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Writing Blog Posts

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By Tess Luke

Producing blog posts is a sure-fire way to connect with consumers and provide them with much-needed information, like FAQs or product guides. But writing posts that cut through requires an understanding of what consumers are searching for and an awareness of what makes a good story. The Good Marketer’s senior content manager Tess Luke shares some tips for improving this process.

What is a blog post, and why are they important?

A blog is an online journal where a group, individual or corporation discusses thoughts, beliefs, activities or records. There is a range of different blog styles you can choose from, and each will fit the context of your story: interview, how-to, listicle, news article, review, image-based or a more personal blog. Blogging is more important than ever when establishing yourself or your company online. Blogging is a great way to grow your online presence and help build your site’s authority over some time.

Many businesses use their blog spaces to post on relevant topics, conversational pieces, inspirational content and more. Here is where you could build on your relationships with your audience and inform them about your business.

SEO opportunities with blog posts

Blogs are more than just hubs of information, though. Blogs are also a great tool to enhance your SEO. Any SEO agency in London will understand the core benefits of optimizing your content for your business in more depth. However, we can quickly see that an optimal solution to increasing the visibility of your website in organic search results is through blog posts. Ensuring your site is a trusted resource is vital in building credibility. It is super important to take the time to create content that search engines can find.

Seven tips to remember when writing your blog post

It’s time to start writing your blog posts. You’ve thought about everything from structure to the storyline and word count, and you’re ready to start typing away. Keep in mind the following tips when constructing your next blog post. It could be the post that takes your site to the next level and reach a new audience.

Grammar

First up, grammar. Before writing any blog post, you should understand your target audience well enough to know the correct tone of voice. We can all likely relate to the frustration of incorrect or lousy grammar when reading. Take the time to thoroughly read through each part and don’t rush the process; it is always quality over quantity.

Backlinks to your website

When writing blogs, you should always use every opportunity to link the readers to other parts of your website. For example, if you discuss pink tops and sell them, you would connect them to that page. You should be wary of how much you do this, as sometimes it can become overbearing for the readers if you constantly try to push them off the page. Lightly sprinkle these links where appropriate to get the best results.

CTAs

A call to action (CTA) is a term that asks your readers or customers to do something. For example, ‘shop now.’ CTAs use direct response copywriting principles and help push your customers in the direction you want them to take. In blogs, this would look like the following:

  • Like what you see? Head over to this page…
  • Want to learn more?
  • Leave a comment
  • Subscribe to our newsletter

Keep it conversational

Avoid your readers becoming bored, and keep your article conversational. Write in ways that make them ask questions along the way or take them into more profound thought surrounding the topic. If this tends to happen when they’re reading your articles, they will indeed become a frequent reader – which ultimately is the goal.

Researching trending keywords

Keywords play a vital role in positioning your page in a Google search. Beginning your blog journey with keyword research will help you achieve this goal. It is also a great way to determine whether your topic is relevant. You don’t necessarily want to create content that a small group of people is searching for, as this will not boost your ranking or reach a wider audience.

Remove all unnecessary filler

Going back to keeping it conversational, you want to avoid writing statements to create a longer blog. Your readers will soon disconnect with the piece if they feel they are being fed information that isn’t relevant, or perhaps it is taking too long to get to the overall point. Stick to the news that matters and remove any filler that isn’t needed.

Proofread

Last but not least, proofread. And then proofread it again. Rereading your work and proofreading it all is a must. Take a break, return to the content a little while later, or maybe even sleep on it. Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can make all the difference.

Conclusion

Everyone’s writing style varies; what works for you might not work for someone else. However, keeping the above tips in mind will positively improve your writing skills for the next blog post. Think SEO, credibility and building your online presence as the overall goal when creating your content.

Feature Image Credit: Bram Naus via Unsplash

By Tess Luke 

Sourced from The Drum

By Oscar

Blogging is crucial for every web business to progress in the digital realm. But what most people forget is the fact that blog posts require frequent updating. Competition fumes up every day in the blogging world, making it very difficult for websites to survive. A great deal of pressure is on marketers that require publication of blogs that are crisp, unique, and updated as well. More or less successful blogging requires only one thing, and that is “consistency.” Without consistency, your content is just like a piece of plastic floating on the surface of the ocean, just lying there without any purpose, like garbage. Blogging is more like an inbound strategy aimed at generating more qualified leads. Even studies support the fact that blogging acquires 126% more leads.

