Blogging serves as a powerful tool for connecting people from different backgrounds and amplifying their voices. Whether you're a scholar documenting your journey, a teacher sharing your expertise, a tech enthusiast showcasing your talent, or an entrepreneur starting a business, creating optimized blog pages with a few SEO techniques can help you stand out.
For entrepreneurs especially, maintaining a blog is essential for improving their website's Google ranking and reaching a broader audience.
Imagine you're at a business conference, surrounded by industry leaders and decision-makers. You have a groundbreaking idea that could reshape your industry, and you're eager to share it. But there's a catch: if you don't deliver your message effectively, your idea might get lost in the crowd.
Welcome to the comprehensive guide on crafting SEO-friendly blogs! SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is your tool to ensure that your message, your blog, doesn't get lost in the digital sea. It's about making your content shine, so search engines like Google and Bing prioritize it and present it to the world.
Today, we'll show you strategies to help your blog rise above the noise and reach the right audience.
In this guide, you will discover:
- How to write a blog outline
- How to write compelling content
- How to write a blog post for SEO
- How to write a blog introduction
- How to become a blog writer
- Choose a topic to write about
- Research blog post ideas
- Write a compelling title
- Best practices for writing an intro, body, and conclusion
- Make use of visual elements
- CTAs (call to action)
- Proofreading and technical details to help your blog rank high on search engines
1. Choose a Topic to Write About
The first step before you start a blog is finding a topic to cover in your first blog post. One excellent method to identify relevant blog topics is to conduct keyword research, a process for finding search queries or keywords that your target audience enters into search engines.
What is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is an activity designed to identify the most frequently searched words on search engines. We enter a keyword, and this tool automatically generates a list of similar keywords or phrases searched on the internet.
We then compile the relevant keywords and send them to you so that you can include them in your blog. Once they're used in the blog, search engines recognize that your website is using these keywords, which can eventually lead to our website ranking higher on Google.
Know Your Target Audience
It is crucial to understand your audience. For example, if you're writing a blog on cooking, readers may have limited proficiency in English. Therefore, aim to write your content in simple language without using complicated words.
On the other hand, if you're writing a thought leadership blog or a curated blog with statistics aimed at donors, then we should use language at an intermediate level of English. I'm not suggesting that we use complex language, but we can if necessary since the donor is likely a native English speaker (in the context of nonprofits).
2. Research Blog Post Ideas
- List-post – a list post, also called a “listicle,” is an article written in list format. This content type is easy to recognize as it commonly contains a number in its headline. List articles are also easy to read and skim, allowing readers to quickly understand and get important information.
- What post – this blog post type aims to introduce and explain a specific subject, highlighting the importance and relevance of the concept. A pro tip for writing a blog post using this format is avoiding jargon and only using analogies that readers understand.
- Thought leadership post – the idea behind thought leadership posts is usually to educate the audience about the latest news or trends in an industry. This blog content type is excellent for those who want to be seen as experts in their field.
- Interview post – this content type is excellent for introducing the perspective of an authority figure on a particular subject. It’s also great for developing relationships with experts or influencers within an industry and attracting their audiences to your blog.
- Curated post – curated content is a selection of helpful resources about a specific topic. This type of post is suitable for aggregating content such as statistics or industry examples.
3. Aim for an Engaging Title
A title is the first element that catches people's attention. That's why it's crucial to craft a catchy title that persuades visitors to click and read your blog post.
Before you start writing a blog post, consider creating a working title – a temporary title that describes the topic and serves as the initial focus point for your writing.
A working title doesn't have to be perfect; it just needs to be specific enough to guide the blog post. When you finish writing the blog content, it's time to focus on creating the perfect post title.
Expert Tip:
A good headline is one that is educational and sparks curiosity, such as "How to..." and "Step by Step." These are some of the headlines that perform exceptionally well. Observe what resonates on the social web – that will give you insight into the types of headlines that people prefer and the direction you should take.
Follow these tips to generate a compelling headline:
- Incorporate numbers
- Avoid vague headlines
- Develop multiple titles for each post
- Consider a negative title
- Pose a question to pique curiosity
4. Create an Outline
An outline is the fundamental structure of a blog post, designed to assist the writer in creating high-quality content more quickly and efficiently.
When creating an outline, be sure to include the blog post's main topic and working title. It's also essential to incorporate the article's headings and subheadings into the outline.
A heading is a concise phrase that represents the content of a specific section of an article. In contrast, a subheading is a text placed beneath a heading to provide further context and details.
Headings and subheadings serve to structure a blog post's purpose and guide readers through the article. They also help break down a lengthy post into digestible sections, enhancing the content's readability for readers. Additionally, well-crafted headings and subheadings can expedite the ranking of content on search engines.
Pro Tip:
When researching a blog topic on Google and examining the top ten ranked articles, look for relevant subheadings to include in your outline. Identify the section headers from these articles and select the ones that are most valuable and applicable.
