steps to writing a blog post that wins

Blog posts are perhaps the most popular type of content.

They were read by you, me, and everyone else. But which ones had an impact on your life?

What blogs provided you with useful information? Which blogs made you think or taught you something?

What attracted you the most to the brand that created it?

Writing a blog post can help you or your client achieve your goals.

A blog post that is optimized for SEO will attract the best traffic and convert these visitors into leads.

Yes, blogs can be and should be financially profitable. They have to be able to stand on their own, and they must work hard behind-the scenes.

Blogs written well can make you look good and convince your readers to buy your products or services. It happened multiple times to me – just one blog was enough for someone to be converted.

But blogs that are effective and offer great value to their readers must be filled with it.

How does it work? Let’s discuss how to create a blog post that wins.

Why blog posts?

Let’s begin with Why You Should Write Blog Content.

It is still underrated, even though content marketing has taken over advertising as the preferred marketing method for both businesses and consumers.

They ask, “Do you really need to have a blog?” They wonder if content really matters.

Yes, 1,000 times yes!

A blog is one of the best ways to increase your SEO and search visibility.

Companies who blog have 55% more visitors than their competitors, and 97% more links to their sites and 4434% more pages indexed.

Blogging can also help you build trust between your brand and your audience. 82% consumers feel more positive after reading the brand’s content. 70% at least 3-5 pieces before speaking to a salesperson.

Content is #1. It is more important than any other factor, not only for SEO but also to connect with customers.

How to write a blog post

It is a myth that you can write a blog post in a day.

It is impossible – it’s impossible if you want your goals to be met and profitable content created.

These steps will help you to write amazing, results-oriented blog posts.

Research your audience

Are you able to define your audience for your brand already? You’re doing great! You have already done your research and gained insight into their interests and the questions and problems that they are looking for.

These are essential. You’re setting yourself up for failure if you don’t understand who you are writing for or what they require from you. This would be like going into an auditorium and giving a speech , without understanding why they are there or what they expect.

Once you know your audience, don’t write one word of your blog post. Ryan Robinson has a great article.

Think of a topic for a blog that your audience would enjoy reading.

It’s impossible to write about any topic that you choose – nobody will read it.

It’s important to strategize in order to choose the right topic for your blog.

This step, similar to audience research, helps you determine what type of people will read your blog.

Particularly, you should look at the intersections of:

• These topics will address their issues, questions, and pain points. These topics should be chosen based on the needs of your audience.
• Your brand or your client’s brand is an expert in the topics you are interested in.

It’s not as difficult as it sounds. Sometimes a blog topic can be born out of the daily interactions on social media, or from the questions customers ask you in email or via live chat.

It is important to ensure that you and your team are constantly listening for these opportunities.

Your topic should be mapped to a keyword

Let’s suppose you have a topic for a blog post that was inspired by a question from a customer.

How can you optimize this post so that other people searching for the same question can find it on Google?

It is necessary to link the topic of the post to a keyword that your brand can win. “Winning” means that your post will rank among the top three results, with a goal to be #1. Ranking higher in search results can lead to more people clicking on your links, among many other benefits.

How to do it

• You can run your topic through a
  
  Keyword research tool
  
  Like Ahrefs or Semrush.
  • Example A dentist responds to a question from a patient asking “Why is my tooth sensitive since I have had a filling?”
• You should check the search volume (or keyword difficulty) for exact match results.
• Look at related terms and variations if they are too high (either too hard or too popular to be in the top rankings).
  • Example: The KD for “Tooth sensitivity following fillings” is 41 (possible). However, a variation called “tooth sensitive months after fillings”, has a KD 25 (easy) with a search volume 260.
• Optimize your blog post around the keyword that you have found easiest to rank for. This is usually the one that has the lowest KD or a low search volume.

This is an example of a dental practice that did this. It currently ranks #2 in the keyword search.

You might be thinking right now, “Wait! Why would I want rank for a keyword that has low search volume?” Consider this. It’s not all about how much traffic your blog receives.

The right traffic is what you want – those who have the greatest potential to convert into customers. Although fewer people are interested in your keywords, those who have more specific queries can be helped by your brand.

Time to write: In 10 steps, how to create a blog article

Now it is time to create your blog post. These steps will help you create valuable content that brings in the results.

1. Do your research on the topic

It’s obvious that research is essential at every stage of creating a blog post. You should validate everything you do, from your audience to the topics you write about to keywords to the topic itself.

To get an idea about what searchers are searching for when they type in your keyword, Google your topic/keyword. The results will reveal three things.

• What type of blog content ranks for the term?
• What information is included in ranking blog post (which aspects of the topic are they covering? Which questions are they answering? What depth do they go?
• What is the search intent of people searching for a keyword?

These factors can and should influence how you approach writing your blog posts. You don’t have to match what you see in Google searches. go above and beyond to create something more.

This means that you need to look at the competition with an objective eye. What is missing from the top posts of your competition? What added value can you bring that others don’t?

2. Make a plan and organize the post.

You now have enough information to begin writing your blog post. (Phew!)

Always start by outlining. An outline helps you figure out:

• These are the key points that you want to discuss in your blog.
• These key points can be ordered both logically as well as for engagement.
• How to organize your post using headings to make it easy to read and scan.
• How to insert your keyword in strategic places, such as inside H2s or H3s.

