Blogging is more than just writing and publishing content. As a blogger, you need to have a plan and follow it strictly. The plan is a lump of tasks to do before you post your masterpiece online. Skipping these tasks means that all of your efforts might go down the drain. The text you produce is just a part of your success, even if this text is really exciting. Still, there are more parts to work on, and we are going to discuss them in this post. So, how to publish an article online, and what to do before you let the world see it?
Think carefully if your article is useful for the audience
This is something you should do even before you start writing a post. Be honest to yourself and think if your topic fits the interests of your audience. Of course, this is your blog, and you decide what to blog about. Writing a post just because you are interested in the topic is a good practice. However, you should find a perfect balance between your own interests and the audience's needs. Make it useful!
Rethink the title of the post
Appealing titles can do miracles. People click them automatically even before they realize that. Dull titles can spoil the best posts - people will never open an article that is not captivating. Only the speaking headlines attract attention.
Add pictures
Images are appealing - they make your posts better-looking. What is more, pictures make texts more readable - people find it easier to look through long articles if they contain illustrations.
Add relevant keywords
Some posts make you wondering what exactly the author is trying to say. They might sound good, but you need to guess what is the main idea of the article. Why does it happen? Well, the problem is that some bloggers use rich language but fail to reveal the point.
The audience needs to know what your article is about from the very first sentences. Add clear and straightforward keywords and phrases to let people recognize the theme from first glance.
Make it personalized (a bit)
The first aim of your content is to inform. However, you should also infuse some personality to build stronger bonds with people. If your topic is pretty serious and you base the article on dry facts and reliable sources, you risk sounding boring. As the experience of the best assignment writing services Australia shows, even scientific texts that aim to be 100% objective should be personalized. Sounding like you are a robot is not an option! So make your content lively and let your unique personality shine through the lines.
SEO is important
Yes, SEO is a wide sphere with numerous aspects to consider. Some of the tips described here are aimed at improving your SEO. The previous paragraph is a starting point for your strategy because readers won't find your content if you fail to add relevant keywords. Publishing a blog post, add keywords to the text, image titles, headlines, and post's URL. If your blog is based on WordPress, use some in-built SEO plugins for better results.
Write a meta-description
Meta-description is a short evaluation of your post displayed by search engines on the Results page. If you don't add it yourself, Google will use the first sentences of your text (about 160 words) automatically. An appealing and strong description can increase the number of clicks, while a weak one can decrease it significantly.
Internal linking
Links to your previous posts can improve your SEO, as well. If you have some posts that are somehow relevant to the one you are writing now, add links, and make them interconnected. Try using different anchor texts - they might include keywords or not.
External links
External links will richen your text - add some that provide more information about the topic or explain something in more detail. And yes, again, external links improve your SEO!
Add an inspiring phrase or CTA in the end
Paper publishing is all about performance. CTA (call-to-action) can improve it significantly. Encourage your audience to share your post, subscribe to your blog, tweet, or pin the article. If you want your readers to discuss the topic in the comments section, simply ask them to do so. If your piece is motivational or inspiring, add an encouraging phrase at the end.
Conclusion
As you can see, writing is just half the battle. A successful post is not just the content you create, but also numerous other aspects. Composing an article is not enough - you need to do all the preparations and approach blog writing smartly. There are so many things to do before you press the "Publish" button, and you should keep them all in mind. Ignoring such aspects as SEO, usefulness, appealing headlines, and pictures can end up badly. There are so many posts that go to the bottom because of weak preparations. Don't let your masterpiece sink into the Lethe!
Author's bio: Susan Wallace is a writer, researcher, and editor. Susan is fond of modern American Literature and has a blog where she shares recommendations and impressions of the books she reads. As a web writer, she shares her ideas about self-publishing to help aspiring bloggers and writers find their way to success.