Community Equals Success

Starting a food blog is an exciting journey—you get to share your passion for food, connect with others, and build something uniquely yours. But let’s face it: SEO (Search Engine Optimization) can feel like navigating a maze when you’re just starting out.

As someone who’s benefited from invaluable advice along the way, I’m here to share insights that will help new food bloggers tackle the challenges of SEO and grow their platforms.

This post isn’t just about the technical side of SEO—it’s about building a community where creators support one another. Unfortunately, there are gatekeepers in the blogging world who hoard knowledge and make it hard to connect.

That’s why I created Growth Culinary, a platform dedicated to empowering culinary creators. Here’s everything you need to know about starting your SEO journey and overcoming common struggles.

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The Top Struggles New Food Bloggers Face with SEO

1. Finding the Right Keywords

• The Challenge: New bloggers often struggle to identify keywords that balance high search volume with low competition.
• The Solution: Tools like Keywords Everywhere and RankIQ are game-changers. They help you uncover niche phrases like “easy gluten-free dinner recipes” or “30-minute Caribbean meals” that can set your blog apart.
• My Take: Keywords Everywhere has helped me not only with my blog SEO but also with YouTube SEO research, so make sure to check them out and have them as your browser extension. Next, RankIQ has been an amazing tool to make sure that I am up to par on adding important keywords that help me not only rank but to make sure I cover those issues if I forgot.

2. Implementing Recipe Schema Markup

• The Challenge: Recipe schema helps your posts appear in rich snippets on Google, but it can be technical and intimidating.
• The Solution: Use plugins like WP Recipe Maker or WP Tasty Recipes to automate schema markup. These tools simplify the process and increase your chances of ranking higher.
• My Take: I use WP Recipe Maker, and at first, I was confused about how to use it. But it’s important to jump that hurdle by sitting down and figuring it out. Use their documentation, tutorials, and helpful videos, or just ask them for help. Hey, even go to Reddit to find assistance—these are all the things I had to do to get help. Now, it is the best plugin I use that does so much. As a solo entrepreneur right now, having this is super helpful. The way you know a WordPress plugin is great is when they keep you updated with blogs and are constantly improving.

3. Writing Optimized Content

• The Challenge: Balancing keyword usage with engaging, user-friendly content.
• The Solution: Focus on natural keyword placement, use headings (H1, H2), and write for your readers first, then tweak for SEO.
• My Take: First of all, if you are going to have a food blog, it needs to be on WordPress—no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Next, use the Yoast plugin that actually holds your hand to get these key tweaks done.

4. Improving Website Speed

• The Challenge: Slow-loading websites can turn visitors away.
• The Solution: Optimize images using tools like ShortPixel, use a caching plugin like WP Rocket, ensure your hosting provider is reliable, and consider using The Feast Plugin.
• My Take: I use all three to optimize my site’s speed with just a click. Plus, Feast is always updating and even has a white glove service to get it done for you.

5. Building Backlinks

• The Challenge: Gaining backlinks (links from other sites to yours) is essential for SEO but difficult for new bloggers.
• The Solution: Create shareable content, like ultimate guides or unique recipes. Network with other bloggers for guest posts or collaborations.
• My Take: I still struggle with this, but that is a fault of mine because I haven’t set this yet as a priority. Right now, my priority is to create solid food blog posts, and I am in the middle of updating most of them before I even think about working on backlinks. But could I be doing it wrong? If anyone knows, please comment.

6. Making Your Blog Mobile-Friendly

• The Challenge: Many themes look great on desktop but perform poorly on mobile.
• The Solution: Choose a responsive WordPress.org (not to be confused with WordPress.com) theme and test your site using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool, which, back in December 2023, transitioned over to be a part of Google Lighthouse or in your Google Search Console.
• My Take: I highly recommend The Feast Plugin, which is tailored for food bloggers. Visit my Just Maika Cooking site to see it in action. The theme is set up for ultimate optimization, and their blog is super helpful as well. Plus, their service is personal.

7. Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

• The Challenge: Feeling discouraged by established bloggers dominating the niche.
• The Solution: Embrace your unique voice. Focus on niche topics or underserved areas, such as “budget-friendly meal prep ideas,” “easy recipes for beginners,” or “seasonal dishes with a twist.”
• My Take: We all struggle with this, even when it’s not obvious, especially if it’s something we love. Being an entrepreneur and putting yourself out in public can be nerve-wracking, especially for an introvert like me who deals with high levels of anxiety. But once I started placing myself in those uncomfortable spaces, I grew… because you grow in the light. And so does your business. That’s why SEO is important. Remember that!

