Writing a blog is easy, right? Not necessarily! In the current digital age, blog writing has taken many forms and there are various “best practices” and guidelines for blog writing that can change frequently. With so many options out there, it can be difficult to know what format, length, and style will generate the most engagement on your post for your company or product. That’s why our content strategists have put together our recommended best practices for writing a blog that you can follow when you go to write your next piece of content. It will highlight a number of important factors that should be considered when creating a blog including how to provide value, proper Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques, and when it’s best to write a shorter or more long-form blog post.
The first step in the blog-writing process is to establish the question your readers want answered. If your blog is not immediately clear in what it is providing, readers will search elsewhere. In addition to providing value to your reader and customer, Search Engine Optimization is a critical step in ensuring your content is reaching those people. Be sure to use keywords that not only grab the attention of a reader that may be skimming through but also ones that will help your blog show up on the search engines. SEO is a huge part of Digital Marketing, and while the algorithm that Google and other search engines use to rank results is not entirely clear, using keywords and following SEO best practices are some of the easiest ways to ensure your posts show up higher than others on the results page.
Another aspect of blog writing that people sometimes get wrong is blog length. The optimal blog length is usually dependent on your topic and what type of audience you are trying to reach, however, there are some basic guidelines that any post can follow. Longer blog posts are actually better when trying to engage readers. The more information you can provide in your post, the less likely your reader will have to search around the internet for additional answers to their questions. According to various sources, the ideal blog length is 1,000-1,500 words and the average blog is around 500 words. This length will yield prime reader engagement and higher search engine rankings. However, this does not mean that short blogs don’t also have value. To stay active and visible on search engines and with readers, your company should be writing two to three blog posts per week, ranging anywhere from 500 to 1,500 words in length depending on the topic.
You don’t have to create new and original blog content every day. Repurposing old content can be a valuable tool when crafting content as well. By updating older blog posts with additional research and statistics or new information that came out about that topic, you can expand the post and add value to it. Enhancing your old posts with new information will keep your company visible on search engine results pages (SERPs) and keep your readers engaged with up-to-date information and answers to their questions.
Making your content more easily accessible to your readers is another important part of blog writing. Utilizing aesthetic techniques such as lengthy headers, sectioning your blog into parts, and including an FAQ can help your readers and your blog end up higher on search engine results pages. Using lengthier headers on blog posts is a great place to start. This will help readers when skimming your blog to know which sections pertain to them and what they are about to read. The more information you make readily available, the higher your engagement with customers will be. Along with having interesting and informational headers, breaking your blogs into sections also helps the readers. Similar to the headers, breaking up your content helps to make it easier for the visitor to read the sections that are relevant to them. Having an FAQ section at the end of the blog can also help readers with any other questions they may have, in addition to assisting with your post landing higher on search engine results pages.
By following this guide, you could be writing blogs in no time. Still need help getting started with blog writing? Contact our team at Zero Gravity Marketing today! Our content marketing Strategists are ready to provide the services your business deserves.