The process of blogging is essential if you want success in your marketing efforts. So, yes, it is important to learn how to start and manage a blog effectively for your business. Suppose you will not use the blog post method. In that case, you may face a lot of issues, for instance, low-quality SEO, less social media content that is needed, unstable relations with your customers and leads, and a less number of pages to spread your CTAs (calls to action) for lead generation. But still, there are some people who are not able to maintain a blog. You might find blogging not that interesting, difficult, and time-consuming if you do not enjoy it. Here is a guide for you that will help you, “how to write a blog post”. Along with this, you will also get templates that will be very helpful for you. But, before this, a very important question arises, what is a blog post?
Blog post
It is a piece of article, a guide, or any news piece published on a website in the blog section. All blog posts are educational in nature and cover a specific query or topic. A blog post ranges from 600 to 2000 words or more, including interactive charts, infographics, images, and videos. If you do blog posting, you and your business can publish stories, insights, and thoughts related to any topic on your website. It can then also help you in boosting brand credibility, revenue, conversions, and awareness. One of the most important things that they can do is helping you in getting traffic to your site. Now, different organizations use blog posts to share their product information, analysis, industry findings, instructions, criticisms, and many more things. You can use different blog formats, but the six most common of them are listed below:
- ‘How to’ post
- List-based post
- ‘what is’ post
- Pillar page post
- News Jacking post
- Infographic post
If you do not know how to write a blog post, then by using these formats and you will easily get your audience’s attention, customers, and buyer personas.
What elements indicate a good blog post?
It will be helpful to know the answers to some queries before start writing a blog. Queries are related to unique content and the good readability of the blog post. Therefore, writers should make sure that their blog post content is informative and interesting that the reader enjoys reading it and get all the answers to queries. As only getting answers is only enough for readers, they like to enjoy reading the content for getting information as well as without getting bored. For that, you can make your content interesting by adding some attentive examples.
The best way that will tell you how to write a blog post
You can write a good blog post by following the methods given below:
1. Determine your audience intentions
Make sure you are familiar with your audience’s interests in the content before writing your blog post. First, research about the aims of the audience, like what content they read the most? What do they want to read about? Which information are they trying to get? These queries can help you initiate the topic in a better way to develop viewers’ interests. For instance, If your audience shows interest in business-related content, then you should write blog posts related to that, not about fashion, food, or pets.
2. Developing domain for a blog
First, you have to create a domain on where you can post your blogs whenever you write. For that, you need to choose a CMS content management system with a web domain hosting service.
a. How to choose a CMS
A content management system (CMS) supports you to create a website domain where you will keep publishing your blog. In addition, CMS platforms help to control domains and subdomains.
b. Registration of domain and subdomain
The name that appears between the two phases is entirely up to you but make that this domain name does not already exist on the internet.
3. Modify the theme of your blog
Once you have registered your domain name, personalize the look of your blog to portray the theme of the content you wish to create and your product. If you already control a website and know how to write a blog post, compose the first post for that website and make sure the article’s appearance and actual content are reliable. There are two better ways to achieve this:
- Logo: It could be your company’s name and logo, and it will notify blog readers who are posting the content.
- “About” Website: You can write “About” a short article that explains yourself or your company. The “About” section of your blog is an extended version of this generally higher statement.
4. Specify the subject matter of your first post
Choose a topic for your blog post before start writing a blog post. At the start, the topic can be comparatively general. However, your topic reflects the entire content; make sure that the topic is according to the content of your blog post. For example, if your company is selling CRM for business, your post should be about the importance of using only one software that will help align the marketing, service teams, and sales. Blog posts that you can start with are the list (listicle), curated collection, Slide Share presentation, and news piece. You can also attend a good topic brainstorming session if you are facing difficulties in getting new ideas.
5. Build a suitable title
You can put up with a few various working titles to help you focus on writing the content of your post. However, make sure that your working title is specific and direct your post before writing the blog post’s content. The working title is really helpful to write the blog post’s content because with that, you can get at least fully focused on how to write a blog post. After completion, you can change the working title to the final title according to your wish.
