How to write a blog post: Step-by-step
So, you want to write a blog post but don't know where to start? Don't worry, you're not alone.
Writing a blog post can seem like a daunting task, especially if you're new to the blogging world. The good news is this guide will walk you through the process step by step.
Whether you’re writing for fun, sharing your expertise, or building your business, these tips will help you create engaging, effective blog posts.
Keep reading!
Why you should be blogging
Blogging is more relevant than ever before. Here are a few of Optin Monster’s blogging statistics:
There are about 600 million blogs worldwide.
While SEO leads have a close rate of 14.6%, outbound leads have a close rate of just 1.7%.
72% of online marketers list content creation as their best SEO tactic.
Blogging increases your chances of ranking higher in search by more than 400%.
So, not only is blogging still incredibly popular, it’s also incredibly effective. The icing on the cake is that while other marketing strategies like social media require constant updating, engaging, and posting, often daily, you can get a lot of momentum going with just one blog post a week.
And the shelf life of a blog is much longer than a social media post. While the average lifespan of an Instagram feed post is about 48 hours, a blog can bring in traffic for years.
But now that we’ve talked about why you should be blogging, it’s time to talk about how to write a blog.
How to write a blog post
First, understand your audience
Understanding who your target audience is and what they’re interested in is the first step to creating a great blog. According to Search Engine Journal, a “target audience is a specific group of people who are most likely to buy your product or service.” Knowing exactly who you are trying to reach allows you to tailor your content to meet their needs and interests.
To start, you need to drill down into the demographics, interests, and challenges of your audience. Are they young professionals looking for career advice? Are they parents searching for parenting tips?
Knowing this helps you create content that resonates with them. Think about their pain points, behaviors, and motivations. What problems do they need solving? What is their end goal?
Once you have a clear understanding of your target audience, you can brainstorm blog topics that address their specific needs and interests. For example, if your audience is small business owners, you might write about effective marketing strategies, time management tips, or ways to improve customer service.
When you focus on your audience from the get-go, you can make sure your blog is relevant, engaging, and valuable to the people you most want to reach.
Choose a topic
One of the first and most important steps in writing a blog post is to choose the topic you're going to write about. Once you know who your target audience is, and what their needs, interests, and pain points are, you can brainstorm blog topics that address them.
For example, if your audience are people who want to get fit, you might write about beginner workout routines, healthy meal planning tips, or staying motivated during a fitness journey.
If your audience are people who want to grow their newsletter, you could cover topics like creating engaging emails, building an email list, or using automation to boost engagement.
If your audience are people interested in learning how to use Pinterest, you could write about setting up a Pinterest business account, creating visually appealing pins, or strategies for driving traffic to a blog through Pinterest.
Choose something that you're knowledgeable about, and like talking about, as that will make the whole writing process far easier and enjoyable.
Conduct keyword research
If you don’t know, keywords are specific words or phrases that people type into search engines when looking for information, products, or services. Keyword research is an important part of the blog creation process because they help you create content that answers questions people are actually searching for in Google. Ideally, you choose one main keyword that you tailor your content around, and then a few secondary keywords that you sprinkle into your post.
The best way to find keywords is to look for keywords with decent search volume that are not overly competitive. Longer-tail keywords are usually the most effective because they are more specific and often easier to rank for. For example, “strength training routines for seniors” is probably going to be easier to rank for than “strength training routines.”
There are some great keyword research tools to help you find keyword and keyphrase ideas, like Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, and Semrush. These tools can help identify the right keywords to target, analyze the competition, making it easier to create a blog post that ranks high on Google.
Outline your blog
Poor planning equals poor execution, so outlining your blog is actually one of the most important parts of this whole process. No one wants to read a blog post that is all over the place, jumping from one subject to another and then back again. To avoid this, think about all the key points you want to cover.
Then, write out these main points, each with a clear heading in H2 format to improve readability and SEO. For each main point, jot down a few sub-points or supporting details you want to include.
This structure keeps your writing focused and makes sure you cover all necessary aspects thoroughly. It also makes the writing process a lot easier because you go into it with a clear idea of what you want to talk about.
Do your research
Great content has great sources. While you can definitely research sources as you write, it can be really helpful to have your sources that back up the points you want to make ready before you write.
This makes the writing process smoother and more focused. It also allows you to see if there are any gaps in your knowledge that need to be filled before you start writing.
