Here is a complete breakdown of writing high-quality blog posts for your blog or for your clients.
After this post, learn how to optimize your blog post for On-page SEO!
Let’s go!
Quick Overview
- What is a blog post?
- How to write a blog post your readers would like to read
- Define your purpose
- Research
- Create a Catchy Headline
- Organize and Structure Your Content
- Avoid writing big blocks of texts
- Use images and bullet points
- Internal Linking
- Optimize your post for SEO
- Insert a clear Call To Action (CTA)
- A few tips
- Conclusion
Before I teach you how to write a blog post that converts, we first need to clearly define what makes a quality blog post.
What makes a quality blog post?
To put it simply:
A quality blog post contains all the content your readers would like to read.
What differentiates a quality post from thousands of average ones is its ability to smoothly satisfy user search intent. If people liked what you posted and it helped them in some way, you have made a quality blog post.
Simple as that.
All the technical and theoretical knowledge comes second. You can get the hang of it pretty soon.
Moving on,
How to write a blog post that your readers would like to read
Here are 10 important points that make a great blog post.
- A defined purpose( that satisfies search intent)
- Research
- A catchy headline (no click baits please)
- Organized and structured content
- Breakdown of paragraphs
- Use of images and bullet points
- Internal Linking
- On page SEO
- A clear Call to Action (CTA)
- Check for Plagiarism
Let’s dive deeper into each point!
1. Define your Purpose
You need to be sure of what you are writing and why you are writing it. These things may seem like common sense, but believe me; many people just choose to ignore them.
Blogging really boils down to what your audience is looking for from you. And search Intent plays a very big role in terms of boosting up your ranking. SEO basically revolves around that.
Google’s top priority: satisfying the user’s search intent.
If for example, you have a food blog and you see that currently many people are searching for “quick breakfast snacks” then you can tailor your post around that to boost your ranking.
But here’s the catch: quick means quick. Not 1 or 2 hours. And you need to deliver quality recipes, not some “how to apply peanut butter on toast” kinda stuff.
Don’t just jump into writing. If you’re experiencing writer’s block, then give yourself time and focus on your vision. There are approx. 4.4 million blog posts published every day. Don’t just write content for the sake of writing content. Only write it when you have something genuine to say or teach.
Quality always wins over quantity.
2. Research
Just go all into your topic. Research everything about it.
That means reading around 8-10 related blog posts on the same topic, making notes & bullet points, collecting those golden nuggets of information, observing how the top writers in the industry structure their content and how smoothly it flows from start to end, why and where they use their subheadings, everything.
Just mix it in a glass of water and drink it. Digest EVERYTHING.
When you keep reading their content over and over again, you will start to notice a pattern. You will also notice what pieces of information each article was missing and since you’ve read a whole bunch of them, you know exactly what to deliver to your readers.
Confidence comes from knowledge. If you have enough knowledge about the given topic AND you know what your or your client’s readers are ACTUALLY looking for, your work is 70% done.
What I do is that I just create a word document and save all the bits and pieces of information that I find valuable.
It’s okay if I don’t use them all. Now I organize my bullet points, read them a couple of times and when I feel I understand the topic completely, my writing process begins.
3. Create a Catchy Headline (No click baits PLEASE)
Nothing is more annoying than clicking on a post only to realize it was clickbait. Going back a couple of years I am sure you might have come across headlines like this:
Create a catchy title and make the reader know that you have all the solutions the reader is searching for. (and really have it!)
A good title is very important to catch a reader’s attention because no matter how much effort you put into your content if your title is crappy, nobody will dare to click let alone read it.
That being said, it takes a couple of tries to completely nail it, and I wouldn’t recommend you waste your time on it from the start. If you don’t feel satisfied, just start writing the body content.
You can create headlines at the very last too!
Now, what constitutes a catchy headline?
If I am being completely honest; one that triggers your target readers desires or fears or both. Now depending on the topic, you can set the tone of the headline.
One element remains constant no matter the topic; curiosity to find a solution to their problem. That doesn’t mean that you can only make how-tos and guides.
It could be about people looking for gossip about celebrities and you simply delivering them what they are looking for.
Ex. 10 Instances Emma Watson took everyone’s breath away.
Don’t try to bait or mislead or misinform people. That’s not what you want to do. But you need people to understand that the content you are offering is not some junk that’s available all over the internet but something of value. Here are a few examples of a catchy headline:
- Top ____ ways you can become an ______ in no time
- Best tips and hacks for using a _____
- Why ____ is worth your attention
- How to get over a cheating partner
- This is what happens when you smoke twice a day
- One simple trick that can boost your revenue by 23%
There are thousands of headline templates available all over the internet. I search around and copy them in my notepad. Makes my work a lot easier.
4. Organize and Structure Your Content
You need to have a consistent tone in your content as well as organize it in such a way that readers do not feel lost or overloaded with information.