6. Write an intriguing introduction
One of the most important tasks is to write mesmerizing and intriguing introductions to catch the reader’s interest. In this post, “how to write a captivating introduction” is discussed. Readers will stop reading if they lose interest in the first few sentences or even paragraphs, even before giving a fair hearing to the post. You can sort out this issue in a number of different methods, including telling a story or making a joke, being compassionate and understanding, or grabbing the reader’s attention with an interesting side note or set of statistics.
After that, you need to explain your idea or purpose of writing the post and how it will be helpful in resolving the issues faced by the readers. Finally, it will entice the reader to keep reading by demonstrating how the post will benefit them at work or in their personal lives.
7. Arrange the content in outlines
It happens sometimes, that blog post has an excess amount of information for both the reader and the writer. Readers do not like such blog posts, so the best trick is to organize all the information so that the writer and reader do not intimidate by the amount or length of the blog post content. You can organize it into lists, sections, tips or in any form that you like. The main point to focus on is that the content should be organized. You can check any article on google; all of the articles have sections and subsections in them, which make the content easy to read for the audience.
8. Write a blog post
It is very important to know how to write a blog post as we cannot forget about it. As you have your outline, so now you are ready to fill in all the blanks. You can also write about what you already know, and if you do not know about it, you can also do some research on it. If you face difficulty while writing, then you can use some tools to improve it. These tools are listed below:
- Power thesaurus – you can use it when you are stuck on a word.
- Zen Pen – if you face difficulty focusing, use this tool as it will create a writing zone for you.
- Cliché Finder – this writing tool is perfect if you think your writing is coming out a little cheesy.
9. Proofread and edit your blog post
Proofreading and editing are some of the most important parts of blogging. If you are not good at editing and proofreading, ask a grammar expert co-worker to help you do it. And then pay him accordingly. But if you cannot afford a grammar expert, then go for some software like Grammarly. You can use its free version or the paid ones. After doing all this, when you are ready to see the formatting, then keep in mind some blog elements which are listed below:
a. Feature image
Always go for a relevant and visually appealing image for your blog post. It is very important to know how to write a blog post using feature images. Because on all social media networks, content with images is treated more prominently, and visuals are treated more responsibly for your blog post success.
b. Visual appearance
Visual appearance plays a very important part in writing a blog post as no one will ever like an unattractive blog post. However, never think that images are the only solution for making a blog post attractive. There are a lot of other things that make the blog post appealing, like the formatting and the organization of your blog post. You can also use headers and sub-headers to break all large blocks of text to make the blog post well formatted and visually appealing for the readers. And if you are using screenshots, they also have a good visual representation, like never forget to check the borders of these screenshots. Borders are necessary, as if you will not use them, it will seem like the screenshot is floating in space in your blog post.
c. Topics and tags
Keywords, topics, and specific tags describe the blog posts to the reader. And if the reader is looking for another blog with the same category, then topics and tags will also help them browse such content. So while adding tags, don’t just randomly add tags to your post. Instead, think of tags as different categories and topics, and from those topics, choose 15 to 20 tags related to your post and help your post reach maximum masses.
10. Adding the CTA
Inserting the CTA at the end of your blog post helps tell your audience or the reader what you want them to do now. For example, download an ebook, read a related article, subscribe to your blog, register yourself for an event or a webinar, etc.
11. Optimization for on-page elements (SEO)
After completing the writing work, now it is time to optimize for the on-page SEO of your blog post. Do not get too invested thinking about the number of keywords to include. You should go for adding keywords if adding them will not affect the readers’ experience. If adding the keywords helps you shorten your URL, use them. There are few things written below that you should review and optimize:
a. Meta description
It is the description that is below the page title of your post on the search results of Google. Thus, searchers will get a summary of that blog post before opening it. It always starts with a verb, for example, ‘discover’, ‘read’ or ‘learn’ and has 150 to 160 words.
b. Page headers and titles
Your post title is used as your page title by some blogging software, and it is the most important element of on-page SEO. But if you are following our formula, you already have a title with phrases or keywords naturally in which your targeted audience is interested.
c. Anchor text
It is a single word or a group of words linked to another page, and it can be linked on your site or with any other website. Keywords are taken into consideration by search engines; that is why they choose them carefully.
d. Mobile optimization
The majority of the organic visits are from mobile phones. So, the website should have a responsive design, so then your visitors have a good experience. That is why it is necessary to optimize for mobile, so then your website will score some SEO points.
12. Go For a Catchy Title
Here is a simple technique to select a catchy title.