Start by finding reliable sources that support your topic. Look for reputable websites, academic papers, industry reports, and expert opinions. This not only adds credibility to your blog but also gives your readers valuable information they can trust. You can then add these sources to your article outline in the sections that they correspond with.
Write your blog content
After all that prep, it’s time to actually sit down and write your blog post. While this aspect of the blog creation process only takes up one section of this blog post, it’s probably the most important. After all, if your blog is written poorly, no one will read it!
While "good" writing in the general sense is up to interpretation, with blog writing, one tip is useful across most niches — writing conversationally!
While it can be tempting to sound extra “smart” in your blog posts to show your expertise, it can have the opposite effect. Overcomplicating your writing can make your reader immediately bounce off your page and search for another blog that actually simplifies a concept for them. Keep your language clear and accessible to make sure your readers stay engaged.
One of the best ways to sound conversational in your writing is to use voice-to-text software for your first draft. This can help you capture a more natural tone. Google Docs (the Chrome version) has a great built-in tool for this. Speaking your thoughts aloud can help your writing flow more naturally and make your blog post easier to read.
End the blog post with a CTA
The next step in the blog writing process is to include a call to action (CTA) at the end of your blog. This can be to sign up for your newsletter, read your other blog posts, check out one of your products or services, or something else.
The key is to use your blog post to keep the conversation going with your reader.
And a CTA is important because it tells your readers what to do next. After they’ve read your blog, they’ll be more likely to take the next step if you guide them.
For example, asking readers to sign up for your newsletter is a great way to keep them connected with your brand. It’s a small ask that can lead to ongoing engagement.
Including a CTA shows that you’re not just giving your readers content but also interested in further interaction. So, make sure every blog post ends with a clear, friendly CTA to keep the conversation going and encourage continued engagement.
Write a good blog introduction
While you might assume that you should be writing your blog's introduction before anything else, interestingly, it’s often easier to write the introduction after you've finished the main content.
After spending time on the blog post, you have a clear understanding of its key points and overall message. This helps you write an introduction that sets the stage perfectly for what’s to come. A strong intro should grab your reader’s attention, give a sneak peek of the content, and make them want to keep reading.
Start with an engaging opening sentence—this could be a surprising fact, a thought-provoking question, or a bold statement related to your topic. Then, briefly outline what your blog post will cover and highlight the value it offers to the reader. Keep it short and sweet, so you draw readers in without overwhelming them with too much info upfront. And, naturally, fit your main keyword into the first 100 words.
Write a compelling headline
The next step in the blog writing process is to write a compelling headline. While this seems like such a small part of the process when it comes to writing a high-performing SEO blog, the reality is that headlines matter. A LOT.
In fact, only 2 out of 10 people will read past your headline.
This tells us that, unfortunately, most headlines are not persuasive enough to get people to actually want to read the article.
Here are a few tips on writing good headlines:
Keep the headline at about 6 to 8 words: Short and sweet works best because it’s easy to read quickly and understand.
Include power words: Use words that evoke emotion or curiosity to grab attention.
Be specific and avoid clickbait: Make sure your headline accurately reflects the content of your article. Misleading headlines can annoy readers and damage your credibility.
Include your main keyword in the headline (H1): This is a best practice for optimizing your post for search engines, helping your article rank higher and attract more organic traffic.
Write a meta title and meta description
The next step is to write a meta title and meta description. Both of these play a crucial role in how your blog post is perceived by search engines and potential readers.
The meta title, also known as the title tag, is the clickable headline that appears on search engine results pages. It should be concise, accurately reflect the content of your post, and include your main keyword to improve SEO. A compelling meta title not only helps your post rank higher in search results but also encourages users to click on your link. Aim for a meta title length of around 50-60 characters.
The meta description is a brief summary of your blog post that appears below the meta title on SERPs. It should provide a clear overview of your blog post, also include your main keyword, and be between 155-160 characters so that the whole description is displayed and not cut off by Google.
Both the meta title and meta description can help you attract visitors from search engines. After all, high ranking doesn't necessarily mean many clicks, but by writing these thoughtfully, you can increase your blog post's click-through rates and ultimately drive more traffic to your site.
Check you’ve place your keywords properly
The next step in the blog writing process is to make sure your main keyword is placed in the right places to best optimize your post for search engines and rank higher. There’s a lot of discussion around where and how many times you should include your keywords in your blog posts to properly optimize them, but here’s what most knowledgeable SEOs recommend:
Include your main keyword/keyphrase in the headline of the blog
Include your main keyword/keyphrase in the first 100 words of the blog
Include your main keyword/keyphrase in at least one H2 (subheader)
Include the main keyword/keyphrase in the meta title
Include the main keyword/keyphrase in the meta description
Include each secondary keyword once throughout the blog.
