On the web today, you have to aim for quality to stand out. The blog articles that have a chance of ending up on the first page of Google searches, those that will allow you to make sales, obtain clients, and position yourself as an expert, are complete and well-worked texts. Wondering about the key elements to write SEO friendly blog posts?
When I started as an editor, it sometimes took me a whole day to write a rather short article of average quality. Nothing to do with today, where I know how to manage my time and where I can write much longer and more comprehensive articles than those when I started in less time.
To develop automatisms, I always go about it the same way, and I do things in a certain order. Adopting this approach enables me to retain information efficiently while also optimizing time usage. When crafting a high-quality blog article, there’s a multitude of considerations to keep in mind! Here are the blog post ideas, with high quality blog post examples.
Why aim for quality when writing SEO friendly blog posts
You should read plenty of good-quality blog articles. They are short, loaded with keywords, and they need to go in-depth into their subject. They may even leave you with the impression of having wasted your time by clicking on this link… And you don’t want the readers of your blog to have that impression when they come to you!
The quality of your blog articles is, therefore, essential, and you must always strive for your best if you want your blog to be professional. Writing good blog articles is what will allow you to really help your audience… and, therefore, keep them coming back.
Of course, you’re going to write something other than amazing articles from the start. Still, it’s by practicing, continuing to write as much as possible, and applying my advice that you will progress.
The most important thing for writing a blog article is the audience engagement
Audience engagement is very important factor to keep in mind while writing a blog post. There is one point that you must always keep in mind when you create content, whether on social networks, on your blog, in your newsletter, or your podcast: you must speak to your audience. It matters more than anything because, without it, your content is of little use.
So, of course, listening to your audience should not mean that you have to ignore your desires and your creativity. And a priori, if you have a blog and you are passionate about what you do, you have things in common with your audience and lots of things to tell them that will interest them.
What makes a good article, in particular, is that it will speak to people who are used to reading your blog and bring them something. So, you need to know your audience. You can imagine the typical person you would like to speak to, what they like, what they have problems with.
The best way to know your audience is to talk with them! So don’t hesitate to ask questions in your content, and even create surveys from time to time (and, of course, respond to your messages, but that’s just politeness!).
You must, therefore, address your audience by providing them with what they need.
What approach will you take to assist him in resolving his issues? What could people who read you expect from you?
What constitutes a SEO friendly blog post?
This is all very good, but realistically, what is a quality blog article? Aside from “speaking to your audience,” what does that perfect article look like, the holy grail of blogging?
It responds to a problem, it informs, it reflects.
It is long because you cannot explore a subject in 300 words, and long articles are better positioned in Google results.
It is designed for humans before SEO, and it is therefore not stuffed with keywords (although, of course, writing human articles does not mean ignoring SEO!).
It is well presented: the paragraphs are airy, and there are titles, bold sentences, and bulleted lists.
It was carefully reread to correct spelling mistakes and syntax awkwardness (but no one is perfect, so don’t beat yourself up too much if you happen to leave typos; it happens to me, too ).
The ten steps to writing a blog post
Of course, everyone has their ways and habits, but overall, there are only a few ways to write a blog post.
I’ve been blogging for over ten years, and no matter the length of the content or the topic, I know that certain steps are bound to come up. I used my experience to determine ten steps that will help you write your blog articles.
1. Blog post ideas
Before you get started, you definitely need anblog post idea:
- Look for something other than your idea based on what you want to write. Remember who you are writing for and ask yourself what issues your audience might need your help with.
- Find the keyword that you will associate with this article.
- Ask yourself what format you are going to adopt for this subject: is it a tutorial, a list, a simple text with paragraphs and titles…?
- In which category of your blog will you place this article? If it doesn’t belong to any of them, it mayn’t belong here! Also, be sure to post regularly in all your categories.
- Discover an appropriate title for your article, knowing that you have the flexibility to modify it at a later stage. Still, I find that thinking about the title from the start allows you to understand your subject better.
2. Before writing an article, Research
Once you have your topic, it’s time to research if it’s necessary. It’s possible that you don’t have much research to do. On this blog, I base myself mainly on my experience and my knowledge, so I have little research to do.
Regardless of the situation, feel free to verify your understanding, placing special emphasis on acknowledging your information sources.
3. Make a plan to make writing the article easier
Before moving on to the writing itself, think about your plan:
- Note the main points of your article and the most important ideas.
- Separate your topic into several parts with titles.
Having the article outline in place is a significant advantage. If you have a clear idea of your topic, completing this step will only consume a little bit of time. Consequently, this structure simplifies the article writing process, providing you with an organized foundation. With your ideas already structured, the writing phase becomes a straightforward task.
4. Write the blog post
Finally, it’s time to really write! I like to start writing without worrying too much about the form to be sure I remember everything. It’s too a sentence that could be clearer, or if the layout could be better, I will correct that later. My first draft can be quite quick to make.
