When you create a blog, you have the opportunity to dive deep into your favorite topics, highlight your expertise, and build a community of readers interested in your work. Whether you want to start a blog from scratch or make blogging part of your business strategy, publishing content online is an effective way to share your knowledge and ideas with the world.
That said, composing a winning entry takes practice. In this A to Z guide, you’ll learn how to write the perfect blog post - from choosing the right blog topics and picking the proper format for your articles, to selecting strategic images that generate interest and engagement. By the time you’re done reading this, you’ll have a clear idea of how to create strong blog content that effectively communicates your ideas and stands out from other articles on the web.
How to write a blog post
01. Brainstorm blog topics
When writing a blog post, whether it's you're guest posting for someone else or writing for your own blog, you’ll want to cover topics that bring value to your readers and fall in line with their interests, as well as your own. Rather than trying to find the perfect topic right away, start by jotting down different ideas that come to mind.
There are several places you can look to spark new topic ideas:
Browse other blogs within your niche. If you’re writing a travel blog, for example, simply Google “travel blog” to see what your competitors are writing about.
Use Google Trends to find out which topics are trending.
Look for current events and recent news stories related to your field.
Find out what people enjoy learning about by browsing online courses on websites.
Once you find some interesting ideas online, think about the unique ways you can approach those topics. Consider the various ways you can play around with topic ideas to come up with something that isn’t only trendy and relevant, but that’s also original and fresh.
Let’s say, for instance, that you want to write about chocolate chip cookies. There are a few different angles you might consider taking here:
A how-to post that instructs readers how to do something with clearly ordered steps (e.g., “How to Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies from Scratch”).
A curated list that offers a set of recommendations for your readers (e.g., “The Top Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes”).
A tips and advice post that provides expert guidance and resources. (e.g., “Tips for Making Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies Extra Gooey”).
A definition-based blog post that helps explain the meaning of a term or topic (e.g., “What Are No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies”).
A top trends article that highlights what’s currently popular (e.g. “The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes From This Year”).
A personal or business update that lets you unveil something fresh or recently unknown (e.g., “My New Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Revealed”).
Get brainstorming with these best blog ideas, and check out our professional guide on how to start a blog for more helpful tips.
02. Refine your topic with keyword research
Part of writing a blog post involves keyword research. This crucial SEO practice is used as a marker to see which terms you can potentially rank high for in certain online searches.
Once you’ve chosen a direction for your blog post, you’ll need to figure out the chances of its success on search engine result pages - which ultimately means getting more eyes on your content. In order to succeed, conduct keyword research to find the most relevant queries for your topic.
You can find keywords for your own articles by using various keyword research tools. If you’re new to blogging, you’ll probably want to start with free tools such as Answer the Public, Google Keyword Planner. Afterwards, you may want to upgrade to more advanced tools.
While conducting keyword research, keep in mind that the more specific the phrase, the more closely it will match your audience’s intent. On the other hand, broader keywords tend to have higher search volumes - meaning more people are searching for them each month.
Think about the benefits of opting for a broader phrase, like “chocolate chip cookies,” over a more precise phrase, like “how to make chocolate chip cookies.” Choosing the right keywords means striking a balance between high search volume and high intent.
Once you’ve selected your keywords, you can use them to shape the structure of your content. Google those phrases to find out which articles have successfully targeted those same keywords, and spend some time browsing their content. This will give you inspiration for your own article in terms of what to include and how to structure it.
03. Know your audience
Discover how to define your audience, understand their needs and tell a compelling brand story that they’ll connect with. These are the foundations you’ll need to succeed in driving traffic.
Ultimate Guides are Forum posts designed to be the best of the best. It's supposed to be the Forum post to end all Forum posts–everything your reader will ever need to know about the subject.
Knowing your audience helps you figure out what content and messages people care about. Once you have an idea of what to say, knowing your audience also tells you the appropriate tone and voice for your message.
Who is your audience
To focus your efforts and resources, you must define the group of people you want to target. Some brands have a very focused target audience while others look to target a much more diverse group of people.
04. Craft an irresistible headline
A headline or catchy title ("Headline") is the headline of a content article that contains elements to persuade readers to read it. Writing an effective headline can be an essential element of your content. Be specific — include enough detail so they can connect to the story and make a decision.
