If you’ve ever tried writing a blog, you may feel as if you’re trying to reinvent the wheel each time you sit down to write. Blogging is more than just journaling your experiences; there’s a rhyme and a reason for everything you do. With Google hot on bloggers’ heels these days, it’s important that you know what makes a great blog post so your hard work reaches the top of the search engines and readers actually find it. Here are 25 tips to help you create great blog content.
1. When you write a blog post, there are several elements it should include:
- a- Appealing title
- b- In-text links to other internal pages
- c- Sidebar banner containing a call-to-action
- d- Social sharing buttons
- e- Relevance – the post should be relevant from title to end.
2. Know your blogging platform inside and out. Whether you use Blogger, WordPress, or some other blogging platform, stay up to date on its features and new versions, and learn all there is to know about using them. Be sure you know how to insert an image, embed a video, and format a post to make it look as good as it can.
3. Have clearly defined categories on your blog.
4. Use meta-descriptions for each post to help search engines adequately describe your content.
5. Keep an editorial calendar to help you organize your posts for optimal SEO, digital optimization, and conversion.
6. Proofread and double-check each post before publishing it live. Make sure your grammar, spelling, and punctuation are all correct, and double-check that all links are working.
7. Optimize your posts for SEO. Search engines look for certain elements in blog posts. The more you include correctly, the better your chances your blog posts will be found by search engines. Google, in particular, likes:
- a- Text
- b- Proper formatting
- c- Fresh, relevant content
- d- Ease of access
- e- Links to outside pages
- f- Links to your own pages
- g- To know your location
- h- Expertise
8. Use headings in your content to highlight important information.
9. Include photos in your posts. Readers are visually stimulated and love looking at pictures.
10. Take a journalistic approach to each post. Make sure you have your facts straight, cite sources, and include important details.
11. Design is everything. Choosing a blog template that’s appealing will increase readership dramatically.
12. Lists are very popular among readers. Write posts that include lists, and watch how your readers share the content with their friends.
13. Analyze your blog’s traffic. Keep an eye on what works and what doesn’t, so you can replicate the good and increase readership.
14. Build trust by including your name, your title, and a way for readers to contact you.
15. Mix and match original content with curated content. You don’t always have to create your own content, but never plagiarize anyone else’s work.
16. Promote blog posts after they are published. Social media provides a great place to promote your blog posts to reach more readers and gain more traffic.
17. Review web analytics to find out what your readers are looking for and build off that for future posts.
18. Do your research and think outside the box. The best blog posts are well-researched.
19. Research the competition. Visit other blogs in your niche to find out what’s working for them. By doing so, you can approach the subject from a slightly different angle and stand out from the rest.
20. Create titles that communicate a complete message and lure the reader into the text that follows.
21. Remember whom you’re writing for. Your content should be clear, concise, and succinct so your readers can follow it easily.
22. Provide valuable content your readers can use and understand easily.
23. Word count isn’t particularly important, but Google prefers at least 350 words. However, never let word count dictate the quality of your content.
24. Let your readers know who you are and what you do by adding a short bio to your blog. From a business standpoint, this helps build a trusting relationship with your readers.
25. Keep a small notebook handy. Coming up with fresh, valuable content day after day or week after week can be difficult. You never know when a new idea for a blog post will come to mind, so keep a small notebook with you at all times to jot down ideas as they come to you. When you sit down to write, you’ll already have ideas for your next post.
While all of this sounds like a lot of work, and it is, these suggestions are what make a blog successful. It really doesn’t matter what your business is, if you have a website or some social media page on the Internet, you really should have a blog to provide your customers with information they can use. If you’re not willing to, or cannot spare the extra time it takes to manage a company blog, there are agencies out there that can do it for you. These experts know how to write blog posts that are engaging and SEO friendly, so you can focus on other aspects of your business and know your blog is in good hands.