As we move into the year 2020, it’s crucial for marketers to level up their blogging game. Old generic tactics for blogging aren’t going to work in 2020. Every New Year starts with a banging resolution, and your resolution this year should be to publish content that not only speaks for itself but leaves a significant impact on your audience search queries as well. Content that is able to speak for itself but fails to rank in Google’s top 10 isn’t going to do any good to you in the long run. All the blogs that you put forth should be able to convert into the maximum amount of leads and sales.

I have curated this blog, specifically for marketers who either don’t know their way around towards successful blog creation or have lost their touch with it. Hence, follow this guide given below to ensure you create content that compellingly engages your audience, driving towards more leads and sales.

  • Work on the Anatomy of the Blog Post

Every successful blog requires one thing in its initial phase, and that is creating a killer outline. Every great blog should start with a catchy yet compelling headline because that’s probably the first thing that attracts the reader’s eye. Next, always add in interesting images and infographics relevant to your topic. Then write a creative introduction. Your introduction should have the power to engage your readers quickly. Introduction is a crucial element of a blog that can either make or break your blog. It’s the only thing that will keep your audience from visiting your competitor’s website.

After you have given an outstanding introduction, highlight your main points in either a paragraph or bullet points, and briefly explain them. Always give a conclusion in the end with an invitation or feedback or probably a call to action would do. Create a comment section as well, where viewers can leave comments about their experiences with your brand or ask queries.

  • Do SEO Like a Pro

On-site SEO always pays off. About 70-80% of users go for organic research and tend to ignore paid research. When you successfully optimize your page for on-page SEO, you are automatically driving more visitors to your website. On-page optimization takes two factors into consideration, and that is the content that you put in and the HTML. Three things that matter the most for on-page SEO and the is the value of content, use of keywords, and the overall user experience.

Your choice of keywords in your blog content shall be overlooked from your audience perspective. Make use of online tools such as a Google AdWords keywords planner and create long-tail keywords. Insert these keywords in the headlines, the content, and in the sub-heading. But always stay mindful of keyword stuffing. Refrain from using your keywords too much and avoid putting them in the wrong places. Such practice is considered demeaning and can even cost you your page since Google tends to take down such pages.

  • Pick Out a Rich Topic

Your customers must always be your top-most priority. Also, pick out a topic that caters to your audience in a useful way. Don’t create content on topics that the internet is already filled with. Try writing on topics that are unique, informative, and inspiring in every way. The audience online craves content that is authentic and follows a genuine idea, so, always incorporate rare ideas that drive originality, concept, and offer fruitful knowledge to your readers.

Other than choosing a mind-blowing topic, also make sure of what keeps on bugging your audience. Keep reviewing comments on blog posts to see if your audience is in need of any assistance. Cater to all their search queries properly. Send them a handful of surveys every now and then to gain relevant insights and keep a follow-up on their experience with your brand. Utilize online tools such as Buzzsumo, to educate yourself on popular posts in your niche. These tips will surely help you in taking your blogs to cloud nine.

  • Insert Stats

Adding statistical information in blogs will surely, add more value. Providing evidence-based content always creates a win-win situation for both the brand and the audience. Conduct an in-depth analysis and incorporate your findings in your introduction. This will make your blog more appealing to your audience, driving them to read more as well as allowing them to keep coming back for more. It’s proven that due to short attention spans, people only read 18% of your blog posts.

Other than your audience, it also benefits Google, as Google is pretty much eager to know what kind of audience is visiting your website. It wants to gain insights on how many users have moved from your page to another, how much time they spend reading your posts, and what they think about your website in general. Thus, when you write a data-driven blog, you are creating more ways for your audience to stay hooked on your website for a longer period of time and always prefer your website, your content, and your brand over anything.

Wrapping Up

Are you ready to level up your blog post-game in Google’s top 10? Are you prepared to see your website on Google’s first page? Then, you have landed just right! Please read this blog thoroughly as it enlists all-important vital points that you should follow to increase your rankings in no time.

By Oscar

Oscar is a passionate digital marketer who has discovered the importance of content in the online world. Currently he is working as the lead of his content team in Wikipedia LLC. Apart from being a wiki expert content producer, he is a book worm who loves to read day in night out.

Sourced from PromotionWorld