Original content, or blogs, is still one of the best ways to connect with your audiences and get noticed by Google. They are still one of the three primary forms of media marketers put into their content strategies, and 86% of companies churn out blog content.
Creating the perfect blog post requires the right ingredients. You need to have a good mix of SEO, engaging copy, and your brand voice. Ideally, your post will be completely error-free, have a balance of short and long sentences, and lead readers to a nice and tidy CTA. This blog post will show you how to create quality original content with a few simple steps.
If creating original content sounds easy, that’s because it is when you have the right tools. You need the ultimate recipe for the best article. Here is a list of all the must-haves for a mouth-watering blog post.
The headline is one of the most important blog elements. Make sure you write something that grabs readers’ attention, like asking a question or making a promise to deliver a solution to a problem. Pull in keywords in your title so your audience will be more likely to find the post. Try not to go over 60 characters.
Find an image that is eye-catching but also reflects the overall message of your post. Think about what would intrigue your readers. Try to think out of the box a little bit, so you’re not posting a boring stock photo that literally reflects what the article is about. Get creative and choose something that pops.
Subheads help you rank on Google and also give your readers a little preview of what they’ll learn from the post. Be sure to include keywords here as well. Expand on your headline a bit and make sure you make your subhead alluring.
Next, write your introduction. This section is getting a bit meatier and should hook the reader in. Make sure it aligns with your title and subhead, so your readers don’t feel tricked. Pull in data or fun facts that support your post. Keep the intro pretty brief to just two or three paragraphs.
You’ll need to pull in keywords in the body of your content, as well as your headings. But there are elements outside of the main blog copy that will help you rank better. A couple important ones are the meta description and the slug.
The meta description is a brief overview of the article—under 160 characters—and your slug is the perma-link that will be part of the blog’s URL. Make sure to include keywords in both of these SEO elements.
Online readers like to skim. In fact, 43% of people admit doing it. So make sure your content is broken up with additional subheadings, bulleted lists, and short paragraphs.
Make it easy to read with a mix of text and visually appealing elements. You may want to pull in infographics that support your claims and give your post some dimension.
Make sure you include at least a couple of outside links to reputable sites related to your content. These links should be anchored with text that helps the reader understand what the linked article is about. You should always avoid using your article’s keyword as anchor text.
Also include links back to your own website, whether other blogs or service pages relevant to the post and to your readers. This helps you build a linking structure for your own site and adds authority to the topic you’re writing about. With internal links, you always want to make sure to link to pages with useful, relevant information.
As you’re finishing, create a summary of the blog post and throw in some authority on the matter or key conclusions. This is a great place to showcase your thought leadership and really reflect on the topic and its importance. Aside from the action you want readers to take (discussed below), what do you want them to get from your content? Put some perspective on your post.
Always include a CTA in your blog posts. This is the step you want your reader to take after reading the blog, whether to contact your business, click on an offer, or download your eBook on the topic. Of course, make sure your CTA is relevant to the content they just read, but always ensure the CTA is clear.
These steps will help you create original content that will resonate with your audience. However, creating a content strategy that reaches your audience and supports your goals is challenging for many businesses.
Now you have all the ingredients you need to fry up some exceptional original content. But if you don’t have the time or are unsure how to tackle it, ContentBacon is here to help.
Our team of writers implements SEO best practices and replicates your brand voice so your readers will find authoritative, well-written, and highly ranked content. Our marketing strategists and editors make sure our services help you meet your inbound marketing goals.
Contact the ContentBacon team to get started with tastier blog content.