Want to expand your business? Ready to become an authority in your field? You need to start blogging. Learning how to write a blog post is the best way to harness the power of SEO (search engine optimization).
Chances are you've read dozens, even hundreds, of blog posts. Any time you've got a question, Googled it, and found an article answering it, you've read a blog post.
Indeed, this is precisely why businesses write and publish blog posts – it's the cornerstone of SEO content marketing. Creating a catalogue of informative content drives organic traffic to your website, builds brand awareness, and educates people about a topic you're passionate about.
So, how do you write a blog post? What's included in the blog writing format? And how do you get started? We'll answer all your questions and more below.
What is a Blog Post?
A blog post is any article or guide published in the blog section of a website. Usually ranging between 600 to 2,000+ words in length, they're devoted to a topic related to the brand. You could publish your latest research results, answer a burning question, tell a customer's story, or share your expertise.
While a blog post is primarily written, it can also include images, videos, infographics, and diagrams. In fact, the best-performing blog posts tend to be multimedia.
Types of Blog Posts
Blog posts come in all shapes and sizes, depending on the topic, audience, and goal. Consider trying these types out:
How-to Posts: These blogs guide the reader through a process or task, such as recipes. They are step-by-step instructions or tutorials.
List-based Posts: Also known as "listicles," these are organised as a list of related entries. Topics can range from products and events to interesting facts found in popular blogs like BuzzFeed and Bored Panda.
News Article Posts: These posts either report on current news event, giving the business's insight, or they report a recent story for the company, e.g., opening a new venue.
Interview Posts: In these blogs, the blogger introduces and interviews a person, often including a transcript and additional information about the interviewee. Blogs such as Rotten Tomatoes' blog are examples of this style.
Review Posts: Review blogs focus on critiquing and assessing a wide range of things like movies, video games, or products. They can be individual reviews or list-based, like on 99designs.
Personal Posts: Similar to personal essays, these blogs share the author's personal experiences, thoughts, or opinions. These posts are shared on personal blogs but occasionally found on corporate blogs to foster connections with readers.
Explainer Posts: These posts give a detailed, objective explanation of a topic, but not always in a linear or instructional format. For example, a blog post might explain economic trends or basic concepts, like on Coinbase's blog.
Image-based Posts: These blogs focus primarily on images, such as infographics or a collection of pictures. Despite their focus on visual content, they also include written context to provide a complete understanding.
How to Write a Blog Post
1. Choose Your Topic
Here's a golden rule of writing: never write for the sake of it. Content, for content's sake, rarely performs well. You end up churning out lacklustre blog posts as if your blog section was the internet equivalent of a sausage factory.
Rather always write with something to say.
Think about the sort of topics your customers want to read. If you cover well-trodden ground, find a unique angle on the topic – or just write it better than everyone else.
Searching Google and looking at the "People also ask" question will highlight some common queries people have and search for. You can also spy on your competitor's blog section for inspiration.
If you're still struggling (its not unusual; creating content is a never-ending job) try creating content pillars to help theme your content.
2. Select Your Keywords
Keywords are the search terms your potential customers use when browsing Google for an answer. Look for search terms using a keyword planner; these are the biggest and best:
Choosing the right keywords involves balancing search volume with competitiveness. You want a search term with a high search volume, which isn't impossible to rank for.
You should also match the search term behind the keyword and your article topic. For example, search for the term "nut brittle," and you'll find the results full of recipe ideas. You're unlikely to get ranked if you write about why nut brittle is a nutritious snack.
3. Create an Outline
Unless you're an expert writer, creating an outline is sensible to keep your blog post on track. A blog writing format usually involves:
Headline. Eye-catching and informative, it should cause searchers to want to click.
Short intro. Keep it to 80-100 words for optimal SEO and include your primary keyword.
Several sections. You could include a list, paragraphs, recipes, instructions, and more. Your section should be titled with H2s and include subsections using H3s and H4s.
Conclusion. The conclusion summarises the article, includes a final tip or two, and ends with a call-to-action (CTA) to drive customers towards a desired action. That could be downloading a white paper, buying a product, or signing up for your email list.
