top of page

How to write a great blog post for your blog? [2022]


Brand24 review - social listening made easy

It doesn't have to be hard to learn how to write a blog article that people would want to read (and still drives meaningful visitors to your blog).


This guide will help you learn how to write a blog post that converts readers into followers.


The sixth step to starting a blog is about writing.


If you missed the previous steps, you can find them below.


Jump to:


Why do people read a blog?

ree

First of all, let's talk about why people read a blog. Usually, you read a blog because you care about the content. Strong content will help you build readers and eventually make money blogging.

Before you go too far on the road to creating your blog business plan and writing your first post, you need to answer one simple question... why?

  • Why are you so passionate about the topic that you blog about?

  • Why should others listen to you?

  • Is this topic worth your time and effort?

These questions can be answered by thinking of a blog as a business. We also like to emphasize the importance of choosing a niche.

What is a blog niche?

A blog niche goes beyond a specific topic. This is how you will approach your audience, what you will talk to them about, and how you will position yourself.

You don't have to be passionate about a niche to make it a success. However, it should be something that interests you.

You will find the best niches interesting enough to keep you writing and accessible enough to build an audience.

Once you have started your blog, it is vital to identify a niche as soon as possible.

A niche is essential for your blog to have a focus. It is where you will plan your content calendar, choose a design and market your blog.

This also helps you to determine how your audience will find and connect with you.

If you are unsure or don't know what niche to choose, we can help with some questions.


These questions will help you determine the right niche for your blog.
  • Is there a childhood dream or interest that you find interesting?

  • What is the best thing about your day?

  • Are there hobbies or interests that you would like to pursue?

  • What is your most deeply held value?

  • Is there one achievement of which you are incredibly proud?


You should already have an idea of a niche that you could start blogging about. It's okay if your niche evolves, changes and grows over time.



Take it one step further: How do you know if your niche has a business opportunity?

ree

You'll need to do some research if you want to make money with your blog.

This means that people are actively looking for the information you provide. Can you add value to them and make money for them?

To create a blog that is a business, you must solve a problem for people.

This is done by using a simple spreadsheet called the Market Demand Checker. It will help you make content that your target audience will enjoy.

Consider the niche you are interested in and brainstorm 5-10 keywords, phrases, or topics that would be relevant to that niche.

If you wanted to create a blog about guitar playing, keywords might include "best guitar books", "how to play the guitar," "beginner chords," "what kind of guitar should I purchase," and others.

Now, let's do a little keyword research. In your Google search, enter one of the keywords above.

ree

It's a strong indicator that people are interested in your topic if there are many millions of results. To be sure, we use a tool called Twinword Idea to see the monthly search volume (how many people are searching this term each month).

This should be done for every keyword. Then, look at the results.

You have a potentially profitable niche if all your top keywords have a Monthly Search volume of between 5,000 and 10,000.

If your Monthly Search Volume is too high, reaching the hundreds of thousands, you may want to be more specific about your niche than competing with larger websites that are more established on popular topics.



Smart ideas for blog posts (using keywords research)


You must do a smart keyword search to identify the niche that you will be blogging about. This will enable you to create the best blog posts that will attract readers.

What about the posts? You can write what you like! You have this blog, and it is your place to share your thoughts and opinions. Ideas don't always flow naturally.

A simple editorial schedule is essential in this area. This is a simple document that you can fill out and will give you a guideline for what you should write next. This allows you to spend more time putting together posts and not trying to figure out post ideas.



Here are 5 clever ways to create blog posts ideas

ree

This is how we come up with blog posts that we want to publish on our blog.

  • Brainstorm topics and write all of them down. Do that for as many keywords or ideas as you can. You should aim for topics that your target audience would be interested in. What are their questions? What are they looking for?

  • To get even more ideas, use a keyword search tool: You can use a tool such as Ahrefs, Twinword Idea, and Moz for more ideas. These tools will give you information about terms and topics related to those you have already created, as well as how many people are searching for them (to show your audience cares).

  • Combine similar ideas: Take all terms you know and begin to refine them. Do you have duplicates that can be merged?

  • Write down your ideas and prioritize them: Next, open your editorial calendar and add your keyword, estimated search volume, and difficulty. Take a look at these and assign a priority for each topic on a scale from 1-5 (or a basic High-Medium-Low).

  • Outline content that meets all three essential needs. Identify your top priorities and establish deadlines. You should look for topics that meet all three of these key needs: Niche fit, required by your readers, and potential to drive traffic to your blog. To consolidate your main points, create a blog article outline and start.

If we still need more ideas, we usually turn to some more creative strategies.

  • It was interesting to see what other bloggers did in our niche.

  • Look at our most popular posts to see which ones readers enjoy the most.

  • Talking with bloggers in our space and brainstorming new ideas.

  • Referring to specific lessons that we have learned recently (and our advice).

  • Reflection on the blogging mistakes we made and the strategies that work today.


At this point, we usually have a fully-stocked content calendar.



You are now ready to start writing your first blog post


Once you have decided which blog post you want, navigate to the "Add New Post" section of your WordPress Dashboard.

You can find this image at Posts > All posts > Add New

ree

Next, you will be taken to a new article page. It will look exactly like this (a completely blank canvas) if you are using a newer WordPress editor.

ree

Write a headline for your blog that encourages readers to click through


You blog to attract readers. It pays to invest some time learning how to create headlines that will entice readers and, most importantly, deliver on the promise of what your article helps readers to accomplish.

