“How to write the best blog post is not something you do correctly from the beginning.” That’s right if I knew then what I know now about blogging – 550+ posts later- maybe this whole thing wouldn’t have started in earnest!
But when life gets hectic (as it inevitably will) don’t be afraid of taking risks or being imperfect; these things only make your voice more authentic and trustworthy for followers who crave realness online
One of my earliest posts was about my garden. It’s a little ironic since I just revived my garden recently. I could not keep up with gardening since beginning blogging – almost 3 years later.
However, it felt good to be doing normal things again and yet still be blogging. Once you really get going with blogging you begin to learn what works and what doesn’t work.
In this piece, I will share with you those things that have worked well and what haven’t worked so well in over a decade of blogging.
What do I mean by worked well? Blog posts that received more traffic and converted in leads and sales.
Some of these methods you may remember from older posts. Others are new methods I tried and shared with you along the way here to drive blog traffic.
What is a Blog Post, Exactly?
A blog is a written piece of information on the web. The most recent posts appear on the top of the blog. Most blogs are written about a particular topic or niche. Some do cover several topics and niches together.
Many blogs are written by a team of writers or an individual. Some allow contributors to post to their blogs.
So, a blog post is one post on the blog. A blog itself can consist of hundreds or thousands of blog posts.
What do I mean by worked well? Blog posts that received more traffic and converted in leads and sales.
How to Prepare for Writing a Blog Post
There are several things you will need to do before you start writing your blog post to make it effective. They are:
- Brainstorm your topic.
- Doing research for your blog post.
- Create an outline.
- Look for graphics to use in your blog post.
- Decide where to link to, internal and external.
Tools like Google Trends, Ahrefs, Answer the Public, and Ubersuggest is some tools you can use to find keywords to help lift your post with SEO in mind.
The Writing of Your Blog Posts
Begin with your title though some people write first and then write a title. Whichever way works best for you!
However, be sure your title is not long. You can use this tool from Moz.
It’s a fabulous tool to be sure your title count is correct and that it shows up in the search engine without any words being cut off. Thanks to Palesh for sharing this headline tool with me. He recently wrote a blog post on how to write a title that will convert.
Now, for the paragraphs make sure to keep them short and fairly sweet. Readers sometimes like to scan blog posts for content and not have to read long blog posts. Yoast recommends paragraphs not to go over 300 words.
In between each of your paragraphs be sure to have headers. Your Title should be H1 and then from there, you go down H2 to H3, etc.
Hence, having this structure provides the proper amount of white space that is easy for the eyes for reading.
Another great tool for your writing is Grammarly. However, you may still need to proofread your blog post before going live. And don’t fret, if you find something after publishing, you can always edit your post!
Best App For Writing Blog Posts
I love my Jasper AI tool for writing content quicker and sometimes even better writing! I can put in an old blog copy and get several outputs of that copy to choose from. You can of course edit any of the copy as well.
Or if you prefer you can even have Jasper write an entire blog post. You will love using this feature to get started with a post once you have an idea. Then you can quickly add to it the piece along with doing more research for writing relevant content.
It’s a great way to get you started writing more content! No more writer’s block for you.
Jasper AI can help you write content fast!
Your Content: Relevant and Timely
Next, your content should be relevant, easy to understand, and answer questions. What is the pain point of your readers? Learn what they are and then address them in your writing.
Depending on your niche, your posts may need to be relevant with the most up-to-date content. Oftentimes, you may want to be the first to write about something. Other times, you may want to see what others have to say first.
Other types of blogs are considered evergreen. Evergreen content is content that lasts forever with few or no updates needed. The subject matter of these types of posts is not topics that change often.
For example, my blog posts on social media have to be updated often as social media changes. But other posts about marketing or blogging may be evergreen.
Do note, it is important to have some evergreen content on your blog as well as some timely content.
What is the Best Length for a Blog Post?
That’s been a long debate of bloggers for years. Bloggers have been asking what is the optimal length for a blog post for years now.
