If your blog posts aren’t visible on search engines like Google and they don’t succeed at converting readers into leads, subscribers, and clients, you may as well not be blogging at all.
The fact is, keeping a consistent blog is critical for online success, and 77% of Internet users read blogs, and U.S. based Internet users spend 3 times more time on blogs than they do email.
Most importantly of all, 61% of online consumers have made a purchase based on a blog’s recommendation.
A blog shows that your website is active, and a great blog can position you as a thought leader in your field, but your blogs need to be of the highest quality, and they need to be optimized for Google. Furthermore, each post needs to drive readers further along in your marketing funnel. While those three milestones – Quality, Optimization, and Maximum Conversions – sound like a massive undertaking, the following short checklist is really all you need.
Here is how to create blog posts that hit the mark, rise to the top of Google, and convert your audience into loyal paying clients.
SEO-Optimization
- Must Be Original: Your blog must be written in your own voice and should never plagiarize another’s work. When your blog is original and high quality, you give your audience an attractive “product” that only you can provide.
- Must Offer Value: A highly converting blog post teaches the reader a thing or two. The best posts offer takeaways that stick with the reader long after. Your blog should, at the very least, offer your reader something new. If your posts are only rehashes of competing blogs’ posts, your information may appear second-class and watered down. On the other hand, if your articles can be informative and unique, you’ll surpass your competitors with every post you write. Whatever you do, strive to make your blogs entertaining to read, even humorous, if you’re able.
- Get Personal: The best blogs speak to a specific problem the reader may face, such as the one your products are intended to solve. A company like Stamps.com, for instance, may answer the question of how much postage is required for certain envelope sizes and weights. A good blog would research the reasons why we pay postage and may delve into how postage is calculated. The blog writer may discuss how postage amounts have evolved over time. For added effect, the blogger may then describe the next steps the person should take to mail their package using the precise postage required.
- Call-to-Action: If you manage to make your posts personal and offer significant value, information, or entertainment, your reader will be hooked. This is the time to hit your reader with a call-to-action, which represent the very thing you want the reader to do, such as subscribe, buy now, schedule an appointment, call today, or learn more.
SEO Optimized Headline
The first thing your readers will likely see is your headline, which should let the reader know exactly what to expect from reading your blog post. You have five considerations when it comes to writing highly-converting and SEO-optimized headlines worthy of mention.
- Front-Load Keywords: Your headline should include an important keyword phrase. Studies have shown that the closer your keywords are to the front of your headline, the better optimized for Google your posts will be. It makes sense. “5 Analytics Metrics to Pay Attention to for Better Converting Campaigns” might rank better for “Analytics Metrics” than the headline, “Pay Attention to These Analytics Metrics for Best Results.”
- Be Problem-Specific: Your headline should speak to the issue your reader has been suffering through. By being specific, you will make your blog posts more targeted, and Google will have a better idea of how to place your posts in the SERPs. An example of a problem-based headline includes, “How to Implement Web Chat for Better Personalization in 5 Simple Steps.” A buyer interested in that subject will know that advice about web chat is exactly what they’re going to get.
- Give a Hint as to the Solution: The best headlines will offer a reason to read. For example, the headline “10 Super-Simple Software Platforms That Can Improve Efficiency by 97%” gives readers the exact reason why they should commit. If you think you’re going too long, not to worry, as headlines with 6-13 words attract the highest amounts of traffic.
- Delineate Your Information: Lists do very well because readers automatically know that they can skim the content. Most people are pressed for time, and attention spans are even more limited. Therefore, ease your reader’s mind by letting them know that your blog post won’t be a wall-o-text by offering “7 Tips” “10 Expert Secrets” or 5 Features, Mysteries, or anything else that will entice readers to click and read.
- Get Emotional: Finally, try to evoke certain emotions in your reader by including words like Powerful, and Effective, and Revolutionary. For example, “10 Cutting-Edge Marketing Solutions for Higher ROI.”
The Empathetic First Sentence
After reading your headline, your readers know that:
A) your blog post is targeted for them
B) your blog post offers a reason to get to the end.
