Write a well-read and easily found blog in 7 steps

Would you like to write news articles or a blog more often but simply don’t have the time? Or do you publish regularly but it’s not read or found enough? These are all questions and challenges we often hear from our clients. Fortunately, you can quickly change this by working according to a fixed structure and thinking about SEO (search engine optimization) in advance. After reading this piece, you will be able to publish a well-read and found article on your website within an hour and a half!

Get your blog to the top of Google in 7 steps

1.       Choose / research a topic
If you have followed our advice, you already have an extensive list of topics. Don’t have one yet? Then take a look at your website statistics (what people are reading), use Google’s Keyword tool, or pick a topic that came up in your last client conversation. Once you have your topic, try a few different Google searches to see what’s already out there. Write down important keywords.

2.       Write the title
The title determines whether your blog is read and is essential for SEO. A title must invite, have stopping power by, for example, posing a question or even challenging the reader. By thinking about the title, you force yourself to answer the question: “What does the reader take away after reading this piece?”. The two or three most important keywords must appear in your title. In a future blog post, we will specifically address writing titles.

3.       First line
If the first line is already boring or disappointing, the reader is likely to leave the rest unread. Where the title draws the reader in, the first line must hold them. The trick is to surprise or intrigue the reader and make them curious about the rest of the piece. For example, say something unexpected/controversial or directly address a need or question of the reader.

4.       The introduction
In the rest of the introduction, you concretely state what the reader will have achieved or learned by the end of the piece. The found keywords are central here. Because people often skim the introduction by reading the first and last line, ending with the biggest promise always works well. For example: “After reading this piece, you will be able to publish a good article on your website within an hour and a half!”. Who wouldn’t be curious then?

5.       The article
The ideal blog post is not too long, so you have room for 2 to 3 paragraphs. Use the first paragraph for some background or context and then cover the core of what you want to say. Use the second paragraph for nuance and explanation. Make sure you don’t stray too far from your topic and promise. All text that doesn’t contribute to the promise is too much. But straying also has a function; these are probably excellent topics for a future article!

6.       The conclusion
The first step in a conclusion is emphasizing your main point. What should the reader definitely take away or feel? Then make a direct link to the conclusion, which makes the piece ‘nicely rounded’ for the reader. Finally, you must ensure the reader can and wants to take action. Should the reader contact you, get started themselves, read further, or share your article? The reader must be able to do something with your information!

7.       Fine-tuning
A picture says more than 1000 words. So choose an image that grabs attention and invites. You can find commercially usable images via Google Image search, for example. Then go through the whole piece for language errors. Once the post is completely ready, add some links to other content (of your own), make text bold or italic for extra attention, and ensure a good meta description that includes the keywords again.

Content inspiration

If you follow these 7 steps, you will be able to write a fun and well-findable news article for your website in no time within an hour and a half. You will also notice that you get better and faster at it the longer you keep doing this. You can start right away! Want some inspiration for topics? Then read: Good resolution? More than 8 blog ideas for the new year! or 5 articles for your business blog.