SEO Tips for Food Bloggers

---

1. Optimize the Blog for Voice Search

If you are a food blogger, you need to spend enough time optimizing the website for the search engines. Having unique content and attractive images will not bring traffic if Google does not index the site.
When creating an SEO strategy for the food blog, don’t ignore the importance of voice search.
Across the globe, people are increasingly relying on voice search to find answers to their search queries.
While voice search is necessary for local SEO, it is also crucial for food blogs. Many people have home assistant devices, which they use somewhat frequently, and if a person wants to try a specific recipe at home, they are more likely to ask Alexa for it when they bustle around in the kitchen. If your food blog is optimized for voice search, you will surely get more audiences.

2. Use Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are gaining more importance in recent times. These are essential when you optimize the website for voice search. However, that’s not the only reason to use long-tail keywords.
When it comes to searching for recipes, people are more likely to use longer versions.
For example, the keyword ‘cake recipe’ will bring countless results with all kinds of cakes, and it will take hours for the users to sort through the list and find what they want.
If the user searches for ‘eggless chocolate cake in the pan’ or ‘strawberry pound cake without butter,' they will directly find what they want. You will need to focus more on specific keywords like these and use them in your food blog.
Use keyword planner tool to identify popular long-tail keywords for the recipe you want to post.

3. Focus on Titles and Meta Descriptions

Titles can be highly tricky when it comes to food blogs. After all, a chocolate cake can be called just that.
Of course, you can get creative, but there is a risk of ending up with something too vague or different that users don’t even feel interested in. Or maybe it’s too creative and doesn’t suit the content.
The easiest way is to include the primary long-tail keyword in the title.
Google doesn’t consider meta descriptions for website ranking, but users read these descriptions before opening the link. You need to mention what’s in the link and use the primary keyword.
The meta description needs to be catchy and informative, but what if titles and meta descriptions are not your strong point?
It happens to a lot of us, don’t worry. Search for free online title generators and use them instead.

4. Image Optimization and Quality

Images are vital for every website. But for a food blog, they make a whole lot of difference. If you saw two food blogs with the same recipe for a blueberry cheesecake, which one would you open first?
The one with a drool-worthy image of the cheesecake decorated with fresh blueberries or the blog with a blurry shot or a half-eaten blob?
Obviously, you’d pick the first one.
Now, quality and attractiveness aside, you also need to optimize the images for the search engines. How do you do that?
Reduce the size of the image (dimensions) so that it loads faster, and then give it a descriptive name instead of using the default one (img_0101 will not do). These are called alt tags.
Use a primary keyword in the alt tag to make it easy for the search engine crawls to find your post through the image.

5. Make Use of FAQs Section

Frequently Asked Questions can bring more traffic to your food blog. People have various doubts about recipes, and they would love to find all the answers in one place.
When you have the recipe ready, go on Google and enter the keyword. You will see a list of Google Answers on the SERP. Check these questions and compile a list of 5-6 relevant questions.
Write answers in your style and add these at the end of your post. You can provide an anchor text in the beginning, to take users directly to this section.
Keep your answers brief yet informative. Add a line urging the users to comment on their questions if they still have doubts so that you can update the blog over time.
Guess what?
You can use WordPress plug-ins to create a structured FAQs section for the blog.

Related : Benefits of Using WordPress SEO Plugins

Related : Top Yoast SEO Plugin Features & FAQs

6. Upload Recipe Videos

YouTube is considered the second largest search engine for a reason. Visuals are attractive and informative.
If a text recipe is not clear enough to understand, users will search for the video version, and in fact, some people rely only on video recipes. It helps gain a global audience, especially if you add subtitles to the video.
Food blogs are one area where podcasts aren’t popular. We’d rather watch how the pecan pie is made rather than listen to it and miss an important step, right?
Make videos of your recipes and edit them. You will need to invest in a good camera and tripod along with video editing tools. Post the videos on your YouTube channel and link them to your blog post.
Backlink to the recipe’s post in the YouTube video description. That way, your food blog and YouTube channel will get views. And don’t forget the keywords.

Related : YouTube SEO Techniques to Get Increasing Video Views

7. Choosing Categories and Tags

Categories and tags are how a food blogger separates and arranges recipes in a structured manner. Using tags will help you and your visitors to find a recipe without getting lost in the maze of posts on your blog.
Is there anything more annoying than not knowing where a particular recipe is?
WordPress lets you create categories and tags to group similar posts together.
When you have multiple recipes using a particular ingredient or recipes that cater to a limited audience (Keto recipes, sugar-free recipes, low-carb diet, etc.) categories, then tags will help you bring them together under one section.
Users can directly visit this section to search for a recipe they want. It also makes it easy for the search engine crawls to identify and index your food blog posts and display them for the relevant search queries.

Related : SEO Tips for Your Blog Posts

8. Have Blogs Drafted in Advance- Stay Consistent

Being consistent is vital for a food blogger as there is too much competition out there. Several bloggers are looking to make money from food blogging, and the stakes are very high for you to keep your visitors interested in your recipes.
If you go away on an extended holiday, you might have to start from scratch again. Draft your recipes in advance and post them as per a schedule.
Not only that, you need to try the recipe in advance and have them on your blog much before the season arrives. Don’t wait until autumn to post the recipe for a creamy squash soup.
Your users will want to note down the recipe much earlier, and if they don’t find it on your food blog, they’ll go elsewhere. It takes time for SEO to work its magic, and you need to prepare for it.

