7th June, 2020
We are all guilty of neglecting our blog, website or social media accounts at some time or another. Personally I go through phases of regular blogging and producing tons of content, and then getting side tracked with other projects and client work. I know it is challenging for small business owners to juggle everything. However this is important and has to be done. For me it’s about changing the “I don’t have time” to a “I must make time” – blogging is a long term investment.
So, as I sit here on a Sunday morning, the sweet smell of espresso in the air, I thought I’d share with you ten tips for writing a blog post. I hope you find some value in below, so without further ado.
1. Image Names & Sizes
Avoid uploading photos with a file name such as “IMG_1028.JPG”. If you correctly name an image, then this will help Google to see it. In a nutshell you want Google to know what an image is about, so rename your images before hitting upload. An example; if your image is of a tree in your garden then don’t call it “IMG_1028.JPG” but rename it to “tree-in-garden.jpg”. Image names covered, you should now look at image sizes. Mobile users will download your post (all page data), so keep your image uploads optimised for web. You should avoid assigning big photos to a post. If a post consists of several high-res photos then this will impact your PageSpeed score, it is best to re-size and save all images for web…
2. Text Formatting & Layout
A tidy tip; don’t copy and paste your blog post from a Word doc in to WordPress, this may carry over hidden HTML and text formatting. Less is always more when it comes to programming, so you want to avoid any excess or unwanted HTML. Not only is a clean block of text better for Google (easier for them to read), it also removes any potential post errors. For example, any in-line styling (hidden code) can overwrite your default stylesheet, making fonts inconsistent or appear broken. In the past I have even witnessed posts break because of bad formatting, this was due to stray div tags being copied over from a Word doc. A suggestion here is to use the “Text” view in WordPress to check over post content prior to hitting publish. Another note on text formatting and layouts, please don’t keep caps lock on when writing. I’d suggest keeping titles and headings consistent and using sentence case. If you wish to make your headings capital then use a “text-transform: uppercase” in your stylesheet, this will catch-all and retain consistency…
3. Think about Google E-A-T
Adopting Google E-A-T within future blog posts is strongly advised, especially when we consider a post lifespan (more on this below). The key here is to create content that your audience wants to see, content that solves a problem or offers value. E-A-T stands for “expertise, authority, and trustworthiness”, so think of ways you can factor in each into your post content…
4. Don’t publish what you can tweet
Personally I’d suggest you try and keep all blog posts over 450 words. Avoid posting content that could be tweeted or added as a social media post instead. If you are adding a new post with a few words / couple of sentences then ask yourself this; does this post bring value to my website? Does this content belong on my blog? Studies show that longer posts tend to rank higher than shorter posts, but as you’d expect these “longer posts” take time to produce and require a much bigger time investment. The tip here is to know what content to post where…
5. Consider your keywords
Understanding keywords is important. Make sure you have both researched and used your main key phrase plus any keywords of value within your post. We can’t expect to rank high on Google for “ten tips for writing a blog post” if we are not mentioning “ten tips for writing a blog post”, or if we are not indeed delivering 10 tips… That said; do not use the same set of keywords too many times within your post, this can look spammy. The trick here is to produce content that is both readable to a user (Joe Public) and also readable to Google (Google bot). I’d say if it looks and reads pretty spammy, then the chances are it is pretty spammy…
6. Consistent posts, topics & opinions
We must write with our readers in mind. If your blog is about “dog grooming” then focus on dogs, don’t add content about “fish tank maintenance”… Do your research and assess who has already covered the topics you are covering. Most things have already been said, so we must find a way to say it better! Keep consistent with your posts, topics and opinions. In the eyes of Google you need to be an expert in your field. Stick to a plan, avoid irregular posts, conflicting topics or opinions, this does not say “expert”. Post regularly to attract new readers, post regularly to attract Google…
7. Tell the World!
As/when you publish a new post, tell the World about it! This should be done via all your social media accounts, plus I’d add a link to it via your Google My Business page. It is a great feeling posting links to a new post. Don’t just tweet it once and forget about it, keep on sharing and promoting your quality content – be proud of it! I tend to think of Warren Buffett and his moat analogy when writing blog posts. In my mind every new post I write helps extend our Tidy Design moat, AKA Google search results. Looking up to date is also good for business, people like to see activity. Don’t let your moat stagnate or shrink, keep on building, keep on spreading the word…
8. Research others
Assessing your competitors is very important, who is top of Google and why? What are they blogging about? How often are they posting new content? What kind of content is being published? Make time to research others in your sector and industry, make notes and answer the questions above. This would form part of your marketing strategy, giving you an idea of what to aim for…
9. Think about its lifespan
The best thing about a quality blog post is its lifespan! A good post will last forever and continue to feed potential business your way. I have spent days on a single post, researching and writing, trying to deliver real value! Yes, it is a big time investment, however quality content can really help a company thrive online. Consider the lifespan of your next blog post, think about it as an investment in the future. Do you want one super post that attracts tons of traffic, or would you prefer twenty smaller posts that generate very little traffic? A quality blog post can also become a reference point for new and existing clients. I am often asked about WordPress, SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and blogging, so now this post will be something I can share in the future…
10. Titles & Meta
Here at Tidy Design we use Yoast SEO for managing post titles and meta descriptions, this is a plugin that allows our clients to add custom content. If this plugin is installed then you will find a snippet editor under the main content (towards the bottom of a post/page in WP admin). Don’t rely on default values or ignore this cool little feature. Yoast SEO allows you to experiment with your CTR (click through rate) and add more keywords to a post. It is important you make each title and meta tag unique, they should also be relevant to the content on offer. Please note; the generation of Google SERPs (search engine result pages) and page titles, descriptions and/or snippets is completely automated and based on the content you have published. This means you may find variations of your own titles and meta depending on the search term…
Ten Tips Conclusion
Going back to the start of this post and my “I don’t have time” reference, this is a legitimate concern. We are all wearing many hats and “I am not a professional content writer” is again a valid point I sometimes hear. Enlisting the help of someone who knows your business would be a great next step. Whether it’s a freelance content writer, a digital marketing agency or a members of your team – many hands make light work!
When it comes to blogging, first impressions matter! As I approach 1500 words and sign off todays ten tips for writing a blog post, I’d like to say thank you for reading this far! I believe the secret to a successful blog is not giving up, good things take time and are often not easy. I hope you enjoyed this post and also found some value in it.
Please visit our Digital Marketing page for more tips, information and ideas. If you have any questions about WordPress or content writing then please do not hesitate to contact us, we’d be happy to help.
Until next time, keep it Tidy!
Mike