The average reader spends only 37 seconds reading an article or blog post. Consequently, for a blog article to be effective, it must be special because people’s attention span has decreased. In addition, competition has increased over the years.
Blog writing is a creative process that nevertheless involves a lot of technical skills, self-organization skills, communication skills, and knowledge about how best to promote your blog.
That’s what we’re going to talk about today.
This means choosing a narrow and specific topic and becoming an expert. Later, you can move on to broader topics when your blog grows.
More than half of all website traffic comes from search engines. For blog writing to be successful, you need to write about topics people are searching for.
The question is, how do you find those topics? The answer is simple: use a keyword analysis tool. For example, you can type a keyword into the free AnswerThePublic tool and get similar questions that people type into Google.
How cool would it be if you could find out which competitors’ articles bring them the most search traffic and replicate their success, wouldn’t it?
It’s possible. A lot of blogs clearly show which articles get the most traffic.
But it is better to insert a competitor’s domain into the Site Explorer from Ahrefs, go to the Top Pages report and see which articles get the most organic traffic.
How do you know if the content is excellent?
If you can confidently answer yes to all the questions, then great! If not, go back and refine the article. You can always add uniqueness through data, do a survey, and do an experiment.
Most people find content through search or social media. They are more likely to make a reading decision based on the headline.
That makes the headline an essential part of the content. And you have to learn how to write a catchy headline that grabs attention and encourages them to read it.
That doesn’t mean you have to write clickbait headlines, though. But understanding how good headlines work is essential.
Some tips:
You need a headline to draw the reader in to read the first sentence. Next, with the introduction, you need to hook them and make them read the whole post.
So it’s time to change things if you have a long, boring introduction or it reads like a research paper.
On-page optimization is a way of optimizing content that will allow it to rank higher in search results.
It usually includes “best practices” like these:
But on-page SEO is more than just putting keywords into the text. Other words and phrases in the text must be relevant to the topic.
And remember that the point is not to stuff content with keywords. The point is to find what readers expect to see on a page about your topic.
If you want to create perfect material, you need an outside perspective (your spouse, friend, or colleague). You can ask someone on social media.
Or join communities that help grade drafts. Their help will make your text much, much better.
Did you ever notice all the famous bloggers know each other? That’s no coincidence.
Blogging is hard work. It’s even harder to do everything alone. But when you have help, it gets easier.
That’s why smart bloggers write to each other and form relationships. They consult, help each other, and promote each other.
That’s how they manage to grow day after day, year after year. You need to do the same.
The more people you know, the better your blog writing will be. More experienced people will be able to offer input into your content. They can share insights, promote you, or link to you. They can also share your content with their subscribers.
Don’t be afraid of their reputation or their huge number of subscribers. Every famous blogger you know was once a nobody. But it helped that they put aside their fears and egos and reached out to those before them.
These bloggers will understand you and will likely be happy to help you. But only if you follow the right strategy.
If you’re gathering a base on a third-party platform, don’t be surprised if they remove you or limit your reach. The best way to combat this is to build your base of email subscribers.
Because as long as your readers are subscribed to you, you can reach them at any time.
How do you build a subscriber base?
You need two ingredients: traffic and something of value. If you’ve followed the advice in this post, you probably already have some traffic on your blog.
The next step is to encourage readers to subscribe to you. To do this, you need to offer something in return for subscribing.
When people like your article (they’ve finished it!), you can offer them more similar content in their inboxes.
Or you can offer a free eBook, PDF version of the article, email course, etc.
Get creative, and you’re sure to devise an option that works best for you.
Your audience communicates in themed communities. These include Facebook groups, Instagram, Slack, Reddit, and forums.
Establish a relationship with the group administrator. And publish helpful content of your own.
If you want to start getting traffic, write on more than just your blog. Use the authority and subscribers of other blogs to attract traffic and links, and build your brand.
But you may ask: Why should anyone publish you?
It’s simple. The most popular blogs are built around good content. But it’s hard to create good content all the time. So if you offer to write a good article for them for free, why should they turn you down?
Most people look for guest post opportunities in the same way.
They use the advanced search operators in Google:
That’s how you can find blogs that are actively looking for writers for the blog.
But don’t get hung up on just sites with “write for us” pages.
If your blog already has articles on relevant topics, they’ll probably be happy to accept a guest post on a similar topic, even if they don’t have a separate guest post page.
The longer you blog writing, the more your thoughts, opinions, and knowledge will change. You’ll learn more about your industry, learn new things, and improve your blog writing style.
You’ll do your audience a good service if you update your old content with new knowledge and ideas.
Plus, updating old content is good for SEO, too.
Think about it: your competitors may try to move you even if you’re number one.
Or Google might push you a bit if they think your content is outdated. So you have to keep your content fresh and up-to-date.
With Google Analytics, you can easily find pages with decreasing traffic.
This often happens because some of your content has become irrelevant (e.g., screenshots, statistics, links, year in the header, etc.).
You can solve this by updating the obsolete parts. However, sometimes you will find that you may need to rework the article completely.
