Sadly, many bloggers provide little value to their readers. They are writing for search engines, not consumers, and the content is not good quality. So let's take a look at how to make blogging for newbies easier.
Write a blog post that will help your readers, and your target audience will actually enjoy and get value from - such as a listicle - and you'll soon find you are getting more traffic as your readers share your content.
Happy readers are more likely to subscribe to your blog too, which means you'll be able to market to them more effectively.
Maybe you want to use your blog to promote affiliate links or create a product or course to sell. In order for your website to succeed in this endeavor, you'll need high-value content and lots of it - but that takes a considerable amount of time and planning to produce.
With a mission to help people get "what they need most," the likes of Peter Rojas, Arriana Huffington, and other wealthy bloggers began with the goal of producing remarkable material. It takes hours to develop fantastic content for your blog, but it can yield big results.
Here are some tips on creating better quality blog content - faster and with less stress!
Click here for more information on how you can create a blog, my recommendations for tools to create a great blog.
FYI - There's always something to blog about. Find an idea that makes you happy, and continue building on it. If you ever get stuck, just come back here for a quick reminder to get you back on track.
But before you sit down to begin writing your blog posts...here is my #1 Tip:
Tell them the 3 main points that they need to know about the topic.
This is where most blog content fails! They are too long, and so your audience loses interest halfway through.
Make sure you have three main points with sub-points beneath each one. This is sure-fire way to structure your content and will work well for most blog posts on most topics - but feel free to experiment and find what works best for your audience too.
For example:
This blog post will cover:
Start with a content plan
Define your niche
Research your topic before you start
Create your content strategy
Introduce your readers to the issue you want to talk about.
Discuss the issue in depth using statistics, case studies, and other interesting facts
Suggest a solution or two
Let them know exactly what you want from them
Add images that are visually appealing
Proofread & publish
Promote!
Start writing your content and make sure it's amazing
Narrow your blog post's focus
Engage your audience
Write for your audience
Stand out strategically
Use an outline
Determine the best way to provide value to your audience
Add trust factors
Capitalize on your own experiences, studies, and data
Do thorough research to maintain trust and authority
Focus on quality, not quantity
Write in your unique brand voice
Use actionable tips
Format with readability in mind
Accept that your blog posts will never be perfect
Pro Tip: These points make awesome branded social posts! Make the most of your content creation efforts by repurposing your content as part of your digital marketing strategy. Make a branded image for each point and deploy with an app such as MissingLettr for a 12 month campaign from every blog post! It really is that easy.
Now, let's get back to writing that exceptionally good blog content!
Creating the Most Popular Blog Post Content: A Step-by-Step Guide
Start with a content plan.
A successful blog starts with a content plan... but what the heck is one?
A content plan for your blog means you have an idea of where you want to take it. It's not too specific but gives you some guidelines on how to get there. Here's how...
Define your niche.
You must define your niche. This is what you are going to write about on your blog. It's important to choose a specific topic or focus for your blog before you get started, rather than try to be a jack-of-all-trades and master of none.
For example, if you are passionate about working from home, define that as your niche rather than "making money online."
Research your topic before you start.
This is really important. Put yourself in the readers' shoes for this exercise and imagine what you might be looking to find from your blog post. What do you want them to know when they have finished reading your blog content?
Here are a few basic questions to get you started:
Where do my readers prefer to spend their time online? (Which blogs, social media sites, forums, groups on Facebook, etc.)
What is their most significant issue?
What do these people like reading the most? (Check the Google Analytics for your blog. Which pieces were the most popular? BuzzSumo can help you learn which are the most popular articles in your niche.)
Once you have your answers, you'll be able to start to plan the blog posts.
Create your content strategy.
It's not quite as easy as just deciding to sit down and writing random blogs. Before you get started, you need to create a structure for your blog that helps answer all those questions that are being asked on the search engines. People love to find answers quickly!
Do keyword research.