- 1st keep your working title in mind.
- Keep your title to the point and clear.
- Make your title attractive using different techniques.
- Try adding few keywords.
- Now try compressing the title.
After learning above mentioned use techniques to improve your blog post. To do that, let us view the main procedure or writing a blog post once again.
Writing Your 1st Blog Post
Once you have learned all the techniques and know-how to write a blog post, you are ready to start your blog but keep in mind that you don’t choose a common topic. You should always go for a rare topic if you want your blog post to appear on the 1st page.
1. Finding a Topic with Lower Volume
You have to start with choosing a low-volume topic so that your blog can easily rank higher. You can choose a topic by brainstorming or by keyword research. Keyword research is recommended because it gives you better results and shows how many people are searching for those keywords. For starter put your general keywords in the tools such as:
- Ubersuggest
- Ahrefs
- Wordtracker
- Moz
You do this step to find fewer volume keywords related to your general keyword. Then, you can repeat the process with the keywords you have found from the tools to find keywords with even lower volume.
2. Double Check The Search Intent by Googling it
Double Checking the search intent means whether the topic you have selected can be fulfilled in the blog post. For instance, when people search for something, they may look for an article, a tutorial, or a write-up on how to write a blog post by using something or some product. Everything can be covered in a blog post except for the products. A product will not rank, so it is better for you to change the topic.
3. Finding terms and questions related to the topic
After finding a unique topic and checking its search intent, now it is time to cover the topics related to it. It can be done by using the tools such as:
- Google: Google your topic and look under the “people also ask” or “people also search” to find related topics.
- Answer the Public: this tool provides you with all the questions that are related to your topic
Make sure you talk about all these topics in your blog post.
4. Outline your post and start writing
After getting all the required data with a topic with less volume, you are ready to start writing your first blog post. Here are some tips that you should keep in mind while writing your 1st blog post
- write at least 1000 words
- Use a minimum of 2 H2 that are related to search terms.
5. Using Outreach to promote your post
To get reach, you can build backlinks which is one of the biggest factors in ranking. But keep in mind not to use black-hat methods such as spamming instead of letting others know that your blog exists and linking your post.
Examples of blog post
To see what your 1st blog post will look like, we have gathered some examples that are:
1. List-Based Blog Post
These blog posts are also known as listicles. These articles deliver all the information in lists and use sub-headers, which helps the reader understand your content easily. Example: 17 Blogging Mistakes to Avoid in 2021, According to HubSpot Bloggers
2. Thought Leadership Post
In this type of blog post, you are allowed to share your expertise on any subject. In these posts, you are sharing knowledge with your readers. Example: How HubSpot’s Customers Are Shaping the Next to Normal?
3. Curated Collection Post
These blog posts are also known as listicle blog posts, but they are different from list-based ones as they are of a special type. In these blog posts, you will net share any tip or method for performing anything. The only thing that the reader will see is real-life examples which further help in proving larger points. Example: 8 Examples of Evolution in Action
4. SlideShare Presentation
You are surely aware of PowerPoint, where you share information in the form of slides. Now think of a site where you do the same, sharing information in the form of slides. SlideShare is such a platform where you share slides. This site helps you generate regular visitors. Example: The HubSpot Culture Code.
5. Newsjacking Post
The term “Newsjacking” is defined as hijacking a blog to spread false information about an industry. So, the newsjacking blog post is the type of post whose main purpose is to get your customers’ attention by giving them professional advice and learning resources for things that happen in the industry. Example: Ivy Goes Mobile With New App for Designers
6. Infographic Post
The purpose of this blog post is similar to the Slide Share blog posts and conveys useful information for readers. Example: The Key Benefits of Studying Online [Infographic]
7. How-to Post
These blog posts help the reader in getting solutions to their problems. Example: How to Write a Blog Post: A Step-by-Step Guide
8. Guest Post
If you are thinking of getting an opinion from some outsider, you can get the help of guests post that is the post made by outsiders on your blog. Example: Your Bookmarkable Guide to Social Media Image Sizes in 2020 [Infographic]
Are you ready to blog?
Blogging comes with a lot of benefits such as enhanced conversation skills, depth knowledge of your field, build awareness of your brand, and attract good leads. You can start blogging by using the tips and tricks we mentioned above.
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