The 7 Key Factors That Will Make or Break Your Blog Posts
Few things are more important to your blog’s success than the quality of your content—your posts and the posts of your fellow bloggers. Your readers will judge the value of your blog based on the quality of your content, so it’s crucial that you take steps to ensure that you’re producing good content before you even hit publish. The 7 key factors listed below are crucial to how your blog posts turn out—so be sure to keep them in mind before writing and revising your next post!
1) Research
The importance of market research can’t be understated. While you may think that you know your audience, what they want and where they hang out online, it never hurts to get a second opinion. Free tools like Google Trends and Ahrefs can show you how popular your topics are and give you an idea of which keywords are most frequently used by people searching for content like yours. If you’re going to write about something, why not write about something people want to read?
2) Organize
You need to ensure that you have time each week to work on your content. When it comes to blogging, the squeaky wheel gets all of the grease. So make sure you set aside a few hours each week and block off all interruptions so that you can focus on completing your best-quality content!
3) Write with Clarity
Being too technical can leave your audience scratching their heads. Be as clear and simple as possible. Using industry jargon may seem smart, but it will confuse many of your readers. Instead, use everyday language to communicate with your readers about even complex ideas. After all, you're not writing for other experts in your field; you're writing for other people like yourself who want to learn more about a particular topic. Use clear language so that they understand every aspect of what you’re discussing.
4) Engage Readers in Comments
If you’re not already responding to comments on your posts, start. Not only does it show that you care about your readers, but it also prompts them to engage with your content. In other words, it keeps things alive—and that’s always a good thing!
5) Promote
Promoting your posts will ultimately increase traffic to your site, which is what you need to succeed. This can be done in many ways, but there are a few best practices that every blogger should know: Search Engine Optimization, also known as SEO, is all about optimizing your site to ensure that it ranks well on search engines. Social media networks and online communities are great places to get your name out there and build an audience for yourself.
6) Find Influencers to Guest Post on Other Sites
Guest posting is a great way to gain exposure and new readers to your site. Additionally, you can use guest posting as an opportunity to network with industry influencers who will help amplify your message across their social networks and email subscribers. The best part of guest posting is that it’s one of those digital marketing tactics that you can outsource completely. You don’t need any SEO knowledge or technical skills – just a good idea, writing ability, and some time.
7) Give Them What They Want (A Call-to-Action)
If your blog posts are longer than 2,000 words, then you should include a call-to-action at the end of your post. A call-to-action is simply a statement designed to get readers to respond in some way. For example, if you’re asking people to subscribe to your email list and receive future updates (as I do), then your call-to-action should ask people to click on an optin link so they can sign up.