Tips on How to Write Your First Successful Blog
6.7M people publish blogs on blogging websites, and 12M write blogs using their social networks.
(Source: Top Blogging Statistics)
Thinking about becoming a blogger?
Great. But you need to know a few things before you start.
So from this article, you’ll learn effective ways of writing blogs that help you to consistently produce high-quality content.
Content Summary
- Cover Photo
- Blog Title
- Introduction
- Table of Contents
- Blog Body
- Conclusion
1. Cover Photo
A good cover photo is important as the title of your blog. It should be a good quality image and should match your topic. [Unsplash, Pixabay, and Pexels]
2. Blog Title
The title you create should be straight to the point and capture your reader’s attention. The blog title is one of the first things readers will be looking at when searching for information.
- Use numbers — Most readers prefer Numbers in titles since most of our brains are focused on thinking of things in a logical manner. [36% of users prefer list-based titles]
- Be personal — Including “You” in your title will address your reader more personal, and as if you are talking to them.
- Use “How to” — Starting your title with “How to” is a great way to appear in Google’s search.
- Hint at insider info — Telling users your post is for beginners, intermediate or advanced users.
Use templates — Most headlines are variations of proven formulas.
Use Tool: Headline Analyzer
Summary of the research Overall Headline Preferences :
- 36% of people preferred titles with numbers
- 21% of readers liked reader-addressing headlines
- 17% wanted a headline to include “How to”
A good article to visit that will help you determine the Ultimate List of Blogging Statistics and Facts (Updated for 2020).
3. Introduction
The introduction is the opening paragraph of your blog.
There are 3 important elements of a good blog introduction.
- Hook: It can be a single sentence, a phrase, an open-ended or closed-ended question, or even a word that inspires the reader into your blog.
- Transition: The transition is the sentence that connects the hook to the body of the post and clarifies the title.
- Thesis: The thesis summarizes the topic and strengthens the reason why the reader should continue with your blog post idea.
4. Table of Contents
Providing a table of contents helps improve the experience that the people reading your article will have.
- Clearly visible TOC heading
- Bullet points or numbering system
- Scannable titles
- Consistent titles
- The visible hierarchy for items and sub-items
5. Blog Body
This is the place where your content is contained and where people will spend most of the time to read.
5.1 Use simple language
The point of any blog is to make it easy for anyone to understand and grasp the concept with as little effort as possible.
- Use short paragraphs. Huge chunks of text daunt readers, but short paragraphs invite them in. Hemingway
- Break up long sentences. Break up the sentences by finding instances where you used “and,” “because,” and “that.”
- Use formatting. Bold, italics, quotes, and lists break up chunks of copy and add extra emphasis to specific points.
Fix grammar and spelling mistakes to make your content high quality.
When there is a lot of content, we consider starting a series, splitting the content into pieces. We also can link to other resources such as Github.
5.2 Images
Blogs that have images get 94% more views than those that don’t.
Your images should exactly convey the meaning you’re going to express since sometimes words will not enough to express the content and it will be easier for your reader to understand at a glance.
5.2.1 Code blocks: Demonstrate your code, just insert it into a text box like below.
System.setProperty(“webdriver.chrome.driver”, projectDir + “\binaries\chromedriver.exe”);
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
String baseUrl = “https://www.google.com";
driver.get(baseUrl);”5.2.2 Featured images with headlines: Adding a featured image will help people to know the topic of the post.
5.2.3 Meme images: imgflip.com.
5.2.4 Diagrams: Diagrams are a fast way to explain complex concepts.
5.2.5 Infographics & Quote images
Quote images: Take your headline/quote and make it a visual piece of content. Tools: Notegraphy, QuotesCover
Infographics: Infographics add a credible and informative element to solidify key points.
5.2.6 Screenshot images: For educational content, screenshots are the best way to express the flow. Tool: Jing
5.2.7 Spice up content with gifs: Tool - ezGIF
5.2 Optimize Image Text
Image text improves the ranking since it helps the search engine to find what the image is about, not only that but also improves accessibility for vision-impaired users who rely on screen readers.
An image’s text should:
- Describe the image in a helpful way
- Be specific
- Contain fewer than 125 characters
- Include keywords
5.3 Keyword Stuffing
Focus on one or two long-tail keywords, question-based phrases like “how to write a great blog post.” These keywords account for 70% of all search traffic on the web and provide more value than broad, high-volume keywords.
For the best impact, include keywords in the following elements of your post:
- Title tag
- Headers
- Body
- URL
- Meta description
5.4 Use sub-headers to guide the reader
Subheaders are the best way to compartmentalize the post into informational sections.
- Short and Concise — Convey your point as straight forward that someone will be able to grasp what they need from the provided content. Keep paragraphs themselves no longer than 2–3 sentences apiece.
- Evoke curiosity — The wording of your subheaders needs to evoke curiosity to keep the reader moving down the page without getting bored.
5.5 Use bulleted lists
Using numbered or bulleted helps the reader to go through the content quickly.
5.6 Using Links
Rather than write out a whole separate explanation to something that ties into what you are talking about or backs it up, it’s best to insert a link. That way, your reader if they already understand or have heard of it before, can quickly move on.
5.7 Reference other publications
Take some time to refer authors and experts that have covered similar research to boost their visibility.
6.0 Conclusion
The conclusion should summarize everything in 3–5 sentences that you have discussed with your reader.
- Write a summary
- Ask a question
- Include a call-to-action (CTA)
- Provide links to another blog post
- Start a discussion
- Answer who, what, where, when, why, and how
Hopefully, there is something useful you can take from this when you write your blogs.
Good Luck !!