Consider these points for writing a irresistible heading:
Add numbers
Use Delicious Super-words
Connect emotionally
Get personal
Make an overly ambitious promise.
Use SEO keywords
Write the deadline last
05. Create an organized outline
Outlining will help construct and organize ideas in a sequential manner and thoughtful flow. The organized outline shows how the various points or your topic relate to each other. You can choose information more easily.
Consider these points for writing an organized outline:
Identify your topic statement
List the major points that support your topic
List some supporting ideas
Flush Out Your Main Points
Review and adjust
06. Write engaging content
Engaging content is that which touches the heart of the people. After reading, watching or listening to it, people get so excited that they become very motivated to do that work. In engaging content, some such words are used that connect people emotionally with the content.
Consider these points for writing the engaging content:
You have to love what you are writing about.
Give some such information that people will be surprised to read or hear.
Follow the style of the writers' which you like.
Write in Active Voice.
Learn some creative writing techniques.
Think about your own opinion.
Have a clear message.
07. Stylize your blog post
Stylizing a blog is very important. Because people like to see and explore that thing which is more designed. It is not that everyone does this, some people do not do this at all, they read the title and take information.
Consider these points for stylizing your blog post:
Add an irresistible headline.
Use images.
Link and design your text.
Write in Active Voice.
Add elements from toolbar.
Size your fonts.
08. Pick relevant images
Are you familiar with the phrase, "A picture worth a thousand words". It simply means an image can create or break your content.
Consider these points for picking a relevant image:
Choose a relevant image for your content.
Use the right search terms.
Add your image there for the one you have chosen.
Know copyright laws and always attribute.
09. Implement call-to-action
A call-to-action is a statement designed to get an immediate response from the person reading or hearing it. "Buy now", "Get Started" and "Download now" are typical examples of call-to-action "CTA". A good call-to-action can help with decision fatigue and give rise to your content.
Consider these points for implementing call-to-action:
Use a strong command verb.
Reason your audience.
Connect emotionally.
Show some creativity.
10. Optimize you content for SEO
One of the best ways to get your site's content to rank higher in search engine results is by adding original text to each page. Not sure where to start? Follow the steps below to get the most out of your site's content.
Learn more about:
10.1 How search engines use your content
Search engines crawl and index each page on website individually. When someone enters a search term, the search engine tries to understand their intent and gives them the most relevant results for their query.
The rank of your page in those results depends on the quality of your content and how relevant it is to certain keywords.
10.2 Optimizing your content for search engines
Be original
Creating original content for each page of website is a great way to rank higher. It’s important to use your page’s keywords in a natural, unforced way. One way you can do this is by describing the main purpose of website in different ways (Website).
Search engines also assign a higher value to quality content, so avoid lists of keywords or repeating the same text on multiple pages.
Duplicating content from other sites is also something to avoid. Search engines can recognize duplicate content and may penalize your site.
Be descriptive
Go into as much detail as you can about what you do, what services or products you offer, and what your users can get from your site.
Here are a few ideas to make your site more descriptive:
Add accurate title tags for each page
Create separate pages for different products, services, and topics
Imagine yourself in your site visitor’s place and write the information you would want to know
Give the people what they want
We recommend writing content that answers popular questions related to your keywords. It’s a great way to draw visitors to your site by giving them the help they need. It also proves to search engines that your site has value and is worth ranking higher.
Give the people what they want (regularly)
You should also create fresh content for your site on a regular basis. Update your site or ("Post") regularly with changes in your business, new projects you’re working on, and new products or services your customers can buy.
Put the most important information in writing
Rich content like videos, animations, and audio clips can help keep visitors on your site for longer, but search engines don’t easily understand them. Use text for important information as much as possible.
If you use a graphic or logo for your site’s name, make sure to add alt text to it. You should also include the site's name as text somewhere else on the page.
Use heading tags
The H1 tag, also known as a heading tag, acts as the title of each page. The H1 tag should be the headline of a page, similar to the headline of a page of a newspaper.
Each page of your site should have its own unique heading tags. The heading tag should describe the content of each page. This helps both search engines and site visitors understand what each page is about.