You don’t have to unload all your information at once. It’s okay to do it while you’re drafting your post but the final product should be very organized. Structure your content in a way that guides your readers to effortlessly read your post.
Only state the information which is relevant to the topic and if you want your reader to know about something then either link the post or make it very short and highlight it.
Also, avoid writing big blocks of text (It’s very intimidating)
Need I say more?
Unless you are reading a book, nobody likes to see big walls of text. It’s not only intimidating, but it’s also boring. Not to mention, it’s straining on the eye.
Limit your paragraphs from two to four lines max. This makes it easier for the reader to read effortlessly and understand what is being mentioned.
5. Use Images and Bullet Points
Using images keeps the post-light-hearted and doesn’t make the reader tuned out by all the information. A well-chosen image either entertains your reader or quickly conveys your point in less time.
A win-win for both you and your reader.
Bullet points are also very important to use when you’re writing about a topic that has a lot to cover. (Just like this one).
Most people just scan through the articles. It takes them less than three seconds to decide whether they want to read it or not.
You don’t want to waste your audience’s time but give them instantly what they are searching for. Avoid using big sentences in bullet points. Instead, write clear short statements. (what I call the gunshot statements)
Remember more information doesn’t mean more word count. You can have 700 words article with tons of information Ex. Step-by-step guides. (a lot of info to retain for the reader). And a 1500 words article with forgettable information ex. Storytelling articles (the reader can relax and read). The art is to find balance.
6. Internal Linking
Internal Linking means linking your other posts in your post.
For example, if you are writing about “how to make cheesecake” and you had already made a post about making sour cream from scratch, you just link that post to your current one. Try to link at least 3 articles in your post.
This way the traffic on your site stays for longer which is a very favorable point for google algorithm and SEO. Also, your readers get exposure to more information that is relevant to them. You, of course, need to link relevant posts in your article.
Also Read: How To Optimize Blog Posts For On-page SEO | Simple Guide
Internal linking applies to those bloggers who have enough posts to link. Newbie bloggers should just focus on producing high-quality content.
7. Optimize Your Post for SEO
Okay, here comes the technical part of knowing how to write a blog post. No worries though. I will be guiding you through it all. Yoast SEO plugin eases the journey though.
Start using it, if you haven’t already. It thoroughly guides you from start till end. But for those that don’t use it, here it is.
*assuming you know your keyword
There are 5 main areas to insert your keyword(s) in the post. They are:
- Meta Description
- Headline
- Subheaders
- Body Text
- Image File Name and Alt Text
*Meta description and headline.
*Subheading and Body text
*Image file name and Alt Text
Now those of you that don’t know where to find and edit each one of them, do not worry. Both Rank Math and Yoast SEO plugins guide you to what is where.
Also, name your image file to your relevant keywords. Dump the focus keyword as well as all the related keywords into your image file name.
Don’t try to stuff keywords in the content though. Only insert where it makes sense.
8. Insert a Clear Call To Action (CTA)
Call to action just means telling the readers what to do next when you have given out the main information.
Like encouraging them to sign up for your newsletter, telling them to comment and give feedback, sharing your post, asking them questions, linking a related post and encouraging them to read it, etc.
This promotes readers’ engagement and also makes them take an actionable task, which is the whole purpose of this. Also, CTAs make great endings.
Your post becomes alive and smooth to read. Don’t just leave your readers hanging. Guide them to the next step.
9. Check for Plagiarism
When you complete your blog post, run it through a plagiarism checker.
Don’t hurt your credibility by publishing plagiarized content. And it’s incredibly easy to unintentionally write such content as there are literally millions of blog posts published every year.
A total of zero % plagiarism is what you should aim for. BUT having said that, there are some words that are going to show up as plagiarized no matter how original your content is. For example, quotes. So your plagiarism % shouldn’t exceed more than 10%.
Don’t try to paraphrase or rephrase the content and try to pass it off as original. Some plagiarism checkers don’t detect paraphrased content but some do. And if you’re caught, it’s bad news.
There are literally hundreds of checkers on the market and I am sure you wouldn’t go through every single one of them. Better to write from scratch.
Then again, if you were to do that, you wouldn’t be reading this post.
A Few Tips:
- Create a smooth flow of your content. Read it aloud and check if it sounds awkward.
- Avoid repetitions of words.
- Let someone you know read it.
- Check your facts
- Include references to your facts
- Use Grammarly and Hemingway Editor to proofread and omit grammar mistakes
- Try to add related keywords
- Use Categories and Tags
Lastly, don’t obsess over your work. There is always gonna be room for improvement.
Bottom Line….
Take your time and sharpen your writing skills. Writing great blog posts demands patience and practice. The more you practice the better you get at it.
Believe it or not, all the bloggers you see and aspire to be walked this road.
Tell me in the comments below if there is anything I left unanswered in my post or if there is something you didn’t understand. I’d be happy to help!