I use Surfer for my keyword research - it really is the easiest tool I've found for new bloggers. You don't need a degree to understand the data, and you can trust that you are being guided to produce exactly the content you need to become an authority in your niche.
The fastest approach to design your new blog's content structure is with a tool such as Surfer. The end result? More ranking terms that bring more visitors to your site faster.
If you are looking for a more comprehensive tool for keyword research, you could consider a tool like Semrush. However, the feedback from new bloggers tends to be the same - it's a little complicated, takes some time to get to grips with, and is generally way too much analytics for a new blogger to handle.
Define article topics.
Once you have determined the highest search volume keywords for your niche, the next step is planning your article topics. These are the ideas you want to blog about, matched to the keywords you have chosen.
For example, if you are writing about working from home and you have some keywords - best jobs to work from home, work from home jobs, remote jobs, flexible schedule, best online jobs - how do you turn those into an article?
Surfer's Content Planner has your back! It literally tells you what to write about, with headline and subheading suggestions (H1, H2, etc.) and even a little unique AI-written content to get you started.
This is how I can plan a 4000+ word article - like this one - in under 10 minutes!
I know this sounds like serious technical stuff. It might not be something you had even thought about - especially as a beginner blogger - but it can actually make the difference between failure and success.
How to Write Awesome Blog Posts in just 7 Steps
Let's look at how you can write a well-structured blog post in just seven simple steps - a blog post that people can actually read and will delight them.
Use these tips to help enhance content quality for your next blog post and then come back and tell me in the comments how it felt to create content this way. Was it easier to have a strategy for your written content rather than just randomly creating blog posts?
Step 1: Introduce your readers to the issue you want to talk about.
It's important they are aware of the problem or challenge and that they can immediately identify with it so they feel connected to your blog post.
Writing a great headline.
Entice your audience with an awesome title - remember to include your main keyword!
Vague headlines might just work well if you're a guru like Seth Godin, but for most people, being specific is better. Successful techniques include asking questions with your headline or telling a story.
The best way to determine what works is to analyze the Google Analytics of your blog and find your most popular posts - these are commonly the ones with specific titles like How To, Top Tips, 11 methods."
I know writing headlines for blogs can be a headache! I rely on my trusty AI copywriter, Jarvis, to lend a hand. Jarvis was designed to produce high-converting marketing copy, so he's very good at headlines!
Hook readers with an interesting intro.
Make sure there is a problem in the first line. Yes, a problem. After all, your whole content marketing strategy relies on the fact that your content SOLVES problems!
And then build up some tension. You want people to know this issue is a big deal, but you also need them to know that they aren't the only ones facing it.
You could start with a little story that illustrates the point. Tell them a few anecdotes, so they can see how bad it is for other people too. Not good at creative writing? My buddy Jarvis can help you out there too.
Creativity is essential to content marketing, but many people struggle with it. Creative writing for blogs isn't always easy - especially if you're new to blogging and don't know how to create content in the first place!
Jarvis isn't just a smart guy - he's also pretty funny! He knows how challenging it can be for bloggers to create content marketing blog posts. With his help, you can create content that will increase your blog traffic and captivate your audience too!
Jarvis is all set up to create your content for you- he doesn't mind helping out friends like that! Just tell him what you want in your blog post, and he'll do the rest - the artificial intelligence copywriter will even throw in a little humor too.
I find that my best blog posts are the ones in which I take a creative approach without being too silly about it. I don't know about you, but this way, my blog posts really stand out from the rest!
If you are writing more of an informative blog post, then create curiosity with questions and statements. Lead your readers into thinking about their own pain points or wishes around this topic and get them to wonder how it might be possible to fix those issues.
Step 2: Discuss the issue in depth using statistics, case studies and other interesting facts.
Add your own take on the issue.
Now you have hooked them in with a problem; it's time to either confirm they are right or change their opinion.
Give them some food for thought - good stuff that they hopefully haven't heard before.
Even if you are writing an informative blog post, it is important to share your own opinion, too - that's what will make it stand out among the rest!
