You have heard or read it a thousand times, “just go write a number of high quality, engaging blog posts” to boost your business blog and website traffic.
It sounds good, but many people quickly realize that writing quality blog posts that will actually get read by their audience isn’t quite as easy as it seems.
Many businesses know that having an active blog on their website is an excellent way to bring more traffic to the site. It can also provide valuable information to customers, sales prospects and business partners. However, writing quality blog posts and website content is an area that many people have difficulty doing well.
Writing Quality Blog Headlines
Quality blog posts also require a strong headline that will get people’s attention and entice them to click through to read your post. According to the authoritative marketing website CopyBlogger, 8 out of 10 people will read your headline, but only 2 out of 10 people will read the rest of your post.
This emphasizes the importance of writing a headline that will hook the reader and encourage them to continue reading. Once past the headline the quality of your blog post will get visitors to actually continue reading. It may also encourage them to return to your site in the future, lead to social sharing of the post and a broader audience for your blog.
Writing Quality Blog Posts?
So what exactly is a high quality blog post? Rather than try to reinvent the wheel I have compiled 12 excellent blog writing resources that can help you create better posts, attract more readers and grow engagement with visitors to your business website. Click on any of the titles to jump to the original article.
1. “11 Essential Ingredients Every Blog Post Needs [Infographic]” (click to read)
The people at CopyBlogger consistently produce informative and engaging content. This posts includes an interesting infographic and 11 excellent points for creating a quality blog post.
2. “The Anatomy of a Perfect Blog Post: The Data on Headlines, Length, Images and More…“
Taking a slightly different perspective, Kevan Lee at Buffer focuses on seven essential elements of a perfect blog post. He also discusses blog post imagery and social sharing of the post.
3. “How to Get Your Blog Posts Read“
Written by Neil Patel, one of the best known social media personalities, this articles focuses on the elements that help your blog post actually get read by your audience. Some excellent insights based on real world A/B testing.
4. “12 Types of Blog Posts to Drive More Traffic to Your Blog”
If you are looking for ideas on how to create a range of interesting and engaging blog posts this article is a “must-read.” You’ll find a range of options to help kick blogger’s block and potentially diversify your blog content format and make it more engaging.
5. “6 Lessons for Writing Irresistibly Magnetic Blog Post Headlines”
This article from ProBlogger contains a wealth of information on crafting effective headlines for your blog posts. The article notes that “Unless you reel in your readers instantly, your well-crafted content goes largely unnoticed.”
6. “How to Spot the Weakest Part of Your Blog Post (and What to Do About It)”
Another article from the people at CopyBlogger to help identify eight areas of your blog post that may benefit from a bit more work. Includes examples and ideas on “how to fix it.”
7. “10 Words to Cut from Your Writing”
Written on the concept that “Strong writing is lean writing” this article focuses on make your writing more powerful by cutting out unneeded words. Excellent pointers and food for thought.
8. “8 Tips for Writing More Powerful Conclusions”
A quality blog post requires a powerful conclusion to leave the reader feeling informed and satisfied at the end. Here are some excellent tips for crafting a conclusion that works.
9. “9 Crucial Tips for Self-Editing Your Blog Posts”
Some very useful tips and recommendations for improving your blog posts, both before and after they are posted.
10. “27 Best Copywriting Formulas: How to Tell a Captivating Story Online”
A wide range of great copywriting formulas. Many of these are time tested and can be adapted to a wide range of writing styles. Lots of food for thought here, especially for writer not familiar with traditional copywriting techniques.
11. “The Secrets of a Killer Blog Post – [Infographic]”
This article is a combination of helpful suggestion along with a well-made infographic. Includes specific examples and recommendations.
Hopefully some of the resources listed above will help with making your posts a bit better, make your writing more efficient or effective, and help increase your engagement with your audience.
Conclusion
People only have so many hours for reading blog posts and online content. Better quality posts are more likely to get read. Having more readers leads to more website traffic and visitor engagement.
Writing quality blog posts is more than just crafting the body content. It also includes developing a strong headline and a powerful conclusion. Producing effective posts that will actually get read by your audience is not necessarily easy, but the benefits to a business can be substantial.
There is a wealth of additional information on writing more effective blog posts and headlines available online and offline (books). Each of the websites noted above provide other articles and resources beyond those listed here. Enjoy!
Here are some others you may enjoy (click title to read):
10 Common Small Business Blogging Mistakes