On-Page SEO: 10 Key Metrics for Topical Posts
Last Updated on August 4th, 2020
This article is designed to help you create a SEO-strong topical blog post. That is, it covers the ten key metrics that should be included in a content-driven article for strong on-page SEO.
For photographers and artists who want to create optimised posts that feature their most recent session work, please see Portfolio Posts: SEO-Strong Blogging to Display Recent Work.
This tutorial is best viewed on a desktop or tablet.
Topical Posts and On-Page SEO
By topical posts, I’m referring to any content-focused article in contrast to an image-focused post where a photographer or artist displays their work.
Before we look at the 10 key metrics required for on-page SEO, let’s make two assumptions.
Firstly, let’s assume you’ve selected a keyword phrase for your topical post. Typically consisting of 2-3 words, a keyword phrase is two things:
(1) the perfect gist of your topic and
(2) what you believe searchers will most likely type in their search browser when looking for what your article covers.
This is a crucial part of the process. Get the keyword phrase wrong and you risk driving the wrong audience to your article. So yes, it is a big assumption we’re making at the start here.
Our second assumption relates to our working example … and your ability to humour me.
Imagine for a moment your name is Hiccup from Hiccup and Father Incorporated. Your website is called Dangerous Beasts. You sell a variety of products and resources that assist in the identification of dangerous beasts and in prevention of serious injury. You’re going to write a topical blog post on the terrifying dangers of squirrels (yes, squirrels!), in particular, the threat that their razor-sharp teeth pose. You hope to educate your audience on the inherent dangers of these terrifying creatures, but you also intend to point them to a key page on your site, Squirrel Protection, on which you sell various related products.
You’ve given a little thought to your keyword phrase and decided on “squirrel teeth” as your keyword phrase. Using the keyword resources above, you’ve also found the following related phrases that people use in search queries: “incisors of a squirrel,” “baby squirrel teeth” and a “squirrel’s bite.”
What do you do now? Spin your yarn with the following ten key metrics in mind…
Creating a Topical Post with 10 Key Metrics in Mind
(Toggle the green buttons to open details of each key metric. Then toggle to close before opening the next button so that you can view each metric’s details alongside the example.)


That’s it! I hope our ridiculous little example proved helpful. (And for those feint of heart, let me assure you: no squirrels were hurt in the creation of this article.)