If you're thinking about starting a blog, you're about to embark on a journey that'll allow you to share your thoughts and ideas.
But don't let the seemingly straightforward process intimidate you.
Before starting, it's important to understand the basics of blog writing.
There are many different types of blog posts, but successful bloggers all have one thing in common: the ability to capture their readers' attention and keep them coming back for more.
What Are The Things You Should Remember While Blogging?
Whether you're writing about your personal life, hobbies, or professional expertise, your goal should be to write engaging and informative content.
This article will share 29 things a blogger should take care of while writing a blog. So let's get started!
1. Know Your Audience
Before you start blogging, it's essential to take some time to think about who your audience is. Knowing who you're writing for will help you determine what topics to write about and what tone to use.
It's essential to consider your audience's experience level with your topic. If you're writing for beginners, you'll want to ensure your posts are clear and concise. If you're writing for experts, you can write in-depth.
No matter how good your content is, your blogging will be pointless if you don't know anything about your audience. Knowing your audience is the first and most important step to successful blogging.
Picking topics randomly based on what you believe your audience is similar to playing the lottery. You might win, or you might lose. But if you listen to your audience and create content that helps them, that's a guaranteed win.
So next time when you blog, ask yourself for whom you're writing. Put yourself in the shoes of your audience and then write accordingly.
2. Conduct A Thorough Research
The internet has a wealth of information, and it can be easy to assume that everything you read is true. However, this is not the case.
It's important to conduct proper research before writing a blog post to ensure that the information you share is accurate. This includes finding reliable sources of information and verifying the accuracy of the information.
Failing to do proper research can result in publishing inaccurate information, which can damage the credibility of the blog and the blogger.
One smart way of verifying the accuracy of information you're sharing can be using AI tools with a Fact-Check feature. These tools can help youdetect the claims and verify their accuracy in just a click saving a lot of time for you.
Unfortunately, many writers don't take the time to research their topics before writing.
3. Write Regularly
If you're a blogger or writer for a website or publication, you know how important it is to keep up with your blog. But sometimes, life gets in the way, and we can't always sit down and write when we want to. That's why it's important to have a regular writing schedule to ensure we're getting our thoughts down on paper regularly.
One way to stay on track is to use a content calendar. It can be as simple as a list of topics you want to write about and when you plan to write them. Or, if you're a bit more organized, you can use a tool like Google Calendar or Trello to create a more visual way to see what's coming up.
Even though there are many benefits to writing blogs regularly and frequently, doing so can help improve your writing skills and give you a platform to share your thoughts and ideas with a broader audience. Moreover, consistent blogging can help cultivate a following of dedicated readers who can offer insightful feedback and criticism. With time, this can help make your blog more successful.
One way to ensure that you're writing content regularly is through some assistance. You can take advantage of an AI blog generator that can help produce high-quality content in less time.
4. Start With An Interesting Opening Paragraph
One of the most important aspects of writing is the opening paragraph. It's the first opportunity to make an impression on the reader, and it should be interesting enough to engage them.
To write an effective opening paragraph, you must first hook the reader's attention with something interesting, such as a surprising fact or an intriguing question.
Once you have grabbed their attention, you need to give them a reason to keep reading by providing context for the story and introducing the main character or characters.
Here are a few things you can look at when writing an opening paragraph:
- Focus on the main idea of the piece.
- Use storytelling, statistics, quotes, power words, and sentences.
- Use the PAS copywriting framework to hook the user by showcasing a common problem and agitating it before suggesting a hint of a solution.
5. Make Your Content Engaging
If you want people to read your blog, you must ensure your content is interesting. That means writing in a way that engages your readers and keeps them coming back for more. Whether you're writing about current events, pop culture, or your personal life, find a way to engage your readers.
Use strong writing, humor, and storytelling to keep them coming back for more. Additionally, your content should be well-written and free of errors.
You can also use data in blog posts to establish your core argument and demonstrate why it's important to your audience or as evidence throughout the content. You should provide the audience with the main argument and proof with a takeaway.
The truth is that visitors to your blog seek solutions to their questions. You should consider the questions or problems that your audience is bringing to you. Those are excellent topics for writing. You scratch their back, and they'll scratch yours.
6. Make Your Blog Visually Appealing
Humans are visual creatures, and we're attracted to things that we find visually appealing. That's why businesses use marketing techniques that include visuals to attract our attention.