Some bloggers say you need at least 3,000+ words. However, others like Seth Godin can get away with 100 words.
Research does show that longer posts do better in search than shorter blog posts. According to Blog Tyrant:
Research shows that, on average, the top 10 results for most Google searches are between 2,000 and 2,500 words.
However, if you use the Yoast plugin they recommend at least 900 words. Whatever you do, be sure not to add in words for fluff. No one wants to read fluff content today. Life is too short!
What Are the Best Days to Publish a Blog Post?
The favorite days to post a blog post may vary depending on your niche. I receive Neil Patel’s blog posts on a Sunday. Other businesses send them out on Mondays.
Fridays seem to be the fewest day for publishing posts. However, the fewest day may be the best as you will have less competition, right?
What is the Best Time to Publish a Blog Post?
The best time to publish a blog post is when your writing is ready to go! After proofreading and double-checking your grammar, it’s time to hit that publish button.
Many bloggers fail because they are afraid to hit the publish button. Remember, there is always an edit button you can use afterward if you do find an error.
Frequently Asked Questions
Depending on your topics, you may want to add an FAQ section to your blog post. These are great for readers who want some quick answers when searching for something online.
Not only that but Google looks for these as you can see which posts have these in your GA. They may be used for an SEO ranking factor, one of the 200 factors for your piece to rank.
Finally, Publish It
This may sound silly but many may write a piece but never publish it! Yep, they wait for the perfect blog post to be written and never finish it. They start another and another.
Yet, no posts go live. What good does it do if you write a post but do not publish it? You have to get over your fears and hit that button now.
Don’t Forget About Marketing
- Share on social media.
- Send in an email campaign.
- Link it in forums like Quora or Share Biz Sugar.
- Update it months later or when the content is outdated.
- Comment on other blogs that link back to yours.
- Advertise!
Advertise your blog on the search engines, use social media ads, buy ads directly on relevant websites and use some native ads. Each of these methods does require some testing. So have some time and money set aside for marketing your blog.
However, marketing your blog can take longer than writing the original post! So save yourself some time to do that and get your posts noticed out there. If you are sharing to social media, note that many posts on social do not last long so you must re-post and do it more often on Twitter than not.
Lastly, Tag Others Mentioned in Your Post
One last tip is to tag others mentioned in your post on social media. Be sure they know you have mentioned them in the blog article. You can also send them an email with the blog link.
If you want to know if you have been mentioned online or on social media, use a tool like Brand24 to help you!
Brand24 goes behind Google alerts by letting you know if your brand was mentioned online and on social media.
Bloggers Doing It Right Today
If you want to check out other bloggers doing it right, check out a handful of fabulous bloggers here:
In Conclusion’
What other tips would you add to how to write a blog? I’d love to hear about how you write your posts and which work best for you.
FAQ’s of Making a Fabulous Blog Post What Makes a Blog Post Great?One that answers questions readers have and respond to. A great blog post covers a topic in full without adding fluff. For the blogger, it generates leads and sales.
What Exactly is a Blog Post?A written piece of information on the web. It can be short or lengthy and include images, videos, etc.
How Do You Prepare to Write a Post?Research your topic, check out the keywords for SEO, link to others, add relevant internal links. Look for great graphics and videos to add.
How to Make Your Post Look AppealingUse a great title, images, and different headers throughout the piece with short paragraphs so your writing can be scanned by readers quickly.
Can AI Help You Write More?Yes, not only can AI help you write more but quicker and sometimes even better. If you have trouble coming up with topics, you should try out an AI tool for writing.
Timely or Evergreen?Each type of content writing is valuable. Evergreen lasts longer but timely pieces can generate more views and traffic quickly. A mix of the two types is great to use for blogging.
What Length Should It Be?That varies on many variables but at least 500 words is a good start but over 1,000 is more optimal.
Do Days or Times Matter When Publishing?No, not really. As long as you send emails, and share on social media you can space out when people may read your blog posts.
Do FAQs Help Your Blog?Yes, they help the readers find info fast. And, they may help your SEO rank at the same time. A win-win!