Of course, I don’t write everything in one block; I already think about my layout, and I avoid mistakes as much as possible, but I don’t concentrate on that. What matters is the message.
5. Add images to your article
I like to take care of images in the middle of creating my article: it allows me to distance myself from my text and return to it with a “refreshed” eye. I generally prepare my articles in advance, and I spread the creation over several days, grouping similar tasks. For example, I will prepare all the visuals for my articles for the coming month on the same day.
For your images, you need to think:
- Have at least one image to illustrate your article.
- In format and weight to remain compatible with the web and not slow down your site (on WordPress, you can use the Imagify plugin, which allows you to compress your images).
- To respect your graphic character, consistency is very important in blogging, and your images are also part of your editorial line!
- To prepare images for sharing on social networks as well as for Pinterest.
To give your blog a real identity, try to always use the same codes in your images. Not only will your audience recognize you immediately when they see you in their feed, but the work will also be simplified for you: no need to think about each new article! I have a “type file” in Photoshop where I need to add the image and modify the title. It takes me 5 minutes, and I’m sure it will look good on my blog!
6. Do an SEO check of your content
Before I start my proofreading, I do an SEO check.
Consider the following aspects, taking into account your chosen keyword:
- The meta-description: this is the summary that appears in Google searches. Your keyword must appear there, and your text must make you want to click.
- The number of words: long content weighs more in SEO! Try to write articles of at least 1000 words and even exceed 2000 words when you can. On this subject: how many words for a blog post?
- The title, alternative title, and description of your images: the alternative title must contain your keyword. Also, remember that your title will appear on Pinterest if someone shares your article directly from your blog!
On WordPress, the Yoast SEO plugin (the free version is already sufficient) can help you optimize your article.
Further details pertaining to this topic can be located in my publication regarding essential SEO considerations to review prior to publication.
7. The first rereading of the article
Let’s get to the proofreading! I suggest you do two, with one devoted to spelling, especially if that’s your weak point.
Check that your links work properly. Ask yourself if the content is interesting and fluid and the syntax is correct.
Check the title tags: they must be hierarchical (a priori, the h1 is the title of your article, you must then do h2 for the titles in the article, then h3, h4 if there are subtitles. Do not use not an h4 below an h2 for example).
Check your layout (line breaks, bulleted lists, etc.): now is the time to use the WordPress preview to see what the visual of your article looks like.
8. Final reading for a perfect article
If you need to take a break between the first and second proofreading, it is the perfect time. The more you take a step back from your text, the better you will see the errors. The second reread is the one that will require more concentration. Reread your text slowly and correct any mistakes and inconsistencies you find. The ideal is even to wait another day than the writing day for this final proofreading. You will have a fresher look, and the errors to be corrected will catch your eye more easily.
Of course, no one is perfect: no matter how well I master French and writing, there are always mistakes that escape me. Do your best; everything that will be corrected already has fewer mistakes!
9. Schedule your blog post
Your article is ready to be posted online! Click on “Publish” or schedule the publication. Try to get ahead in publishing your content; this will allow you to write more confidently and produce SEO friendly blog articles.
Get into the habit of always publishing your articles on the same day or even at the same time: this way, you will give your audience an appointment. Still, you will also give yourself a deadline.
10. Share the article on social networks (content marketing strategy)
For your article to be read, you have to show it to the world, and nothing better for that than social networks. A good content marketing strategy is very important to rank your content on Google. You can use approximately the same text to share your article, but remember to adapt it to the formats of each network (the number of characters on Twitter, no link on Instagram but hashtags, etc.)
Don’t forget Pinterest, too: this tool is great for bringing you traffic and does not just depend on Google or your number of followers.
How to organize yourself to write aSEO friendly blog post?
What’s great about blogging, and you saw it when you read the steps above, is that you have to wear several hats. And I love this jack-of-all-trades side of my job.
To create a blog article, you don’t just have to write. A blog article is writing, SEO, communication, graphics, etc.
And then quality obviously takes time. It is much faster to write 300 words, with lots of keywords and without images, than to do 1500, to create visuals to share your article on Pinterest, and to seek to answer a problem truly. While the second choice demands a lengthier investment of time, it is the option that promises tangible outcomes.
To do all this, you have to organize yourself. How?
- By creating an editorial calendar to see your work coming and think about your content strategically
- Preparing your content in advance so as not to work in a hurry
- By finding good organization and grouping tasks to save time.
- Writing a good blog article takes time and rigor, but that’s what will allow you to stand out. To get results with your project, you must make your content a priority.
Remember that you will constantly improve and that nothing is definitive in what you create: you can always touch up your old articles. Do your best, note what you need to improve on, and above all, keep writing!