This is a simple task. It’s enough to simply write down the key points and then order them. You can also apply headings.

Here’s an example of the outline that I created for this blog post:

3. The intro should be written

Now it’s time for the introduction. It is arguably the most important part of your blog post.

It is best to keep your intros short and sweet. For intros, I prefer to keep it under 200 words. This allows you to grab your reader’s attention and provide some interesting nuggets that will keep them reading.

However, I believe that being as sympathetic as possible to the reader’s problem is one of the best ways to write an intro.

• Describe the main problem that is affecting the reader.
• Empathize. What does it feel like to be faced with this problem? Ignoring a solution could lead to disastrous outcomes.
• Show the light at the other end of the tunnel. The solution is right in front of you! You can tell them the solution, without any restrictions.
• End your introduction by promising or previewing details of the solution that you will reveal in your blog post.

This intro formula loosely follows a tried and true copywriting formula: PAS. Problem, agitation, solution.

This Copyblogger intro shows you how it works.

4. You can modify the headline as you write it

Wait! Why is the headline step 4 on this list? It should be step 1.

My crafty friends, it’s not so! The headline is 4th on the list, and it’s for a very good reason.

Before you start writing your headline for your blog post, give your ideas time to marinate. Once you have done your research and written the introduction, you will have a good idea about what your post is all about. You’ve been working on it for a while, now it’s time to put it in the oven.

This is why I don’t immediately write the headline. It should be useful, engaging, and include my keyword. It’s better to think about it for a while before you start writing the headline.

You should not write just one headline. Instead, create several versions of your headline. You can tweak your headline once you have written the bulk of your post.

A zing of inspiration will not produce your best headline. Your best headlines will be formed from at most a few attempts, if not a dozen.

You don’t have to hate writing headlines. There are tools that can help. AMI Institute’s HTMLline Analyzer is my favorite.

5. Write the main body of the post and rely on (more!) research

Are you ready to write the bulk your blog post?

This is where you begin to flesh out your outline and fill in the gaps. Once you have your points outlined, all that is left to do now is to explain them, guide readers, and give examples and evidence.

While you are at it, continue to research.

• You can find statistics and facts that support your arguments. To add credibility to your posts, look for original studies or surveys that you can link back to.
• You can link to other blogs that provide more depth to the topic you are writing about.
• Find out what thought leaders have to say about your topic, and then link to them in the post. (Just be sure that they aren’t competitors.

This post by The Balance Small Business gives a great look at a blog that has been well researched.

The footnotes include all the research that was cited in this post.

It’s a great way to build trust by proving that you have done your research. Show that you are knowledgeable and your readers will listen.

6. For SEO, write

This is a reminder. When you are writing your post, make sure to include your keyword at the top of your post.

• H1.
• The first paragraph.
• At least one H2 is present.
• At least one H3 is required.
• Include them naturally in your body copy. You can include some related terms and variations.
• The meta description.

7. Include relevant, engaging images

Images are a great way to add visual interest to your blog posts. Images can add visual interest to your blog posts and help keep readers interested.

According to a Venngage survey, most brands use visuals like pictures in content 91-100%.

Visuals can make a post more interesting than a text one, so don’t forget them. Don’t add random images to your post. Instead, find images that show the topic you are referring to. Your blog post will be more valuable if they are relevant.

This blog post by The Penny Hoarder, about saving money on spices, is an excellent example of how stock images can be used in blogs. They are relevant and break up the text.

Consider that original graphics, such as infographics or illustrations, are the most popular type of visual content. To make your post stand out, hire a designer if you have the funds.

8. Include CTAs

Are you required to include CTAs in your blog posts? No.

Do you agree? Yes.

CTAs can be used to get your readers to sign up for your email list or download your freebies.

What direction do you want them from your blog? Give them direction.

Excellent example: He Spoke Style’s post on men’s wedding attire has a CTA that directs you to their menswear accessories collection.

9. Your conclusion

Now you have all the essential pieces of your blog post. You now need to complete it in a satisfying manner.

A good conclusion to a blog post wraps up by reviewing the most important points. These points don’t need to be repeated, but a brief mention will suffice to remind readers and keep them in mind.

Next, leave your audience with one important takeaway or thought. What will the new information affect their future? What will this information ultimately do for them?

Keep your conclusion short but meaningful. Don’t forget to tie up any loose ends. Your audience will appreciate a gradual fade-out rather than a sudden stop if they stayed on the page for the whole post.

10. Edit, edit and edit

Last but not least, don’t forget about self-editing your blog posts, even if you have a content editor on your team.

Read through the entire post. Re-read sections loudly to ensure proper word usage and flow. Add transitions to make your reader’s journey easier.

Use your spell-checker sparingly and ensure that all links point to the correct places.

Editing is the key to great writing. Don’t dismiss it as unimportant.

These steps can be repeated to create blog posts that win.

These steps can be repeated for all types of content. You can use them as a favorite tool to create great content.

Don’t worry if your first blog post isn’t perfect. You’ll get better as you practice.

Write, outline, research, tweak, write, revise, write more, write more, edit, modify, edit again to make sure your content is the best it can.

Search Engine Land first published the post How you can write a winning blog post in just 10 steps.