When you learn to blog the right way, you can serve your audience and help your content rise through the rankings to the first page of Google, regardless of the nature of your business.

As search engines get smarter, they can understand user intent, that is, the meaning behind searches. Search engines are now about answering questions. Therefore, your articles need to answer users’ questions or solve their problems.

Before you sit down to write, ask the following questions:

• To whom is this post targeted?
• What are their pain points?
• How can I solve their problems?

How Do I Choose Topics to Write About?

You can figure out what kinds of questions users are asking by using various tools like Answer the Public or by using Google in organic searches. Simply type in a topic into the search bar and see which questions are associated with that topic. Those questions will appear in the People also ask section in Google. Scroll further to the bottom of the page to see related searches.

How Do I Choose the Right Paragraph Headlines?

Help your users understand what the content is about. Your headlines should be descriptive and if possible, catchy. You will want to be genuinely helpful and informative. These days, I simply answer the questions I find users asking in Google searches.

For example, you own a plumbing business. You have an infinite number of queries you can answer on multiple topics regarding plumbing, such as:

Title: What to do for a Clogged Kitchen Sink

Now let’s google for some questions we can answer:

How do you unclog a sink with standing water?

What is the best way to unclog a kitchen sink?

How do you unclog a double sink with standing water?

What dissolves a blocked sink?

How do you unblock a sink full of water without a plunger?

Scroll to the bottom of the page and see which other questions are associated with the topic.

If you have a decent phone camera, you can film your plumber addressing various issues, and you can post the video within the body of the blog.

How Do I Choose the Right Keyword or Keyword Phrases (Longtail Keywords)

Choosing the right keywords will help search engines and users understand what the topic of the post is about.

Long tail keywords are targeted search phrases that are narrower than those used in a broad search. For example, “women’s jackets” vs certain types of women’s jackets, such as “weather proof women’s jackets for boating and fishing.” The best way to find these long tail keywords is:

• Through an organic Google search. When you type in a term, Google will auto fill with a number of options
• Through Google’s related searches found at the bottom of the page
• Through a tool like Ubersuggest, which will suggest related terms that are being searched
• Through Answer the Public, which brings up questions being asked around the topic. Answer the Public gathers data by country, as well.

You always want to target a search.

Where Should I Use the Keyword Phrase?

You should use your keyword phrase in the following areas:

• Post title
• Snippet or meta description
• First paragraph of your content
• In one or more of your headings
• In an image – use it in the alt text section and in the image file name and title
• A few times in the body of your text
• In your conclusion

What Is a Meta Description?

This is very important. It’s the description you will write in about 165 characters that will describe the content on your page. You want to make it enticing enough for users to click on.

If you do not write anything, Google will pull something from your page to post there. Sometimes Google does a good job, but at other times, it will be nonsensical.

For example:

Whole Foods Market | Whatever Makes You Whole

https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com

Meta description

Get hungry for local, organic, plant-based & more: see today’s sales, browse products by special diet, find recipes, get delivery and pick up & order 

Nike. Just Do It. Nike.com

https://www.nike.com

Meta description

Nike delivers innovative products, experiences and services to inspire athletes.

How Do I Write the Meta Description?

You will want to install the Yoast or the Rank Math plugin, which will prompt you to write a great post and give you a space to craft a great meta description. Of the two, I prefer RankMath, because it has better features and will really teach you how to become a great blogger. Additionally, it is lighter, and your page will load faster.

Should I Use a Page Builder or Gutenberg to Blog?

I recommend using Elementor Pro to build your pages and Gutenberg for the blog portion of your website. Gutenberg loads slightly faster and is an open source technology that generally comes with your WordPress theme. It will never disappear nor will you have to pay for upgraded features. Add The Ultimate Addon Blocks and the Gutenberg slider plugins for more functionality.

Gutenberg is getting better and better. It has simple drag and drop features, or rather, click and pick features such as:

• Headings
• Paragraphs
• Images
• Video
• Lists
• Quotes
• Tables
• Buttons
• Columns
• Spacers
• Tons of embeds from web stories to Vimeo

How Do I Write a Good Blog Post?

Write as if you are speaking to a good friend who is a beginner in your field. If you are a terrible writer, then talk into a tape and use a transcribing software to get everything into print.

Your voice needs to be tailored to your audience. If you are writing for the beauty industry, for example, you will have to use a soft, nurturing tone of voice, or a friendly upbeat one, depending on your branding. In contrast, a technical or business blog will use a more professional tone of voice.

Regardless of your content, do the following:

• Write useful headlines
• Break up your content into short digestible paragraphs
• Write at an 8th grade reading level with no jargon
• Take the dates off your blog posts to keep them evergreen
• After a year, take a look at your most visited pages and then refresh or update your content on that page

What Else Should I Include in My Post?

To make your post interesting use:

• Images
• Video content. You can pull videos off YouTube if you aren’t creating your own.
• Charts
• Slideshows
• Infographics

Do not forget to include:

• Social sharing buttons
• A call to action button, telling users what you want them to do next. For example: Learn more, Buy, Sign up.

What Else Should I Do?

• Commit to a regular schedule. Do what is feasible for you. Usually, four posts a month is adequate
• Google likes longer posts, about 1000 words. Any longer and you risk alienating users, imo.
• Use a lot of headlines and short paragraphs to break up the content.
• Use a table of contents, if applicable, so that users can find information quickly.

Please visit my website for a free blog template, other blogging tips and in depth explanations. If you would like me to teach you how to blog step by step or write blog posts for your business, please contact me.

Is blogging something you want to do but don’t know where to begin? What part of blogging is easiest or most difficult for you? What questions do you have in regards to this branding technique?