In the online business area, there is an endless list of to-dos. Here, a few elements are as essential as how to create a blog post. This is because most activities revolve around digital assets in many successful online businesses and online extensions of brick-and-mortar businesses. And this is what a blog post is, a digital asset. Many strategic actions consider you’re creating quality content. This new currency is all about quality. Although the steps to create a blog post are not written in stone, there are some logical steps you can follow if you want to deliver quality work repeatedly.
1. What will your post be about?
Before you have a successful blog post written, that piece of content should first take shape in your head. Sometimes, you will have an employer who will give precise instructions describing their needs. Sometimes, you can decide exactly what you want to write about. This is where you can shine with your creativity. This is where you decide what type of post you want to write. Consider your niche, goals, and your target audience. Keep your ideas in one place to ensure you never run out of options.
2. Research
Although it’s preferable you know your subject like the back of your hand, sometimes you won’t remember everything you need to write a blog post. Sometimes you use computers as a second brain. Why would you remember useless facts if you can just search them in a text editor or a note-taking app? Doing research follows this logic. Sometimes, you may miss a critical section or facts if you trust your brain too much. Therefore, you must research whether you are familiar with the subject or a seasoned pro.
3. The outline
Once you know what to write about and do proper research, it’s time to do the outline. This is a well-guarded secret of many writers. Just like physical objects are formed out of atoms and other essential structures, the same happens with a blog post. The outline shows how many sections you will be dealing with. This is the same method I’m using to write this blog post. Once you create an outline, your brain automatically fills each portion as it sees fit.
By chopping your to-do list into digestible parts, you will create high-quality content step by step. The good news is that it will feel easy as pie.
4. Writing your post
Although the stream of consciousness writing may be suitable for a particular type of literature, creating a high-quality blog post follows the structure you can find in this article. As you advance in your endeavors, you will find it easier and easier with practice. As you reach mastery, sometimes you will change the order of steps. This is okay, and it’s recommended since a personalized approach that suits you will give you the best return on your investment when it comes to time.
I recommend writing as if you were talking to a friend. This is the main activity in these steps. As you can see, it is the natural result of ideating, researching, and writing a suitable outline.
5. Editing
You’ve come a long way. Now you have your content almost ready for publishing. You’re only a few steps away from having a true deliverable you can repeatedly use as a web traffic generator and reputation builder. When you first wrote your blog post, you did not care about typos or honest mistakes. But now, this step requires you to take action to correct your typos and grammar. A great tip is to read your blog post aloud. If something feels off, you should probably fix it.
This is where you use synonyms for repetitive words and see if your writing style fits your requirements.
6. The headline
In advertising, a proper headline can make or break an ad. This is because it works well with the model where attention is required at first. Unfortunately, this means even if an offer is excellent, it won’t be known because it didn’t succeed in capturing the audience’s imagination.
The headline or title enables your audience to find you. That’s why it must have suitable keywords in it. Although this indication belongs in the SEO section, it should be mentioned here since you will consider it when writing your winner title.
The headline should catch your audience’s attention, making them curious and allowing them to spend more time reading your blog post and becoming returning visitors.
7. Graphics
With increasing bandwidth worldwide, it is now expected to present quality visuals with your blog post. This has many benefits; I will mention some of them next:
- It allows your audience to know what the post is about immediately
- It embellishes your words
- Your post becomes findable through an image search
- You communicate your points more accurately
And the list doesn’t end here. Your post will have an associated thumbnail image, your post will become more attractive, it may become more shareable through social media, and it will add that extra zest to your online brand if you do it consistently.
8. SEO
There is much to say about SEO when publishing blog posts. Entire books have been and will be written about it. Today, I will tell you the very basics you should consider. But mind you, it is clear advice.
I will provide you with the elements an SEO-friendly blog post should have:
- Keyword research – The post should fulfill a need
- Keywords sprinkled in the right places
- Writing human-friendly content
- Optimizing blog images
- Adding links so search engines match your post with the correct categories
These are great starting points and will keep you focused and smart about your publications
9. Publishing
After you’ve checked and edited your blog post, it’s essential to make sure your blog post looks the way you want it to. This is made possible when you get acquainted with the publishing options of the tool of your choice.
Another vital pointer comes in the form of habit. Ideally, you should have a publishing schedule you stick to. This will make sure your readers know what to expect from you. You can organize yourself through a Google Calendar or a specialized tool.
Once you’ve done your homework, make sure you leave perfectionism behind, and click Publish.
10. Promoting your content
By now, you’ve made a significant contribution to the world in the form of knowledge, and now you can make the world know about it. You can:
- Share your piece on social media
- Encourage comments from your readers
- Use hashtags adequately to get in front of your ideal audience
- Tag influencers
- Make your email list knows about your content
- Check your analytics to see what you’re achieving and what you can improve upon
As you can see, writing is essential, and some marketing is also helpful for your blog post to be a success.
11. Doing it again
In time, you will create the habits that allow you to reach success after success. You will begin to feel as if to-dos get more accessible and more manageable. As time passes, you will gain more authority in your field of choice.
When you repeat the steps mentioned in this blog post, you will see how your readership increase. When you reach mastery, you will be able to create content effortlessly.
Finally, you will be fulfilled through your work by adding a sense of joy to your activities.