Writing the perfect blog post - here are our thoughts! The perfect blog post, what is it to you? The fact is, there is no one ideal blog post. Some readers might find your blog informative and easy to read, others will bounce right off the page. The important thing is to get your blog post as close to perfect as possible for your target readers. If the content is interesting in the eyes of your readers then they will keep coming back for more. This leads to many advantages such as increased consumer trust and loyalty plus the bonus of boosting SEO and building authority in your industry. Take a look at our blog post on the benefits to blogging to understand why blogging is an important marketing tool.

10 step guide to writing the perfect blog post:

1. Choose the topic

The first hurdle. Trust me, when you have got the topic everything else soon falls into place. Inspiration for what to write about can be scarce at times. A good place to start is with your products, services or treatments. For example, dedicate a blog post to each treatment you offer, what it is for, what are the benefits and so on. Alternatively ask yourself, what have been working on lately? Have your clients asked you for information on specific topics? Finally, promoting various health awareness days eg: World Health Day, that are relevant to your practice provide great content and show that you are staying current.

2. Research, research, research

Before researching, think about what you want to say, then go online or get your books out and find out what others have to say about the topic. Research is critical to ensure that you have your facts straight and to enhance your content. Do not regurgitate the results of your research, you should add your own insights to blog posts as this shows off your brands personality.

3. Create a structure

When you have your topic and you have conducted some research, write down all your thoughts. You might find that there is some natural order to your content and you can create sub headings. If there is no natural order, do not panic! Think about your audience, what are they looking for, or expecting from your previous blog posts? Do they want a step-by-step guide, your thoughts, inspiration? Start writing down possible sub headings, you might find that you modify these when writing the main content, but they give you a starting point.

4. Intriguing title

This is the first thing a reader will see, it is your golden opportunity to get them to read on. Consequently, the title not only needs to tell the reader what the blog post is about, it also needs to be intriguing.

5. Write a captivating opening

The first paragraph is equally as important as the title to hold the reader’s attention so that they read on. Get the reader thinking by asking a question, make them realise that there is a problem which you are going to solve in the blog post.

6. Get to the point

Do not beat about the bush. It is frustrating to read a wishy-washy article that explains the same thing five ways just to add more content. Plus, it is a sure-fire way to decrease reader numbers.

7. Add links

Blog posts can help to boost SEO in more ways than one. Not only does the content with carefully placed keywords help, but adding links will give an extra SEO boost. Internal links can easily be placed to other blog posts, your contact details or landing pages.

8. Conclusion

Give a brief summary of your blog post, detailing how the information will help the reader. This is also an opportunity to add your own views as to why the topic you have discussed is relevant and how it applies to your business and others.

9. Use relevant images

A great bulk of text can be off-putting for the reader. Breaking it up with interesting and relevant images will make your blog post easier on the eye. You can use your own images or free stock photos from websites such as Pexels and Unsplash (or if we run your site we have access for a huge stock image library for you!).

10. Proof, publish and share

Check your post and get a colleague to proof read it for any mistakes with spelling, grammar, font, facts and so on. It is incredibly important to make sure there are no mistakes in your blog post as you will lose credibility with your audience, no matter how big or small the mistake is. Finally, make sure you have included your keyword or phrase at least once in the main content and in the meta description. Once you are confident that your blog post is perfect, share it!

The prospect of writing the perfect blog post might be a daunting one, but take my word for it, it is a satisfying feeling when you publish a blog post and learn that it has been valuable to your readers. The time invested in writing blog posts is rewarded by increased SEO, which in turn exposes your brand to a larger audience, it is a win-win scenario. If you would like to know how 2xN can help you manage your blog content then click here and drop us a line.