We are more likely to retain information that is accompanied by a visual. Our brains are wired to process information more effectively when presented visually.
It's important to ensure your blog looks visually appealing. A well-designed blog will help you attract keep, but good content will make them stay. Your blog's design and layout should be eye-catching and easy to read, using high-quality images.
As the average visitor time on the page is an important SEO metric, adding video content can help improve the time spent on the page. Furthermore, not as many individuals use videos in their blog posts. It's an excellent approach to stand out from the crowd and boost engagement.
7. Focus On Quality Over Quantity
It's no secret that the internet is full of content. So, how can you make sure that your blog stands out? The answer is simple: focus on quality over quantity.
Your readers will quickly lose interest if you publish new content daily, but it's full of typos, grammatical errors, and recycled information.
It's easy to get caught up in the numbers game when it comes to blogging, but it's important to remember that quality trumps quantity. So focus on creating well-written, thoughtful blog posts to engage your readers rather than pumping out low-quality content. Sometimes, less is more.
Recently Google also released a helpful content update to ensure that the blogs which are of high quality rank higher on the SERPs. Hence, it is important to maintain the quality of the blogs while writing.
8. Focus On Grammar
If you want people to take your blog seriously, you must consider improving grammar and spelling.
In today's world, first impressions matter, and poor grammar can give others the impression that you're not intelligent or don't care about details. With so much online communication, making a good impression with your words is crucial.
Your grammar and spelling show that you're professional and detail-oriented. It can also help you communicate more effectively.
It is advised to use free chrome extensions like Grammarly to ensure grammar and spelling correctness while writing.
9. Use A Strong Headline
Your readers will only give you a few seconds to make a good impression and engage them with your content. That's why it's essential to have a strong headline that accurately reflects the topic of your article.
A good headline will make people want to read your article, while a bad one will cause them to lose interest. One of the tips for a compelling headline is that it should be strong and direct. A good headline will pique their interest and make them want to learn more about what you have to say.
10. Proofread And Edit
No matter how well you write, everyone can benefit from editing and proofreading their work. It's especially true for bloggers, who often have to produce large amounts of content regularly.
It's important to edit and proofread your blog before you hit publish. It helps ensure that your work is free of errors and is of the highest quality possible.
Assuming you have already written a blog, there are a few things you can do to improve it before publishing:
- Use a grammar checker to edit your work for any grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors.
- Read over your blog again to check for clarity and coherence.
- Ask a friend to read your blog to catch any mistakes you missed.
- Outsource to a professional proofreader and editor.
11. Always Add CTA In The End
Adding a call to action (CTA) at the end of your blog can be a great way to encourage readers to take action on your message.
By adding a CTA, you can help prompt readers to do something with the information they just read, whether it's commenting on the blog, signing up for your newsletter, visiting your website, or making a purchase.
There are several reasons why adding a CTA to the end of your blog works:
- It gives readers a chance to take action on what they just read.
- It reminds them of what they learned and encourages them to share it with others.
- It helps you build relationships with your readers by providing a way for them to contact you directly.
12. Choose a Relevant Niche
There are countless blogs out there, and the only way to differentiate yourself is to choose and adhere to a relevant niche.
Remember, when you cater to all, you cater to none. So, it's always better to focus on a single theme for your blog.
But what exactly is a niche?
A niche in blogging is just a specific and focused topic around which all of your content will revolve. For instance, there are SEO blogs that talk just about SEO and all things related to it. Another example is the LongShot blog, which talks about blog creation using artificial intelligence since blogs form a big part of LongShot.
Once you've identified your niche, you'll be able to focus on your ideal readers and target them with your content.
13. Establish Partnerships
As a blogger, you must communicate and develop partnerships with other bloggers inside and beyond your niche.
Bloggers establish a well-knit community and routinely assist one another through link-outs, guest blogs, social shares, and so on. This is an excellent approach to broaden your network and leverage your partner's network to reach more audiences.
With some planning, you can develop a proactive social media strategy for multiple platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
The more comprehensive your network, the easier it is to promote your work, and the more opportunities will automatically come your way.
14. Being Aware of Technical Updates
Every blogger must grasp fundamental and technical SEO to stay updated on any changes that could affect their blog. This could mean staying up to date with the various search algorithm updates, like in the case of Google or other updates.
