Fiction Author’s Newbie Guide to SEO
By someone who hit the wall face-first, so you don’t have to.
What Is SEO for Fiction Writers? (And Why It Matters on Substack)
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization—which is a fancy way of saying: Forcing Google to know and remember who tf you are.
If you’re a fiction writer, sci-fi author, or serialized horror storyteller trying to get discovered, you need SEO. You cannot expect Google to surface your Substack newsletter when it has no idea what your post is actually about.
Fun fact: I wrote a cursed little SEO guide for fiction authors—and now this newsletter is Google’s top hit for “dark fiction satire Substack.”
Search incognito. I’ll still be here, waiting.
Substack isn’t built to help fiction writers grow through search.
Like we discussed in the last post: The platform doesn’t reward well-written stories or immersive worldbuilding. But Google? Google can be persuaded. We’ll try peace first. Then violence.
Peace Route: Speak its language.
And that’s where I come in. I’ve translated the tech speak into Void demon-compatible terms so you don’t have to.
Table of Contents/Grimoire
Step 1: Keywords Are Your Ingredients
If you want your fiction to be found on Google, you need to drop searchable keywords into your titles, your opening paragraphs, and your subheadings. Not once. Often. Relevantly. Naturally.
Think of keywords like ritual ingredients. You’re not stuffing them in—you’re practicing alchemy here.
These are phrases your ideal reader is typing into Google at 3am, hoping the algorithm delivers something haunting, weird, and/or worth staying up for. We want Google to tell them that the thing they’re looking for is your content.
Example Fiction SEO Keywords:
Serialized fiction
Dark fantasy newsletter
Substack horror fiction
Writer journals epic crash out
Use these phrases the way your future reader would search for you. Be the answer to their search. Speak their longing before they do.
I don’t mean “think about the words they SHOULD use to find me.”
I MEAN: Literally map out your ideal reader (I can elaborate on this in the comments) and become weirdly obsessed with them. Like, to an unhealthy level.
And if you realize your reader is up at 2am googling “how to tame a soul-eating space spider,” WRITE THAT DOWN.
Now you know you need to write a post about taming space spiders (I can help with that).
Step 2: Meta Descriptions Are Spells
When someone Googles a phrase, that little preview under the search result? That’s your meta description. It’s your one-sentence pitch to both the algorithm and the human scrolling through results at light-speed.
If you don’t write one, Google will guess. And Google? Is a terrible guesser. Half the time it grabs a random sentence and turns your Substack into something that sounds like copyright law fanfiction.
Write your own. One or two lines, max. Punchy. Keyword-heavy. Click-worthy.
Example:
This Substack is a serialized sci-fi horror saga with reader interaction and psychological ruin. Come on in.
Pro tip: Drop genre, format, vibe. Use words like fiction, story, series, newsletter, and your niche genre.
Speak like you’re conjuring a reader who definitely did not consent to being summoned to your bedroom. Apologize profusely.
Step 3: Google Search Console = The Final Boss
If you want your Substack posts to appear in Google search results, you must connect your publication to Google Search Console.
Why? Because Substack does not automatically submit your content to Google. Until you manually request indexing, or your pages are indexed, you are—algorithmically speaking—a lonely forest ghost whispering into the void.
If your search traffic is non-existent, it’s probably not your writing. It’s that Google doesn’t believe you exist.
Haunt that motherfucker in a way that would make Annabelle insecure.
Here’s what to do:
Verify your Substack URL in Google Search Console.
(Use the “URL prefix” method. Paste your full Substack URL.)Submit a sitemap.
Try:
yourhandle.substack.com/sitemap.xmlIf that fails, create a manual archive of your posts and link it as your sitemap.
(Yes, it’s stupid. Yes, I’ll walk you through it in the comments.)
Manually request indexing for every new post.
Do this three URLs at a time, every day if needed.
Become Google Search Console’s worst nightmare. Be relentless. Be petty. Become a problem.
Step 4: Internal Links = Your Magic’s Signature
When readers click between your posts, Google notices.
That click-through is called engagement, and it's one of the few things that tells the algorithm, “Hey, people like this. Boost it.”
The good news? You don’t need a new post for that. You just need to link to your older ones—right in the body of your newsletter.
Use simple, clickable, RELEVANT lines like:
“Missed Part 1 of the series? [Read it here].”
“Want more cosmic horror with teeth? [Try this one].”
“Meet the character that broke everyone [in this post].”
Internal linking helps Google crawl your site more effectively.
It also keeps your readers with you longer—and that’s a win for both visibility and loyalty.
You don’t have to link thematically. Link strategically.
Choose posts you love, or ones that got the most engagement.
Step 5: External Links = Your Legacy
Listen…I hate the idea of being perceived just as much as the next gal (gags). If internal links are whispers to yourself, external links are public declarations.
Google trusts your Substack more when other sites link to it. That’s called a backlink, and in SEO terms? It’s pure gold.
Just one backlink from a Medium post, Tumblr blog, or even a stranger’s tweet can increase your site’s authority and visibility in search results.
It tells Google, “Hey—this writer matters. Other people care about this work.”
How to get those links:
Share your post in a community forum or Discord with context, not spam.
Ask a friend to feature your post in their round-up.
Crosspost something small to Medium and link back to your Substack.
Even your Instagram bio link, a Bluesky post, or a Mastodon reply counts. But not all links are treated equally…
A note from (and it's important):
“Different sites—and pages within those sites—have different reputations.
