You may already know that blog posts can help build your brand, reach your target audience and boost your search engine ranking. However, if you’re just beginning to add blogging to your inbound marketing strategy, you may not know how to judge the quality of a blog post. How do expert writers ensure that they're delivering top-quality blog posts every time? Keep reading for the five content development questions the best writers ask themselves each time they create business blogs.
Essential Content Development Questions From Expert Writers
- Does It Include Effective Keywords?
Your topic is chosen, you’ve created an outline and you may have even conducted some research. Now, it’s time to get down to business and write your first blog post. But wait – have you considered what your keywords are going to be? When you’re new to blogging, it can be tough to figure out which keywords will work best for your site.
From generic to broad match to long-tail, integrating keywords into your blog post helps boost your search engine optimization (SEO). Let’s start with highly competitive, or generic, keywords. These are very general, overarching terms, like “running shoes,” that are commonly searched, but offer little opportunity for a high ranking.
Generating greater engagement than generic keywords, broad match terms, such as “running shoes for overpronation,” help bring in more traffic. And terms like “women’s running shoes that help with overpronation and flat feet” are considered long-tail keywords. Though long-tail keywords have a low search volume, they’re more likely to show up higher in search results. Expert writers know that striking a balance between all three types helps generate strong rankings. Just remember, avoid keyword stuffing at all costs. Not only will your site be penalized by search engines, but you may also irritate readers.
- Is The Post Relevant?
If you plan on building authority and positioning yourself as an industry leader, all of your blog posts must contain relevant information. If you run a local law firm, but write about the latest trends in fashion, you’ll not only bore your audience, but you’ll also lose valuable branding power.
That's why great content writers always learn about their audience. What type of blog post do your readers want to see? Do some research on your competitors’ sites and social media to indentify which post topics perform best. You should also look at frequently asked questions by your own online community on sites like Quora. Once you’ve come up with a list of desired topics, pick one and make sure it’s related to your business, is useful for your audience and solves an issue that a reader may have.
- Is It Engaging?
Now that you’ve chosen keywords and picked a relevant topic, you need to ensure that your blog post is engaging and establishes a connection between you and your audience. Here are a few ways pro writers begin crafting a piece:
- Ask a question
- Lead with statistics
- Make a comparison
- Describe the problem your reader may have
- Explain a concept
Once you’ve introduced your blog post, it’s time to captivate your audience. Your blog post should follow the AIDA model. AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. Following your introduction, you’ll want to drum up interest about your brand and benefits, make your products and services desirable and finish with a strong call-to-action (CTA) that drives your customers to make a purchase, engage in a free trial or contact you to learn more.
- Does It Have A Catchy Title?
When it comes to writing an irresistible title, you may find yourself stuck. And you aren't alone – many professional writers agree this can be the hardest part of blogging as well. While you want to include a keyword or multiple keywords for SEO purposes, you also need to grab your readers’ attention right off the bat. Therefore, you must devise a title that incorporates both elements to reach your target audience.
Imagine you’re writing a blog post about fun things to do in the Adirondacks during the fall. Which blog post title would you rather click on to read more about, Adirondack Fall Activities or 10 Fun Activities for a Breathtaking Fall Getaway in the Adirondacks? I bet you chose the latter title, and here’s why:
- It informs you of the blog post format, in this case, a listicle.
- It employs alliteration – fun, for and fall.
- It uses strong language (i.e. breathtaking).
While the first title may work great as a working title/topic, it has no place in your finished blog post. If you need help coming up with a title for your piece, consider brainstorming with another member of your team. This will help you refine the title to be concise, engaging and SEO friendly.
- Is Your Blog Post Free from Spelling and Grammar Mistakes?
Any good blogger knows that a spelling or grammatical error can make or break a post. Keep your readers engaged with your content – not stumbling over a silly slip-up – by using a spell-checker and having at least one other person look over your work. And if you have the resources, you should send the piece to one person for editing and another for proofreading to help ensure a high level of quality control.
If you’re having a difficult time creating blog posts even after you apply these standards, we can help. Our monthly content packages provide expertly crafted business blogs and more to help you build brand awareness, generate leads and engage your target audience.