5. Start Writing!
Introduction
Here are the three essential elements to keep in mind when you write a blog post introduction:
- Hook – This is the part of the introduction that grabs the reader's attention. It can be an interesting quote or anecdote, an intriguing question, or a striking statistic. The choice of the right hook will depend on the topic, audience, and writing style.
- Transition – A transition is a sentence or paragraph that connects the hook to the body of the post. It informs readers of the importance of the blog topic before they delve into all the details of the post.
- Thesis – As the final element of an introduction, the thesis summarizes the post's purpose and reinforces why readers should continue reading the article.
Body
To create an effective paragraph, ensure it also includes the following elements:
- Topic Sentence – This is the paragraph's opening sentence, which clarifies the subject you are addressing. It can either introduce a new idea or continue from the previous section.
- Supporting Sentence – This may include evidence related to the paragraph's subject or an example to illustrate your point.
- Conclusion Sentence – Use the final sentence of the paragraph to summarize the main idea before transitioning to the next section.
Ensure you opt for simple words over complex ones when constructing sentences to enhance the post's accessibility for most readers. Additionally, remember to use transition words to maintain a smooth flow of ideas from one paragraph to the next.
Conclusion
- Restate the Topic – The first step in writing a blog post conclusion is to recap the article's main idea. Use a sentence or paragraph to summarize why the topic is significant. Ensure it's clear and concise.
- Refer to the Introduction – Consider revisiting the points made in the introduction. For example, if you began with a question in the introduction, address the answer in the conclusion.
- Offer Practical Solutions – Include key takeaways from each section that readers can apply in their daily lives.
- Avoid Introducing New Information – The conclusion serves as a review of the blog post, so refrain from introducing new ideas at this stage.
- Conclude Your Thoughts – Wrap up the conclusion by providing a call-to-action (CTA) or presenting an idea that prompts readers to think more deeply about the article.
- Initiate Discussion – Consider posing a question in the conclusion to encourage readers to leave comments and start a conversation.
6. Make Use of Visual Elements
There are many types of visuals to use to make a blog post visually appealing. Some of them are:
- Images
- Infographics
- Videos
- GIFs
- Graphs and charts
- Illustrations
Pro tip: When adding visual elements to a blog post, remember to do it at regular intervals.
7. Use Call-to-Action (CTA) Signals
When you write a blog post, remember to include a call-to-action. This element directs readers to any action a writer wants them to take.
Many bloggers use CTAs at the end of their blog post’s conclusion. A call-to-action can use different forms:
- Button
- Text hyperlink
- Plain text with no link
- There is also a variety of CTAs that can be implemented in blog posts, including:
- “Leave a comment”
- “Follow on social media”
- “Share the blog post”
- “Subscribe to the newsletter”
When creating a CTA, be sure to use strong words that stimulate action, like “join” or “download,” for instance. Consider also using words with a sense of urgency, like “now” or “today.”
8. Proofread & Optimize for SEO
- Allow the Post to Rest – Wait at least a few hours before editing to let your mind refresh. This makes it easier to spot typos or grammatical errors.
- Read Aloud – Reading the draft aloud is an excellent way to catch mistakes and identify awkward sentences that are hard to follow.
- Structure and Format – Ensure all elements in your content are formatted for readability, from headers to visuals. Consider using numbered lists or bullets to help readers quickly identify important takeaways.
- Address Inconsistent Language – Fix any language inconsistencies to enhance professionalism.
- Fact Check – Verify that all links and information in your content are accurate and sourced from reputable places.
- Eliminate Adverbs and Filler Words
- Proofread – Utilize a grammar checker like Grammarly to correct spelling and grammatical errors, eliminate repetitive words, and spot typos.
- Select the Appropriate Category and Tags – Before hitting "publish" on the blogging platform, ensure you assign the post to a relevant category and add appropriate tags. This makes it easier for readers to navigate to related content in the same category and helps Google discover more posts on similar topics.
- Include a Featured Image – Adding a visually appealing and relevant featured image at the beginning of the article directs visitors' attention to the introductory paragraphs, which are often overlooked.
Bonus on SEO
We won't ask you to become an SEO expert, but it's essential to keep these terms in mind to make your blog stand out:
- Write a Meta Description: This is an HTML element that describes and summarizes the contents of your page for the benefit of users and search engines. In essence, it's a brief summary of your blog, typically kept within 50 characters, and should be different from the title.
- Alt Text: Alt text is an HTML attribute used in HTML documents to specify alternative text that should be displayed when an element cannot be rendered. It comes into play when an image isn't loading, and the alt text provides a description of what the image represents. Alt texts should be descriptive and explain the image's content.
- Title Tag: The title tag is the headline that appears on Google, determining how your blog appears in search engine results. It's the title people see when searching for your blog.
If you have any questions or concerns about writing a blog, feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn, and I'll be happy to assist you!
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