How to Write a Blog Post (for beginners)

Producing engaging, informative, and relevant content is the best way to drive traffic to your website, though it can be time-intensive. Articles should be carefully crafted to deliver valuable insights, rather than rehashing outdated themes overloaded with keywords. If you’re committed to blogging, aim to uphold a high standard in every piece you publish.

Start by deciding how frequently you want to publish new content. If your goal is to post several times a day, focus on creating short to medium-length posts. For a schedule of one to two posts per week, consider producing longer, more comprehensive articles. Keep in mind that search engines often adjust their crawl rates based on the consistency of your updates. This means if you post frequently, your site may be indexed more regularly. Additionally, search engines tend to favor longer posts, as they are often seen as more informative and valuable.

Guidelines for Blog Post Lengths and Frequency:

a clear posting strategy, you can better plan your content creation and align it with your goals. Of course, if you prefer to post less frequently, such as once every few weeks, that’s perfectly acceptable too. Just remember that while this approach might result in less traffic, it may suit your specific objectives or target audience.

2. Choose a Topic

To maximize the effectiveness of your blog, it’s crucial to choose topics that align with both your brand and your target audience. Keeping your blog posts focused on your website’s niche helps ensure that search engines recognize and associate your site with relevant topics.

For instance, if your website specializes in French cooking, consistently writing about French cuisine and related subjects will strengthen the search engine’s association with your site. Conversely, posting about unrelated topics, such as a vacation to the Maldives, can dilute your site’s relevance and negatively impact your search engine rankings.

However, if SEO isn’t your primary concern, feel free to explore any topics that interest you.

If you ever find yourself struggling for ideas, Google Trends can be a valuable resource. By browsing trending search terms, you might discover topics that can be creatively integrated with your niche. Search engines are particularly attentive to new content related to popular trends.

3. Research

Once you have a solid idea for your blog post, it’s time to begin your research.

Start by conducting a few searches on your topic to see what similar articles are out there. This can help you determine the angle of your post and identify any gaps in the existing content that you can fill.

Including data and statistics from reputable sources can greatly enhance your article. These facts can support your arguments or provide evidence for the points you’re making. Be sure to properly cite any references and include links to the original sources.

Outbound links to authoritative sites also improve your SEO. Linking to credible sources like Wikipedia, well-known periodicals, or reputable news outlets can positively influence how search engines evaluate your content. Make a list of reliable web pages to reference when writing your article.

4. Create an Outline

I find that writing a blog post becomes much easier when you start with an outline. It helps you stay focused on the narrative you want to convey and allows you to organize your thoughts into a more cohesive and digestible format.

Begin by drafting a title and a brief introduction. This introduction can be expanded later as you flesh out the rest of your outline. Your title should serve as the preliminary hook for the article. Strive to make it exciting and alluring, something people will want to read. The introduction should also be just as captivating, encouraging readers to continue.

Next, list your main points. These will serve as the key sections of your blog post, with each main point becoming the heading for a different section.

Use subheadings under each main point to further break down the content and provide additional structure.

As you outline your main points, you’ll likely think of additional sections to add. You may also find yourself rearranging these points to create a logical flow. This process greatly aids in the overall composition of your blog post.

5. Write the First Draft

Once you’re satisfied with your outline, start writing your first draft. Expand on your introduction and flesh out each main section with detailed content.

At this stage, don’t worry about making it perfect. Focus on getting all your ideas down on paper in one go. Avoid the temptation to refine every sentence as you write; this can significantly slow down your progress. Remember, you can always edit and polish your draft later.

Once you have your content written, add a summary or a conclusion to tie all the information together in a neat little package.

It’s also advisable to write the first draft yourself, without relying on AI. Your content should reflect your own thoughts and voice. Use AI tools primarily for grammar checks and refinement, rather than for generating the initial draft.

And don’t forget to add your relevant links by selecting appropriate snippets of anchor text to use as the link. And make sure these links open in a new tab or window rather than on the same page.

6. Edit and Revise

With the main content of your article written, it’s time to meticulously review every word and sentence. Revise for clarity, correct typos, add new ideas and remove anything that doesn’t quite fit. This process may require multiple rounds of editing before you’re fully satisfied with the final piece.

