Best way to blog: follow these 8 simple steps to write a great post
I’ve written countless blog posts over the years. Through trial and error, I’ve discovered the best way to blog. I’m still learning, but the following methods will help you create the best possible blog post you can. Today I want to walk you through 8 simple steps to teach you the best way to blog.
For a long time, I published each post to the sound of crickets…
I’ve learned some things along the way. Writing a blog post can be so rewarding. But when it’s met with silence it can be frustrating as well.
I write most blogs and articles as a ghostwriter. That means I must learn how to write in someone else’s voice. That even means writing with a female voice sometimes.
But no matter who the audience is, you’re always writing to a human audience. That means there are certain universal elements we can depend upon.
In my experience, the best way to blog is by following these eight steps.
8 steps to writing a great blog post
1. Install Google Analytics
First, you need to be able to track what’s working. And you need to know what isn’t working. Every website should have Google Analytics installed to provide a behind the scenes perspective of how people are interacting with your blog and website in general.
Google provides a simple step by step process of how to install Google Analytics on your website if you don’t know how. Many platforms have their own analytics already built in. However, Google’s are by far the most robust.
Google Analytics will show you:
Where your best visitors are located.
What your worst performing pages are.
What people are searching for on your site.
What people click on the most.
What’s your top content.
And more!
So, if you don’t have Google Analytics installed, go do that now (right after you finish reading this post).
2. Know who you’re talking to
Do you speak to your mom the same way you speak to your best friend?
Probably not.
You need to know who your reader is. And you need to talk to them the way they want to be spoken to.
Remember that punk friend you had in high school who spoke to every teacher like a peer? Don’t be that guy.
If you’re talking to an audience of highly educated readers, then you need to acknowledge it and write accordingly. But if you’re speaking to a casual audience, you should write with an informal voice.
3. Speak conversationally
One of the most frustrating things is people “correcting” a piece because of the use of contractions. When you’re writing a blog post, you’re not writing a book. For all you authors out there – it may be difficult, but don’t write like you would write a book or thesis.
And you’re also not writing for your English professor. No one will be writing a letter grade at the top of your blog post.
Have you ever noticed the way we write and the way we speak often conflict?
After you finish writing a paragraph, read it allowed. Does it sound natural? If not, rewrite it so the tone of your writing is natural and more conversational.
A conversational tone will make your post more enjoyable to read.
4. Don’t just start writing
This point bears repeating: Don’t start writing without a plan – write with a purpose. You should always have an outline before you begin writing.
You may think that you left outlines in college with the last paper you wrote. But if you’re a blogger, you need to continue outlining your writing.
An outline will make your job much easier. It helps you keep your thoughts organized and helps establish a natural flow to the blog post.
And it ensures you cover the topic thoroughly. If you’re hoping to use SEO, Google (and every other search engine) wants to see that your content has depth.
If you’re anything like me, you tend to get distracted even within your own thoughts. An outline prevents you from rambling or leading your readers down a rabbit trail.
Depending upon the way you write, you should have keywords identified. For some, this will come before the outline. But if you’re writing thoroughly about a topic, you should get the credit you deserve for your hard work.
Ranking organically within the search engine results (SERP) is that credit. But many inexperienced bloggers dive into a post without considering this crucial step.
Don’t make the mistake of writing a 1,000-3,000 word article without optimizing it for keywords. I’ll explain how to optimize for keywords in another post. But understand this is a crucial step in writing the best blog post possible.
5. Avoid the wall of text
You might be asking, “What is a wall of text?” It didn’t fall in Berlin and it doesn’t have anything to do with Pink Floyd.
Let me explain. A wall of text is a piece of content that your reader perceives as too daunting to read. It’s missing paragraph breaks and content segmentation that helps break it down into digestible parts.
“There’s an intimidation factor that comes along with a large display of text. Unless the content is extremely valuable, a wall of text just might turn away a visitor before they have a chance to become a reader.
It all comes down to post formatting. By properly formatting your posts, you can offer
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the in-depth analysis and information the “Long Posters” crave,
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but also deliver bite-sized “TL;DR” (Too Long;Didn’t Read) nuggets of information.”
He goes on to explain that it has little to do with the length of the content but everything to do with the readability of it.
