How to fix your blog to boost SEO, AEO and GEO
Algorithms shift. Trends go viral. How on earth are we supposed to keep up with all the marketing BS, let alone run a successful business? Welcome to the relentless world of marketing your business online.
But here’s the hard truth.
Whether you’re a marketing manager working for a healthcare brand or a founder of a small lifestyle business, there is simply no escaping it: publishing effective, engaging, and (most importantly) consistent content is a no-brainer.
It’s the only way your people are going to find you, learn about what you do, be inspired by your mission, engage with your brand and ultimately spend money with you.
We know: publishing long-form content is time-consuming (the average blog post takes just under four hours to write). It’s not easy. We get it.
As the lovely Tan, founder of healthy snack brand NOSH and one of our Wise Women we supported in 2025, told us:
“Who wants to read yet another blog by yet another female founder? I mean how many times can I talk about flavour combinations and ingredients?”
She has a point. But trust us, your blog is the answer. In this article, we’re going to show you why you absolutely need to invest in your blog in 2026.
Your blog: your own home in a rented digital world
This bit is important: social media platforms are borrowed spaces. A single algorithm change can instantly erase your hard-earned reach. But your website, your emails and especially your blog? These are yours. Forever. And that’s pretty huge.
No external control, no sudden shifts masterminded by tech bros. Just your platform, your voice and a warmed-up audience ready for whatever it is you’re selling.
This autonomy is particularly important for healthcare blog SEO and lifestyle blog SEO, because those sectors are busy and there’s a lot of content to compete with. If you are a founder asking should I write a blog, the answer is yes, but only if it has an editorial content strategy behind it.
A well-written, beautifully researched, evidence-based and anecdotal blog article will:
Demonstrate your expertise
Build trust
Start conversations
Connect with your customers
Improve your SEO, AEO and GEO
When people land on your blog, they’re already searching for the thing that you do or the product you sell. Maybe you’ve Googled “how to write a blog that boosts SEO” or “what does AEO and GEO mean” and found this article. Hopefully, we’re going to show you we know our shit.
Our take? Your blog is an asset that should become the foundation of all your marketing efforts.
Two former journalists, one mission: moving your brand beyond the noise with an editorial content strategy that actually sticks.
The numbers don’t lie
Still wondering: “Does a blog help with SEO?” Let’s take a look at the stats.
Companies with blogs produce an average of 67% more leads monthly than companies that don’t blog (DemandMetric). That’s not a typo. Imagine the impact that could have on your business.
Brands that prioritise blogging see 13 times more ROI than brands that don’t (OptiMonster).
Websites with active blogs have 434% more indexed pages and 97% more inbound links than those without (BKA Content). We’ll explain what indexed pages and inbound links are further down, but in a nutshell, both of these things lead to better visibility in search results.
Here’s a juicy case in point. We wrote a blog for Pish-Posh Baby, a high-end US baby gear retailer, via our client Swanky Agency. The article? Your Comprehensive Guide to Baby Strollers: Where to Begin – a soft, supportive, genuinely helpful piece designed to inform, not overwhelm.
Then Swanky’s senior SEO and content manager, Anna Giles, told us something wild: one email linking to that blog pulled in $8K in just six days. Why? Because the article didn’t scream “sales pitch”. It built trust. It positioned Pish-Posh as a calm, confident authority in a noisy, high-stress parenting market. That trust translated into results – a 38% average email open rate, improved brand perception and, crucially, more sales.
Your blog isn’t just a vanity project or a safe space for you to ramble on (check out Substack if that’s your vibe).
No, your blog is a dynamic platform that keeps your audience engaged, establishes your authority, gives you a voice without fighting for attention in a chaotic social feed and ultimately drives sales.
How does blogging boost GEO, AEO and SEO?
It’s not a dark art; it’s strategy. In 2026, digital marketing isn’t just about Google links. It’s about being the definitive answer for both humans and AI. Let’s explain the marketing jargon:
GEO (generative engine optimisation)
GEO is the new frontier. AI search engines (like ChatGPT or Google Gemini) look for authority, citations, and ‘brand flavour’. An experienced lifestyle copywriter team like Salt & Sage knows that AI can’t replicate human experience. That unique perspective is exactly what GEO rewards.
AEO (answer engine optimisation)
AEO is about being the ‘chosen one’ when someone asks Siri or Alexa a question. By using clear headings and answering specific questions directly, your blog becomes the source of truth for voice search.
SEO (search engine optimisation)
Traditional SEO is about ‘indexing’. Your blog allows you to create relevant content for a wider range of keywords than a normal web page, improving your organic click-through rate. This is a metric that measures the percentage of users who click on a search engine result when it appears in search results. It indicates how appealing and relevant your site appears to users based on the search query they entered. People search for many reasons – informational, navigational and transactional. A well-crafted blog can answer them all.
Index coverage
Imagine Google as a gigantic library of every page on the internet. For Google to show your page in search results, it first has to know about it and “put it on the shelf” in its library. That’s what indexing means.
If your website has an active blog, it means Google finds and shelves over four times as many of your website’s pages compared to a website that doesn't have a blog.
More pages in the library mean more chances for people to find you when they search. Note: this takes time… SEO takes six to 12 months to show results, so be patient and consistent.