Check for grammar/spelling mistakes
Next you'll want to check for grammar mistakes and proofread your content.
Grammar and spelling mistakes can seriously hurt your credibility with your readers. They can make your blog look unprofessional and distract from the valuable information you're providing. But we all make them when writing; the important thing is to try to catch all errors before publishing your post.
Using tools like Grammarly or Hemingway can be very helpful for this. These tools can help identify and correct grammar, spelling, and readability issues. However, while they are powerful, they aren’t foolproof, so a manual review is still a good idea. Start by reading through your blog slowly to catch obvious mistakes. It can be helpful to read it out loud, as this often makes errors more noticeable.
Another helpful tip is to take a break after writing and come back to your post with fresh eyes. This can help you spot mistakes you might have missed initially.
Add internal links
The next step to writing a blog is to make sure to include internal links to other pages on your website. Internal links guide your readers to related content and keep the conversation going. For example, if you briefly touch on a subject in the article but have a separate post covering the topic more in-depth, link to that page on your website.
Internal linking not only increases engagement but also helps with SEO, as it helps search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of your website. It also helps them discover and index your pages more efficiently, improving the overall visibility of your site.
Add external links
If you’re following the steps laid out in this article, you already have your sources ready. Now it’s time to add them (if you haven’t already) into your article as external links. External links, or outbound links, are links that point from your blog to other websites. Including these types of links in your blog post is crucial for two reasons.
First, because external links add credibility to your content. By linking to authoritative sources, you provide your readers with evidence to support your claims. This can make your blog more trustworthy and valuable. For example, if you mention a statistic or a study in your blog, linking to the original source allows your readers to verify the information themselves.
Second, external links improve your SEO. When you link to high-quality, relevant websites, it signals to search engines that your content is well-researched and valuable. This can then help your article rank better in search results.
Add images
The next step to writing a blog is to include images. Images make your blog more visually appealing and help break up the text, making it easier to read. They also help illustrate your points, making your content more engaging and understandable.
When adding images, make sure to include alt text — a brief description of the image that helps search engines understand what the image is about. Ultimately, the alt text should accurately describe the content and purpose of the image, which not only helps with SEO but also makes your blog more accessible to visually impaired readers who use screen readers.
Including relevant, high-quality images with descriptive alt text enhances your blog’s readability and accessibility, providing a better experience for all readers.
Publish your blog
After thoroughly preparing, writing, and editing your post, it’s time to share it with the world. Double-check that all images, links, and formatting are correct. Once everything looks good, hit the publish button. While this moment is exciting, it's not the end, there are a few more things you need to do to make sure you get the most out of each blog post you put out.
Post-publishing tasks
After publishing your blog post, make sure you do the following:
Submit the blog for indexing
The next step in the blog writing process is to submit your blog for indexing in Google Search Console. Indexing is the process by which search engines like Google discover, crawl, and store web pages in their database. This allows users to find your content when they search for relevant keywords. Without indexing, your content won’t show up on Google search results.
Manually submitting your blog for indexing is the fastest way to tell Google you have a new post and expedites the process of getting your content noticed and ranked.
To do this, log in to Google Search Console and use the URL Inspection tool. Enter the URL of your new blog post and click "Request Indexing." This prompts Google to prioritize crawling your page, ensuring it gets indexed more quickly than if you were to wait for Google’s crawling schedule.
Promote your blog post
The next step in writing a blog is to promote it to the other places where you have an audience or are building one, like Instagram, Pinterest, your email list, and other social platforms.
Why is this important?
First of all, the people who already know you as an authority figure may use your content as backlinks to their own blogs, which does wonders for SEO. Backlinks from reputable sources enhance your blog's credibility and help improve its search engine ranking.
Second, SEO takes time to work its magic, so promoting your blogs on social media or your email list can help your blogs get some much-needed eyeballs. Sharing your posts across these channels helps increase visibility and engagement, giving your content the boost it needs to start gaining traction. Plus, after spending so much time and effort writing your blog post, you want to make sure its value reaches as many people as possible.
Monitor analytics
Keeping an eye on your blog's performance through analytics tools like Google Analytics is crucial for understanding how your content is resonating with your audience.
