How to Write a Smashing Blog Everyone Will Love
You read all this talk about Influencers and you may be asking yourself how to write a blog. When it comes to blogging there are two words that you have to live for: great content.
There are thousands of ways to grow traffic to your website, yet nothing beats the quality of your writing. Here you have 3 tips on how to write a smashing blog that everyone will love.
How long have you been blogging? How many ways do you use to promote your posts? How many platforms do you use to spread your reach?
If you need sometime to through your social media list, welcome to the group. And it seems to be a never-ending story. Every day a new awesome platform comes out and there we go again. But it was not always like that.
[Tweet “How to write a smashing blog everyone will love. #blogging #howtowriteablog”]
In the beginning it was all content…
If you have been around for at least 10 years like me, you probably remember that in the beginning it was only about the article itself. Blogs could be easily classified as personal or technical. Only a couple of them were somewhere in between. Back then, most of us never thought it could ever grow as it did. But it did!
… and then it became MORE!
Now we write, we share, we pin, repin, we tweet, we stumble and the list goes on and on. In all this evolution of widgets, plugins and social media sharing, one thing did not change though. No matter what you do to get your “voice” heard, unless you know how to write great content, it will not happen.
[Tweet “In the beginning is was all content, and then it became MORE! #blogging #howtowriteablog”]
I am sure you have a long list of qualities. You are cute, your kids are adorable and your images are (re)pinnable. I get it. But in the long run, unless you catch readers with the quality of the material you are sharing, it will all fade away. We get wrinkles, kids grow older and unless you revisit them on a regular basis, your pictures will look outdated at some point.
I am sure you do not want that. No blogger does! Isn’t it exciting to see some older entry getting new comments and shares? And why does it happen? Because whatever you wrote then was of great quality and people still feel motivated by it.
What do you have to do?
We have already talked about branding before. Now your job is to learn how to write smashing content to reinforce your brand strategy.
How to write a smashing blog everyone will love.
Take Your Time
One of the mistakes people make in the beginning is thinking all articles are written with the blink of an eye. It could not be further from the truth. No matter the subject or field of expertise, you will have to invest time, lots of it, in your post.
Think of a DYI or recipe blog, for example. Before writers even sit in front of their computers, they had already:
- planned what they were going to
- got the necessary utensils and ingredients
- made the good or dish they are going to write about
- took countless pictures and processed them
Even those who have been doing it on a regular basis for ages need time to put it all together. Also when there are more images than text.
So no matter how tempted you are just to bring something out, ask yourself if you would like to read it again in a couple of months from now. If it is not worth your own time, you cannot expect that it will be your reader’s. If it is not smashing, go back to the drawing board.
Edit, edit, edit
Typos are pet peeves on the blogosphere. It is true that we are all humans and some of us, like me, do not write in their native language. I understand. I am not judging you. Still whatever your reason is, there is no excuse to hit publish before proofreading your post.
There are many ways you can go through your text for typos and errors. By using a program like Word you can save yourself a lot of pain. It goes to recipe blogs as well!
For editing, I love using Hemingway. They have a totally free, no login online tool. It rates the readability of your text as well as suggests improvements. I bought the desktop version though (available for Mac and Windows) because it allows me to work offline. It is user-friendly and intuitive. There are other great editors on the market, but it is the only I have tested so far.
Reading your text out loud is also an interesting way to get the feeling of it. How do your words sound? Are you too fancy or too informal? How do you think your readers would react if they did the same exercise? Does your article sound pleasant to the ears? Did you miss the point anywhere? If you need more time to check it all over again, just do it.
Make use of SEO
When you look into your analytics, what do the numbers tell you? Where do your readers come from? What keywords are leading people to your site? Are they the ones you want to be found through?
That is where SEO (Search Engine Optimization) comes to play. I remember I read a lot about it when I decided to go self hosted, but it was overwhelming back then. Even though it was made clear to me that I needed SEO to grow, I did not pay any attention to it until the beginning of this year. And like you probably have heard it before, it made a huge difference in my blog’s traffic. If you want your blog or website to grow, SEO has to be your friend.
To write a smashing blog you need…
On May 25th, I will be hosting Google Hangout to go more in depth with the first steps about SEO to get you rolling. Make sure you join us here. Check the hours of the Hangout in your time zone on the event’s page.
But you do not need to wait until then. You can start getting ready for it right now. I want you to do the following:
- Write the 3 main topics you want to convey with brand
- Write 2-3 subjects for each of these topics
- Write at least one keyword for each subject
This is going to be your prep work. You can have it on paper or electronic, but make sure you have this information with you during our Hangout. We will need it to work some magic together.
[Tweet “To write great content you need time, must edit your blog and use #SEO. #smashingseries”]
How to write great content is easy when you know where to start. These steps will help you create a solid base that you develop afterwards. That is what will make people love your blog. Not only other bloggers like you. These will come for your link parties and for the exchange of comments (not only for that of course, but you know what I mean). Things start to get interesting when non-bloggers stop by your page as well. These are the ones who will convert and you should not forget about them.
Debbie in Shape is also going through a lot of changes and I am sure you do not want to miss the news.
When you sign up for the newsletter you will receive in your mailbox:
- tips on how to develop yourself, your blog and your brand
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What is your number one tip on how to write a blog? How do you write great content?
Have you already voted the poll on the Tip Tuesday Link Party? It is open until May 31st. Your opinion is very important to help me improve it. Thanks in advance for your feedback!
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I cannot wait to read your next smashing blog!
With this blog I am joining the following link parties:
Have a beautiful day!
#DebbieinShape
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