Have you ever spent hours writing a blog post only to feel the quality isn't as high as what appears in the top Google search results? While it's easy to get caught up in just writing content to get it up on your blog, it's more important to write with your audience in mind. Here are 6 content writing tips to help you produce high quality blog content for your readers.
It's no secret that there are lots of blogs online and according to Optinmonster about 70 million posts are being published each month by WordPress users.
The internet is now flooded with information, which is why it is so important to create content that is high quality for your audience.
Your blog readers will come back if you give them a reason to come back. Be a resource that your audience can turn to for inspiration or answers to their problems.
So, let's dive into my 6 content writing tips for high quality content:
- Create a content plan to produce higher quality blog posts
- Keep blog topics specific so you can easily write detailed content
- Include data, links or tips to provide value to your audience
- Great content has structure and consistency
- Use short paragraphs for easy reading
- Answer questions that people are searching for
1. Create A Content Plan To Produce Higher Quality Blog Posts
The planning of your blog posts ahead of time could help you produce higher quality content, depending on the type of blog you run. It may seem easy to put words on paper, but when you are rushing just to post content to your blog, you may find your quality diminishes and your readers can find higher value on someone else's blog.
By planning your content, you will feel less overwhelmed and under pressure. You can work on the content over a few days, weeks or months depending on what you are writing and how well organised you want to be.
It will always be easier to write about something you are passionate about rather than something you feel is a chore. So, write about your passions and interests to bring real value and interest to your readers.
Make sure you have enough time to research things accurately so you can provide your audience with correct information from reliable sources when sharing informative information like facts or data.
Whether you are a craft blogger or food blogger, make sure to test your projects and recipes before publishing them online. The planning you do ahead of time will ensure that you will be able to sew the pattern together without rushing around the day of the project only to discover that it doesn't work out. The same goes for a recipe.
2. Keep Blog Topics Specific So You Can Easily Write Detailed Content
How many times have you searched on Google for a question and found a full blog post with multiple solutions and helpful tips from someone with actual knowledge of the topic? I appreciate these sorts of blog posts myself because they are insightful and usually have the answer to my problem.
When you narrow your focus, you can provide high quality content around a specific topic.
For example, a sewing blog may share an article called How to sew a 4-hole button onto fabric. People who are searching How to sew a 4-hole button? will want this article to come up to help them address their problem. Within the blog post, the reader would expect to see a step-by-step tutorial on how to sew a 4-hole button, along with some tips.
If the blog article was just called How to sew a button it's less likely to be clicked on or found because the topic is not very specific. What kind of button is this article going to be talking about? If it is three button types the title could be more specific like, How to sew three button types - shank, 2-hole, and 4-hole.
The more specific your topic is and the more long-tail keywords you use, the easier it will be for your readers to find your blog on Google assuming that you supply the correct answers and quality content within the post.
3. Include Data, Links Or Tips To Provide Value To Your Audience
Think about ways that you can add value to your blog posts. This could be done in a few different ways:
- Include data or facts in your posts and link to reliable sources
- Linking to products that your audience can purchase
- To help your readers succeed, include tips and tricks in the post
- Provide links to other related blog posts that will be of interest to your audience
1. Include data or facts in your posts and link to reliable sources
Providing reputable knowledge to your audience is important if you want your blog to be a trustworthy resource. At the beginning of this blog, I shared some data about how many blog posts are published each month with the name and link of the website I found the information on.
In doing so, I share valuable information with you, our audience, while linking back to the source so that you know where the data came from, and that it isn’t just made up.
2. Link to products that your audience can purchase
Sharing links to the products that you mention in your blog posts, also known as affiliate marketing, is an excellent way to add value for your readers.
If you write about the best home office gear, your readers will appreciate you including shoppable links in your post. If you just mentioned a bunch of products but did not specify what brands or where to buy them, readers would just click away and find another blog with all the details.
It's a solution where everyone benefits, since your audience will be able to shop for the best products, and you will earn a commission for each sale.
3. Help your readers succeed by including tips and tricks within your content
If you wanted to make the best sponge cake in the world but you aren't a baker, you would want someone skilled in this area to teach you how…would you not?
Let's say you found a great sponge cake recipe, but it only included the ingredients list and the method, no helpful baking tips, and no ingredient swaps...no value!
As a blogger it's important to think if you aren't in the kitchen with them, how can you help them make a cake that is the best they have ever made? Provide detailed, tried, and true strategies for success. This can be applied to most topics so don’t be afraid to share your tips for success with your audience.
4. Provide links to other related blog posts that will be helpful to your audience
Internal linking is a game-changer. Let’s say you write lots of content about saving money. If you are writing a new blog post on 10 ways to save money at the grocery store you could link to similar content within the post that your audience would also like to read, e.g., America's most affordable grocery stores or 5 tips to save money on vegetables.
4. Great Content Has Structure And Consistency
Have you ever noticed that trusted blogs usually have a writing structure that you expect to see as a reader? When you use a consistent blog post structure, your blog posts look professional, clean, and easier to read for your audience. As a result, you spend less time messing with the layout of each post.
Finding a structure for your blog is as simple as looking at similar, trustworthy blogs to yours. What do these blogs have in common? What sort of layout strategy are they using and how can you apply this to your blog?
5. Use Short Paragraphs For Easy Reading
Short and concise paragraphs provide your readers with easy-to-read content that isn't overwhelming or intimidating. Your readers can quickly scan the important points and information you provide in your posts since let's face it, we're so busy that we can't read long posts all day.
Writing in small bite-sized chunks allows the reader to digest the information they have just read rather than one long overwhelming paragraph.
Most people tend to scan headings or lists, which is why it's so important to split your text up into readable formats. My favourite way to share ideas or options is in the form of a list because it's so easy to read. Under the list, I can include more details, and my readers will know exactly where to click to find what they are looking for.
Yoast shared this helpful, detailed post on writing short paragraphs if you want to learn more.
6. Answer Questions That People Are Searching For
People are always searching for answers on Google so why would you not consider answering topic-specific questions in your blog posts?
Recipes are a fitting example of this. It’s common to search for ingredient substitutions, as well as how the chemistry of recipes work or how to fix cooking mistakes. If you are going to share a recipe, get onto Google and see what questions people are asking.
Can you answer any of these questions so your readers will be impressed by your support and knowledge? If you find yourself feeling less authoritative than larger blogs just do your research. See what answers are already on the internet or visit the library and find books to learn from.
To Sum Up
It’s so important to add value to your blog posts so you’re sharing quality content and building trust with your audience. The more valuable your content is the more likely they will continue to come back to your blog. I hope these 6 content writing tips have encouraged you to produce higher quality blog content for your audience.