Your readers need more meat than just a few words and a sentence or two if they are going to remain engaged with your blog. There's no need to become an expert in the field. Still, if you can add credence to what you are writing about by adding interesting facts and statistics, this will add credibility to your content, encouraging readership.
Pro Tip: You can use internal linking to other posts on your blog discussing this topic. This will help to back up your claims, add authority to your blog post, and help you gain better ranking in the search engines.
Step 3: Suggest a solution or two.
Give them the solution that you have for them - you are a professional blogger, after all.
Once they think that their problem has been solved, hopefully, they will click a link you have provided and convert from a lead to a sale! At least they might subscribe to hear more from you, which is almost as good.
If you haven't solved the problem, then offer a few suggestions and encourage your readers that this issue might not be as impossible as they first thought.
Again, it will add credibility if you can provide helpful tips from real people who have tried these strategies and succeeded with them in their own business.
Step 4: Let them know exactly what you want from them.
Include a call to action in the final paragraph of your blog and tell them what you would like them to do.
You could ask them to leave a comment, subscribe to your RSS feed, join your community on Facebook or even purchase from you directly. Whatever you decide is fine, but it has to be relevant and not just thrown into the mix.
Step 5: Add images that are visually appealing.
Add images to your blog post related to the issue and help your audience really engage with your content.
Use graphs, charts, and infographics where you can. This will give your blog post a professional look that is sure to impress your readers and encourage them to share the link on social media too.
You can use tools like Photovibrance, Simplified, Canva, Ripl and Glorify to make branded images for your blog posts in minutes. Read more about that here.
Using video in your content strategy can make all the difference when it comes to getting across ideas.
Video is a sure-fire way to grab the attention of your audience with industry news, examples of products in action, or just for creating a buzz.
Step 6: Proofread & publish.
Now that you have an awesome blog post to share with the world go ahead and publish it on your website or blog.
Before you hit publish, make sure that you proofread it to ensure you have no spelling mistakes or typos.
Then check through it again and think about how engaging you felt reading the article from start to finish. Did it make sense?
Pro Tip: Break your content up by adding simple headings and bullet points. This makes it much easier for people to scan (the most popular way that people read online) and encourages them to digest what you are writing in small chunks.
You can use tools - my go-to's are Grammarly and ProWritingAid - to quickly proofread and correct grammar, spelling & readability issues. Both tools have free versions that let you do this.
Finally, check it for plagiarism.
The Grammarly plagiarism checker is a premium upgrade, but it's worth every penny to make sure your content is unique and won't get punished by search engines for plagiarism, even if it's for commonly used words phrases.
In fact, this is a great way to pick up on times when you might have repeated yourself and could be plagiarising your own blog posts!
Step 7: Promote!
Now you are ready to promote your new blog post with email marketing and on social networks!
To start with, schedule an email to go out immediately after you have published your blog post. Then share it on social: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and all those other places your audience hangs out, using a wide range of highlight quotes from the post. Don't just slap the entire article onto these networks as no one will want to read it in its entirety, and you will only annoy people this way.
There are several tools you can use for these social shares. I like Missinglettr, which has a free trial option, so you can try it out before you commit to this strategy.
Missinglettr connects to your blog via an RSS feed and pulls all the content out into bitesize nuggets that are perfect for social media, then you just decide the schedule and let Missinglettr take care of the whole process for you. It's literally fire & forget!
Metricool is also popular for distributing your blog content, and it comes with complex analytics, too, so you can take a look and see how your blog content is being engaged with.
I just discovered Pictory, a cool tool for making short, powerful videos from your long-form content - ideal for sharing on social media. It makes the whole process of taking a piece of content you have already produced and repurposing it into multiple types of content super easy - helping you reach your content strategy goals faster.
The key points to remember for your content marketing success?
