Write amazing blog posts with this awesome writing checklist and keep your readers from tapping out when they’re halfway through.
It’s 2020, and you’re probably wondering if it’s still worth writing a blog post or if you should resume your blog from when Instagram and Tiktok took over? The short answer is, yes.
Blogging is still an extremely popular and effective way to create content and build an online presence and as a business, even today in this crazy climate, known as COVID-19.
According to Impact, 77% of internet users regularly read blogs and the average company that blogs generates 55% more website visitors. Seems like a no brainer, right?
Bloggers who also invest more time in writing their blogs, and by making them longer articles will generate a higher number of readers and interactions, a recent survey by Orbit Media discovered.
So we now know it’s really important to have a blog set-up in 2020 and to ensure you’re publishing longer length content but it doesn’t end there. How do you keep a long read interesting? And, how do you make sure your readers don’t just scroll through? It’s about having a plan, a blogging plan!
A plan where you’ve thought through all of the important aspects that make a blog stand out and hold attention. Because let’s face it, there are a lot of blogs, podcasts, and youtube channels being launched all the time and it’s not just about creating content, it’s about having a plan and a checklist.
We’ve put together some 9 handy tips that will improve your long read game.
The Checklist
- Add videos to your blogs
- Include enough visuals in your long read (Unsplash integration)
- Write content for people first, then structure it for search engines
- One for the road (adapt for mobile)
- Write, track, measure, alter (learn from analytics)
- Look for an editor
- Mix up the lengths of your articles (don’t only write long reads)
- Refresh your readers’ memory (use anchor links)
- Publish your content to multiple channels
1. Add videos to your blog posts
Generally, people love to watch videos and they encourage visitors to ‘linger’ longer on your website and Google then recognises that your blog is valuable. This is a simple trick in your content creation. If you need more reason to add video, Marketing Sherpa discovered it can attract 300% more traffic!
2. Include enough visuals in your long read (Unsplash integration)
Avoid making your long read too text-heavy, instead, break it up with relevant and colourful images to support your text. You don’t want people to click away because the read becomes dull and dreary. Research shows that readers are twice as likely to remember information when it’s compiled together with visuals.
Unsplash is a perfect place to source images. It’s a provider of stock images and is dedicated to sharing photography, for free. You have the pick of over 800,000 photos.
In general, people are looking for answers in visual and engaging ways not only written. So, including images and videos to your written content will increase valuable traffic to your website.
3. Write content for people first, then structure it for search engines
As previously mentioned, if your blog post is sitting upwards of 1200 words, it will likely sit higher in Google, however that doesn’t mean you need to make every blog post a long read.
Also, don’t try to force an article to extend to that length by filling it up with unnecessary fluff and fillers. It’s not needed and your readers will pick up on this and leave the page. Likely, to lose them forever. Instead, once you’ve written the article, speaking to your target audience in the correct brand tone, you should go in and do a sweep through and include your SEO.
Don’t feel you need to obsess over how many keywords to add to your blog. The idea is to keep the reading experience positive and easy, only when there’s an opportunity to include keywords, should you do it. Don’t try to overload the keywords and then it becomes an awkward read. Google is much smarter than you think, and will pick up on this!
4. One for the road (adapt for mobile)
Everyone is on the go and the days where we left all our reading to our desktop computer is over, it’s, therefore, crucial that you optimise your blog content for mobile. Give your readers the freedom of being able to read wherever and whenever they want. Just remember, mobile optimization looks different depending on which site you’re using to host your blog.
Always compare your content with the desktop and mobile versions when you’re putting your blog together. You’ll also win SEO points when you optimise for mobile. Pleasure!
5. Write, track, measure, alter (learn from analytics)
Remember that saying “what gets measured, gets managed’? And the other one “If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it.
Practicing and learning are key to a successful blog and there’s nothing wrong with publishing an average post but, if you’re not learning from your mistakes it’s going to affect your goals in the long run.
Learning from your analytics can help you to: track your progress towards your goals, identify opportunities to take action, and to motivate yourself.
6. Look for an editor
Rereading your work is the most important part when it comes to writing a blog. We’ve all been there and know how easy it is to make a mistake. No matter how seasoned a writer you are, these things just happen.
Having someone review your article before publishing will resolve any errors that may have incurred unknowingly. Two heads are better than one in this instance.
7. Mix up the lengths of your articles (don’t only write long reads)
Further back we briefly touched on how important long reads are, however, converting those readers into regulars is the real goal here.
When writing blogs for your business or yourself, it’s important to get the reader invested in your brand and there’s no secret here because it’s the good old-fashioned way by publishing frequently, and not necessarily publishing longer length articles but providing a variety of length articles and posting frequently.
Publishing blog content regularly will increase traffic by 8 times according to Lyfe Marketing. Seems worth it, right?
8. Refresh your readers’ memory (use anchor links)
Want to make your article text easier for your readers to follow? Just add anchor links.
What is an anchor link, you say? It’s a marker that helps you reach the desired information without having to search the whole page. You literally click on the link, and you’re immediately transported to your chosen text, skipping the sections of content that you’re not interested in. Creating a better and seamless reading and user experience. This is particularly handy when you’re pushing out longer length articles.
From an SEO perspective, anchor links emphasize the importance of the content and define the structure of your page.
9. Publish your content to multiple channels
The satisfying part of creating a blog post is when you’re finally publishing it, for all to enjoy and consume.
After all that hard work it’s important to make sure it’s read by as many people as possible. Therefore, publishing your blog on as many channels as possible will ensure it’s noticed online. Sharing on multiple channels will help your content reach more people, grow your online presence and drive traffic to your website.
It will also keep your social media accounts active and healthy, which has a bunch of benefits like retaining your existing audience, broadening your reach and attracting new followers.
Lastly,
You should always remember to include a ‘call-to-action’ or a lead capture form. You’ve put so much effort into your content creation and to guide people to your website, you want to collect info of these readers who’ve shown interest in your blog and keep them in your database. Build up your audience and send them new updates regularly.
Don’t forget to check off all the points in the blog writing checklist before publishing your content and you’ll reach the goals you want to achieve in no time!