Make a habit of taking notes while reading books or articles, watching movies, and listening to lectures. This will help you when you sit down to write your next article.
To write well, you must practice often. It doesn’t have to be anything special. Just focus on getting into the habit of blog writing every day. It doesn’t have to be a blog post.
It can be a Facebook post, a tweet, a blog comment, an email, or something else. The more you practice, the better your content will be.
The sooner you admit that no one is perfect, the sooner you can grow from your mistakes in blog writing. Although criticism can be harsh, any feedback gives you a chance to improve. The last thing you should do is start a public battle with your faults. They are your audience, too. And audiences want to be heard, acknowledged, and valued: this will not only help you become better at what you do, but it will also help you build long-term relationships based on trust.
You are unlikely to be attentive, engaging, and useful if you formulate less than 2,000 words. Long-form content provides more room for in-depth analysis. It provides more value to the reader and gives you – the author – more credibility.
Naturally, such content allows users to spend more time on the blog site. In addition, such content allows you to include more keywords without spamming. Therefore, longer posts mean more organic traffic, social media success, and higher rankings in search results.
Having a unique blogger voice means blog writing in your style and authentic way. When you develop a personal voice, you don’t have to worry about finding other ways to distinguish yourself.
Don’t worry: it’s something that comes with time and experience in blog writing. If you’re still waiting for that crucial moment, here’s a simple exercise you can try.
Instead of blog writing for an entire audience, imagine that you are writing to one person you know. That way, you can eliminate the pretense and talk about who you are rather than who you want to be.
An article broken up into shorter posts and published over a while is a smart choice for bloggers.
There are several ways to do this. You can choose a central topic and devote a separate post to each aspect. Or you can do a regular series of articles on your research topic in detail. Before you start blogging, outline all the posts, but approach each as a whole article.
Not every picture is worth a thousand words, but the right picture can give the content some value. Images encode concepts in our memory in a way that text can never do.
Their enormous appeal is known as the “image superiority effect. In simpler terms, this type of content attracts more attention, and images are more interesting than texts.
This doesn’t mean you should make your messages full of graphics. You should use images along with the text when explaining complex concepts and lengthy procedures. Use them so readers can pause from long blocks of text. The rule of thumb here is to add one image for every 350 words.
Data-driven content is based on facts rather than assumptions supported by numbers and research: this will help you stand out as credible and trustworthy. By definition, data is factual information derived from experiments, surveys, or tests and used as the basis for conclusions. Your sources can be anything from experiments and scientific research to popular magazines and other people’s blogs.
As far as sound is concerned, this also applies to video content. Video content is also based on a text or script. You can film yourself introducing the topic, record audio and voiceover, or make a silent video. Each of these options has its advantages. Your choice should depend on the topic and the viewer you are addressing.
Online video is considered the future of content marketing, and for a good reason.
Everyone is busy; millions of people would rather watch a short instructional video than read text. In addition, production costs are low, and the technology is easy to use.
Canva is a video and digital graphics editor with many templates designed specifically for social media. You can create a publication or story, design your channel, create a banner or advertisement, or make a logo, preview, or collage. Special knowledge is not required: the interface is user-friendly and intuitive, and there are more than enough tools to implement ideas.
You can work online through the web version. Or use a desktop application for Mac or Windows. Also, it has mobile applications for iOS and Android. It’s free, but there is a PRO version with advanced features.
Maps.me is a map that works even offline. They are not overloaded with unnecessary functions but help you quickly navigate where you do not have mobile Internet or access to free Wi-Fi. There is even a navigator: without the Internet, the program will not be able to take into account traffic jams and accidents, but the developer honestly warns about this.
An alternative option is the application Organic Maps.
You can work in the application for Android and iOs.
Displaying a pre-downloaded map without Internet access is available even in the free version; the PRO version without ads costs from $1.49 per month.
It is crucial for a travel blogger to navigate even in an unfamiliar country quickly: read warning announcements and historical references in museums, and make arrangements with locals for shoots and excursions. Google Translate is an indispensable free tool for travel bloggers: it translates text, speech, and captions on pictures and works even offline.
You can work online through the web or Android and iOs apps.
The best program for blog writing. This whole system allows you to organize a massive amount of diverse information, set goals and objectives, and maintain structure in your work. It is useful not only for writing books and dissertations but also for blogging.
You can download the version for Windows and Mac or use the application for iOs on the Scrivener site.
The free version of the program is available for 30 days. The app costs $19.99; the macOS and Windows version is $51.95.
An excellent free tool for blog writing if you want to be understood. Text readability assessment service allows you to determine the readability and ease of perception of content. Useful for copywriters, journalists, content managers, developers – anyone who creates web projects.
You can work on the Web version.
Blog writing is hard work. You need to publish content regularly, promote articles, network, etc. The good news is that you’re not alone. Lots of bloggers have had their ups and downs. And they’ve paved the way for you with their experiences. Now all you have to do is put these tips into action and get started.
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