One of the easiest ways to create original, valuable content for your audience is by blogging, but for many, it’s not as easy as it may seem. Many people get hung up on details such as the frequency of creating a blog post, and when they focus too much on this, their content may not be up to par.
The GreenMellen team has written hundreds of blogs over the last 11 years, and we think we’ve cracked the code of a perfect blog post.
Clear, Attention-Grabbing Blog Title
Without a strong, clear title for your blog, it won’t grab the reader’s attention, which will not lead them to clicking to read more. To create an attention-grabbing title, brainstorm a title that has a unique angle.
Thinking about the goal and theme of your post, create a title that clearly states what information will be within the blog while also being catchy. Words like “guide” and “how to,” as well as numbers tend to perform better than generic titles.
Lastly, if you want to integrate any keywords into a blog post, make sure they are incorporated in the title. We’ll talk more about where to integrate keywords in other points.
Featured Image
Even if you didn’t plan to put any images alongside your content, your posts should always include a featured image. Depending on how your website is built, featured images may show up at the top of a blog post (like it does on our site), but featured images are especially important for social sharing. When sharing blog posts on social media, platforms usually pull the featured image into the post to add a nice visual to your social posts.
When decided which featured image to use, choose one that reflects what your post is about and persuades users to read more. It’s also wise to pick one that’s on brand and looks aesthetically pleasing while not being too literal.
Subheads for Different Points
Subheads are great for blog posts because they help break up your content, as well as SEO benefits. They signal search engines and readers what kind of content this section will cover.
These subheads should be written with H2 tags or smaller and not H1 tags. Make sure to integrate your keywords in here if you’re using them and sprinkle it throughout the content’s section.
Length
We get this question all the time, and there are a lot of stats and data that prove that long-form content that’s over 1,800 words tend to have the best results with search engines. However, this does not mean short blog posts are not valuable.
Search engines love new, fresh content, and if you can create posts that range between 500-1,000 words a couple of times a month, that would be just as effective for your business. Just make sure the content you create is unique and valuable for readers!
Styling
Just like with any written content on the web, the way it’s laid out will make a difference if it’s actually consumed or not. Consider breaking up your content into small paragraphs, and use bullet/numbered lists whenever it makes sense. Long blocks of text look overwhelming, and with these little tricks, it will make it look easier to read.
Also, make sure to link parts of your body content to relatable pages on or off your website. This will not only help with your SEO, but it will also help readers continue their learning.
Call-to-Action
Always end your blog posts with a call-to-action (CTA) for your reader to learn more from you. This could be a whitepaper offer, related blog posts, or text to encourage them to contact you. The more you can offer them to take their learning farther, the more likely they will see you as an industry leader and become a customer.
Keep this “formula” in mind when writing your next blog post, and you could see big results!
For more information about writing the perfect blog post or to have one of our experts write blog posts on your behalf, contact us today!
