How to Write a Blog? A Definitive Guide

Novice and intermediate writers are stuck in the rut of not understanding the technical beauty of blogging, which is why they don’t get the response they shoot for. So if you want to want to know how to write a blog successfully, keep reading.

Let’s get into the nitty-gritty details right away:

There is a clear difference between simply writing a blog post and writing a successful one. It all boils down to:

• Getting the best Google rankings
• Your blog being shared by thousands of readers
• Receiving hundreds of comments on your blog

Yes, your creativity is a plus, but every talent needs the right agents to push it into the limelight.

By the time you reach the end of this article, you’ll have clarity about:

• Creating a value-based blog: Every. Single. Time.
• How to generate leads by blogging and boost your ROI
• Content mapping and how it is a blogger’s best friend
• Receive large numbers of readership, shares, and subscribers

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to write a blog post that catches attention.

Let’s begin…

Writing a blog about yourself and marketing it right boils down to what people are searching for in your field. How does one advertise themselves while giving the readers exactly what they want? 

Choosing the right topic for a blog gets easier when you know how to use keyword search. To put it simply, keywords are the most popularly searched terms about a given subject by people on the internet.

How to look for the top keywords:

Use Google Search

Enter your service and look at the suggestions that come up under the Google search bar. For example: Let’s say you’re a fitness brand promoting weight loss. When you look for “How to lose weight”, the suggestions that appear at the top may look like:

Know that these are some of the commonly searched keywords based on the topic that you want to write on. Other than these the related searches that appear on the bottom of the page are also some secondary keywords that you can use on your blog.

These related searches appearing at the bottom the page is known as LSI keywords.

Your Competitor

You can find your competitor’s top content by looking it up on free SEO tools like Google Keyword Search. Once you look up the top 10 blogs published by your competitor, you can shortlist your topics from the material!

Ahrefs Evergreen Keyword Search

Ahrefs is the dragon’s lair of the top keywords of all time. 

This tool is the Holy Grail for content marketers, bloggers and influencers alike. 

In short, what you seek is seeking you on Ahrefs.

You can research your topic keywords from years-worth trends, find the right audience and target influencers.

Take a look.

This is the keyword explorer page of Ahrefs.

Whether you want to search keywords for Google, YouTube, Amazon, Bing, Yahoo…etc. you can go to Ahrefs’ keyword explorer section, and select the option as required.

Now, for example, you are selling bags and backpacks, just type “backpacks” and see the related suggested keywords that you can work on…

You can see that the keyword has a global search volume of 163K. Now as per your demographics, you can understand how much search is happening in your location.

Your parent topic is “backpack” here. And the related terms, questions are basically the keyword that you can target to promote your product.

What makes it even better? Since it’s difficult to tell which keyword will be a one-hit viral or which one will go obsolete the next week or has been constantly at the top search results, the Evergreen Search on Ahrefs will show you through its score which keywords have been bringing in constant traffic after months of being published.

From these sources, you’ll basically be served the best topics to pick up on a silver platter. The key is to cater to what your client base is hunting for the most. There are several other ways such as using conference agendas, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter trending topics, and so on. Find what works for you!

Why This Approach Works

Keywords tell you about what information your targeted audience base is willing to pay for in the form of subscription newsletters, online seminars, conferences, books, or video tutorials. 

Once you tap into the top searches of the audience, you can reel them in by offering them a huge part of this information for free. 

Your products and services linked in the blog will automatically get leads or subscriptions if they think you’re providing invaluable information free of cost.

Blog templates? Yes! In a nutshell, you’re going to save a lot of time and unnecessary anxiety over how to start with the following styles of writing a blog

The List Template

An elaborate list blog post gives people tips and tricks into solving a problem by covering all the necessary details, dilemmas, and disclaimers. Unlike the general list template that only gives one-liner tips to the readers, this also tells them why trying this approach will benefit them.

Content Mapping Template

Content mapping strategy simply uses a branded plan to give results to the readers with proof that it truly works. The content involves displaying statistics of how adopting your approach helped get better results and solved the reader’s problem.

Content mapping templates include 3 blogs per topic. The first topic grabs the reader’s attention by addressing their problem. 

The second gives value through a solution or freebies like downloadable PDFs. Solve a big chunk of their problem, enough to make them happy but leave them wanting ALL OF IT.

The third blog is the kill-shot where you tell them how you’re their best bet to encourage them to buy your services. Make them an offer they can’t refuse!

Take a look at this content map that I created few years ago.

The aim is to create content in a way that pushes the reader to subscribe to your services.

Content mapping is an effective way for reaching your audience in the right place in the right time.

Share Successful Tools

Being generous by sharing your trade secrets with readers will get you a lot of readers. Create a blog with a list of tools for a certain process, for example, keyword research, food calorie converter, top SEO tools, and more. 