1. Create amazing content for your new blog regularly
2. Engage with your audience throughout the process of creating the content
3. Be genuine and don't be afraid to change up your approach if necessary to maintain engagement
4. Be consistent so that you can build an audience who look forward to your blog posts as much as you do
5. Add images and infographics to your blog posts for maximum visual appeal
6. Proofread before publishing to ensure that you don't have any spelling mistakes or typos and check that it makes sense
7. Promote the post via email marketing & social networks
8. Track results and adjust accordingly so that your future content is even more successful for your business
How do you create high-quality content?
Content marketing strategists have consistently said content is king and is a must for SEO.
This blog post will help you to really understand the importance of the standard of content in terms of ranking search engines.
What is high-quality content?
High-quality information achieves its content marketing objective. Content marketing experts have stressed that a blog, article, or review must be rich in value.
Why is the caliber of content important?
Great content increases your SERP ranking and accessibility as well as the number of visitors to your site.
When you publish high-class blog posts regularly, you increase traffic and subscribers, which will help you develop a strong brand.
How can I make my blog content more relevant?
As long as you follow the previous steps and understand your audience, their needs, and pain points, writing superior content is just a matter of tweaking your existing processes.
The key to producing relevant content is to maintain premium information that answers the target market's needs.
Discover how to easily increase conversions on your Amazon product review blog.
How can I write more interesting content?
Your blog posts must be engaging, and you may achieve this by balancing your writing with relevant images and videos.
It is important to include a compelling call-to-action at the end of each post that prompts readers to subscribe and share on social media.
15 ways to produce consistently spectacular content
1: Start writing your content and make sure it's amazing.
Your competitors may rank on the front page with content that is just, well, meh! This is often because those websites often have a high domain authority or are lucky enough to find keywords with little competition.
You'll need to raise the bar if you want to outrank some of the top sites online. This is primarily because you will likely have a newer blog with little or no authority.
Always remember the needs of your audience. You will get more return visitors and earn more backlinks from creating content that solves complex problems that other bloggers have not addressed as thoroughly or engagingly as you have.
2: Narrow your blog post's focus.
Is it more important that your blog post entertains or informs? Decide this before you start writing. By narrowing your perspective, you can help deliver real value that people love.
By providing actionable advice, you can earn backlinks that point to your blog. These are the links from other authority sites to yours. Your aim is to get as many of them as possible for all the traffic they will send to your site and, in turn, increase your rankings in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
I have found that this is one of the most authentic ways to acquire backlinks. Even just one link from an authoritative website can have a huge impact on your search engine rankings!
3: Engage your audience.
As a marketing professional, I know that content must be engaging. Oversimplified or overcomplicated content does not hit the mark. High readability scores (shorter sentences and fewer words) tend to perform better overall.
It's not just about the content structure, though; you must pay attention to the tone, style, and format as well. Use your audience's vocabulary. This encourages them to share your valuable content with their friends and followers.
Using tools such as Grammarly can help you find grammar errors fast – and it can even tell you whether or not the content is engaging.
4: Write for your audience.
A good introduction can help you retain the attention of readers over a longer period. However, it is not a magic bullet or an ingenious trick. Writing needs to take your target audience into account. Write for people who want something specific, not everyone in general.
When your content is relevant, it will find the right audience.
Free tools like SEO Minion or Answer the Public can help you find frequently asked questions about a particular subject.
Surfer also provides a comprehensive list of PAA questions (People Also Asked). These can help you find popular topics that people want to know more about.
5: Stand out strategically.
For your content marketing strategy to be successful, it must be strategically focused. Great marketers have their own agenda, and you'll have to create a content marketing editorial calendar that is NOT reactionary but anticipatory.
Consider including videos, infographics, slideshows, and interactive media in your campaigns to improve customer awareness about the benefits of your products or services.
6: Use an outline.
An outline helps you produce more effective and concise blog content. Using an outline could help you find useful sources and statistics to strengthen your arguments or to provide additional context.
An outline also helps with search engine optimization (SEO) because using keywords strategically will help you rank for your target audience. This is one of the most crucial SEO tips, in my opinion, yet it seems to be overlooked by so many content marketers!
Watch me create an outline in just a few minutes with Surfer SEO!