Backlinks or inbound links
An “inbound link” is simply when another website puts a link on their page that points to your website. Think of it as a recommendation or a “vote” for your content. These “votes” tell Google that your content is valuable, trustworthy and worth showing higher up in search results.
Educational and highly informative blog posts naturally attract more quality backlinks. What’s more, if your website has an active blog, it means other websites are linking to it almost twice as often as they would a website without a blog.
Internal links
Blogging creates a wealth of opportunities for internal linking between other pages on your website. By connecting your blogs by themes or content pillars (we call them narrative threads), you create a “tapestry” of content that strengthens your authority in your niche and helps search engines understand the structure of your site.
This also keeps readers on your site longer, exploring related content. Like this… >>We go deep on our “content tapestry” approach in this blog, for instance. See what we did there? ;-)
Outbound links
High-quality outbound links are like your blog’s well-read friends – they point to credible, trustworthy sources that back up your claims. Think peer-reviewed studies, respected publications or top-tier industry voices. Why do you need them? Because they build your authority, boost your SEO and show your readers (and Google) that you’ve done your homework.
How to keep your blog page fresh
At Salt & Sage, we like to think of your blog as a well-curated wardrobe – each piece serving a purpose: some tried-and-true, others ready for a refresh and a few experimental gems.
Here’s how to apply this thinking to your blog for maximum search impact:
1. The little black dress (trusty pieces)
These are your high-performing blogs that consistently drive traffic and engagement. They’re the evergreen content your audience keeps coming back to. Keep these polished and relevant with regular updates and internal links to newer, related content. They’re your foundation.
2. Old favourites (needs a refresh)
Identify older blogs that are still relevant but need optimising. This is a core part of a modern content strategy. Update statistics, add fresh insights, improve readability – such as breaking up long paragraphs – and refresh all images, image captions and alt-text.
3. New trends (experimental pieces)
Test new blog topics and formats to see what resonates. This is where you can explore emerging trends in your sector, whether it’s sustainable beauty, mindful travel or innovative health tech. Don’t be afraid to experiment with:
How-to guides: solving specific problems for your audience.
Listicles: easy to digest and share, and often perform well. (Many business bloggers argue that listicles are the most popular blog post format, according to HubSpot).
Thought leadership pieces: owning the conversation within your niche by showcasing your unique insights.
Nine practical tips to fix your blog today
Ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work? Here are nine actionable tips to help you fix your blog to boost AEO, GEO and SEO:
Solve for intent, not just volume: it’s no longer enough to know who your audience is; you need to know why they are typing that specific phrase. Are they looking for ‘how-to’ (informational) blogs or are they ready to hire a lifestyle copywriter (transactional) pieces? AEO rewards content that mirrors the exact question being asked. Our Mini BRAND ESSENCE DIY workbook is the best place to start investigating who your audience is and the transformation you offer.
Double down on E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness): AI can synthesise facts, but it can’t replicate your decades of experience. To win at GEO, include personal anecdotes, case studies and unique opinions that an AI simply couldn't invent.
Target conversational keywords and phrases: people don’t type ‘lifestyle blog SEO’ into Siri or Google. They ask: "How do I make my health blog show up on Google?" Use natural, conversational phrasing and focus on long-tail keywords that reflect how humans actually speak.
Craft a clever headline: this is your hook, the powerful words by which your blog lives or dies. Use data, ask questions or lead with curiosity. A compelling title heavily influences click-through rates. For AEO, your headlines should often mirror the questions people ask. For example, instead of “The Power of Blogging”, try “Is blogging worth it in 2026?” It makes it easier for an answer engine to identify your post as the definitive solution.
Prioritise readability and ‘snippet’ formatting: AI search engines love structured data. Use bullet points, numbered lists and bold text for key takeaways. If you can answer a question in one concise paragraph (a definition box), AEO is far more likely to pick you as the featured snippet. Use clear headings and subheadings (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to organise your content and make it scannable.
Original visuals are the new text: AI models now ‘see’ images. Stock photos are noise. Original infographics, charts and photos of founders in action prove to GEO models that you are a real, physical business, not a content farm. Don’t forget descriptive alt text—it’s essential for search.
Use intent-based call-to-action (CTA): every blog post should have a clear, relevant CTA, but it needs to reflect the content the reader has just consumed. If someone is reading a how-to guide, offer them a helpful resource. If they are reading a thought-leadership piece, invite them to join the conversation in your newsletter.
Depth beats ‘fluff’: longer posts tend to rank better (the average blog post is 1,400 words, according to Orbit Media). This is because generic 500-word posts are now obsolete (AI can write them in seconds). To rank in 2026, you need long-form content writing that goes deep. GEO rewards comprehensive content that cites credible sources.
Be consistent (and patient): SEO takes time. Expect to see results in 6-12 months. Consistency in publishing new, high-quality content is crucial for sustained growth.
Ready to own your story?
At Salt & Sage, we write strategic, story-led content that establishes you as a thought leader in your field. For healthcare, wellness and lifestyle brands – from sustainable beauty to coastal design to luxury travel – we ensure every word lands with intent.
We’re your antidote to bland, AI-generated noise: together, we’ll write stories that supercharge your SEO. It’s time to own your content.
>>Our S&S Storyteller Bundle is your all-in-one solution for consistent, high-quality content creation in the health and lifestyle niche.