The good news is that several resources are available that provide tips and advice on the technical aspects of blogging. You could check them out and make changes to ensure your blog isn't affected negatively.
The even smarter way is to use tools like LongShot AI for writing which stays up to date with the changing Google's algorithm and help you rank high on the web.
15. Always Be Yourself
When starting a blog, the most crucial thing to remember is to be yourself and show your readers who you are.
You must create and convey your style and voice and not be afraid to express yourself.
You can again use LongShot AI's brand voice feature to maintain consistency with your tone and style of writing.
Write about what you enjoy and have fun.
16. Optimize your Blog for On-Page SEO
There are several things to remember while blogging if you want to optimize your blog for on-page SEO.
- Always focus on creating high-quality content relevant to your target audience.
- Optimize your images with keywords.
- Use keyword-rich anchor text.
- Link to other relevant blog posts and articles
- Use keyword-rich titles and descriptions, as well as tags and categories, to help improve your blog's visibility and searchability.
- Regularly update your blog and promote your content across social media and other channels to drive traffic and engagement.
By following these simple tips, you can ensure that your blog is optimized for on-page SEO and has the best chance of being found by your target readers.
One key point to remember is that Google's algorithm has changed from keyword oriented SEO to Semantic SEO. So, while it's important to use relevant keywords in the blog, it is even more important to create high quality and meaningful content.
You can also use LongShot AI's Semantic SEO feature to check the semantic SEO score of your blog and improve them further.
17. Build Backlinks To Boost SERP Rankings
Backlinks to your site are one of Google's most powerful indicators of a site's ranking. However, it's a lot of work but not challenging or complicated.
It involved just a matter of networking, developing solid relationships, and tailoring your content to those who can contribute links.
But if we talk about building backlinks naturally, it's all about creating amazing content that readers will link to themselves.
18. Focus on Content Distribution
After creating content, you might think your work is done, but that's just half of it. Content distribution is another game in itself and a significant one, mind you.
There are many platforms you can leverage to share content.
- Social Media
- Forums and Communities
- Website
- Paid Partnerships, etc.
One of the most common mistakes people make while promoting their content is that they only share it on social media.
It's vital that people don't limit themself to only one platform and instead explore more of them. One content can be repurposed into various formats. Leverage all of them.
19. Perform Regular Content Audits and Update
Not everything we post is evergreen in eternity. There are always fresh advancements, new ideas, new topics to write about, and new things that tie back to your prior work which might need to be updated.
As a result, doing frequent content audits is a great idea. Search engines and readers love a blog that's updated from time to time. It helps keep the content fresh and relevant.
And that's why updating previous content is one tactic almost every experienced blogger recommends.
20. Experiment With Your Fonts
While you may and should do everything to put your brand identity to full display, keep the fonts and typefaces readable.
Choosing the correct font makes a lot of difference to the user experience. Many renowned bloggers use the sans-serif font Roboto produced for easy reading.
And that also goes for the font size. Blogs with small fonts are harder to read. You must choose the perfect combination for your blog so users can easily read your content on different devices.
You can check out some of your favorite blogs and evaluate the font size they use, and then you can pick what works best for your potential audience. That or simple Google!
21. Make Proper Use of White Spaces
As a blogger, it's important to remember to use white space effectively in your posts.
White space is about breaking up your content, so your blog doesn't appear gigantic or a never-ending wall of text.
Similar to how including images can make your blog posts more enticing to readers, using white space can help you accomplish a similar objective.
Too much text can overwhelm readers, so break up your content with plenty of paragraphs and subheadings. White space can also help to highlight key points and make your post more visually appealing. So don't be afraid to use it!
22. Don't Strive For Perfection
There will always be more you can do to improve your blogs.
Once you feel that your blog post is good enough to post, just hit the 'Publish' button. You can update your blogs anytime.
But don't postpone your publish date to make your post perfect.
Remember, perfection comes in iteration. What seems perfect today might not seem the same tomorrow.
23. Write in a Conversational Tone
People prefer to talk and listen to real people.
So, while blogging, it's important to remember to write in a conversational tone. This means using language that's easy to understand and read and avoiding jargon or technical terms. It also means writing in a way that sounds natural, as if you're talking to a friend.