4. Do Your Research
Lots of "how to write a blog post" guides neglect this part. However, it's by far the most important. Whether you're writing about palletising machinery or the art of digital marketing, you better know what you're talking about and have the evidence to back it up.
If I could sum up blog writing in a sentence, it's "conveying facts and advice in a persuasive and captivating manner."
Got the knowledge to write it on the fly? Go ahead. But never forget that a sprinkle of statistics, a dash of industry examples, and a good dollop of proven advice go a long way.
5. Write a First Draft
Staring at a blank page is a struggle – in fact, it's called "blank page syndrome." That's why your outline is invaluable.
Don't overthink it – just start writing. Trying to write the perfect article first-time is impossible for anybody but the pros. But we all know how to improve something that's rubbish. So, write rubbish and polish it to something that's good. Then keep editing to make it better. Soon enough, that blank page is now a shiny, compelling article ready for your blog.
Not inspired? Try these writing tips:
Don't keep rewriting the same line.
Set a big chunk of free time with no interruptions.
Use a structure, e.g., Problem, Agitate, Solve.
Let your personality flow; ask yourself, "What do I think about this topic?"
6. Polish, Edit, and Refine
Writing should really be called rewriting – because that's what most of us spend our time doing. The problem for new writers is love at first draft. Every word that saunters from their fingers, they think, is genius. Then, you reread your work months or years later and realise you were deluded.
Editing and proofreading should be cut-throat. No mercy. Your job is to take a hatchet to your draft and turn it into something resembling fluid, readable prose.
Not sure how to do it? Try reading it out loud. Where your phraseology sounds clunky or wooden, rewrite it. Break up long sentences; use transition words and cliffhangers; try to establish a rhythm to the prose.
Pay particular attention to your intro – that should hook the reader in. If you're not sure, ask a friend or colleague. They'll spot any odd phrasing or logical inconsistencies.
7. Create a Compelling Headline
Some writers consider the headline to be half the article. Not literally. But it's the bit almost everyone will read. If it fails to grab your attention, your article – no matter how brilliant – will see a fraction of the traffic.
Unfortunately, in the internet age, the art of headline writing has become somewhat formulaic. Listicles and "How-tos" are the primary way to phrase the title. Even this article follows this theme.
I'd love to call this "Wordsmithing Your Way Through the Blog Jungle" or "Writing Wizardry: Making Your Blog Post Spellbinding." But if I did, I wouldn't get any clicks.
The best you can do is use power words. These are terms like "noteworthy," "money-generating," or "click-worthy" that trigger an emotional response – be it greed, happiness, sadness, or anger. The more emotional your headline, the more it invites a click.
8. Add in On-Page SEO Features
On-Page SEO isn't so difficult. It's all about tweaking and finishing the finished post to ensure it performs best for SEO. Try these tips:
Write a meta description. Your blog post's meta description is the snippet of text Google shows in the search results.
Add alt text to your images. The alt text helps Google understand your images.
Include internal and external links. Add hyperlinks to your internal site pages and to helpful external resources.
Create a short URL tag. Your URL tag should succinctly explain what your post is about.
9. Publish and Promote
Click publish, and you're done. Now, it's time to sit back, relax, and put your feet up! Wait! Is it not?
Nope. You've got the long-term job of promoting your work. Share your article on social media, email it to your subscribers, and link to relevant communities (e.g., Facebook groups, Reddit, Discord, and more). The more people who know about your work, the better it'll perform.
Final Thoughts
Mastering the art of blog writing is an adventure, a blend of technique, research, and creativity. But it doesn't have to be a solitary journey. Impeccable Writing is here to guide you. We've got your back, offering expert advice and unparalleled writing services to help your business make a mark in the blogosphere.
Don't wander alone in the world of words – Book a free consultation with us today and discover how we can illuminate your path to blogging brilliance. Let's create a content catalogue that drives traffic, builds authority, and fuels your brand's growth.
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