Brian Dean of Backlinko is notorious for writing long blogs posts. But, because of the way his posts are formatted, they’re very easy to consume.
So, how do you avoid the wall of text in your writing? And how do you deliver those bite-sized nuggets?
It might sound difficult, especially for lengthy articles. But there are a few different ways to accomplish this.
Ways to avoid the wall of text
Use bolded section headers
The goal isn’t for your readers to skim your article. But they should be able to if they choose. Build natural breaks into your blog posts. Bold section headings to group the content. This prevents everything from running together.
Incorporate images
Using photos is another way to break your content into sections. We’re all visual.
Images not only help separate your content, but they’re also a great way to keep your reader engaged in your content. There’s truth to the old adage, “A picture says a thousand words.”
Images help convey the message behind your content. Several studies have shown that visual aids help us recall information. The use of images, illustrations, and photographs will cause your content to be more memorable to your reader.
In a Psychology Today article, Haig Kouyoumdjian Ph.D. discussed the effective use of visual aids within recollection: “One study asked students to remember many groups of three words each, such as dog, bike, and street. Students who tried to remember the words by repeating them over and over again did poorly on recall. In comparison, students who made the effort to make visual associations with the three words, such as imagining a dog riding a bike down the street, had significantly better recall.”
Maybe you don’t consider your content educational – maybe your writing is purely entertaining. Images will still help your reader recall you or your company. We remember brands for their imagery such as logos, iconic illustrations, or photographs.
Take McDonald's, for example, you’ll immediately think of the Golden Arches. Or consider Muhammad Ali: there’s a good chance that the iconic image of him standing over Sonny Liston.
Your content is part of your brand’s message. So make sure it’s memorable.
Incorporate diagrams
Similar to images, diagrams within your post provide natural content breaks. Your diagrams might include charts, graphs, or even funny illustrations. Whatever the image is, it will provide a natural segmentation in the content. Just make sure your image is relevant.
6. Summarize each post
A summary is a great way to end a blog post. We live in a culture of instant gratification. Many readers will skip to the end of a post to see if the post is worth the full read.
Providing a summary is a simple way to improve the user experience of your blog. Some people may not have time to commit several minutes to read your entire post. With a summary, they’ll get the basic idea. Then they’ll be able to decide if they want to come back later to read it completely.
Summaries can be difficult to write. And because of that, many bloggers skip this step. Your summary should be self-explanatory. Try to boil the content of your blog post down into a few short sentences.
7. Optimize each post
Corporate blogs are often most guilty of creating content without purpose. They see every other company in their industry with a company blog. And without much thought, they decide to begin their own.
I’ve seen countless company blogs that are the result of one of two things: It’s pawned off on the employee with the least amount of responsibility (and it shows). Or it becomes a “passion project” of the founder. The result is usually sporadic posts filled with content he or she deems important.
Companies often fall prey to creating blog posts simply to have updated content on their website. But in reality, your blog should serve two purposes.
First, it should provide value to the consumers. Forget about what you want to write – think about your target customer and teach them what they need.
Very few people outside of your organization care to read about your most recent corporate outing. Keep that content for your internal newsletter. Your content should educate your target customer.
And secondly, a blog should help improve your SEO by targeting keywords and establishing domain authority (a key ingredient in SEO).
There are many ways to optimize your blog post. I’ll explain how to optimize your online article in another post.
8. Share your content
The build-it-and-they-will-come-mentality has never worked for bloggers. You could have the greatest article in the world, but you still need to share it.
When I first started blogging I would write a post, push “publish”, and sit back and wait...usually nothing happened. Sometimes a friend would come across it and say, “Hey, man. Nice blog post!”
But unfortunately, that didn’t create brand awareness and it didn’t pay the bills. Before you even begin writing an article, you need to have a plan to promote your content.
Decide what influencers you’ll want to work with, what social platforms you’ll share it on, and, in general, how you’ll get it in front of people.
Remember, you’re building content, not a baseball field.
Summary
I know you have information that the world needs to hear. And you might be a great writer. But remember, pushing “publish” doesn’t equal a successful blog post.
But following these eight principles will help you create the best blog post you can possibly write and ensure it benefits those you’re targeting.