9. Post Longer & Personalized Content but Use Anchor Links

Did we just hear you sigh?
Worry not; we empathize with you. Some users want food bloggers to post only the recipes and the relevant pictures. They complain about not wanting to scroll through paragraphs of backstory while other users exactly want the opposite.
They love personalized food blogs where the bloggers talk about how they came across the recipe, the failed attempts, funny anecdotes, and more.
How can you cater to both kinds of users at the same time?
Clearly, the recent updates from Google made it apparent that long-form content is the way to succeed with SEO for your food blog.
Create those long posts and include the well-researched keywords. But make sure to add an anchor text and link directly to the recipe section at the beginning. Those who don’t like to read the backstory will skip to what they want.

Related : Common Keyword Research Mistakes People Often Do In SEO

10. Make the Most of Internal Links

Who will promote your recipes if you don’t?
And the easiest way to do so would be to add internal links between different recipe posts. Of course, linking all posts to each other would only annoy the visitors, but with a planned approach, you can help users find related recipes on your food blog without searching for them.
Let’s take the example of chocolate cake. We know that there are at least half a dozen different recipes using a variety of ingredients.
You can internally link these recipes with one another so that the visitor will read a couple of them and choose the one they like the best. It will naturally increase the page views and boost SEO results.
You can also link to a vanilla cake or cupcakes to steer the users in another direction.

11. Use Online Free SEO Tools- Keep Track of the Site’s Performance

As we’ve mentioned earlier, your great grandmother’s recipe is of little use if it is on the 6th page of the search results. You need to know how your food blog is doing, and for that, you need to focus on monitoring and tracking the website's performance.
Luckily, there are various free SEO tools that will help you with this. Google Analytics is a must-have tool for every blogger. However, your job doesn’t end here. You need to what your competitors are doing.
If you and your competitor have the same recipe, whose website shows up on the top in search results?
Why is yours at the bottom of the first page or on the second page?
Which keywords did the competitor use?
What is their page loading speed?
What is the domain authority of that food blog?

12. Don’t Forget Genuine Backlinks

Genuine backlinks improve the quality of your food blog and also help increase visibility.
The domain authority of your food blog will improve if you get backlinks from trusted sources. It will, in turn, increase the website rank on the search engines.
You can get backlinks by writing guest blogs on reputed sites. These do not have to be food blogs either. You can share your expertise on other platforms with a good readership base.
Similarly, you can participate in blogathons and other blogging events to attract new visitors to the website. You will get backlinks when you comment on their posts.
Answering queries on forums like Quora and Reddit also help generate backlinks to your food blog.
Ask your followers to tag your page (and provide the link) when they try your recipe. It will also constitute backlinks from social media.

Related : Legit Ways to Earn Backlinks to Your Site

13. Clean and Fast-Loading Website

We understand that ads, product commissions, and affiliations are sources of your income from the food blog.
However, these shouldn’t be the reason for your visitors to stop checking your website. It gets irritating to close the pop-ups frequently to read the recipe when it comes to mobile users. People don’t want to scroll down one ad after another to read the recipe.
Bring a balance between the ads and the content. Work on technical SEO (or hire an SEO expert to audit the site) and improve the loading speed.

Related : Common Technical SEO Issues And Fixes for Your Website

The faster your food blog loads, the happier your visitors will be. If you want to win the SEO game, you need to keep your followers engaged and eager for more posts. Use the free SEO audit tools to check the site’s performance regularly.

14. Featured Snippets and Content Structuring

Does content structuring really impact SEO? Well, it does, but differently?
Are you confused?
We’ll explain.
Google may not understand it, but your visitors do, and if the blog post doesn’t have any structure, they are likely to be confused and leave your website.
Create a format for your recipes and stick to it. A familiar format is soothing. You can, of course, continue to experiment within this format to make the posts more exciting.
Another aspect to consider is the featured snippets that show up as the first result on the SERPs. It is known as a zero result and increases brand awareness in the target audience. Work on making the blog artistic while focusing on the SEO strategies.
Make it easy for the followers to share the links on social media. Add the relevant widgets on your blog to facilitate one-click sharing.

SEO for Food Bloggers FAQs

---

1. How Can I Make My Food Blog Popular?

Making your food blog popular requires persistence and consistent efforts from your side. You should choose your channel first and focus on growing your blog there rather than simultaneously work on multiple channels and post half-hearted content.
Start by researching what kind of recipes you want to share, depending on the preferences of your target audience. Then choose the topics and their keywords for the blogs. Post one recipe at a time with colorful images.

2. What Is the Effective Way to Get Original Backlinks for My Food Blog?

There are two effective ways to get original backlinks for your food blog.
One is to write guest blogs on well-known blogs (these don’t have to be food blogs), and the second method is to participate in forum discussions and answer questions while backlinking to your website.
You can also ask your followers to backlink to your recipe when they try it out and share it on their respective blogs.

3. Can I Start a Food Blog for Free?

Yes, you can. You don’t need money to start a food blog. However, you need equipment to cook, bake, make and edit videos, take pictures, etc.
Nevertheless, you need to choose a platform to start your food blog. You can opt for platforms like WordPress, Blogger, and Medium or choose the exclusive food blogging sites. You will need to pay to buy the domain and host the website.

4. How Can I Bring More Traffic to My Food Blog?

You can either take the long route and work on SEO to organically increase the website traffic or take the shortcut and place PPC ads that will bring fresh swarms of traffic to the site.
However, if you want consistent and organic traffic, you will need to optimize your food blog for the search engine. Have a proper SEO strategy in place and work towards achieving your goals one step at a time.

5. What Are the Tips to Start a Successful Food Blog?

The following are some tips to start a successful food blog-

• Be authentic
• Be consistent and regular
• Keep learning and improving
• Engage with your audience
• Choose the right platform for your target audience
• Learn SEO and work on your website
• Invest time, money, and effort
• Your blog should reflect your passion
• Make use of social media
• Write better, take HD pictures & videos