SEO for Food Bloggers: May 2025

SEO advice can feel like it’s constantly shifting, conflicting, overwhelming, and even a bit scary to implement. What if a short-term gain leads to a long-term penalty?

Take something as simple as post dates. Some consultants say republishing content with a new date gives a short-term visibility boost. Others say that’s risky if the content hasn’t truly changed and Google sees it as deceptive. One of our clients has changed their approach four or five times over the years, depending on which SEO expert they were working with.

At cre8d, we try to keep the reader in mind. What feels best as a human is knowing when a post was published, when it was updated, and why. A short note explaining what’s changed builds trust, and trust matters to both readers and search engines.

That’s why I was glad to see how aligned Arsen Rabinovich’s recent webinar was with what Google shared in DC (which I wrote about last week). His message was clear, practical, and reassuring: the food bloggers who will thrive in this changing SEO landscape are the ones who simplify, focus, and prioritize the reader experience.

What Google and Arsen both say to do

Skip the keyword stuffing
Old tricks like writing long posts just to rank, repeating keywords, or copying what’s already ranking don’t help anymore. Be clear, useful, and get to the point.

Update old posts that have dropped
Start with posts that used to perform well but have slipped to page two. They’re still relevant and can bounce back.

Get to the recipe faster
Keep intros short. If the story doesn’t add value, cut it.

Make your content easy to scan
Use clear H2 and H3 headings and a well-organized, clean structure to help users, screen readers, and Google.

Practical SEO tips for food bloggers

Arsen shared advice based on what he’s seeing work right now. He emphasized not to romanticize the old way of doing things. What worked five years ago isn’t working now. He believes food bloggers who are willing to simplify, refocus, and prioritize the user experience have every reason to feel hopeful.

Offer a unique perspective
Google isn’t looking for ten near-identical recipes. They want to see your version, with your voice, your testing notes, and your helpful angle.

Keep intros short and specific
One or two paragraphs are ideal. Say what the recipe is and what makes it worth making.

Don’t repeat the recipe card
Avoid copying ingredients or steps from the recipe card into the body of the post. Use that space to share helpful tips, context, or insights.

The recipe card should stand on its own
A reader should be able to make the recipe successfully using just the card. Include step-by-step images there to help visual learners and reduce scrolling.

Think logically about the content below the recipe card
Imagine someone has just made the recipe or read through it. What else might they need afterward? This is the place for serving suggestions, pairing ideas, storage instructions, or links to related posts. Think of it as the natural next step in the reader’s journey.

Stay focused on the topic
Stick to one version of the recipe per post. Trying to cover every possible variation weakens the post’s authority. Skip unrelated FAQs and edge-case questions. If someone wants cinnamon raisin bread, they’ll search for that separately.

Turn repeat tips into standalone posts
If you often explain how to melt butter for baking, create a separate post and link to it. It keeps your main recipe focused and improves internal linking.

TLDR

SEO has felt pretty chaotic lately. When in doubt, go back to basics: content that’s good for real people is good for SEO.

Be super objective about your posts. What makes yours better than everything else out there? Is it helpful? Clear? Easy to understand? Focused on one purpose without distractions?

Thoughtful, transparent, well-structured content is what performs best.