How to Write Great Blog Articles People Want to Read

by Rahimah Sultan

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If you publish a blog post or article and no one reads it, it’s still a post. Anyone can write one, although not everyone knows how to write great blog posts/articles people want to read.


Obviously, you first have to choose a topic.




How do you choose a topic?



If you’re familiar with a particular niche, you probably already have plenty of ideas you want to use. If not, then write about things people are searching for. If there are lots of searches, month after month on certain topics, that’s probably what people want to read about.



Here are some free tools for keyword research and SEO content optimization:

Moz.com

Google Keyword Planner

AHREFS

Semrush



Once you’ve chosen a topic, you need an angle or a viewpoint for your post or a direction. Choose an objective for your post/article.


That may be:

Sharing a solution to a tough problem

Refining an overwhelming topic into something understandable

Telling a suspenseful and emotional story that teaches a lesson

Identifying key trends on a topic, and using them to predict the future

Contributing original information about a field through your research and investigation



Now that you have a topic, select your format. Will it be a listicle or a how-to article?


1. A listicle format, also known as a list-post, are articles structured around lists. For example:

15 Blogging Tips For Beginners
10 Best Online Marketing Tools
10 Quick SEO Tips To Increase Organic Traffic
25 Tips For Content Marketing
50 Best Travel Tips: Advice From A Professional Traveler



2. A how-to article is self-explanatory, in that it shows how to perform a certain task. For example:

How To Start A Blog
How To Promote Your Business
How To Grow Your Business
How To Use Social Media To Grow Your Business
How To Write Great Blog Articles



Now that you have a topic and format, how do you write an article or a post that will rank on Google?



To write an article or a blog post that will rank on Google, you need to know about SEO (search engine optimization), the process of optimizing your site and content for search engines such as Google.


If your article or post is well optimized for a search engine, the higher you’ll rank on Google and it will have more visibility within the search results.


If SEO is well done, the ROI on your time and the money you’ve spent can be exceptionally high. When you’ve achieved a high rank for keywords that are directing traffic and sales to your site, you’re essentially getting “free” leads.


Of course, these organic leads are not totally free, since you’ve invested time and probably some money into your SEO efforts. But, unlike paid ads, organic traffic is a free source that keeps on giving.


Of the couple hundred plus Google ranking factors, there are three key areas you’ll need to familiarize yourself with:


On-page ranking factors—which relate to the content on your pages like keywords, title tags, and images that give Google a good understanding of your page.


Off-page ranking factors—that relate to indicators outside of your site like backlinks and social signals.


Technical ranking factors—which relate to your site’s performance such as accessibility, mobile compatibility, load speed, and more.




Now it’s time to write, but it’s really difficult to sit down and write from scratch – staring at a blank sheet of paper or a blank screen on your computer is daunting.


Since you’ve done research for keywords and decided on a topic, create an outline. With an outline, you just fill in the gaps. You don’t have to write an outline from scratch either. Use a template or make your own.


You’ll need to include:

1. The key takeaways for your readers
2. A smart headline
3. Arrange the major themes and section of the blog article outline
4. Insert relevant sources and any additional data and studies
5. Trim and clean up the outline
6. Write your article



Write a first draft using Google Docs or whatever program you prefer. Put down everything you think you’ll use pertaining to the article subject.


Now pick out a few key points as topics to discuss and use those for headings. Know that people like to skim before committing to reading an entire article. This gets you into formatting. Use each major key point as a heading for the different sections in the article. Be sure these headings are clear for easy skimming.


Break up the paragraphs into short paragraphs of no more than four sentences. You should vary the sentence length to make for easier reading.


Use bolding for emphasis, bullets, and numbered lists.


For complex points (or just for fun) you can add images, tables, charts, and infographics.


Be sure your article shows up well on mobile. Otherwise, your content – no matter how incredible – will not rank.



When you start writing you’ll need to come up with a great headline and introduction. So, state the problem you’ll write about, go into the details of solving it, then offer a solution.


Use the following points as a guideline.

1. Make your introduction catchy but authoritative.


2. The length of the article should be about 1,000 words minimum, depending on the subject matter. Content length varies by industry.


3. Sprinkle target keywords and similar ones throughout the article without going overboard and include important keywords early and frequently, of course, without overdoing them.


4. Use appropriate verbiage so as not to alienate your audience. Write in the first person and conversationally.




Links are very important because they keep viewers on your site and they build trust in Google’s eyes.


Some important ones are:

External links to amazing resources such as marketing tools

Internal links on your site – each blog article should include at least 2-3 links to other pages on your blog or main site




Make sure your anchor text actually links to something relevant. Don’t link the phrase “how to build a list” to an article about affiliate marketing.



In summary choosing your topic, angle, and format and putting effort into your content is a recipe for organic success.




Using this information on how to write great blog articles people want to read will enable you to get started writing great blog posts that people want to read.



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