Let's say that you have decided that your hiking blog, Hike with Jess, should begin by writing about underrated hikes in Yosemite and compiling a list of the best hiking boots.

You can talk about the best times to visit Yosemite.

Next, click on the "Add Title" button on your new page and enter a title such as...

ree

To help you write a strong title, take a look at the headlines of successful bloggers in your niche.

  • Are they often able to lead with numbers?

  • How many of their headlines contain parentheses?

  • Is it a good practice to capitalize every letter in a word?

You can see some of the most recent headlines on our blog to get some ideas for how to structure your headlines.

If you are still not sure how to title your new post, you can do a Google search using the keyword phrase you want to target and get inspiration from other titles.



Choose an SEO-friendly URL for your blog post


If you want your post to rank high in organic Google search results, you must modify the URL.


How to create an SEO-friendly URL on your blog posts.

Continuing with our example from above, we're trying to rank the article "20 Hike trails in California, you have never heard of" for keyword phrases like "hikes in California," so that's exactly what we've chosen as our post URL... /hikes-in-california

Here are some more URL writing tips:

  • For easier reading, remember to seperate each word in a new URL post with a dash.

  • Keep it to 3 - 5 words (less is more here).

  • Avoid using numbers unless you have a compelling reason to do so.

  • Always include your targeted keyword phrase.

Create a compelling introduction for your blog post


A few sentences are all that's required to convince your readers that your post is worthwhile.

For our hiking example, we wrote an example blog post introduction in under five minutes.

ree

These tips and tricks help you create a compelling introduction for your blog post.

It is best to answer all the questions as quickly as possible in order to write a compelling introduction.

Although it may seem counterintuitive, another way to make your introduction compelling is to begin with your conclusion. People are tired of clicking on clickbait blogs that lead nowhere.

Your reader will be more likely to share your post if you establish relevancy quickly.



Optimizing the layout and design of your blog posts


What looks good is ultimately subjective. It all depends on you and what your future readers think.

One of the most important lessons we learned from starting our blog is that design matters.

5 tips to help you create the perfect blog post layout.

ree

1. Make your blog posts easily readable

Design doesn't have to be about many images, fonts, and crazy colors. Your reader should have a pleasant experience.

Negative space is essential for the readability and legibility of your blog. Don't overload your blog with design elements. It would help if you looked for ways to make things flow (a good WordPress template will do this for your blog).

Next, ensure that your font size is large enough. You should aim for 16pt or greater on your blog. Line length is also important.

A majority of designers recommend that a sentence should be between 50 and 85 characters long. This helps readers move through the post.



2. Include a featured image that is relevant at the top of every blog post

The human brain remembers things in two ways: verbally and visually.

You'll be more likely to get people to remember your blog if you combine them with compelling images.


Pro tip: Do not be afraid to use custom-designed images at first

Consider the featured image in this guide (at the top) as an example. Our goal is to build a deeper connection with my reader by including a relevant image at top of the post and superimposing the title.



3. To break up your text, use frequent subheaders

A wall of text can be intimidating and make readers leave your blog. A heading or subheader should be included for every 300-500 words. To break up the text flow, I include images around every heading in my posts.


4. To emphasize the most important parts of your post, use styling

A great blog design guides the reader through your article. It is easy to highlight key points with bold or italics, as I did in this guide. Your article can't be all things to everyone, so you should limit your use of italics.


5. Make sure everyone knows where they are

A short intro about yourself in the footer or sidebar of your blog is a great way to connect with readers and make them feel at ease.

These five tried-and-true design principles will help you create a blog layout that is appealing and easy to read.



Hitting publish on your first blog post


You're nearly ready to publish your first blog post once you have written it.

ree

You can double-check the Yoast SEO recommendations and make sure your blog post is SEO-friendly. This will increase your chances of being ranked well in organic searches.


Once your SEO settings are set up, select the "Category" that this post will fall under and then tick that box. Now you can hit publish!

ree

Boom! It's that easy.

If you're like us and appreciate great design, here's one more thing you can do before you publish your first blog post.

Studies have shown blog posts with images receive 94% more views than those that don't.

When it comes to sharing posts on social media, tweets that include photos get 150% more likes than those without one.

Posts with images receive 2.3X more engagement. A few visual elements can increase the number of shares and double the views you get for a blog post.



Photo resources for blogs


Beautiful images and design are a great way to inject visual flair into your blog posts. Many high-quality sites provide amazing photography for free.

Our favorite is Unsplash.


Unsplash (for stock photos and blog images)

ree

Unsplash is the best website for free user-uploaded images for your blog.

Their team carefully reviews every photo uploaded to Unsplash to ensure it is high quality. Unsplash doesn't require you to credit the photographer, but they do recommend it.

This makes Unsplash the best option for blog photography.


You should also check out these other great blog photo resources.

  • Wikimedia Commons: More than 21 million photos and images from all periods of history are now available in the public domain. They can be used for free.

  • Life Of Pix: Amazing free-to-use photos donated in part by an advertising agency located in Montreal, Canada.


We looked into the process of writing your first blog post.


The next chapter is about how to promote your blog and attract readers to it.

ree

​💡 This article is part of a series on how to start a blog.


Comments


bottom of page