Writing a blog post is similar to learning how to ride a bicycle. You may easily learn the physics and techniques of riding a bike. But you will quickly realize that actually balancing, getting the bicycle to move, and making it go where you want it to go is a whole different story.

 

 

The same goes with blogging, which is an important part of your content marketing strategy. The principles of writing a blog post are relatively easy to understand. But actually writing one can be quite tricky. You need to take into account a variety of factors such as identifying your target audience, honing in on their specific reading attitude, and the length of time they are willing to spend reading your article.

 

Here are the general rules of composing an awesome blog post that’s loaded with valuable content and enhances your authority and credibility in your industry.

 

1. Write topics that you are passionate about. 

The most provocative, powerful, and effective blog posts are written by people who are passionate about their craft. Readers can feel the writer's love and knowledge of his chosen niche. Thus, select a topic that you feel passionate about. By also including facts and first-hand experiences that back up your beliefs, you enhance your credibility and reputation as an expert in your field.

 

Avoid forcing yourself to write about a topic that does not ignite the fire in your heart. Your lack of passion will be quite evident in your articles.

 

2. Write using your own style. 

You are your own person, and you have your own views on particular topics. Create your own unique style and write from the heart. In the blogging world, there is no right or wrong way to produce your content. If you want an entire paragraph of questions to start your article, for example, then go for it! Your readers will appreciate your uniqueness.

 

3. Write for people first, not just search engines. 

A search engine is a program that searches and identifies items on the web that correspond to keywords or characters specified by the user. Advanced technology has allowed Google to do a great job of “comprehending” articles and rank those that are written with the reader in mind. However, the vast majority of your readers are still people. Yes, human beings! They make the bulk of your organic traffic.

 

Therefore, make your blog post-reader-friendly and make content that you yourself would like to read/share with others. Focus mainly on writing quality, readable, and easy-to-understand content that provides value to your readers.

 

There are SEO techniques that can be used to increase traffic to your blog. Things like keyword density or meta descriptions can be useful to your blog post. However, don’t write your blog in such a way that it only serves search engine algorithms. In fact, Google now penalizes bad-quality content designed solely for SEO purposes. Make sure you are writing for people.

 

If a lot of people read your content and share it with others, your article/website will consequently find its way to a top position within search engines.

 

4. Make sure your blog post is helpful. 

Readers are looking for articles that are useful or can provide solutions that address their concerns. Think about common questions that your readers may have and try to produce content targeted on helping answer those questions for your readers. The more helpful your content is, the more value people find in it and the more likely they are to share it with their friends.

 

Here are some great blog ideas to help you get started with your first few blog posts.

 

5. Research for more detailed or factual information. 

Readers look up to you as a thought leader, adviser, coach, or informant. Your credibility and authority within your industry improve as you blog more. However, all that suffer if you publish false or inaccurate information.

 

Research first, especially about facts, figures, and quotes. It is also a good (and ethical) idea to link back to your sources to validate claims, facts, figures, and statistics that you put in your blog.

 

With these important principles in mind, you are now ready to write effective, useful, and excellent blog posts.