11 epic tips to write a blog post like a pro; a guide for beginners.

I’ve been speaking to a few people recently about blogs and why they don’t write them for their business. Lack of time was a popular response, but others said they have no idea where to start. One even said they found the whole thing too intimidating! Don’t be intimidated about how to write a blog post. Blogs are powerhouses, they’re a brilliant addition to your business toolkit and there are a few things you need to include when you write one. So, here’s my dummy guide to get you on the road to blog town including some basic SEO (search engine optimisation) tips.

1 – Pick a subject

I bet you have loads of ideas of what you want to write about, so grab one of those ideas and write a blog post. Don’t forget, your blog needs a purpose. Whether that’s to answer a question for your reader or educate them, be useful. Your blog needs to help them with something and at the same time show off your knowledge and personality. Solve their problem!

2 – Words, words words

Now, what is the ideal word count for a blog? The general rule is the more words the better, but I appreciate it’s scary to consider making it past a thousand when you first start. Personally, I never write one less than 500 words, but that’s just me.

There are gazillions (it feels like it anyway) studies on this topic and there is no specific number you must hit. A recent study said the ideal word count is 1,760 to 2,400 words. Wowsers, that IS a lot.

But don’t panic, there are other things that are equally, if not more important, to Google’s algorithm.

3 – Choose your keyword

When people search for a subject on Google or another search engine, they’ll type certain words in their search. You need to decide which focus keywords you think people will search for to find your blog and then you need to incorporate the keywords into your blog. Instead of going into detail now, here’s an article that helps to explain keywords.

4 – Keywords everywhere

Once you have your chosen keyword/s, use them in the URL, introduction, title, subheading and throughout the blog. But, be careful to keep the content natural because if you overstuff it with keywords, there’s a risk it could sound false and it won’t flow.

5 – Hook your readers in

What can you write in your title to hook readers? Consider what will make them think ‘I NEED to read this,’ or ‘I want to find out more.’ If you don’t hook a reader quickly, they’ll move on and find something else to read (or watch on Netflix). Early on, or in your headline, ask a burning question, promise them the pure magic that’s about to come if they read on or place a thought in their heads so they just have to find out the answer by reading your blog.

6 – Create headings

Words are much easier to read when they contain paragraph breaks. Read your writing and when you change the subject or complete a statement, add a paragraph break. Or use numbers for lists to make reading much easier. For SEO purposes, highlight your headings using the different heading options (H1, H2 etc).

7 – Use images

If you use images or videos in your blog, it will make them more entertaining and interactive for the reader and you can help your SEO. When you have a keyword ensure you use it in the image name. If you can add an image or video at the top or near the top of the post you’re more likely to grab your reader’s attention.

8 – Include links

You need to link your blog post internally to your website. What I mean is, link it to your services or contact page or when you have lots of blogs you can link it to a relevant blog. Also, where it’s relevant, link to an external site. This might be useful if you’re referring to research and you need to link to the original source or you’re referring to another business and you want to link to them. Make sure they’re relevant to what you’re talking about.

But again, don’t force it so that you link to either one of your pages or an internal site and it makes the text sound unnatural or forced.

9 – Don’t use tricky words

I think the caveat here is to consider who you’re writing for. Generally, unless you’re writing for rocket scientists, use basic and easy to understand language. No one likes a clever clog and equally, I’m not sure any reader is going to want to consult their dictionary to wade through all the long, complicated words you’ve dumped in the blog. If you write a blog post that’s too tricky to understand readers will go elsewhere before they get to the end.

10 – Go evergreen

Actually, it’s up to you, don’t let me get too bossy. But, evergreen content (content that will still be relevant in years to come) will be relevant for longer and more likely to be read over time. For example, if you write a perfect blog post about the best events in London in June 2021, while it might be popular now and in June 2021, it’s probably not likely to be searched for in November 2025!

11 – Get in all down

But first things first, on your marks, get set, go! Get cracking and write a blog post in draft. Don’t worry about your grammar, structure or content,  just write it all down and tidy it up later.

I’ve only given you an outline of SEO tips, but if you want more advice the very clever VA Web Design and SEO is an expert. So, get cracking because that, in a nutshell, is a whirlwind tour of how to write a blog post. Give yourself time and space to get the words down and then refine them, correct them or get the spell checker out. Be bold with your ideas or headlines and sprinkle little smatterings of SEO dust throughout each blog for optimal effectiveness.