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Essential Tools for SEO Success

Here are the top tools and platforms food bloggers can use to streamline their SEO efforts:

Keyword Research

• SEMRush: Comprehensive keyword and competitor analysis.
• My Take: This can become overwhelming when you get on the site. I suggest you first get your goals in order. You need to set your goals to know what your priorities are to make efficient decisions. Then from there, make a list of the things you would like to learn and search specifically for those topics. SEMRush is a site I use, and it has been incredibly helpful for targeted keyword research once you know what you’re looking for.
• Ahrefs: This is another platform that is great, particularly for for backlink tracking and advanced keyword insights.

Recipe Schema Plugins

• WP Recipe Maker: A plugin that continues to work on being a user-friendly plugin designed specifically for food bloggers to create recipe cards with structured data. It helps your recipes stand out in Google search with rich snippets.
• Tasty Recipes: Another popular option that offers customizable recipe cards with built-in schema support and excellent customer service.
• My Take: These plugins are highly recommended because they focus on SEO, which is crucial for food bloggers. I use WP Recipe Maker, and if you need help with this, don’t hesitate to ask. It’s worth learning because it simplifies the process of making your recipes SEO-friendly.

Image Optimization

• ShortPixel: Reduces image file sizes.
• TinyPNG: Compresses PNG and JPEG files for faster loading
• My Take: I use ShortPixel, and it runs in the background. You can use it for free and get your site up to date, even meeting Google’s EEAT qualifications.

🔎 What’s Google’s EEAT? Google EEAT is a set of guidelines representing Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, which Google uses to evaluate the quality and reliability of online content administered by bots and real humans.

SEO Plugins

• Yoast SEO: Provides on-page optimization guidance.
• Rank Math: An alternative to Yoast with advanced free features.
• My Take: I use Yoast SEO, and it has been great so far in helping me update my blogs to be SEO-ready. It assists with balancing keyword placements, analyzes if I’m overusing or missing keywords, and integrates with Wincher, which I use to track my search engine rankings. Its AI features, like writing an SEO-rich meta description for search engines, are incredibly helpful.

Analytics and Metrics

• Google Analytics (GA4): Tracks traffic sources and user behavior.
• Google Search Console: Monitors your site’s indexing and performance.
• My Take: These two can take some time to learn, and it is best to learn as much of them as you can because they are the best tools you can use to keep track of your search engine performance. This, in turn, helps you make better decisions and is very helpful when keeping track of your goal to become qualified for monetization ad agencies like Mediavine and Rapture (formerly Thrive). I’ve been fortunate to qualify for Mediavine’s junior program, Journey, which has given me hope to keep going because I am trying to build my career from the ground up to continue doing what I love.

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Why I Built Growth Culinary

In my journey, I’ve encountered people who were generous with their time and knowledge. These individuals made a difference, taking a moment to share advice instead of just dropping a link or brushing me off. Unfortunately, not everyone operates this way. I’ve also come across gatekeepers who make you jump through hoops for simple connections while expecting favors in return.

That’s why I’ve committed to building Growth Culinary as a supportive space for culinary creators. Entrepreneurship is hard enough without dealing with unnecessary barriers. My goal is to foster a community where we empower each other, share knowledge freely, and create opportunities. There is enough room for all of us to thrive—together.

If you’ve experienced these challenges, know that it’s okay. Some people won’t reciprocate your efforts to connect, but that’s not a reflection of your worth. Keep going, focus on those who uplift you, and leave the rest behind. You’ve got this!

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Conclusion

SEO can feel overwhelming at first, but with the right tools, mindset, and community, you can build a food blog that stands out. Remember, this journey isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress. And as you grow, don’t forget to share your knowledge with others. Together, we can build a more inclusive and supportive blogging world.

What struggles have you faced as a food blogger? Share your experiences in the comments below—let’s keep this conversation going!

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Further Readings

• Meet Chef Maika
• Growth Culinary’s 8 Core Values: A Recipe for Success
• The Philosophical Essence of Growth Culinary’s Mission
• Emoji Spam Bots are Invading TikTok!