🚨 Blogging Reality Check: It’s Not Just About Writing

For years, we advised people to just start a blog and write about what they know. It sounded simple: share your expertise, build trust, and watch the traffic flow in. But the truth is, this alone won’t cut it.

If you’re not telling Google exactly what you’re writing about, using the correct titles, blog structure, metadata, and more, your post might as well be invisible. That amazing content you poured hours into? It could end up buried on page 10 of search results, never to be seen. 😬

The key is strategic content structuring. It’s not enough to simply write; you need to optimise. By following a well-defined process outlined below, you’re not just creating content, you’re giving it a real chance to be found, read, and appreciated. 👀

So before you hit "publish" on your next post, make sure you’ve done everything you can to help Google understand and rank your content. Your hard work deserves to be seen! ✨

1. Define the blog purpose

Understanding the purpose of your blog is paramount to its success. Your blog's purpose serves as the guiding light, giving your content a clear direction and focus. It shapes your writing style, dictates the topics you cover, and ultimately determines the value you provide to your readers.

So, how do you define the purpose of your blog? It begins with introspection and a deep understanding of your goals, target audience, and the unique value you bring to the table. Are you looking to educate, entertain, inspire, or persuade? Are you aiming to build a community, promote a product, or establish yourself as an industry expert? or are you looking to capture leads and customer data to provide them with more considered offers, promotions, and discounts? Good keyword research can also help here to not only define your target audience but also get a better understanding of what words people might be searching for.

By defining the purpose of your blog, you can decide on what approach to take and tailor your content to resonate with your audience and achieve your desired outcomes.

2. Create a catchy , clickable blog title

Crafting catchy, clickable titles is an art form that can instantly capture a reader’s attention and drive them to want to know more.

In the vast sea of blog posts competing for attention, a catchy title can be the key to grabbing readers' interest and enticing them to click and explore your content. Your blog post title acts as the gateway, the first impression that determines whether readers will delve deeper or scroll on.

But how can you create titles that stand out and compel readers to click? It requires a careful blend of creativity, clarity, and strategic thinking. You are looking spark curiosity, evoke emotions, and highlight the value your content offers. From leveraging power words and engaging with readers' pain points to incorporating numbers, intriguing questions, or even a touch of humor.

Learning how to create catchy, clickable titles will amplify the reach and impact of your blog posts.

3. Create your content plan and outline

Creating a content plan and outline for a new blog post is an essential step in developing a cohesive and engaging piece of writing.

Once we have defined the blog purpose, decided on what area or topic to write about, then considered a few good, catchy titles we can start to plan the blog post a little more. This can include

1. Identify the target audience and determine their interests and needs. This knowledge will guide the choice of topic and tone for the blog post.

2. Brainstorming relevant ideas and conducting research will help gather valuable information to include in the content.

3. Organise the content into sections. Once the main points are identified, organizing them in a logical structure will ensure a clear flow of ideas.

4. Create an introduction. Crafting a captivating introduction and a compelling conclusion will grab the readers' attention and leave a lasting impression.

5. Reviewing and revising the plan and outline will refine the content, ensuring it aligns with the initial purposes and delivers value to the readers.

6. Create a conclusion that sums up the main points and takeaways from the article. It can act as a recap and reminds the reader of the important points of the article.

By following these steps, one can create a content plan and outline that sets the stage for an informative and engaging blog post.

4. Research, research, research!

Research is a crucial role in planning your blog posts and articles. It builds a strong foundation for creating effective content.

When it comes to blog writing, good research forms the bedrock of successful and compelling content. In fact, it's nearly impossible to create high-quality blog posts without conducting some research. Your research serves as the foundation for accurate, credible content that resonates with your target audience.

Why is research so important in planning your blog posts? Firstly, it allows you to gather relevant information and data that support your ideas and arguments. This helps to establish your credibility as an author and provides readers with valuable insights they can trust.

Secondly, research enables you to understand your audience better. By exploring their interests, needs, and pain points, you can tailor your content to address their specific concerns and provide solutions that resonate. This audience-centric approach enhances engagement and fosters a deeper connection with your readers.

Additionally, research helps you uncover new perspectives, fresh ideas, and industry trends. By staying informed about the latest developments in your niche, you can offer unique insights and position yourself as an authoritative voice within your field.

Plan your articles well, research your topic, be original, and authentic, take inspiration from others’ work, cite references where possible, and link through to other relevant content or research where required.

5. Building the blog

Building a good blog post involves several key points. First, aiming for a word count of 800 or more allows for a comprehensive exploration of the topic, providing valuable insights to readers. Additionally, opting for long-form content enables in-depth analysis and supports better SEO performance.

Writing in short sentences enhances readability, making the content easier to digest for the audience.

