You have something to share and something to say. You desire to inspire and to sell. Blogging has been a long-standing way of providing content, so people online can find your information. The world of content marketing is changing, and a significant shift is with the rise of blogging. Not just blogging as people did in the past, with keyword stuffing and unnatural keyword phrases, but better blogging. Mastering the art of writing a blog post and then optimizing it has become one of the most critical content strategies.
Brainstorm for Multiple Blog Post Ideas
Once you’ve chosen a topic you want to write about, start with brainstorming. Brainstorming is writing down everything that comes to mind around your topic. For example, if your topic is “lightning bugs,” you might find some of these things on your list.
- The different species of fireflies and lightning bugs
- The best places to spot lightning bugs
- How to safely capture and release lightning bugs
The more you create and capture your ideas, the easier it becomes in the future.
Create an Outline of Your Post
Pick an idea and create an outline for the post. The outline should be a brief overview of your thoughts. It’ll save you time later when trying to remember which topics go together in your post and in what order you want to say them. Each blog post should have an introduction, the body of the post, and a conclusion.
- Introduction: This introduces your reader to what you want to say in the rest of the article, what problem the information solves, what exciting thing a person might learn, and why they should keep reading.
- The Body: The middle section of the post contains all the main points you want to cover. Each point should be a logical subhead underneath your title with relevant information in each.
- Conclusion: This is the bottom of the blog post, and it either sums up the information, provides a call-to-action, or both.
Format for Easier Reading
Break up the content so that it’s not a straight wall of text. Keep paragraphs between two to three sentences. Include subheads in the article with relevant information in each. Consider making your points or lists as bullet points in at least one of the sections. Formatting like this breaks up the post and allows your reader to find what they need faster.
Add Value by Being Authentic
More than ever, people can spot fake personalities and information. An essential aspect of your content strategy is not to be afraid of being yourself when you’re blogging. Authenticity creates trust, which leads people to want to come back and see more of what you have to say. People often buy because they like the person or how a company made them feel, rather than how excellent a product is. It’s crucial to build your voice and personality in the blog content so people can connect with what you have to say as a person.
Consider:
- Being bold
- Using humor where appropriate (don’t overdo it)
- Use some personal stories or experiences periodically
The more you do this, over time, an audience will come to know you, relate to your life, and be more likely to remember you for your products and services in the future.
Establish Yourself by Knowing Your Audience
Knowing your audience and providing content that is in line with their needs will help to boost blog post engagement. Understanding your audience’s likes, dislikes, needs, pain points, and deepest desires will help you create content that adds genuine value to their lives. Speaking to these issues, especially considering how your product, services, or knowledge helps this, helps establish you as a trusted resource for your topic.
Optimizing Blog Posts with Keywords and Keyword Phrases
Once you’ve written a high-quality piece of content, it’s important to take some strategic steps while optimizing blog posts.
- Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit. Cut out extra fluff, choose different words, and experiment with varying lengths of sentences to avoid being boring.
- Include a mix of popular and less popular keywords and keyword phrases throughout the copy. Attempt to use these keywords and phrases naturally in the title and subheads of the post and other places if it is natural to do so.
- Make sure your website is mobile responsive. More people access the web via phone now more than at any other time in history.
Incorporate these things into your blog posts, and you’ll be well on your way to valuable and optimized blog posts.