The Comprehensive Guide

A tell-all guide to a certain subject creates a top to bottom effect among readers. This template works because it saves the readers time and effort of looking up several parts of a subject when they find it all in your blog.

A Roundup

Create a complete list of say, 200 gluten-free recipes for your fitness brand page and watch the readers explode the subscription box. Readers love to find a blog that lists EVERYTHING they’re looking for in one place. They can use the links to the original source instead of searching 200 different pages for gluten-free recipes. 

Why This Approach Works

A blog of any of the above templates has a major advantage: it shares high-value information to the reader.

 Without them having to visit 50 different blogs, you just gave them everything they need in a single place. 

Bonus:

Since you cover every little detail, you’ll be a great source to be backlinked by others!

Have you noticed the most popular blog sites and posts carefully? One of the reasons why they get so many reads and thumbs-up is because they follow the 3 F’s religiously.

The 3 F’s are:

Font

• Comic Sans and Bradley Hand is a no. Stick to simple fonts.
• Choose a font size 15 for your content, larger for headers and subheaders. Why? So that the readers don’t have to squint or get a headache.

These tricks also make your blog posts easy to read on smartphones and tablets.

Format 

• Keep your paragraphs super short. Use this blog as an example.
• Leave ample line spacing to let your words breathe.

Finesse

• Keep your sentences short. 
• Don’t fear exclamation marks and personal expression.
• Avoid using the term ETC. It may indicate you’re out of ideas. Instead, use words like ‘and many more, ‘and so on, ‘so on and so forth, and others.
• Less is more. Don’t beat around the bush.
• Active voice.

Why These Works

The most important factor after your keywords, title, and heading (perhaps even more) is your readability score. 

Readers hate having to squint, zoom in or out, or reach for their glasses. 

Long droning paragraphs bores them enough to leave before the build-up.

A high readability score makes your blog automatically more attractive than the ones that make reading a pain.

Once you’ve chosen the best topic and template for your blog, create a stunning heading. Aim to grab eyeballs the moment they fall on your blog heading. Compel the reader to click on your blog.

To make this happen, follow the tips below:

Use The Top Searched Phrases

Buzzsumo made the life of bloggers easier by doing the homework for you. Their research of 100 million headlines showed a fantastic trend: headlines that start from phrases like:

• X reasons why…
• X reasons to…
• The X best…

Stick Between 12-18 Words

Buzzsumo also has another analysis that proves the headlines to get the most hits stuck to the word count of 12 to 18 words. 

Give The Heading An Emotional Value

One thing you can always bank on is the emotions of the audience.  

An emotional heading will get you plenty of clicks, so use EMV (Emotional Marketing Value) tools to score your heading.

You’ll find such EMV headline analyzers on pages like the Advanced Marketing Institute. 

Aim to score above 25%.

Using Brackets Works Miracles

Using brackets and parentheses works wonders for your headline as people look for the latest pieces of information that can vouch for current accuracy. 

Inserting the following in brackets will give you a lot more viewers since the search narrows down by a huge margin.

• (2019)
• (Latest Update *insert year or month*)
• (New Update)
• (Exclusive Information)

You get the hint. Integrate all 4 tips to create a banging headline they can’t move their cursor away from.

Put yourself in the shoes of a reader. 

You’ve got a project due in 5 hours. You’re desperate for an all-inclusive guide regarding writing a stellar blog with SEO tools. 

Length

The first blog you come across has over 30 lines for an introduction that offers no real solution to your imminent question.

It turns you off because you have to scroll for the actual content to start. So you just leave the page.

This is why we keep our introductions short, exciting and tell the reader what they will get from your blog in 4-7 lines. 

Don’t prolong their hunt; they’ve been searching long enough on Google. 

Give Them Proof

Introductions that promise results and give proof of it are instant hits. 

Why? People need certainty that they’re not wasting their time reading your post!

When your first line promises how you’re going to teach the reader something of real value that will enhance their skill, you deliver the proof in the next line.
Such proof could come from 

• Statistics
• Personal growth experience
• Your credentials
• Your top clients and success stories

Making yourself a source they can count on is the key here.

Transition From The Intro To The Body

We’ve seen plenty of cringe-worthy transitions that beat around the bush for lines too long.

Instead, use lines such as:

• Let’s dig in:
• Let’s dive right into it:
• Cutting to the chase, here’s what you need to know:

Keep it direct.

Coming up with killer content that hooks the reader in isn’t that difficult, but it needs strategy!

No matter how much information you’ve collected through months-worth research, it’s all useless if you don’t present it right.

Engaging your reader means you don’t bore them to death. Sometimes, details that matter to you may not be necessary for them. 

Need to know basis only; unless, you’re writing a post-doctoral thesis. 