Keep these things in mind; your blog will be enjoyable to read!
24. Always Conclude your Blog
When you come to the end of your blog post, summarize your article's key points in a conclusion paragraph. This will help drive home the main points of your blog and give your readers a clear understanding of what they have just read.
Following are some things you can do in your blog's conclusion
- Restate the main points of your blog.
- Leave your readers with something to think about - a question, a call to action, or something else that will encourage them to engage with your content.
- Ensure your conclusion ties back to your introduction so that your readers feel like they've come full circle.
By following these tips, you can ensure that your blog ends on a strong note and leaves a lasting impression on your readers.
25. Focus on Internal Linking
If you're a blogger, it's important to focus on internal linking. This means linking your blog with other articles or pages on your blog.
Internal linking can help improve your blog's SEO and make it easier for readers to find the information they're looking for.
Here are a few things to remember:
- Make sure your links are relevant to the topic you're writing about. This will help keep your readers engaged and help them find the information they're looking for.
- Include a mix of links to different types of content (e. g., articles, videos, etc. ).
- Don't go overboard with the links; a few per post is usually sufficient. Too many links can overwhelm readers and hurt your blog's SEO.
- Ensure the links work! You don't want to add any broken or untrustworthy links.
- When you're linking to other pages on your blog, be sure to use keyword-rich anchor text. This will help improve your blog's SEO.
26. Format Your Blogs
Let's face it; people no longer read everything word for word.
Today's average internet reader skims. There is simply too much content and not enough time to do anything else.
This is where formatting comes into play. A well-formatted content allows visitors to quickly scan to evaluate whether the post is worth their time.
Here are a few things you can do
- Ensure your content is easy to read and digest. Breaking up your text with headlines, lists, and images can help.
- Pay attention to your typography. Use clear, easy-to-read fonts and give your readers enough white space to rest their eyes. You can also capture your audience's attention by using bold text in your content. But writing an entire paragraph in bold will make your content look ineffective, so use it properly.
- A well-designed blog can help make your content more engaging and visually appealing.
- Proofread your post before publishing it to catch any grammatical errors.
Keep these things in mind, and you'll be on your way to creating a successful blog.
27. Starting Building an Email List From Day 1
Money is in the email!
As soon as you start blogging, you should maintain an email list of all your subscribers. Believe it or not, it will eventually become your most important traffic and sales source.
If you're starting to build an email list, you should keep a few things in mind while blogging.
- Ensure you're offering something valuable to your subscribers - exclusive content, helpful tips, or access to discounts.
- Segment your list so you can send targeted emails to different groups of people.
- Don't forget to promote your sign-up form on your blog and social media channels.
28. Improve Your Blog Website's Load Time
Page load times are essential for running a business website, an e-commerce store, or a blog.
A website or blog's page load speed directly affects the user's experience. Though you won't find users celebrating a fast page, as it's a minimum expectation, they'll surely share their feelings if the page loads slowly.
Search engines like Google consider the page load speeds of your blog as a ranking factor in the SERP results.
We're sure you get the idea of its importance.
So, if you're looking to improve your blog website's load time, there are a few things to keep in mind.
- Ensure your hosting is up to snuff. A good hosting plan will make a big difference in load times.
- Optimize your images for the web by saving them at the correct resolution and format.
- Don't forget to minify your code by removing any unnecessary characters, like whitespace that can slow down your site.
By following these tips, you can ensure that your blog website loads quickly and smoothly.
29. Keep a Note on Blog Analytics
Looking at analytics is almost as addictive as scrolling through your Facebook news feed. It becomes much more addictive when you watch your statistics consistently grow. But it's important not to get lost in the sea of analytics.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to analytics data and blogging:
- All data is created equal. Some information is more reliable than others, so be sure to check the sources of your data. Consider all possible interpretations of your data before concluding.
- Track your pageviews and unique visitors. This will give you an idea of how many people are reading your blog.
- Check your bounce rate to learn how long people stay on your site.
- Look at your referral traffic to understand where your readers are coming from.
By tracking your analytics data, you can get a better idea of how your blog is doing and what areas you need to work on.
Conclusion
If you want to be a successful blogger, you should keep a few things in mind. We discussed 29 things that every blogger should follow.
By following these simple tips, you will be well on your way to becoming a successful blogger.