How to Write a Great Blog Post

Blogging - Everyone’s doing it, so why shouldn’t you? With an increase in inbound marketing (bringing visitors to your site with relevant internal content) amongst businesses, blogging is a sure-fire way to develop a relationship with your audience without constantly hard-selling your services. While that all sounds good, starting a blog can be intimidating.

What if no one reads it? What if I make some blogging faux pas that will shatter my credibility?

Have no fear. We’re going to answer your top blog questions here:

How often should I publish a new blog post?

According to Hubspot, generally the more blog posts you publish a month, the more traffic your website will see. Benchmark data shows that “companies who publish 11 or more blog posts a month can expect about 3X more traffic than sites that only publish one blog per month.” The numbers don’t lie here, folks.

How do I go about choosing a headline?

Your headline is often the factor that determines whether someone clicks on your blog post or decides to keep scrolling. Always keep it short (under 65 characters) and to the point. Tell readers what they’re getting into in an attention-grabbing way, and make sure you deliver what you promise with fresh content.

How long should my blog post be?

This question is a little tougher. The real answer: It depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. Longer posts (1,500 words) are generally better for educational topics, and they boost your SEO, which results in more traffic which garners more revenue. Shorter articles (500 words) are better for tips and tricks or entertainment topics which make them easier to scan and are more likely to be shared. Bottom line: Use as many words as you need, and see how your audience responds.

How do I keep the reader's attention?

The shorter your paragraphs, the better. The white space created from broken up text makes your content easier to read, and it makes the post as a whole appear less daunting. Plus, it's easier to recall later. Including section headers within your copy also helps to guide the reader throughout your entire blog post. Highlighting your key points tells readers what they can expect to read about, and it alerts the brain to shift gears towards the next topic at hand.

Is it ok to link to other places in my blog post?

YES. In fact, you really should be doing this. Linking to credible outside sources helps to validate the information contained in your post. Also, linking to internal pages and blog posts will help drive more traffic within your own site.

How do I get other people to share my blog post?

Tell them. Include social media sharing icons within your post, and share it across your own social profiles. If you’ve delivered relatable content to the right audience, then there’s no reason readers won’t be compelled to share it.

Takeaways

When you have an epiphany at 2:00 a.m. with the perfect blog post topic, don’t hesitate. Follow these easy guidelines and get your thoughts out there for the world to see. Need help spreading the word about your latest post? Get in touch with us.