doesn’t require black magic or expensive tools. It requires understanding how search engines work, respecting your readers’ time, and following a consistent process.

The WordPress editor combined with good SEO practices gives you everything you need to create content that drives real results. You just need to use the tools properly.

Start with one well-optimized post. Follow the checklist. Promote it. Measure the results. Then do it again.

Over time, you’ll build a library of content that works for your business 24/7—attracting the right people, answering their questions, and positioning you as the expert in your field.

That’s the power of strategic blogging.

Ready to take your WordPress blog to the next level? Whether you need help optimizing existing content, setting up the right tools, or developing a content strategy that actually works, I’m here to help. Let’s talk about what’s possible for your business.