Most digital strategists will agree on one thing: Creating evergreen content for your website will help with your SEO. But it’s also a surefire way of creating an effective website that brings in sales and conversions. 

However, writing blog posts is not as easy as one might think. There are many factors needing consideration when creating content for your company’s blog in form of blogging tips.

It is not enough to just “post” something these days. Your stakeholders and potential customers need a reason to read on and visit the site frequently. If you draw them in and entice them to keep reading, well, your efforts are worth noting. 

Blogging Tips: Getting Started with Your Blog Post

First off you need to know your audience. When creating any kind of content, it is important to understand to whom you are communicating. So when creating a blog post, you need to start with an understanding of who you would like to read the post. For example, are you talking to other businesses directly or to consumers? This will affect your tone, the words you choose to use, and so much more.  

Have your endgame in mind. Why are you writing a blog post? What ROI do you hope to see from spending the time creating this content? Once you have your endgame in mind you can use that for writing the content and staying focused on only sharing information that will benefit your goal. 

Write a headline that will draw people in and make them want to read more. An easy way to do this is by looking at what other blogs and news sources are doing.  When writing a headline, try crafting 5–10 different versions of the same headline. The more you play with the words, the better you will get at creating clear, concise, and curiosity-invoking headlines that readers cannot resist. I like looking at sites like BuzzFeed and see how I might be able to emulate some of its titles. It is okay to look at other sites that have compelling headlines and use them as inspiration for yours. 

Make sure you have a good introductory paragraph. Write as though it was a conversation. What information do people need to have and why should they keep reading on? If you don’t give them a reason to keep reading from the start, you will have a high bounce rate on your site and it will affect your SEO rankings with Google. 

Break up the post with subheading and bullet points if possible. Most people today are scanners, so make sure to post concise, easily scanned content. This can be done by providing information in bulleted lists or numbered “quick tips.”

Make sure your content has value. Whether it is an invite to an event or information on a topic of interest, make it a compelling read. There needs to be something keeping the reader’s attention. There are numerous ways to do this. Some examples are providing tips and secrets for visiting certain places; showing them how they might save money on a service; or giving them insight into a topic you are an expert on. 

Now that you have some essentials for getting started here is a checklist you can use when writing and editing your evergreen content.

Use this checklist when you’re ready to edit your post:

• Tighten it up. Take out all unnecessary words, sentences, paragraphs, stories, etc. Include only what is absolutely essential to convey your message. Nothing more.
• Motivate; don’t lecture. Tweak any statements that hint of being the condescending professor. Make readers feel like you’re on their side.
• Add Emotion. Infuse your writing with passion, energy, and enthusiasm. If you’re bored with your topic, readers will be, too.
• Make it easy on the eye. Break up any large paragraphs (2–5 sentences maximum is your goal) and run-on sentences.
• Break it down. Clarify overly complicated wording. If you can’t say it simply, don’t write it. You don’t want to confuse your readers.
• Speak their language. Add examples or metaphors to make complex ideas feel more tangible and easier to digest.
• Check yourself. Remove any contradictory statements or repetitive ideas (trust me, they’re there).
• Don’t yo-yo. Ensure each sentence, paragraph and section drive the post forward toward the destination promised by the headline (no side routes or backtracking).
• Be smooth. Make each sentence and paragraph flow seamlessly into the next. Each sentence should be completely dependent on the ones before and after it or the transitions will feel choppy.
• Avoid sharp turns. Adjust any abrupt changes in topic. They’re jarring to readers.
• Keep it real. Don’t mimic styles that don’t come naturally to you. The more you write, the more you’ll find your authentic writing voice.
• Spark the senses. Be specific and concrete (describe things readers can see, feel, hear, smell or taste). Avoid abstract statements.
• Be firm. Avoid words like may, might, possibly and perhaps when delivering your advice.
• Be consistent. Make sure all points in a list belong to the same category. A list of steps should only list steps. A list of things should only list things, etc. This might sound like common sense, but this rule gets broken often.
• Remove weak words. Eliminate weak and flabby words. Replace weak verbs (e.g., “she went”) with more concrete, visceral verbs (“she walked”); replace passive voice and infinitives (e.g., “I like to look”) with active voice (e.g., “I like looking”); and replace weak adjectives (e.g., “good”) with strong adjectives (e.g., “wonderful”).
• Write using search terms. This is more of an SEO trick but still super important when creating blog content. Think about how people searching your topic speak. Use keywords and refer to things in multiple ways. An example of this is using the word blog, post, and evergreen content in the same post.
• Do the obvious. Fix any spelling or grammar mistakes. This is important so my rule is to always ask someone other than the original writer read it over. 
• Give credit where due. Make sure to site all information with its source if the content is not original to you. Providing links to other sources will also improve your SEO, so being honest has its perks in the World Wide Web. Who would have thought? 

If you don’t have time to create well thought out evergreen content for your website, consider hiring someone to help.

Most marketing firms and agencies offer content creation on a retainer or project fee basis. Just like any strategic marketing effort, creating content for your blog should be done the right way if you want to make waves. Schedule a meeting with us today by clicking here.