Let’s have some stats to get us excited about blog production and how blogs can support a content marketing strategy:

• Companies that blog get 55% more website visitors
• B2B marketers who have blogs get 67% more leads than those who don’t
• 70% of people would rather learn about a company through articles than advertisements
• Blogs shorten the sales cycle by increasing brand awareness and educating buyers
• 60% of consumers feel more positive about a company after reading custom content on its site

It’s clear that blogs are a valuable content type for creating a bank of evidence that showcases industry expertise, market insight, empathy for your target audiences, and the quality of your services and/or products.

However, the primary motivation behind creating a programme of blog content is to drive website traffic and motivate readers to take action – whether that’s converting right then or there, reading more content, finding out more about your products, or any series of actions across your site.

That’s why I think ahead and plan my approach to writing each blog and consider what needs to go into each blog, and what I want my reader to do after they’ve read my blog!

The benefits of creating great blog content

Having a blog page is one thing, but creating great blog content is the game-changer. When I create blog content that is informative, fact-based, engaging, problem-solving, and delivers tangible value to your audience, the outcomes speak for themselves.

A well-written blog:

• Drives increased traffic to your website
• Prompts readers to convert and use your services
• Encourages social media sharing and engagement
• Establishes your brand as a reliable source of industry knowledge
• Enhances your site’s search engine ranking, improving discoverability

The only thing is, there are 600 million blogs out there. That means I need to get the nuts and bolts right for every single blog just to rank among the big players, to stand out from the crowd, and to be found by the right readers.

My approach to crafting value-add blog content

When people read a blog, they are skimming for specific information that answers their question(s), if they can’t find what they’re looking for quickly they will click off the page. And we don’t want that.

That’s the fundamental basis of how I approach blogs: They need to be structured to give information quickly and easily. Readers need to know they’re in the right place as soon as they land on the blog, and to do that I ensure each blog has the following:

Using a relevant headline and title that meets my my audience’s search query

The headline is usually why a reader clicked onto the page. I ensure they’re catchy, informative, and relevant to the content. My titles not only grab readers’ attention but also help with SEO by incorporating relevant keywords.

Keep reading for more information about the role SEO plays in my blogs.

Starting it off right with the introduction

Introductions can be difficult things. I like to think about my target audience and my company’s tone of voice. How does the unique communication style of my company inform how I should start? What do my readers want first and foremost?

The answer is usually: value.

I ensure my introductions contain value for my reader via my brand’s unique tone of voice. If I’m writing for a younger audience on a startup’s blog that could mean providing a statistic, posing a question, using an interesting quip or fact and getting straight to it. Alternatively, for a mature audience looking for professional services (for example), I might need a formal introduction that sets the scene and eases the reader in, reassuring them they’re in the right place and will find the answers to their questions.

There are more ways to start a blog, but these two contrasting options show how brand and target audience inform my approach.

Creating a scannable structure

Blogs need to be scannable so readers can find the information they need quickly if they’re pushed for time. To do that I:

• Break up sections with relevant Headers and Subtitles so readers can skim to the section that answers their questions (it also helps Google pick up and analyse your content’s relevancy to search terms)
• Break up large blocks of text with bullet points or lists
• Ensure paragraphs are 3-4 lines maximum
• Ensure no single line is more than 35 words long
• Make sure every blog is formatted properly with one H1, all its H2s, themed bullet points, etc.

Writing engaging content

What goes into your blog is important too. I make it informative, relevant, and engaging by connecting with my reader using a conversational tone that address them directly. Hi, yes that means you in this instance!

I also like to position my content within the broader subject by using facts, statistics and research. To back up any claims or data I’ve cited, I hyperlink to credible sources to reassure readers of the veracity of my blog.

Internal and external linking

Having links in my blogs helps readers find more information around their original search query or interest (how they got to my blog in the first place). I use two different types of linking in my blogs:

• Internal linking

I use internal links to other pages from the website so that readers spend more time on your site and gain a better impression of your expertise through more blogs, other content pieces, or even product information pages.

The benefits of internal linking are:

• Enhancing user experience: Internal links help users navigate through the website, discover related content, and stay engaged longer
• Improving SEO: Search engines use internal links to discover and index pages on your site, boosting overall SEO
• Spreading authority: By linking from high-authority pages to lower-authority pages, I can distribute authority and improve the ranking potential of your entire site

When using internal links, I choose relevant anchor text that describes the linked page’s content, so readers know which page they are clicking onto and aren’t surprised by irrelevant content. This would lead to them clicking off the page pretty quickly, and we don’t want bounces.

• External linking

I also use external links that point to source websites when I’ve embedded a fact, stat or piece of data. Aside from giving other writers the recognition they deserve for their research, I use external linking tactics for other purposes:

• Establishing credibility: Linking to reputable sources adds credibility to my blog
• SEO benefits: While the SEO impact of external links is debated, they can be valuable

External linking can be a balancing act though, I avoid using too many external links otherwise my reader wouldn’t pay enough attention to my blog.

Finishing it up with a useful conclusion

To hammer home any points I’ve made throughout the blog, I summarise the key takeaways at the end of the blog to make them stick in the reader’s mind.

Adding a call to action

A call to action (CTA) tells your reader what they should do next. It’s strategically placed at the end to follow on logically from the points and learnings of the blog.

Some examples of CTAs I commonly use are:

• Subscription CTAs: Encourage readers to subscribe to your blog for future updates
• Other downloadable resources: I offer e-books, guides, or templates relevant to the blog’s topic.
• Social sharing: I encourage readers to share your blog on social media
• Engagement CTAs: Ask readers to leave comments, answer questions, or participate in discussions
• Conversion CTAs: I direct readers to take a specific action, such as signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase

SEO Optimisation

SEO optimisation starts in the content strategy phase, that’s when I define all the keywords that will be useful to create blog content around. Then using the primary keyword and a handful of long-tail keywords I’ll optimise as I go by:

• Including my primary keyword once roughly every 200 words
• Including my primary keyword in my meta title and meta descriptions
• Including my primary keyword in the first 100 words
• Using keywords in my header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.)
• Including descriptive alt text to images to improve accessibility and provide search engines with context
• Using keywords in the file names for any image uploads

SEO continued, working on loading speed

To ensure blog pages load quickly for a great user experience, I compress images, minimise code, and use browser caching.

Including images properly

Images are a vital component of my blog writing, they enhance the visual experience of reading and can emphasise the point I’m making.

To ensure my image use has the greatest impact I use high-quality images that are clear and relevant to my content. I also ensure all images are compressed to an appropriate size so they don’t slow the page loading speed down.

Checking spelling, grammar and punctuation again and again

It’s so tempting to draft content and hit publish right away. And it’s taken some years for my pride to accept that I need to proofread my work and if I make any changes, then it needs to be proofread again. This ensures the highest-quality work goes out, represents the brand, and delights readers.

To conclude this blog about blogs:

My blog writing process encompasses a blend of structural features, SEO optimisation, calls to action, internal and external linking, and image formatting all blended together with engaging and compelling copywriting. Readers are delighted, have their queries answered, and even go on to enjoy more content on the website.

If you’re interested in working together, shoot me an email: gracewrites892@gmail.com