Here’s what we’re going to do:

Say No To Giant Text Walls

Keep your paragraphs 1 to 2 sentences long, they’re easier to read.  Your content should be up-front and center since Google needs FAST answers.

If your lecture-blog doesn’t give them what they’re looking for in microseconds, they’re going to sleep on you.

Write Like You Would Normally Talk

This is more complicated than it seems, so read your content out loud. If it sounds awkward or redundant, strike it out. 

Improvise sentences to keep them conversational, yet crisp and clear. 

Keep The Reader Included In Our Narrative (See what we did there?)

Creating engaging content also means that the reader feels like they belong. Make your lines inclusive and relatable.

Sub-Headers

You will use sub-headers and yes you will love it, because the readers certainly will.

Why?  It’s always better to read content broken up into sections than scrolling to find something. 

Also, scrolling back to find a point is a pain without sub-headers.

Your aim is to make the reading experience as convenient as possible for your audience. When they see a relevant sub-heading they can focus on and easily come back to, you win.

Table of Contents

You also win when you use a table of contents for your blog. Sometimes readers are looking for specific information.

Link your sub-headings to their location in your blog post. If they find it right at the start of the body, they can jump right to that part.

Visuals

Add lots of visuals, be it pictures or graphs of relevance. Readers will be able to understand and relate to your content quicker than just reading it. 

Humans are visual creatures. Infographics, screenshots, diagrams, images: use them all in the best way possible.

You think you’ve made it, but not just yet. The conclusion needs to be just as good as your introduction because this is the part that helps you generate leads with bogging. 

Your conclusion has the power to make the audience click on your thumbs-up, shares and subscribe buttons. It will also help you sell your product or service. 

Their comments on your blog are just as important, we kid you not.

Here’s how you go about writing a great conclusion to a great blog post:

Flowing Into The Conclusion

Move into the conclusion with the correct transition.

Suggestions

Keep the audience involved by asking for their input or suggestions. You can even ask what they’d like to read next, what their favorite part was, or how well this blog helped them.

Appropriate CTA

The Call To Action line is the salesperson of your blog that equals a hammer on the nail. Ask your readers to like, share or comment on your blog to let you know their reaction.  

Your CTA has the power to generate leads through reader response.

The key is to not sound like all the generic YouTube vloggers and instead be genuine.

When compiled, your conclusion could look like this: (This is an example from one of my blogs, I can replace it if you can’t add the URL link in case of rights issues)

“These were our 50 favorite rice recipes to share with you!

Trust me, it wasn’t easy to pick, but we try to bring you only the best of the best.

These recipes have all the themes to fit your mood, diets and seasonal veggies.

What did you think of this roundup? As always, we love to hear from you and implement your feedback or requests in our future posts.

Send us pictures when you try them and tell us about a modified or new recipe you have, or what you’d like to see next time!”

Now that your content is ready to roll after editing and proofreading, you think it’s good enough to post? Think again!

A blog that is Search Engine Optimized has a lot more chances of making it to the Google top 10 than the ones which are not.

Why? Your blogs are simply easier to find with the exact answers that are being searched for.

How do you go about it? The following tips will help you:

Include your keywords in the blog URL

Keep your URLs Short

Using short URLS works better than the longer ones because Google prefers them.

They also reveal exactly what the blog is about, so it helps the search engine understand the gist of your blog post.

Readers also assume super long URLs with a lot of characters to be spam or low quality content. So it is an important deciding factor when it comes to being clicked on.

Meta Description

Even though Google won’t use your meta-description, your potential readers will. You have 155 characters to make them click on your link, so it has to be convincing.

This is how you win your clicks:

Use your title keyword in the meta-description

For instance, your title is Top 50 Vegan Rice Recipes. Integrate your keyword in the meta-description.

Include your blog’s USP

What high-value information do you have to offer?

• Use words like ‘find’, ‘learn’, ‘get’, ‘buy’ and so on.

Use your Keyword in The Introduction

This should go without saying, since the few first lines tell all about what your blog is about.

Take a look at the meta description of this blog.

Add Internal Links

This technique will help you get readers to articles and blogs of yours without advertising them. Simply link A FEW of your past blogs that are interrelated to this one with the appropriate connectors.

For example: This technique involves using a tool called XYZ.

What is Tool XYZ and how does it work? They’ll know when they click on it.

Thank me later.

That’s it; you’ve made it through this lesson. We covered everything important for beginner and intermediate bloggers and hope it helped you and will improve your blogging skills substantially.

It’s your turn to try these tips and tricks for yourself, so give it your best shot.

Also, we’d like to know what techniques you’re going to adopt from this article. Is it the blog post template? Or maybe you‘ll use the SEO strategies.  Do you have any questions?

Whatever it is, we know you’ll produce a stunning blog, so send us a link.

Make sure you let us know in the comments section below!