8 building blocks of a successful blog post

Find out everything you need to know about corporate blogging

There’s a difference between ordinary copy and web copy! And blog posts are something different altogether! There’s no need to get scared by statements like these. What you should know though is that there’s a difference between editorial web copy and a blog post. Sounds complicated? It really isn’t. Blog posts are of a certain journalistic quality, they go into depth and often address niche topics that are not elaborated anywhere else on the website. Just like this magazine post! By contrast, standard web copy usually has a certain goal, for instance to provide information about a corporate issue – or to lead to a conversion.

The good news: Blogging is a craft that can be learned. There are a few basic requirements, though: You should be a versed writer, be creative and know the basics of web copy creation. 

When it comes to successful web content, it’s all about quality. In the end, only high-quality content will be able to outperform your competition. What’s more, it’s always important to keep in mind the objective of your copy.

Writing is easy

8 steps to creating a successful blog post

These guidelines will help you write your blog copy and take you through the process of content creation: 

 

1. What do you want to write about – the topic of your blog post 

First things first: To write a blog post, you need a topic you want to write about. What kind of content would you like to feature on your blog? What do your readers expect? But remember: You’re the least important person in this process! After all, you don’t write your blog posts for yourself but for your personas. Find out what kind of questions they might have and how you can provide answers to them. 

 

2. Research, research, research

The briefing stage is over, and you know what kind of content you want to feature on your blog. Now it’s time for one of the most important stages of the content creation process: the research phase. Read everything you can find on your topic and do some expert interviewing. The more you know, the better. After all, you or your company want to be perceived as experts on the web.

 

3. Which meta tags are most fitting?

Your title and description, or metatags, are the first things your customers will read – before they even make it onto your website! And of course you want your blog post to outperform all the other ones out there …

 

Keep in mind: Don’t be tempted to come up with a super creative headline that doesn’t really say what your post is about. Your headline should more or less sum up its content in a nutshell and give your readers a  taste of what to expect.

Verfassen von SEO-Texten. | © punkt & komma

4. Also important for blog posts: Don’t forget your keywords!

In order for Google to find and rank your content, it has to be able to “read” your blog post. That’s why it’s important to use relevant keywords  for your topic. However, it’s not about how often you can cram your keywords into your copy. What you need is a fine balance between readability and SEO relevance. Otherwise you risk an early bounce rate. Always remember that, first and foremost, we write for people, not for machines!

 

5. Get going! Start to write!

Your actual content creation is entirely up to you. Do you prefer jotting everything down quick and dirty before fine-tuning your text? Or do you like to structure your copy in advance, first coming up with the headlines and sublines? Either way, the more you write, the quicker you will get. Try to find your own style without neglecting potential corporate or customer wording regulations. A personal touch will make your blog more authentic and unique.

Don’t forget: There should always be an overarching theme to your content creation process.

 

6. Structure your blog post 

Even if you have already structured your text during the writing process, it’s a good idea to go over your post again. This will give your blog post a more uniform look and improve readability, especially in case of long posts. Make use of headlines and sublines and generally make your blog post easy to ready. By the way: lists (like this one) are a popular way of structuring a text – people simply love order!

 

7. Call to action

The goal of your blog is to keep your readers coming back. Ideally, they can’t get enough of your posts! To keep them up to date and ensure that they don’t miss any of your posts, you have several options. Get them to sign up to your newsletter or follow your social media channels. This will make it easier for your readers to stay connected to you. So don’t forget to include plenty of calls to action in your blog posts!

 

8. Optimise your post

Now that your blog post has a clear structure with headlines and paragraphs, it’s time for fine-tuning! First point on the agenda: a thorough proof-read. After all, you don’t want any embarrassing typos in your article!

Also don’t forget to include images and videos in your post to further emphasise the topic and give it an overall corporate look and feel. 

Ein Puzzle, bei dem alle Teile perfekt ineinander greifen
And that’s not all

Even more tips to optimise your blog post

The perfect structure: Reveal the murderer right away 

Yes, that’s right. Unlike any good murder mystery, your blog post should give away the big secret right at the beginning. Start your article with the most important information and continue by answering any additional questions your target group may have. On top, you can finish your post with any additional, relevant information there is on your topic. This structure ensures that readers remain on your website and actually read your post.

 

It’s all about length …

It doesn’t always take 1,000 words to write a good blog post. Some posts are better kept short and simple. The important thing is that your readers receive all the information there is on a certain topic. To give you a general idea, you can read our article on ideal text lengths.

 

Links, links, links

Always include links to relevant pages of your website or blog posts in your article to make it even more informative. Just like this article provides you with many links to turn you into a full-blown blogging professional …

 

Wait for the right moment

Check your website traffic stats to find out at what time your article performed best. This allows you to publish your blog posts at the perfect time.

 

New formats – same content

You can reach a whole new readership by offering the content of your blog posts in other media formats. Maybe you can make a little YouTube video out of your blog post? Or an infographic you can share on LinkedIn?  

As you can see, blogging is diverse and challenging. We hope our little tips and tricks help you create your own successful blog. The more you write, the easier you will find it. After all, practice makes perfect!

You could do with a little help? We’re happy to assist you! 

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