Write for the Web!
A piece of very simple advice I have employed for many a year, which still stands true to this day. Write for the Web! Use short paragraphs and more sparingly, even sentences. Bold the very important stuff and don’t be afraid of the return key. Visitors to your website will often have limited time and potentially short attention spans. They will be trying to find the information they require as quickly as possible. Create articles which are scannable and easy to digest.
Research Keywords for Ideas
Keyword research will likely give you a plethora of ideas of which to work from. Whether your niche is to wellbeing, technology or something more obscure, the same rules apply. Just putting your search term into Google will provide a number of options, but more detailed research will obviously pay dividends.
Use CTA’s (Calls to Action)
What is it you want from your blog post or article? What is it you’d like your readers to do off the back of visiting your website or blog? It’s helpful if this is defined before you even begin the writing process. A call to action can include newsletter signup, make a purchase of some sort, share the post with social media friends or download something from your site. Write with a purpose in mind.
Make use of Multimedia
The saying ‘a picture paints a thousand words’ can definitely be applied to the world of blogging. While I wouldn’t advise using pictures and videos purely to pad out an article lacking in substance, they can both be useful tools to enhance your blog. Using images to break up your text is well worth consideration, and making your own videos is a great habit to get into and an excellent skill to learn. There is also the bonus of not needing permission to use any media you produce yourself. Add videos to YouTube for an additional traffic stream.
Split Your Content
This is an approach I like to take, and something which can prove effective when it comes to retaining readers. If you have a great idea for some content which is going to provide serious value to the reader, don’t give it all away in one hit! Leave people wanting more, and split the article into different parts or posts. Assuming the reader has found your original piece of use, they are likely to return for potential second and third parts. Readers will bookmark your blog and be waiting for a notification of the next part in the series.
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