A link from Medium tells Google: ‘this is high-quality, legit content.’
A link from your Instagram bio? That might whisper ‘maybe a bot.’”
So aim high. One solid backlink from a reputable platform does more than ten low-reputation links ever could.
Step 6: Don’t Be Weird About It
“You either die a writer or live long enough to become a clickbait dispensary.”
SEO isn’t a scam. It’s a ritual.
It’s not about manipulating the machine.
It’s about helping the people who would love your writing actually find you.
You’re not here for numbers. You’re here for readers.
The kind who binge your archives, quote your lines, and whisper your name in their sleep.
You don’t want to become the person you hate: The Clickbait Writer.
Trapping someone for 45 seconds of engagement is still kidnapping in the Void, 3 US states*, and 1 Canadian province.* You want someone to stay.
*Disclaimer: I made that up.
And if you're thinking, “But I do want numbers. Writers gotta eat too,”
I hear you. Loud and clear.
I’ve read your future.
Here is your comprehensive flow chart path.
Person A clicks your sensationalist title, stays 2–5 minutes tops, maybe opens a couple emails out of politeness.
They bounce. They don’t trust you. You become nothing more than a brief distraction—not unlike your ex or that subscription you keep forgetting to cancel.
Congrats. You’ve trapped yourself into an oversaturated, disposable niche.
That is not sustainable visibility. That is rot. Do not be that guy/gal/pal/demonic entity.
The SEO Checklist (For Your Next Post)
Title includes genre/format keywords
First paragraph includes 1-2 natural keywords
You wrote a short, clear meta description
Your meta/SEO title/description can be completely different your forward facing/audience preview. Set your title something catchy for readers, SEO title catchy for Google
You linked to 1-2 other posts of your own.
You added 1 external link or asked for a share
You submitted the URL to Google Search Console
FAQ: SEO for the Deeply Confused
“What if I hate marketing?”
Great. This isn’t marketing. This is making sure your work doesn’t disappear. You’re not selling out—you’re putting up signposts so the right readers can actually find what you’ve made. And you can still keep the “I didn’t come here to market, I came here to write” bad-boy contrarian image.
“How long does SEO take to work?”
Days to weeks. Sometimes hours, if Google’s in a good mood. Sometimes longer. But if you keep showing up, the crawl eventually comes.
“Can I just write amazing fiction and skip all this?”
Sure. But it’s like writing your novel and burying it in the woods. If you want people to read it, you need to tell the map where to find you.
“Do I have to do this for every post?”
The more consistent you are, the easier it gets. You’ll start doing it without thinking about it.
“What if I mess it up?”
You can’t. As long as you're trying, you’re already ahead of where you were yesterday.
“This is too complicated, I give up”
First of all: No tf you don’t. I am not the guide-writer. I am not the project manager. But I wrote this to help you reach your goals and damn it, you are going to reach your goals if its the last thing I do.
Second: Do not hesitate to ask for help. I’ve started a thread in my Subscriber chat specifically for Substack advice, go find that and dump all of your questions, rants, or ethically sourced curses. Let the Night Shift be your guide.
It’s weird that we’re pretending that I care more about your goals than you do. You’re just exhausted and that’s okay. We’re not doing this for anyone else, we’re doing it for you. So don’t give up.
The universe crafted you from stardust and a dream, and it did not spend billions of years on your creation for you to get bodied by SEO.
Bonus Tip: Image Alt Text = Secret Sigils (And Common Courtesy)
First and foremost for accessibility. It’s important. I’m not here to teach you how to be a decent human being, that’s between you and whoever you take that advice from, I’m here to give you the info.
Alt text is like putting your shopping cart away, using your blinker, and closing the front door (we are not cooling the outdoors). You don’t have to do it - but that’s pretty messed up of you, friend.
It’s also a quiet whisper to Google. Describe images like you're life depends on it. One day it might. (Ominous)
Alt Text Examples:
Good:
“Author screaming after forgetting to keyword their serialized sci-fi.”
Better:
A person in an office dramatically screaming in frustration, representing a writer overwhelmed by SEO mistakes.
Good:
“Sleep-deprived writer attempting to bribe the algorithm with blood and blog posts.”
Better:
A tired writer slumped at their desk, surrounded by coffee cups and open notebooks, symbolizing late-night content creation.
Good:
“Demonic Googlebot judging your meta description from its throne of SEO sins.”
Better:
A dramatic fantasy-style illustration of a robot on a throne, representing the pressure of writing effective SEO meta descriptions.
Good:
“Haunted typewriter typing ‘dark fantasy newsletter’ all on its own.”
Better:
A vintage typewriter with a sheet of paper reading “dark fantasy newsletter,” keys moving as if typed by an unseen force.
Good:
“GIF of writer realizing they forgot to link to their own damn post again.”
Better:
A looping GIF of a person facepalming or looking horrified, illustrating a common mistake in content strategy.
Don’t let your images wander the web without a collar and leash.
Give them purpose. Give them keywords. Give them alt text.
You’re not lost. You’re just un-indexed. Let’s fix that.
Share this with the writer friend that’s on day 3 of crashing tf out because Google is problematic.
Until the next story is written in blood & shadows,
—Your Narrator
P.S. Drop your questions, comments, concerns, or link to a reputable Etsy witch that can curse the algorithm effectively in the comments!
As always, deeply helpful content 🙏
OMFG. Or OMFVD. No Snacks! But def something to chew on. I think my kink has a new collar.