Write better blog posts in 10 steps

In the meantime you already know that you have to blog: after all, you have probably heard that blogging companies achieve up to 13 times more ROI. And that as many as 82 percent of these companies have already acquired at least one new customer via a blog. Yet the practical side of such a blog is not always that simple

It is particularly easy to fall from one excuse to the other.

“We really don’t have the time.”

“We simply have nothing interesting or new to say.”

“We are professionals in our sector, we are not professional writers, are we?”

“Yes, but are there even people who read our blog at all?”

All legitimate concerns, but, when it comes down to it, they just remain excuses. Do you not have the time or the confidence to blog? Then seek the help of someone who does; whether it is a content marketing agency, other members of your team or a freelance (copy) writer.

Do you think you have nothing interesting to say? Well, that’s wrong. Because, everything that helps your visitor with a problem or simply provides better information … that is interesting anyway. Point. And if you are good at what you do, your visitors will always be interested in what you have to say. Don’t worry about your writing abilities or how many people will eventually read your post. Because, if there is even one person reading your blog – and as a result thinking about your company next time instead of another … your work has definitely been worth it. But if you continue to postpone your blog, you will continue to miss valuable opportunities to connect with potential customers.

Are you just starting to blog or are you stuck with an annoying writer’s block? Follow at least ten tips below to come to the perfect blog post.

1. Select an interesting topic
Always write with your reader in mind: always keep in mind what is or could be valuable to them. Make sure you always have an answer to the question “Why would my readers want to read this?” Can you not formulate an answer to this? Then search for another topic.

Can’t think of anything? Then these questions might help you on your way:

What do you spend your time on?
What questions do your customers regularly ask?
Have you recently read anything about which you have something to say?
What are your competitors talking about and can you give it your own twist?
2. Do your research
One of the biggest obstacles to blogging is the assumption that you have to tell shutterstock_288266279.jpg something new every time. Wrong!

You just have to find a way to say things better. The fact that your company still exists should be enough evidence to prove that you have something unique to offer. Your method maybe? Your team? Or your experience? So many to choose from!

Think about what you want to say – and look for what has already been said. Look for questions that have not been answered (or not correctly, in your opinion) and think about how you can apply your own insights. This is your chance to shine!

3. Make a plan

Do this before you start writing: a general plan helps you determine the direction of your blog post and what it will look like – before you start writing. Think about your audience and what exactly you want to offer them:

Do you want to inspire them?
Do you want to prove that you are the market leader?
Do you want to give them insight into trends?
Do you want to offer them a step-by-step tutorial?
…
First search for the main points that you want to include and, if possible, write them down first. And then you can build on this.

4. Write an intro that attracts attention
Tell a short story, a metaphor or an example in four sentences. Make sure that the intro illustrates the purpose of the blog post and that it is something that everyone can agree with. This intro aims to attract the reader by talking about a known issue.

 

5. Write a strong “nut graph”

This is the most important paragraph in the article: he immediately follows the intro and immediately delves into the core of the material. This paragraph sets the tone for the rest of the article by making it clear to the reader what he or she will learn.

6. Search for opportunities to link

While writing, look for opportunities to link to service pages, previous blogs and / or landing pages. Aim for at least two internal links per post. Always make sure that the word you use to link the URL does match the link. So: for example, if you make a link from Google AdWords, make sure that the visitor is redirected to a page about Google AdWords.

7. Conclude with a strong conclusion lightbulb.png

A blog post is nothing without a good conclusion. Take the time to review the main points of your article and remind the reader how he / she can benefit from your advice.

8. Write a catchy headline

Because, no fewer than eight in ten readers do not read beyond the headline of an article. And that is precisely why your headline must be exceptionally interesting. Fortunately there is a nice formula for this as a guideline:

trigger word adjective promise Number

For example:

Learn to write the perfect blog post thanks to 10 tips

9. Find or take strong, relevant images

Do you want to make your blog stand out? Provide strong images. Avoid images with many words or images that require a lot of attention, since the title of your blog will be close to this image.

Provide relevant images that complement your written story. You can place a picture every 300 words. In addition, scale well so that the photo in question does not disappear in your text – or just demands too much attention. Moreover, a (too) large image ensures a longer loading time of the page, something that we try to avoid at all times.

10. Review, publish and share

This is simple enough with a good content optimization system such as the HubSpot COS. This system tells you exactly what you need to do to make your post search optimized. Always take the following SEO practices into account:

Make sure you have used your most important keyword phrase and other keywords at least once in your body text – and have them link to a relevant internal page.
Don’t use the same keyword too much: if you repeat the same words too much, your post will soon look spam.
Write a meta description of 150 characters (or less) and make sure it contains the most important keyword phrase. The reader sees this description when the post appears in the search results. And if it is well written, you convince the reader that this is the article they are looking for.
When you are sure that your article is fully search-proof, it is best to take a moment to view it in preview mode. For example, you check for format issues, such as font irregularities. And if there is time and manpower for it, then it is best to have your article read again: there is a good chance that you will read about typos because you are blinded by your own text. And a text that is sufficient with typos, it quickly loses its credibility.

Content computer.png Have you taken the above actions? Top: then it’s time to brag. After all, you can be proud of what you have created! Sharing your article does not only start and stop at a Twitter post, by the way. Share your blog on LinkedIn, Facebook, Google and any other social network that you use – and don’t forget to adjust your article to the guidelines per channel. Important: don’t forget your post after you share it. Go back regularly to share it again or to update it with new information.

Finally, it’s important to know that your blog has a particularly long life – which can work to your advantage or disadvantage. Every blog is a new indexed page for your website, which will attract traffic to your website for a long time – even though you are talking about very different things afterwards.

Your blog provides (more) sales
Your blog is often the first introduction of your company to the potential customer. Therefore, make sure that it makes a good first impression, so that the reader will want to keep coming back. This way your website gets more traffic, you have more leads and your ROI will increase over time. Hey!