A helpful tip for improving the flow of your writing is to read it aloud. Often, what sounds fine in your head may come across as awkward or unclear when spoken. Reading aloud can help you catch these issues and refine your wording.

For typos and grammatical errors, use editing tools to assist you. Grammarly is a free tool that I use frequently to help with proofreading. Additionally, AI tools can be useful for rephrasing sentences to enhance readability and improve overall content quality.

7. Add to WordPress

SEO

Before uploading your article to WordPress, ensure you have an SEO plugin installed to give your post a boost when it goes live. Log in to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to “Plugins” > “Add New,” and search for “SEO.” I recommend installing and activating “Yoast SEO,” but there are other options available. Most SEO plugins are user-friendly and easy to set up.

Next, go to “Settings” > “Writing” and choose your preferred default editor for all users. You can also enable the option for users to switch between editors. Be sure to save your settings.

USING THE GUTENBERG EDITOR

If you are using the Gutenberg editor, navigate to “Posts” > “Add New.” Enter your article’s title in the “Add Title” field. Below, where it says “Type / to choose a block,” paste your article. Use the toolbar that appears to adjust formatting as needed. When you are satisfied with the content, click “Save Draft” in the top right corner.

USING THE CLASSIC EDITOR

To add a post using the Classic Editor, go to “Posts” > “Add New.” Enter your title in the Title Bar, and paste your article into the main content area. Use the editor’s toolbar to adjust formatting if necessary. Once your post looks good, click “Save Draft” on the right.

CATEGORIES, TAGS, SEO

On the right side of the editor, you can choose categories and tags for your post. You can also add new categories if needed, but try to keep categories broad and reusable to avoid overly specific or numerous categories.

In the SEO section below the article, add an “SEO Title” if it differs from your main title and a “Meta Description” using relevant keywords. If you’re using Yoast, this section will guide you through the process.

The “Slug,” which is part of your URL, is typically auto-generated. Only change it if you know what you’re doing.

Finally, don’t forget to click “Save Draft” once you have completed all these steps.

8. Add Visuals

Start by adding a featured image, which will appear at the top of your blog post and may also be displayed in search engine results. Ideally, this image should include the title of your article embedded within it. WordPress recommends a size of 1200 x 628 pixels for featured images.

To add a featured image, locate the “Featured image” section on the right side of your draft editor and click the button to upload or select an image.

When uploading a new image, be sure to fill in the “Alt Text” field. This should provide an exact description of the image, which is important for accessibility as it helps visually impaired users who rely on screen readers. Additionally, include a relevant keyword or phrase in the description to boost SEO.

After entering the “Alt Text,” click outside the text box to save it, then click “Set Featured Image” to finalize your choice.

Incorporate additional images throughout your blog post to make it more engaging. Use the editor’s tools to align and position these images as needed. Remember to add “Alt Text” for each image, including an accurate description and a key term to improve both accessibility and SEO.

While stock images are perfectly acceptable, it’s beneficial to customize them slightly to make them more unique. If you don’t have access to a stock photo account, Pixabay is a great resource for free images.

9. Finalize and Publish

Review your post thoroughly by going through it several times to make any necessary edits or improvements. This process ensures that your content is polished, free of errors, and presents a clear and engaging message to your readers. Take your time to refine your wording, check for grammatical mistakes, and ensure that your points are logically organized and easy to follow.

Once you are satisfied with your post and confident that it meets your standards, click “Publish” to make it live on your website. After publishing, view the post on the front end to double-check that all formatting looks good. Pay close attention to how images, headings, and paragraphs appear to ensure a seamless reading experience across all devices.

Next, share your newly published post on social media platforms to reach a wider audience. Craft compelling social media captions and include relevant hashtags to attract more readers. Engage with your followers by encouraging them to share their thoughts or share the post if they find it valuable.

Finally, track the performance of your post using tools like Google Analytics or other traffic monitoring plugins. Analyze the traffic, user engagement, and social media shares to understand how well your post is resonating with your audience. This data will help you refine future content and optimize your blog strategy for better results.