The reader is emotionally charged and knows that you’re about to offer insightful advice they can use to succeed. Success here could be an easier time doing taxes, marketing their offerings, or designing their website.
However, after the headline, immediately after, the reader is still not convinced that your blog post is of any value. Sure, your images may look attractive and the blog post could be easily formatted so as to be easy on the eyes, but if your first sentence is garbage, most readers will quit right there.
To construct a first sentence that works, it should follow the same ideas you put into the reader’s head with your headline. If your headline discussed easier ways of doing taxes, your first sentence needs to be personal and speak to that message – that doing taxes doesn’t have to be hard – all while convincing the reader that you understand his or her plight.
For instance, in the headlines above, the first sentences of those blog posts might be:
5 Analytics Metrics to Pay Attention to for Better Converting Campaigns
Crunching the numbers can be tedious, particularly if you’re unsure of which metrics to pay attention to.
How to Implement Web Chat for Better Personalization in 5 Simple Steps
B2B marketers have raised the bar when it comes to personalization, and the same old techniques won’t cut it any longer.
10 Super-Simple Software Platforms That Can Improve Efficiency by 97%
85% of marketing platforms are difficult to use, which makes marketing teams even less efficient than they were before.
10 Quick and Easy Marketing Solutions for 50% Higher ROI
Raising the ROI of your marketing campaigns is difficult, especially if you have tried all the tried and true techniques but nothing so far has worked.
Linking
Internal linking will keep readers on your blog posts longer, which is good for SEO. Internal links, such as one used with the hypertext “Marketing Solution” that leads to your software offering, will help readers find the information they want most, and even faster.
External linking should be used to give your blog authority and to prove your points. If you have a statistic, such as 85% of Internet users have smartphones, link to the source where you found that information. This helps with SEO by giving your posts more link juice from major brands, but you’ll also become a thought leader by proving what you’re writing is correct.
Images & Formatting
Assuming that your headline and first sentence manage to snag your reader’s attention, the next step is keeping the momentum going by being approachable, instructive, educational, and entertaining. Use lots of “You” and “Your” and let your reader know you’re on their side, you get their problem, and you’re here to help.
For best results, break up your content with short sentences and paragraphs. 43% of blog readers admit to skimming content. Make your content easier on the eyes and ideal for skimmers. Those aforementioned lists will also help make your content more reader-friendly, and readers will be more likely to finish till the end.
For added quality, use engaging images whenever possible that coincide with your content, that complement your website’s style and overall goals, and that further separate your paragraphs for simpler reading.
Keywords & Meta Data
Use your keywords throughout your content for greater SEO visibility. However, do not keyword stuff. Use variations of your keywords and similar terms, such as “Marketing Solutions” “Marketing Automation” “Inbound Marketing” and so on.
Keywords should always be written naturally. If your keyword is “Dentist Supplies Austin,” do not write “Our dentist supplies Austin are one of a kind.” Missing the article “in” screams that your blog was written by a non-native speaker, which will cost you legitimacy.
Natural keywords should flow with your writing. Done correctly and your readers won’t even realize that you’re using keywords at all.
Finally, use a meta title, description, and infuse your images with meta descriptions that fully describe your subject and topic, and that offer further value to search engine spiders and readers alike. Your titles and descriptions will be used in the search results, after all. Better you write and optimize them before Google snags a snippet of your website to use instead. Control the information on your blogs and you’ll rank better with improved search engine enticement.
Conclusion
You now have a complete checklist that takes you from blog post headline to the call-to-action. Your job is to keep your readers consuming your content by offering similar post links or downloads for further reading. As far as how much to post, companies that publish 11+ times per month have 3 times more traffic than those that blog 0-1 times per month. And statistics show that after your blog has 21-54 posts, your blog traffic should see an increase of up to 30%. After 52 posts, blog traffic generation can increase by up to 77%.
If you can manage to write enough posts that satisfy the criteria above, your blog will be one of the most read and acted upon in your industry, guaranteed.