SEO Settings for Blogger: A Complete Beginner-to-Advanced Guide (2024)

If you’re a Blogger user looking to improve your blog’s SEO, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re new to blogging or have some experience, this comprehensive guide will walk you through all the essential SEO settings for Blogger, ensuring that your blog ranks higher in Google search results.

Optimizing your blog’s SEO settings can significantly boost your organic traffic, helping you reach a broader audience and improve visibility. This guide will cover everything from basic SEO settings to advanced techniques that will take your Blogger SEO to the next level.

What is SEO and Why is it Important?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of improving your website to increase its visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs). The better your site’s SEO, the more likely it is to rank higher for relevant searches, leading to more traffic and higher engagement.

For Blogger users, SEO is essential because:

• It drives organic traffic (free traffic from search engines like Google).
• It improves your site’s search ranking.
• It increases brand visibility and credibility.

Essential SEO Settings for Blogger (Step-by-Step Guide)

Let’s dive into the most important SEO settings that you need to configure for your Blogger blog:

1. Basic Blog Settings

• Blog Title: Choose a descriptive and keyword-rich title for your blog. It should clearly reflect the topic you’re blogging about.
• Description: In the Settings > Basic section, add a meta description of around 150 characters. Use relevant keywords, but make sure it’s readable and explains the main purpose of your blog.

2. Enable HTTPS Redirect

Google considers HTTPS a ranking factor, so enabling HTTPS ensures that your blog is secure. It also redirects visitors from the non-secure version (HTTP) to the secure one (HTTPS), improving user trust and SEO.

• Go to Settings > Basic > HTTPS > Enable both HTTPS Availability and HTTPS Redirect.

3. Enable Meta Tag Search Description

Meta tags provide search engines with information about your blog. The search description helps search engines understand your blog’s content and rank it appropriately.

• Go to Settings > Search Preferences > Meta Tags > Enable.
• Write a Search Description (150 characters) that includes important keywords related to your blog.

4. Enable Custom Robots.txt

The robots.txt file helps search engines understand which pages of your blog should be indexed and which should be excluded. A properly configured robots.txt file improves your site’s SEO.

• Go to Settings > Search Preferences > Custom robots.txt > Enable.
• Use the following template, replacing yourblog.com with your blog URL:

5. Enable Custom Robots Header Tags

This setting helps search engines properly crawl and index your blog’s pages. Configuring the robots header tags can prevent duplicate content issues and improve search rankings.

• Go to Settings > Search Preferences > Custom Robots header tags.
• Enable the following settings:
  • Homepage: All
  • Archive and Search Pages: Noindex
  • Posts and Pages: All

6. Submit Your Blog to Google Search Console

To help Google index your site and monitor its performance, submit your blog to Google Search Console.

• Go to Google Search Console and add your blog URL.
• Submit your sitemap by adding /sitemap.xml the URL at the end of your blog in the Sitemaps section of Search Console (e.g., https://yourblog.com/sitemap.xml).

7. Optimize Blogger Permalinks

When creating a post, use custom permalinks to include relevant keywords in your post URL.

• Go to Post Editor > Permalink > Select Custom Permalink and include the keywords related to the post.

8. Enable Image Alt Text

Images can drive a lot of traffic from Google Images if optimized correctly. Always add alt text (alternative text) to your images to describe their content.

• When uploading an image, click on it, then select Properties. Enter descriptive alt text with relevant keywords.

9. Optimize Blog Post Structure (On-Page SEO)

On-page SEO refers to the optimization techniques within your blog posts. To optimize on-page SEO in Blogger:

• Use proper heading tags (H1, H2, H3): Make sure each post uses H1 for the main title and H2 or H3 for subheadings.
• Use internal linking to direct users to related content within your blog.
• Include keywords naturally throughout the post, especially in the title, headings, and first 100 words of the content.
• Label your posts with relevant categories (tags) to help search engines and users navigate your content more easily.

10. Optimize Blog Loading Speed

Site speed is a critical ranking factor for Google. Slow websites can result in a higher bounce rate, which negatively impacts SEO.

• Use lightweight themes and limit the use of unnecessary scripts.
• Compress images using tools like TinyPNG before uploading to reduce load times.

Advanced SEO Techniques for Blogger

To take your Blogger SEO to the next level, consider the following advanced strategies:

1. Mobile Optimization

Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites. Ensure your blog is fully responsive by using a mobile-friendly theme.

• Go to Theme > Mobile and ensure the mobile version of your blog is enabled.

2. Schema Markup

Schema Markup helps search engines understand the context of your content and can result in rich snippets (e.g., star ratings and product prices) in search results.

To add Schema.org markup, manually edit your template’s HTML code or use plugins like JSON-LD to add structured data to your posts.

3. Use AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages)

If you want to improve mobile loading speeds even more, you can implement AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages). AMP pages load faster on mobile devices and can boost your mobile SEO.

• Install an AMP Blogger template or customize your theme to support AMP.

FAQs About Blogger SEO Settings

1. What are the most important SEO settings for Blogger?

The most important settings include enabling HTTPS, configuring meta tags, submitting your blog to Google Search Console, enabling custom robots.txt and header tags, and optimizing on-page SEO.

2. Do I need to use custom themes for SEO?

Not necessarily, but using a well-coded, SEO-friendly template can greatly improve your blog’s performance. Look for responsive themes with fast load times and minimal external scripts.

3. Can I add Google Analytics to my Blogger site?

Yes, you can add Google Analytics to track your traffic. Go to Settings > Analytics Property ID and paste your Google Analytics ID to integrate it.

4. How often should I submit my sitemap to Google?

You only need to submit your sitemap once. However, if you make significant changes to your blog’s structure, it’s a good idea to resubmit the sitemap.

5. Does Blogger automatically handle SEO?

Blogger provides basic SEO features, but it’s essential to configure the advanced settings discussed in this guide to maximize your blog’s search engine performance.

6. How long does it take to see SEO results on Blogger?

SEO is a long-term strategy. It can take several weeks or even months to see significant results, depending on the competitiveness of your keywords and how well you optimize your blog.

Conclusion

Setting up SEO for Blogger is essential if you want to rank higher on Google and drive more traffic to your blog. By following the steps outlined in this guide, from basic SEO settings to advanced techniques, you’ll be well on your way to improving your blog’s visibility in search engines.

Remember, SEO is a continuous process, so keep optimizing your blog as you grow. If you have any questions or need more guidance, feel free to comment below, and I’ll be happy to help!