Quick Guide To Writing The Perfect Blog
Susie Spires, Marketing Consultant
Before you start
Have a think about what you want the blog to achieve.
Is it social shares or comments? Click-throughs to your website? Or, possibly ranking on search engines (SEO)? Your objective is important in relation to the length of the blog.
What is the purpose of the Blog?
A successful blog is one that sticks to the point. Your reader may have seen your title on a social media post or have typed a question into a search engine. They are looking for answers, for a solution to their issue or problem and you need to present yourself as the authority/expert on this issue without trying to sell. Writing the perfect blog starts with giving solutions to the reader’s pains.
Use keywords
Pack your blog full of keywords that relate to your topic. Words that would have commonly been used in search engines ensure that the user experience is still a pleasant one and the blog reads well. It is worth doing some keyword research before you start.
Make the blog immediately engaging
The title
Think about what someone is actively typing into the search box and include some of the most popular keywords in your question/title. Do not forget this could also be a voice search.
The solution
Stick to the point. The reader is already interested, so no need to sell them the service you are offering or explain its general benefits. They are primarily interested in your advice and will feel they are being sold to and not learning about their inquiry.
To be incredibly useful and prompt active interest, the blog should just answer a simple question. Some recent examples that I have been faced with today are… Can I do a photoshoot during Covid-19 (Coronavirus)?
And, how can I make a Will during the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak? I do not need to be sold the benefits of a photoshoot or be told why I should make a Will if I’ve already chosen to land on this blog page.
The perfect length Blog to achieve your Blog’s objectives
75-300 words. Super-short posts are best for generating discussion. Short blogs rarely get many shares on social media, and they are horrible for SEO, but if you want a lot of comments, write short posts!
300-600 words. The standard blogging length is recommended by many “expert” bloggers. The good middle ground for social shares and comments. Too short to gain much authority or search engine love.
750 words. This is the standard length for professional journalism, especially newspapers. I find that it is good for getting links from other bloggers and sharing on social media.
1000-1500 words. You will get fewer comments at this length but more shares on social media, especially if you have followed the advice above and written a post that answers someone’s question/problem.
2,450 words. The highest-ranking articles on SEO/Google are most often 2,450 words. Not great for people needing a quick answer. If you want to rank well on search engines this is the best length to write.
However, make sure you write about a topic that people are actively searching for. It is too long if your topic is niche. However, a perfect length if you’re writing about the impact of Brexit in December 2020.
And, finally…
This Blog is roughly 550-600 words in length and so should be useful for social shares and comments. It’s not about how to write well, it is about how to create effective content to enable us to write the best blogs we can for our businesses, especially when considering building your brand and marketing your expertise in a way that helps your customer.
You do not need to be a great writer to be able to write the perfect blog.
Like all the best marketing strategies, no one channel works effectively in isolation, so it is important to use a balanced mix of marketing channels to develop your optimum marketing campaign. If you’d like help in getting noticed for all the right reasons, please get in touch.
This post was contributed by Susie Spires, Marketing Consultant and member of the Barnes group.
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