How to construct a blog – top tips!

When you’ve made a decision to start a blog it can seem like a daunting task. There’s the worry about what to write about, as well as keeping it interesting AND committing to actually write content on a regular basis… and that before you’ve even started to think about how to actually construct a blog!

Once you’ve brainstormed ideas and worked out what time you have available to write, follow these ten tips to ensure your blog posts are constructed easily and accurately.

#1: Decide on a layout

blog planWork out what types of posts you’ll be writing. For example, will you be writing question & answer type posts, or do you prefer to write ‘how to’ type posts that instruct and inform?

#2: Decide on length

Ideally you will want to keep your posts between 500 – 1000 words. This is a good average and have a relatively short reading time. If you want to write posts that are any longer, think about writing them as a series of posts.

#3: Title

You want to keep the title short and snappy. You can’t go wrong with a ‘How to’ or ’10 top tips’ type of title, but intrigue titles (such as ‘Are you…’ or ‘Why you should…’ are great too.

#4: Subheadings

Solid pages of text really bore your readers! Look to add natural subheadings to your posts to break up the flow of words and make it easier on the eye.

#5: Keyword & Meta Description

blog keywordThink of your main keyword as the main topic idea; it’s why you’re writing the post, summed up in one or two words (i.e. ‘blogging’ or ‘cold calling’. That way, it’ll naturally appear in your title and throughout your text.

Your meta description is usually needed for your SEO plugin. It’s a summary of what the post is about and why people should read it and appears in the search engine results.

#6: Categories & tags

Don’t leave your blog posts filed as ‘uncategorised’! Make it easier for readers to search relevant content, by adding categories and tags. Think of categories as the niche you are writing about (i.e. ‘VA help’ or ‘Marketing’) and the tags as specific related words (‘blog’, ‘writing articles’, ‘sales’, ‘telephone’ etc.)

#7: Content

You’ll want to keep the content informative, entertaining and valuable to your reader. Educate them, answer a question or solve a problem to ensure the content is relevant to your readers.

#8: Include images and graphics

variety in blog postsImages help break up the text and make it more visually appealing. You can also add your keyword in the ‘alt tag’ and ‘title’ of your image to help with SEO.

#9: Have a call to action

Your call to action (otherwise known as CTA), is what you want readers to do when they’ve finished reading. Do you want them to click on a link? Sign up for your free opt-in? How about leaving a comment or contacting you via email?

#10: Add variety

Blog posts don’t have to just be written. You can add variety by looking at adding video and posting podcasts. You can also add value and variety by changing your content style and switching between questions and education type posts, experimenting with the length of posts and writing a series of related posts.

Bonus tip #11: Build a template

Whatever type of blog post you decide to focus on – build yourself a template. A basic Word template that covers the basics (such as meta description, keyword, tags, title and desired CTA)

Follow these tips and you’ll be speeding your way through blog post writing in no time. ‘Search Engine Optimisation’ is a phrase that can often scare people off. Follow these tips though, and it will naturally happen – you just have to think logically and write!

Did you find these top tips helpful in demystifying how to construct a blog post? Have they given you the courage to commit to blogging on a more regular basis or start that blog you have been putting off? Why not share your thought, tips and opinions in the comments box below?

Images courtesy of graur razvan ionut, Stuart Miles & Imagery Majestic/FreeDigitalPhotos.net. Featured image (c) tashatuvango/DollarPhotoClub

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