You know blogging is important but how do you do it well? There are several moving parts in a single blog post, and it can feel overwhelming trying to fit all the pieces together. By laying out a good foundation and incorporating components such as visuals and links, you can create a marketing masterpiece.
When done well, a blog drives the customer journey and increases sales, making it a powerful conversion tool.
To structure your posts, here are 10 ways you can write a successful blog to capture these opportunities and make your blog work for you.
10 Elements of a Successful Blog Post
A strong blog should include the following pieces:
1. A purpose
Your blog needs to serve a particular purpose, such as to establish expertise, answer basic questions your prospects or customers have, or rank for a specific search term. Craft your title and introduction to emphasize what the reader will gain from reading your post.
2. Structure
No one wants to click through and see a wall of text. If there is no clear structure, a reader will be more inclined to leave your page rather than wade through. Structure each blog post with a skimmable format, including things such as titles, headings, lists and bullet points. This way, readers can absorb the basic gist quickly—gaining value from the main points even if they don’t stay for every word.
3. The right word count
The ideal word count for a blog is 600-2000 words so that you’re able to provide in-depth content. Shorter blogs may not rank well on search engines. We recommend publishing blogs with a range of lengths. If it’s easy to churn out 600 words, then challenge yourself to write a longer post next time. If you struggle to write less than 1500 words, or you find you need more than 2000 words to say what you want to say about a particular theme, practice breaking some topics up into several smaller posts.
4. Compelling visuals and graphics
Using images within your blog post is a great way to give your readers’ eyes a break and support non-verbal comprehension. We recommend using at least one fascinating photo, graphic, or infographic per blog post. You can create your own or find quality stock images online that are suitable for the given topic.
5. Curated content
When writing your blog, keep in mind who you’re writing to and how it should be worded. Your blog needs to include the right amount of info for your target audience and the readers you want to reach. Don’t chase them off by writing in a way that is too simple (over-saturating a post with information they already know) or too complex (using acronyms and concepts they aren’t familiar with).
6. Proofed and polished copy
No one enjoys spelling mistakes, typos, and grammatical errors. This can make your readers think you are not detail oriented, or that you don’t care about the quality of your content. Many will subconsciously question the quality of your products or services, as well. Polished and proofed copy removes distractions, keeping the focus on what you have to say.
7. Internal links
Incorporate internal links throughout your post to direct readers to other pages on your site. This invites readers to click through to another post or resource on your site rather than leaving, which keeps readers on your site longer. And more exposure to your site content positions you as a well-rounded expert in your field. Consider adding internal links to more of your blog content at the beginning or middle of your post, to get people on the right track if the current post wasn’t the right fit for their question.
8. Call to action (CTA)
End each blog with a call to action that tells readers exactly what you want them to do—and makes it easy for them to do so. For example, a CTA can be to join an email list, read another blog post, or to follow one of your social media channels.
9. SEO
You have put in so much work to create a beautiful blog, it’s now time to make sure everyone can see it. One way to increase the success of your blog is to enhance your post for search engine optimization (SEO). SEO blogging requires weaving in specific technical elements, such as optimized images, external links, and keywords. These additional tweaks will increase your position in search rankings, driving more people to visit your blog and site.
10. Shareable content
Shareable content should be relevant, practical and valuable in order for your readers to feel inclined to share it with others. Make content that someone would want to send others via email or social media so that you can reach a greater audience. Pick topics that are interesting, timely, and informative.
Cement your brand, build trust, and convert clients
A successful blog is one that cements your brand, builds trust, and ultimately converts clients. These 10 elements will make each blog a powerful tool that can propel your brand forward.
Do you struggle to blog consistently? Save time and take your blog to the next level by hiring a professional marketing writer to produce high-quality content that incorporates each of these elements to write a successful blog.
Contact us today for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation to hatch a plan that propels your brand forward.
