News - Latest News, Breaking News, Breaking News Headlines Today | Times of India 24

 8 easy steps to write a perfect blog post

If you attack it head-on, it can be difficult to write a blog that draws readers, boosts engagement, and generates income.

Therefore, we broke it down into multiple manageable steps.

You may master the art of creating excellent blog posts quickly and simply by taking this approach one step at a time. Let's look at it now.

1. Do some target market research

As previously stated, if you don't always keep your audience in mind, your blog article won't be successful. Your followers will catch on if you just keep blogging to the entire world or act like you're keeping a journal. They'll also feel excluded.

Therefore, you must address the reader directly if you want to capture their interest. Knowing who your reader is is the only way to accomplish that.

Find out who your target market is by doing some research. Discover their interests, preferences for topics, opinions, and more. It will be simpler for you to write a blog article that captures their interest the more you discover about your target audience.

If you’re just starting out and don’t have an actual audience just yet, check out your niche competitors and see what kind of readers they’re attracting.

2. Plan out your blog post

It's time to plan out your blog after learning more about the audience you hope to reach. Right now, there's no need to get too particular. You only need to perform some note-taking and brainstorming at this point.

Select the subject you prefer.

Finding a good topic is probably one of the trickiest parts of producing a great blog post. How do you begin?

How can you know if your audience will love it? (Short answer – you won’t know until you publish it.) The easiest way to write a high-quality blog post is by choosing a topic you’re passionate about. Scribble down a few ideas and general topics that interest you.

If you’re not passionate about your piece of writing, why should others be? Your readers are pretty smart, and they’re great at reading between the lines. If they don’t feel your genuine excitement about a specific topic, they won’t be excited themselves.

Some introspection is necessary for this step.

Don’t forget the keywords!

Once you’ve narrowed down your topic, it’s always a good idea to do some keyword research. This will be essential in boosting your organic marketing efforts and help you to rank higher on search engine result pages.

You can do keyword research the old-fashioned way and simply start guessing which words your audience would use to search for your topic. If you’re thinking about writing a blog post about “exercises to do at home,” some common keywords would likely be “cardio exercises at home,” “best workout routine at home,” “how to work out at home,” and the like.

You’re likely a master at googling things yourself, so just put yourself in the position of a person who would google your topic. That should give you an excellent insight into your target keywords.

Of course, you can also go the easier way and rely on keyword research tools. They will automate this process and help you pinpoint the exact keywords that are relevant to your topic.

Come up with an outline

With a suitable topic and relevant keywords, you can now start planning your blog post’s outline. Come up with a rough draft and jot down a few ideas.

Going back to the topic of “exercises at home,” you could plan out the specific things you’d like to discuss. You could have a paragraph about the overall importance of exercising, then go into the benefits of cardio vs. weightlifting, and finally, list and explain a few specific exercises. Talk about the necessary equipment for a home workout, and maybe even mention a particular diet for a complete health and fitness approach.

Use the keywords to your advantage and rely on them for coming up with a rough outline of your blog post.

Learn from your competitors

It’s always a good idea to check out the competition before you start writing a blog post. This will give you insight into how your competitors are handling a certain topic and how your shared audience responds to it.

Never copy your competition!

Only use them for inspiration and tips and for learning what you need to do to make your blog post different from theirs.

Get ready to put your ideas to (digital) paper

Once you’ve got all of the information you need to start writing a blog, it’s time to prepare for the actual writing process. That can be easier said than done.

Writing is a creative process, so encountering a creative block is not unheard of. The best thing you can do to get ready to document your ideas is to remove all distractions.

Ensure you have a comfortable, quiet place where you can write without anything taking your attention away.

3. Carefully consider your headline

You have the topic and the keywords, you’ve researched the competition, and now it’s time to come up with a great headline. Many people who see your blog post won’t get past the headline, and the headline might deter those who’d be interested in reading your blog.

So, if you want to increase your readership and attract wider audiences, you need a gripping headline that boosts social media shares and drives clicks. You can do so by leveraging social currency, providing practical value, or even giving a threat.

Social currency

Social currency essentially means following a trend. If a lot of people are doing something or are interested in something, others will follow along.

Blog post examples:

The Most Popular Apps You Must Have on Your Phone

Top 10 Morning Habits of Successful People You Need to Adopt

Practical value

Offering practical value in your headline can always attract readers. You simply need to make it clear that your blog post will be useful to your audience. Most “How to” articles aim to provide practical value.

Blog post examples:

How to Make the Best Thanksgiving Dinner in Just 2 Hours

Best Tips for Increasing Your Social Media Following

Threat

Threatening or warning readers with your headline sounds sketchy, but it’s very effective. It encourages them to take action and see what insights you can offer.

Blog post examples:

Stop Leaking Your Private Information Online!

Why You’ll Never Get That Promotion

4. Get started with your first draft

Now that you have the basic outline for your blog post and a working headline, you can start writing your first draft. Avoid using too much fluff and adding sentences just to make the word count. The quality of the text is much more important than the number of words you have. Keep your copy informational, entertaining, and valuable.

5. Pay very close attention to SEO

As you’re writing a blog post, you should always keep search engine optimization in mind. SEO will increase your blog’s visibility and help you rank higher on search engines, driving your site’s traffic and boosting your readership.

