Simple SEO Strategies for a Brand New Blog

How to Build a Simple SEO Strategy for a Brand New Blog (Step by Step)

Starting a blog feels exciting until you hit the question that stops most people:
“How will anyone actually find this?”

You do not need fancy tools or a big budget to get traffic from Google. You just need a simple SEO strategy for new blog growth that you can set up in a weekend, then follow for the next few months.

This guide walks through that strategy step by step. Plain language, practical actions, and realistic expectations.

Disclosure: our content is reader-supported, which means we may earn commissions from links at no cost to you.

Step 1: Decide What You Want Your Blog To Do

Before you think about keywords or rankings, decide what “success” looks like for your blog.

Ask yourself:

Who am I writing for?
What problem do I help them solve?
What do I want readers to do after they read? (Join a list, buy, follow, click, share)

For example:

A side hustle blog might aim to get email signups for a weekly newsletter.
A small business blog might aim to bring people to a service page or product page.

Write a simple one-line goal, such as:

“This blog helps beginner side hustlers pick tools and learn how to launch.”

That one line will guide every SEO decision that follows. It will shape your topics, your keywords, and even the way you write titles.

If you want to see how Google thinks about helpful sites, their own SEO Starter Guide is a clear reference for what they like to reward.

Step 2: Choose a Simple Site Structure and Core Topics

Think of your blog like a small book. Instead of random posts, you have a few main chapters, then articles that support each chapter.

Pick 3 to 5 core topics that connect to your main goal. For a new blog about online business, that might be:

“Start a blog”
“Make money online”
“Best tools and software”
“Email list building”

These will become your key categories. Each category will have several posts that answer very specific questions.

A simple structure might look like:

Home
About
Blog
- Start a blog
- Tools and software
- Email marketing
Contact

You do not need a complex menu. A clear structure helps both readers and search engines understand what your site is about.

Step 3: Do Easy Keyword Research

In the beginning, you can do useful keyword research with only Google. Here is a simple process:

Brainstorm topics
Take your core topics and list questions your reader might ask.
Example for “start a blog”:
- how to start a blog on a budget
- simple SEO strategy for new blog
- best blog post ideas for beginners
Use Google autocomplete
Type a phrase into Google and see what it suggests as you type. Those are real searches.
Example: type “simple SEO strategy” and notice phrases like “for beginners” or “for blog”.
Check “People also ask” and “Related searches”
On most search results pages, you will see a “People also ask” box and “Related searches” at the bottom. These give you more keyword ideas that match real questions.
Look for long tail keywords
A “long tail keyword” is a longer, more specific phrase such as “simple SEO strategy for new blog” instead of just “SEO”. These are easier to rank for when your site is new.

If you want a deeper process with tools, Rank Math is used by pros to do full keyword research. For now, keep your method light and simple.

Aim to collect 20 to 40 keyword ideas across your core topics. That is enough for your first batch of posts.

Step 4: Turn Keywords Into a Simple Content Plan

Once you have keywords, you need a plan for posts. New bloggers get stuck here, so keep it easy.

Create “pillar” and “supporting” posts

Use this small structure:

Pillar post: A longer, broad guide around a core topic.
Example: “How to Start a Blog From Scratch (Beginner Guide)”
Supporting posts: Shorter posts that answer one narrow question and link to the pillar.
Example:
- “Best Blog Post Ideas for First-Time Bloggers”
- “Simple SEO Strategy for New Blog Launches”

This helps search engines see your blog as an organized resource, not a pile of random thoughts.

Simple title formulas that work

Good titles help SEO and clicks. Try formats like:

“How to [result] Without [pain]”
Example: “How to Get Traffic to a New Blog Without Paid Ads”
“[Topic] for Beginners: Step-by-Step Guide”
Example: “Simple SEO Strategy for New Blog Owners: Step-by-Step Guide”
“[Number] [thing] That Actually Work for [audience]”
Example: “7 Blog Post Ideas That Actually Work for New Side Hustlers”

If you want extra help with on-page SEO for each post, this guide on how to write a blog post optimized for SEO breaks down headings, keywords, and structure in more detail.

