Behind every great SEO strategy lies a great blog post. Unfortunately, many businesses don’t allocate enough time or resources to producing great content. Thus, you end up with poorly written articles, which don’t yield any worthwhile results. Producing low-quality blog post for the sake of having content simply won’t cut it. With many high-quality articles on Google, it’s unlikely your prospects will settle for anything less than amazing.
A lot of effort goes into writing solid blog posts, which means you may sometimes overlook essential elements. To make sure nothing slips through the cracks during the writing process, Premiere Creative has a list of everything you need for a great blog post.
1). Headline
Every great blog post begins with an attention-grabbing headline that entices readers to continue. Studies show that Internet readers have an attention span of approximately 8 seconds. Since the headline is the first element that readers see, you cannot afford to botch the headline. In fact, 60% of readers don’t read past the headline. Failing to create a compelling headline can deter readers from your post in favor of better-written posts.
When brainstorming ideas, keyword research will help you create a headline that will perform well on search engine results pages (SERPs). For instance, Google’s Keyword Planner can help you determine exactly which terms people actively searching for, and which keywords will help your blog rank.
2). Meta Description
The Meta description is the short description you see on a Google’s SERP to “preview” what the page is about before clicking it. Many digital marketers neglect this element because Google doesn’t require a Meta description when determining ranking. However, you shouldn’t overlook this element.
If you add a Meta description to your blog post, readers will be more inclined to click on your page because they have a general idea what information the post contains.
3). Featured Image
Featured images usually rest at the top of a blog post to draw readers in to learn more. The image should reflect your blog’s topic while simultaneously intriguing the reader enough to continue. Finally, make sure you choose featured images that you’re legally able to edit and distribute. If you don’t have the budget to allocate funds to an iStock account, you can also obtain pictures from royalty free websites such as Pexels or Pixabay.
4). A Strong Introduction
Nobody likes click bait, especially Google as they penalize websites who employ this underhanded tactic. Your introduction should reflect what your headline promises to deliver. The introduction should quickly hook your reader and convince them to read the rest of your blog post.
5). Sub-Headers
Sub-headers organize and break up your blog post into different sections to signal to your reader and to Google what each paragraph will cover. Sub-headers are also an SEO goldmine because they offer another opportunity to incorporate your targeted keywords into your post. When creating your sub-headers, make sure you write them with H2 tags or smaller. Never use H1 tags for sub-headers because they signal a title.
6). Body Copy
As the foundation of your blog post, this section will deliver the most value to your readers. Your body copy needs to be informative, persuasive, and entertaining to read. Whenever possible, try to incorporate relevant statistics to back up your arguments or key points. Numbers and data represent industry research and facts; therefore, your readers will likely trust your arguments.
While the length of a blog post will vary depending on the topic, studies show that an ideal blog post contains roughly 2,100 words. In fact, research indications that most of the top 10 Google results have a word count between 2,032 and 2,416. However, don’t use these numbers as a rule of thumb when writing. You shouldn’t strive to meet this high word count; instead, write enough to cover the topic accurately and in enough depth.
7). The Concluding Paragraph
Don’t end your blog post with a random fact or argument. Instead, use the last lines of your post to leave the reader feeling like he or she learned something from you. While your conclusion doesn’t need to be lengthy, it should serve to recap the information presented within the blog, and additional steps, if needed.
Bringing It All Together
Always remember you should be striving for quality rather than quantity when creating a blog post. A few amazing, well-thought out posts will give you better SEO results than a dozen poorly written blog posts. Do you need help creating a blog strategy that will provide long-term SEO results? Contact the SEO experts at Premiere Creative to learn how you can use blog posts to convert website visitors into loyal customers or give them a call at (973) 346-8100.