You can track key metrics like page views, average time on page, bounce rate, and conversion rates, all of which provide insights into what is working well and what might need improvement. For example, if a particular post has a high bounce rate, it might mean that the content isn't meeting reader expectations, or the headline might be misleading.
Understanding where your traffic is coming from is also important. Analytics can show you which sources (like social media, search engines, or direct traffic) are driving the most visitors to your blog. This information helps you tailor your efforts to focus on your most effective traffic drivers.
Analytics also allow you to see which keywords are bringing in the most traffic and how well your posts are ranking in search engines. If a blog post is doing badly, you can also use it as an opportunity to update the blog for different keywords to try to drive more traffic (which is way easier than writing a brand new blog).
Build backlinks
Backlinks (links from other websites to yours) act as endorsements, telling search engines that your content is trustworthy and authoritative. The more high-quality backlinks you have, the higher your site can rank, making your blog more visible to a broader audience.
The best way to build backlinks is to create high-quality, unique content that others will WANT to link to. You can also look for guest posting opportunities on bigger websites. For more ideas on how to build backlinks, check out this blog from Backlinko.
Notes on writing a blog post for SEO
The highest performing blog posts are both filled with valuable, helpful content, and also written with SEO in mind. Which is where SEO blogging comes into the picture.
SEO blogging is the practice of creating blog content that is optimized for search engines with the goal of attracting more organic traffic. It’s a blend of quality content creation and strategic optimization techniques designed to help your blog rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).
There are over 200 ranking factors Google uses to determine where your blogs end up in search results. The steps in this article can help you achieve better rankings if you follow them, since they incorporate some of the most important ranking factors, like:
High-quality content
Backlinks
Keyword optimization
Inbound and outbound linking
Image optimization
However, there are some other important ranking factors that will can help you achieve better rankings that are unrelated to the actual blog writing, such as:
Improving your page speed
Page speed is how quickly your webpage loads. Slow-loading pages frustrate users, leading to higher bounce rates and Google considers page speed a ranking factor because it directly affects user experience. So, make sure your page speed is optimized. Free tools like Ubersuggest can help you assess your page speed and find areas for improvement.
Optimizing for mobile
With the rise of mobile browsing, having a mobile-friendly site is crucial. Google uses mobile-first indexing, meaning it primarily uses the mobile version of your site for ranking. Make sure your site is responsive, with easy-to-read text, and properly sized images, and that it functions well on all mobile devices.
Blog writing FAQs
How do I choose a topic for my blog post?
Choose a topic that is relevant to your audience and aligns with your expertise or interests. Keyword research can also help identify popular topics. Additionally, consider trending issues in your industry and common questions your audience asks. Doing competitor research can also reveal content gaps you can fill with your unique perspective.
How do I make my blog post SEO-friendly?
To make your blog post SEO-friendly, include your main keyword in the headline, first 100 words, one subheadings, and meta tags. Use internal and external links, optimize images with alt text, and ultimately, make sure your content is valuable and high-quality.
How long does it take to write a blog post?
The time it takes to write a blog post can vary widely depending on the topic, research required, and the writer's experience. According to Orbit Media, the average blogger takes about 3 hours and 51 minutes to write a blog post that was 1,427 words long on average, in 2023. Keep in mind, thorough planning and consistent practice can help streamline the process and help you write a blog post faster over time.
How long should a blog post be?
There's no hard and fast rule, but in general, a blog post should be between 1,500 and 2,500 words long. Longer content typically attracts more organic traffic because it allows for more in-depth coverage of a topic. However, make sure your content is informative, engaging, and free of fluff. The goal is to thoroughly address your readers' needs and questions, keeping them engaged from start to finish, regardless of word count.
How often should I write new blog posts?
You should write new blog posts as often as you can create high-quality content. If that's once a month, start there. But if you want to see results faster, try to publish at least once a week. Posting more often helps build your content library quickly, which can attract and retain readers. If weekly posts seem overwhelming, work your way up to that pace. Start with a manageable schedule, like bi-weekly or monthly posts, and increase as you get more comfortable. Creating an editorial calendar can help you stay organized and consistent with your posting.
Final thoughts on how to write an SEO blog
Writing a blog post doesn't have to be intimidating. You just need to know what to do. And hopefully, this blog post has given you all the information you need to write your next blog post that gets pushed to the top of Google search results.
And if you want to learn more about blogging, check out these other helpful posts on the blog:
How to repurpose blog content to save time and your sanity