Stuffed peppers & SEO

Welcome to the very first edition of Macaroni & Marketing— where you’ll find delish recipes and marketing tips all in one place.

As a copywriter and social media strategist who also loves cooking and baking, I thought I’d bring the two together. IMO, foodies make the best marketers 😉

Today we’ll be sharing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) hacks and a fan-favorite, vegetarian stuffed peppers recipe.

Let’s go!

5 SEO tips to get more views

Is your content not getting the reach it should? I work with a lot of startups, and the #1 mistake I see is NOT factoring SEO into your strategy. 

SEO is basically how your content gets recognized and ranked in search engines, whether that’s Google, TikTok or Instagram. If you’re in need of a boost in views, here are 5 things you can do:

1. Use Answer The Public to come up with content ideas. Type in a keyword , and it’ll show you the top searches related to it. This ensures you’re making content that people actually care about (and are actively looking for in search engines).

   

2. Use the “Others searched for” unit on TikTok. Type in a keyword, scroll down, and TikTok will show you popular searches related to the word. You can use these as inspo for content or copy/paste those exact phrases in your captions. Don’t sleep on this one— TikTok is literally telling you what people are looking for.

3. Write in concise, crisp sentences. Whether you’re writing a social media caption or a blog post, keep it simple. Search engines get confused when there’s too much “fluff”. Cut adverbs, remove transition words and write in the active voice. You can use Hemingway Editor to help you edit.

4. Use headings and subheadings. These help break down your content so it’s easier for search engines to recognize it. Imagine the search engine quickly scanning your blog— if you have clear, concise headers, it can get a sense of what your blog is about without needing to dive deep into body text. These are also great for keeping your readers engaged 👏 

5. Link to other posts or articles. Internal linking boosts engagement across your site. You can link to related blogs, social media posts or website pages. Search engines like that you’re promoting deeper discovery, encouraging people to move from one page to another.

Stuffed peppers recipe— healthy, vegetarian meal you’re going to love

I make these stuffed peppers every week. (BTW— have you noticed my headers throughout this newsletter? Prime SEO example!)

A few summers ago, we did a family vacay in Greece and I had these amazing stuffed peppers at a restaurant in Santorini. Shortly after that trip, I moved to San Francisco for a year. That’s when I really got into my cooking/baking grind, and one of the first recipes I mastered was stuffed peppers.

I’m pescatarian, so I didn’t use ground meat, but you can easily add that in. They’re loaded with beans for protein instead.

Now, let’s get cooking.

Ingredients

• 3 bell peppers (red, yellow or orange)

• 1 cup brown rice or quinoa

• 1 can black beans

• ¾ cup corn (frozen or fresh)

• ¾ block cheddar cheese

• 2 packets of sazon 

• 4 cloves garlic

• ½ onion

• Dash of salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and chile powder

• Olive oil

• Parsley

Directions

1. Pour 1 cup rice and 2 cups water into a pot. Bring to a boil and cover immediately, turning the burner on low. Let sit for ~40 minutes. I always start with the rice because it takes the longest.

2. Preheat oven to 425, and line a baking sheet or tray with foil (sprayed with non-stick). Slice peppers in half and cut out the pits/seeds. Brush peppers with olive oil and place face up on the baking sheet. Pop into the oven for ~25 minutes.

3. Pour 1 can beans into another pot and bring to a boil. Season the beans with 1 packet sazon, salt, pepper, garlic powder and chile powder. Let boil until they thicken a bit (~7 minutes), then turn on med-low and cover.

4. In a skillet or pan, saute garlic cloves and onion in olive oil. Then pour in the rice, beans and corn. Season with 1 packet sazon, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, parsley and chile powder. Stir until combined.

   

5. Spoon mixture into each pepper, pressing down lightly to pack it. Then sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.

6. Pop back into the oven and bake for ~7 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Garnish with parsley and pair with guacamole or avocado. Enjoy!

See u next time for more recipes & marketing tips 👋 ✨

-Mia