Crucial SEO tags

SEO tags help search engines understand what your content is about. The more specific you are, the easier it will be for search engine crawlers to “read” your blog and determine its value.

Crucial SEO tags to include are:

Title tag

Meta description tag

Header tag

Image alt tag

Canonical tag

Nofollow link tag

Anchor text tag

Keywords

You’ll need to include relevant keywords in your copy if you want your target readers to find you. However, you’ll want to avoid keyword stuffing – it will harm your SERP (Search Engine Results Pages) ranking and deter many of your readers.

Include keywords and keyword phrases naturally in your text, and mention them in your headline and headers.

Links

Internal and external links are crucial for your SEO. Internal links will inform search engines about what type of blog you’re running. They can also work to keep your readers on your site longer.

On the other hand, external links to high-authority websites will improve your credibility and trustworthiness, both essential factors for your SERP ranking.

6. Add visual content

Blog posts without any visual content tend to become quite bland and boring. You need to break up the text with images, GIFs, and other media to keep the reader engaged and interested.

Of course, you can’t just add any random visual content – it has to make sense for your topic. It’s nonsensical to include images of cute puppies if you’re writing a blog on “exercises to do at home,” for example.

Meaningful visual content that’s relevant and adds value to your posts is the way to go.

7. Proofread and edit only after writing your blog post

The biggest mistake most new bloggers make is editing as they’re writing. It wastes time, diverts your attention, and causes creative blocks.

Instead, start editing and proofreading after you’ve already written the full copy. Better yet, give it a few hours, then go back to it later. You’ll have a fresher perspective, and you’ll find it easier to improve your text and make it sound better.

If you want to be taken seriously as a blogger, you need to ensure that your grammar and spelling are impeccable. You don’t have to be all prim and proper, but you’ll want to avoid having grammar grouches in your comment section. So, always edit and proofread before you upload your blog posts.

8. Blog post responsiveness is essential

Finally, you’ll need to ensure that your blog post is legible across devices. Your readers will be using different smartphones, PCs, and tablets when checking out your blog. And all of them need to be able to see it clearly, regardless of their device.

All text, images, videos, and more, need to be clear and adequately sized for any screen. Mobile optimization is essential for attracting readers and improving your SERP ranking, so don’t forget about it.

The perfect blog post structure

Now that we’ve gone over the steps to writing a killer blog post, let’s see the perfect blog post template that you should always follow.

Headline

A perfect blog post starts with a perfect headline. Make sure it’s catchy, clear, and that it encapsulates what your copy is all about. Include your primary keyword phrase in the headline to boost your SEO.

Here is the cheat sheet you can use that will help you to come up with headline ideas.

Date

Blog sites typically show posts in reverse chronological order, with the latest post appearing at the very top. It’s always a good idea to include the date of publishing on your blog post so that your readers have a nice overview of your most recent entries.

Author bio

An author’s bio is always a nice touch, and you can include it either immediately after your headline or right after the conclusion. Keep it short and sweet, mentioning only the essential details.

Author bios are a great way to inspire trust among your readers, especially when there’s more than one writer on your blog site.

Blog post category

A blog post category is a great way to keep your content nicely organized. If you’re running a health and fitness blog, you could include categories such as:

Cardio exercises

Weightlifting

Strength training

Quick workout routines

Home workouts

Diet

Whenever you upload new content, you’ll include it into a category, and your audience will see what they’ll be getting from it. It’s also helpful for search engine crawlers when they’re going over your blog.

Introduction

Your introduction will make or break your blog post. It will prompt your readers to close the tab and move on, or it will pique their interest and keep them engaged. So, make your introduction count.

Keep it clear and to the point, and shortly explain what your post will be about. Include the keyword at least once in the first two paragraphs for better SEO.

Body

The body of your blog post should deliver on the promise made by the headline and introduction. If your headline reads “exercises to do at home,” you should explain the suitable exercises in the body of your copy. Don’t just explain the health benefits of working out in general or talk about gym workouts. Focus on the main topic and elaborate.

Play around with different word counts to see what your audience responds to the best.

Subheadings

Even the shortest blog posts should include a subheading or two – it makes the copy easier to scan. When including subheadings, make sure they’re relevant to the main topic and that they contain the information they promise. For your “exercises to do at home” article, a subheading such as “easy cardio at home” should talk about cardio, not about weightlifting, not about diet, and not about home gym equipment.

Bullets and numbers

Including bullet points and numbered lists is an excellent option for longer blog posts. They break up the text nicely and help to separate ideas or steps into information that’s easy to digest.

Bolded/Highlighted text

To truly drive home the importance of something in your blog post, you could use bolded or highlighted text. But use it sparsely. It’s excellent for highlighting something, but the meaning is lost if everything is highlighted.

Links from reputable sources

Interlinking is essential for any blog site. It helps to connect all of your blog posts and allows you to keep your readers engaged with all of your content. Linking to other reputable sites also helps you to build credibility and authority in your niche.

However, don’t include a link in every single paragraph. It will only distract the readers and make you seem scammy.

Multimedia

As mentioned above, including visual content is an absolute necessity. It breaks up the text and makes it easier to read. It can also help you to explain yourself better and drive home your points.

A featured image will help you promote your blog post on social media and other channels.

Conclusion

Offering a quick summary is the perfect way to wrap up your blog post and go over the most critical points. A few sentences should suffice to remind the reader of what you’ve covered.