Plan your first 10 to 15 posts like this, then write them over the next few weeks.

Step 5: Optimize Each Post On Page (Without Getting Fancy)

On-page SEO is about making each individual page clear for both humans and search engines.

You can follow a short checklist for every new post.

1. Choose one main keyword

Pick one main phrase for the post, such as “simple SEO strategy for new blog”. That phrase should match what the post is really about.

Use it in:

The title
The first 100 words
One subheading (if it fits)
The URL, for example: yourblog.com/simple-seo-strategy-new-blog

Do not stuff it everywhere. If it reads wrong out loud, you used it too much.

2. Write a clear meta title and description

A meta title is the title that shows in Google.
A meta description is the short summary under the title.

Keep them simple and human:

Meta title example: “Simple SEO Strategy for New Blog Owners (Step-by-Step Guide)”
Meta description example: “Learn how to build a simple SEO strategy for your new blog using easy steps, without paid tools or an agency.”

Most blog platforms, like WordPress, let you edit these using an SEO plugin.

3. Use headings to break up content

Use one H1 for the main title, then H2 and H3 headings for sections. Search engines read headings to understand your content, and readers scan them to decide what to read first.

For more detail on blogging SEO basics, the guide on Blog SEO from Backlinko gives a solid, up-to-date overview.

4. Make your content readable

Short paragraphs
Everyday words
Lists when they help
Clear examples

If a friend cannot understand a section, rewrite it.

Step 6: Help Google Find Your Blog and Build Early Trust

SEO terms like “crawl” and “index” sound technical, but they are simple:

Crawl means Google bots visit your site and read your pages.
Index means Google adds those pages to its search database.

To help this process:

Submit your site to Google Search Console
This free tool from Google lets you tell them your site exists. You can also submit a sitemap, which is just a file that lists your pages.
Link between your own posts
When you publish a new post, link to older posts where it makes sense, and update older posts to link to the new one. This is called internal linking and it helps both Google and your readers move around your site.
Get a few simple, honest links from other sites

For a brand new blog, aim low and clean:

Add your site link to your social profiles.
Share posts in relevant communities where self-promo is allowed, but only if your post truly helps.
Ask a friend with a small site if they can link to one of your guides inside a relevant article.

A classic beginner-friendly breakdown of basic SEO steps, including links, is this step by step SEO tutorial on Reddit. It uses plain language and reminds you that simple actions add up.

Avoid buying links or using spammy tactics. They might work for a short time, then cost you traffic later.

Step 7: Track Only What Matters in the First 3 Months

You do not need dashboards with 20 charts. When your blog is new, track a few simple numbers.

Once a week, look at:

Total clicks from Google (in Google Search Console)
Top queries that bring you traffic
Which posts get at least a few visits

Ask:

Which topics seem to get some search love?
Which posts keep readers longer?
Which posts get no impressions at all?

Then respond:

Update titles and meta descriptions for posts that show impressions but few clicks.
Add internal links to posts that get traffic, so people find more of your content.
Write more posts around topics that already attract visitors.

SEO is slow at first. For a new blog, the first wins may take 3 to 6 months. That is normal. The point of a simple SEO strategy is to keep you consistent long enough to see those wins.

Bringing It All Together

A simple SEO strategy for new blog growth does not need to feel like a giant project. Over one weekend you can decide your goal, pick your core topics, find starter keywords, and sketch your first 10 posts.

From there, follow the same rhythm for each article: one clear keyword, helpful content, clean structure, and honest links. As long as you keep publishing and tweaking, your blog builds authority brick by brick.

If you are launching your blog to support a side hustle or online business, this kind of steady, simple SEO work can turn a quiet site into a real traffic asset over time.

What is one small SEO step you can take for your blog today? Pick it, do it, and then line up the next one. Consistency beats tricks every time.