The 4 Staples of High-Quality Blog Writing
So much of blogging is about monetization, marketing, design, and SEO that we sometimes forget the actual point of our web creation. For the most part, we blog because we love writing and we think we have something worthwhile to contribute to the blogosphere. Blogging is as much about making money as it is about entertaining and informing people. Though most blogs start out as testaments to our writing and our thoughts, things can often become fogged up by the excitement of making money online and gaining popularity. Even with amazing site design, outstanding marketing tactics, and successful SEO techniques, without high-quality content a blog has very little chance at survival. Perfect these three writing staples to ensure that your content is as successful as it can be for an online audience.
Create Something Useful
Everything comes down to how important your blogging topic is. If you are not writing about something that is worthwhile and useful to some sort of audience out there, it is going to be extremely difficult to gain any sort readership or revenue. Work to create posts that serve an actual purpose. You must create posts that are focused on your readers. Do not write solely for yourself, your ads, or your niche; always consider your audience and cater to their interests and desires. Some of the posts that are the most successful from a profit viewpoint are those that help your readers achieve something. Provide your readers with worthwhile and practical tips. In other words: Work to write a post that can be used as a resource.
Write Clear and Snappy Headlines
After you have finalized your useful and practical topic you have to come up with an attention-grabbing headline. A good strategy for headline writing is to first write a title that is very literal and explanatory. Create a title that clearly explains exactly what you are writing about. For example, if you are providing your readers with creative ways to lose weight, title the piece “10 ways to lose weight”. After you have written the piece and read through it a few times go back to your headline and revise it. Switch out words and add things to make the title really stand out. You want to create a title that is clear and concise, but also exciting and alluring. So, for the title of the weight loss article try adding a few interesting words and unique structuring. Something like “Weight Loss Reinvented: 10 Useful Tips to Shed Some Pounds” is both clear and enticing. Blog writing is in many ways like journalism. You need to create headlines that make people want to read.
Make it Scannable
Having a post that is easy to read is essential! A web audience is much different from a traditional media audience. You need to create posts that are easy for them to follow visually. With all of your writing being displayed on a computer screen, large blocks of text and small print can be extremely difficult to manage. Create posts that are well organized and easily scannable for your readers. This means break things up, use numbers, use bulleting, and include subheadings. A web reader likes to scan through a post before they commit themselves to reading the entire thing. So, if your post is not easily scannable, it is likely you will lose some of your audience. Try to structure your posts in an outline form. This will make it simpler for you to compose your piece and easier for your reader to sweep through.
Have a Clear and Concise Style
The final, and possibly most important, pillar in blog content writing is your style of writing. It is essential that your pieces are not only clear and concise, but both practical and useful as well. With too much fluff and wordiness they will simply lose their interest and become unfocused. Be straightforward with your diction and correct with your syntax. For the most part, readers enjoy writing that is easy and conversational. You should write in the same way that you speak. Don’t use too much technical jargon or academic prose in your posts. Generally speaking, you want your tone to be easy-going and approachable. Of course, everyone has a different tone and style. Some bloggers may want to create a blogging voice that is highly academic or highly abrasive. But, with whichever tone you choose, try and adapt it to your audience – while maintaining the aforementioned qualities.
Author Bio: This is a guest post by Nadia Jones who blogs at online college about education, college, students, teachers and saving money. You can reach her at nadia.jones5[at]gmail.com.