7: Determine the best way to provide value to your audience.
The type of content that gains the most momentum is content that is so valuable; people want to share it. This increases the chances of it going viral, meaning that you will get more social shares and potentially attract backlinks from influencers in your industry or niche.
How can you make sure that your content is more valuable than what your competitors are offering? It's simple: Focus your attention on what people want to know.
Remember, Surfer can help you determine not only the content people need in your niche but which exact blog posts to write and the keywords to include.
8: Add trust factors.
Another way to stand out from the rest is to be credible in your content. If your blog post is well thought-out and well written, people will know they can trust your content.
It can be beneficial to have big names in your field to add credibility, so get networking and make some contacts to source valuable insights to share in your blog content.
9: Capitalize on your own experiences, studies, and data.
Talking about personal experiences can help establish you as a reliable force in your profession. It can give your audience a sense of belonging and shared values.
It's okay to write about personal experiences, but it is important that you make them relevant to the topic at hand. You need to explain how these experiences have helped shape your point of view on the matter.
For instance, over in the Blogs by Jarvis Facebook Group, I often identify with the problems group members express and can offer some guidance from my years in the digital market & social media management space. This often gives me the inspiration for my blog posts in fact!
10: Do thorough research to maintain trust and authority.
It's essential to ensure that your content projects authority. Even if you write about your own personal experience, research is still important. Verify any current information or evidence to prove the point of your assessment.
One way of staying notified is to sign up for Google Alerts for new issues. You don't want to lose the trust of people by presenting incorrect or out-of-date information.
Get it right and be thorough. Before publishing any content, make sure to check all facts and figures.
11: Focus on quality, not quantity.
I'm sure you have heard this before: "Quantity is more important than quality." The opposite is true when it comes to blog post writing. I mean, yes, you want to write a LOT of blog posts. But you need to make sure each and every one is packed full of high-class content. This blog is full of information to help you achieve that!
12: Write in your unique brand voice.
Once you understand who you're writing for and what engages them, make sure you are writing in your brand voice. This will consistently convey your brand message and develop a relationship between you and your readers.
13: Include actionable tips.
The purpose of your blog content should be to ensure your reader learns something valuable. Discuss what you know and how you use them to solve real-life problems step-by-step.
People want to know the "how-to" pieces because it is practical, and they feel like they can naturally grow from that information.
Actionable tips are a great way of creating content for your blog. But make sure you don't have too many steps, or else you'll lose the attention span of your audience when it comes to reading your blog posts.
Don't just scratch the surface. Many content marketers believe that they can create superior blog content simply by covering one or two aspects of a whole topic. However, you will get superior results if you go into depth about every aspect (or at least most aspects) so that your readers can take away as much value from your content as possible.
14: Format with readability in mind.
If people cannot read or understand your content, you might as well not have written it.
Likewise, most readers are pressed for time and have short attention spans, so they will quickly abandon unreadable blog posts. Do the right thing and write your content to be easily digestible for your readers.
15: Accept that your blog posts will never be perfect.
No piece of writing is perfect, and the sooner you settle on this situation, the better. Thus agonizing over one piece of content will sap your drive to write and will waste precious time - so don't do it.
Make every blog post as good as possible, take lessons from the experience, and move forward. You can always return to them and improve them later.
Creating great content is a big investment but provides even bigger returns.
Google has raised the standard on the calibre of its search results. This should be an advantage. You'll get higher rankings with better content. Anything less than this is a waste of time.
If you want to stand out from the never-ending stream of content produced daily, you must focus your effort on high-standard written content. The creation of valuable content is one of the challenges you face every day in content marketing.
Don't chase skyscraper or 10X content or what other buzz words say... You just have to make sure your content is better than your closest competition.
Your blog post can rank as #1 if it solves the question asked on Google and if it is a good piece of content. It's that simple!
As you become more familiar with blogging and use it as part of your content marketing campaign, it will hopefully get easier. It takes time, but practice makes perfect!