Adding subheadings throughout the post helps organize the information, allowing readers to skim and locate specific sections of interest. It's crucial to check for spelling and grammar errors, ensuring a professional and polished final product.

Finally, incorporating bullet points can break down complex information into concise and easily understandable chunks, facilitating comprehension.

6. Writing tone

Establishing the right tone in your article writing is essential for effectively conveying your message and connecting with your audience. To establish the right tone:

1. Understand your audience: Research and analyze your target readers to grasp their preferences, language, and communication style.

2. Align with your brand: Consider your brand identity and values, and ensure your tone reflects them consistently across your content.

3. Define the purpose: Determine the purpose of your article—whether it's to educate, entertain, or persuade—and adjust the tone accordingly.

4. Consider the topic: Adapt your tone based on the subject matter; a professional tone may be suitable for business-related topics, while a more casual tone may work for lifestyle or entertainment articles.

5. Use appropriate language: Choose vocabulary, sentence structure, and grammar that resonate with your audience and align with the desired tone—whether it's formal, conversational, friendly, or authoritative.

6. Inject personality: Infuse your writing with your unique voice and personality to make it relatable and engaging.

7. Edit and revise: Proofread your article to ensure consistency and clarity in your tone, and make necessary adjustments to maintain a cohesive and compelling writing style.

What type of tones can you adopt or include in your writing style?

1. Comedic, humourous, and Witty

2. Formal, Serious and Assertive

3. Informative and Functional

4. Friendly and human

5. Inspirational

6. Curious, Gossip

7. Using Pessimism and Optimism

8. Horror or anger

7. Writing for authority

Google’s own content writing guidelines work around the E-E-A-T acronym which stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Writing compelling content for your website is a proven strategy to establish authority in your industry. By producing high-quality articles that offer unique insights and value to your audience, you can position yourself as an expert. Creating authoritative content that resonates with your readers and builds your brand can be achieved in the following ways:

Identify key topics and trends:

1. Research and understand the prevalent topics and trends within your industry.

2. Choose subjects that align with your expertise and are of interest to your target audience.

Craft comprehensive and engaging content:

1. Conduct thorough research and gather relevant data, statistics, and case studies.

2. Incorporate expert opinions to support your arguments and provide credibility.

3. Present your content in a clear, organised format using headings, subheadings, and bullet points.

4. Utilise storytelling techniques and personal experiences to make your content relatable.

Maintain consistency:

1. Develop a regular publishing schedule to keep your audience engaged and build anticipation.

2. Strive to deliver valuable content consistently, demonstrating your commitment to sharing knowledge.

Diversify your content formats:

1. Experiment with various media formats such as videos, infographics, and podcasts.

2. Cater to different learning preferences and engage a wider range of audience members.

Encourage interaction and feedback:

1. Foster conversations by encouraging readers to leave comments and engage in discussions.

2. Share your content on social media platforms and prompt readers to share it with their networks.

8. Call to action

Call-to-actions (CTAs) play a pivotal role in blog articles as they guide and motivate readers to take desired actions. These strategic prompts are crucial for driving engagement, conversions, and achieving specific goals.

Including a well-crafted CTA within your blog article, such as encouraging readers to subscribe, share, comment, or explore related content, create opportunities for deeper connections, increased reader involvement, and improved user experience.

CTAs provide clear direction to your audience, prompting them to take the next step and further engage with your brand or content. They not only enhance the overall effectiveness of your blog article but also help you achieve measurable outcomes and foster a vibrant and interactive community around your content.

Lastly, CTA’s can be tracked using analytics or by adding an email form or directing to a specific page. This allows you to analyse what is working for you and what your readers are clicking on or engaging in.

✓ SEO Checklist

☐ Find the Primary Keyword

☐ Define the Secondary Keywords

☐ Add the Primary keyword to your:

☐ Title

☐ Intro

☐ URL

☐ Conclusion / Summary

☐ Meta Description

☐ Use Secondary keywords in your content

☐ Use Descriptive Subtitles not Single Words

☐ Define Page Structure H1, H2, H3

☐ Compress and optimise images

☐ Internally link to other relevant blog posts

☐ Link from other relevant blogs posts

☐ Link externally to relevant websites

☐ End with a Call to Action Button

☐ Add a social sharing image if possible

☐ Add Category & Tags (2 max)

☐ Add a targeted Meta Title and Description

✓ Content Distribution

☐ Post on your company's Linkedin Page

☐ Post on your company's Facebook Page

☐ Add the post to your Google my business

☐ Send an email to subscribers

☐ Post on your company's Twitter Page

☐ Pin blog images to Pinterest

☐ Repurpose content to Audio and Video

☐ Share more than once across platforms

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