How to Blog Correctly

Still staring at that blank page, unsure of how to start writing? The questions running through your head are probably: What do I write about? How do I write it in a way that will be interesting to the reader? Will anyone actually read this? In this post I will outline a handful of tips that will help you with the process of how to begin blogging successfully. Yep, that’s right, this is a blog post about blogging.

Why Write?

Blogging can be a daunting task for anyone who doesn’t have experience in writing or social media. It takes time and effort to effectively blog. However, it can be a great way to attract more people to your website and get them more interested in your business. Providing informative blog posts will also prove to your readers that you have experience and knowledge in your field of work. You might even find it to be a fun and rewarding pastime.

Additionally, establishing a blog on your website can also help with search engine optimization, which is the process of getting your website listed higher on search engine results pages. If you focus on writing blog posts about things that are related to your business and its services, then your website will be more likely to appear in the results when someone is searching for something that has to do with your business.

Where to Start

Deciding What to Write

The hardest part is usually figuring out what to write about. It doesn’t just have to be interesting to the reader, but more importantly, it has to be interesting for the writer. If you’re not passionate and interested in what you are writing about then your reader will be able to tell, so they will also be uninterested. Try writing about topics you enjoy, or topics that you already have a lot of knowledge about.

Examples of topics:

  • If you are in the construction business, it could be about how to install tile correctly, or your opinion on a new piece of construction equipment, and why it is useful.
  • If your business is a gardening and outdoor landscape service, it could be about how to properly care for different types of plants, or your opinion on the use of pesticides.
  • If you are a doctor, it could be about a new breakthrough in medicine, and what it might lead to.

It can be anything from “How to” blog posts to “Why this is important” posts, as long as it is something you enjoy writing about, it will make the process a lot easier.

Pose a Question

A helpful way to start is by posing a question, then framing your blog post in the form of an answer. This is a good way of writing blog posts because the people who stumble across it will most likely be searching for the answer to a specific question they searched. This provides visitors information that is useful, shows that you are knowledgeable about your business, and can be an effective technique for drawing more people to your website.

Research

Even if you know everything about what you are writing, you should still spend some time researching the topic and what other people have written about it. While researching you might even find, or come up with, more questions to answer in your post. In addition, research can help you figure out how others have been successful blogging about the same topic.

The reader will most likely have little to no experience or knowledge of the topic, which is why they are seeking information, so it is important to be able to explain things in a simple way that is easy to understand. This is essential in providing the reader an enjoyable experience reading your blog.

Outline

Once you have your topic figured out, and complete your research, the next step is to create an outline for what you want to write about. Outlines are a helpful way to decide on the structure of your post, while providing specific goals you wish to accomplish while writing.

Introduction   

The intro is probably the most important part of any piece of writing, specifically because it’s crucial to grab the reader’s attention right away so they will be interested enough to keep reading. Try starting with a question, a quote, or an interesting fact.

Conclusion

You want to end your post in a way that will hopefully cause the reader to read your other posts, or even contact you about the services your business provides. The conclusion doesn’t have to be long, but should simply act as a way to sum up your post. Some good ways to end your post are with a question for the reader, a short and concise summary of your main points, or what the main takeaway point is of your post.

Format

Here are a few things to keep in mind about format while writing:

  • Headers and Sub-headers

Headers and sub-headers are good ways to break up your blog post into different

sections, making your post easier for the reader to digest. It also provides a

guide to what you will be talking about in each section. Shorter paragraphs, along

with separately titled sections, will make your blog look more appealing.

  • Punctuation and Sentence Length

Using proper punctuation will provide more flow to your post, allow you to form longer sentences, and make your writing more enjoyable to read. Furthermore, using varied sentence lengths also helps to improve the readability of your writing.

  • Lists

Lists with bullet points or numbers are a good way to provide information quickly and in an easy-to-consume format

  • Bold words

Using bolded words can be a useful way to show a specific point is important, just don’t go overboard with how often you use it, or else it will lose its effectiveness.

  • Images

Images are a good way to make your blog more visually appealing, while also providing breaks in the text, and giving the reader something to look at instead of read. Charts and statistics can also be easily presented through images, providing info that can reinforce what you are writing about.

Overall, starting a blog on your website can act as a great way to draw more people to your site, at the same time, getting them more interested in your field of work.

Just remember, write about topics that are personally captivating, while maintaining a specific purpose for writing, and your blog will attract more readers.

With all these things in mind, it is finally time to sit down, and start writing! Good luck!