Let me start this post with some cold harsh truth:
“If you don’t structure your blog posts the right way, no one will be going to make it to the end of your blog posts.“
This is something that I have learned the hard way.
When I first started writing content online, most of my blog posts FLOPPED miserably.
I used to write big walls of text with no proper structure, no right approach, and no clear process.
Sure, the structure of a blog post isn’t the only thing that helps to rank well in search engines and make it successful.
But, having the perfect blog post structure is certainly necessary if you want your blog posts to get read and shared.
So today, I’ve decided to teach you exactly how to structure blog posts that both search engines and readers will love to rank and share.
How to Structure Blog Posts?
Nowadays, anyone can easily and instantly launch a blog and start publishing high-quality content.
But, to rank well in Google and drive organic traffic, you need more than just high-quality content.
Basically, you need a perfect blog post structure that you can implement on a consistent basis to rank well on search engines and appeal to your target audience.
Below, I have shared the complete, step-by-step process on how to structure blog posts that search engines and readers will love.
Step #1 – Introduction
Introduction is the most important part of a blog post.
This is where you need to hook your readers instantly and show some of your personality.
In other words, your goal should be to make your readers pick up on your personal brand, your voice, and your writing style.
When done right, it will make your target audience choose your blog over your competitors that provide similar information.
So, write a compelling introduction that not only catches people’s attention but also makes them want to keep on reading.
If you’re not sure how, here are some tips for writing blog post introductions:
- Share a personal story related to the topic: Doing so will not only hook readers right from the beginning of your blog posts, but it’ll also make them care about you and your brand or business, which is the key to establishing long-term relationships with your target audience.
- Mention readers’ problems & position your blog post as the solution:Another proven way to hook your readers from the beginning is to start off the introduction by mentioning readers’ problems in a relatable way and then present how reading your blog post will provide them with the right solution.
- Share some statistics that lead to the key point of your blog post:Whenever possible, share some statistics in the form of text, image, GIF, or Video. For example, you could start your blog post by sharing some statistics about the topic, leading into your personal story, and then at the end of the introduction, include some kind of transition that naturally flows to the main blog post content.
Step #2 – Body Content
First of all, do not make the mistake of creating giant walls of text like I did in my early days of writing content online.
In fact, before you even begin writing the content, I strongly advise you to first create headers to outline the main points in your blog posts.
In this post, for example, you can easily see that there are 3 main points:
Introduction
Body Content
Conclusion
These are the main 3 points of this post and that’s how I structure the content of all my posts.
Following this simple approach will not only make it a lot easier to cover the specific points in depth, but it will also help to create more comprehensive blog post content.
And, as a result, it’ll make the whole blog post writing process a lot less daunting.
Apart from this, you’ll also need to include other readability enhancing elements throughout the main body content of your blog post.
Here are some important tips to keep in mind while writing the body content:
Use Sub-Headings
According to a study by Microsoft, the average attention span of a human is 8 seconds, which is less than the average attention span of a goldfish.
The point is, most of your target audience won’t have the attention span to read your entire blog post. So, to retain their attention throughout your blog post, add sub-headings to allow them to skim read your post.
Besides this, sub-headings are also a good place to naturally add more of your target keywords.
Write Short Paragraphs
Long paragraphs make it harder for people to skim read.
Short paragraphs, on the other hand, not only make it easier for people to skim read, but they also make it easier to digest the content of your blog posts.
Moreover, long paragraphs also look awful on mobile devices.
Since Google now indexes the mobile version of websites, if your post looks awful on mobile, both desktop & mobile rankings for your blog post will suffer because of it.
Use Your Voice
Whatever topic you’re writing about, chances are it has already been written by many others.
So, how can you stand out from them?
The answer’s simple! – Use your voice.
The main USP of your blog posts is (and always will be) you. It’s your voice, your personal opinion, and your experiences that will help you stand out from others.
In short, write in a way that resonates with your personality.
Let the Length of Your Blog Post be What It Needs to be
There is no such thing as a blog post being too long.
Famous digital marketers believe that the sweet spot is in-between 1200-1800 words. But, even if your blog post is longer than that, it’s completely alright.
In fact, search engines love long-form content because they believe it’s more in-depth and therefore it will provide more value to readers.
Moreover, long-form blog posts also help to keep readers on your website longer, which ultimately improves your search engine rankings.
Step #3 – Conclusion (With Call-to-Action)
Some people only read the conclusion part to get the TL;DR version of a blog post.
So, it is important to summarize all the key points nicely in the conclusion of your blog post, much like you would in an essay.
But, at the same time, it is also equally important to include some kind of call-to-action.
This is mainly because people who are going to read your blog posts from start to end are also often going to be highly interested in sharing your content on social media platforms, signing up for your email newsletter, purchasing your products, and so on.
So, it’s extremely crucial to end your blog posts with a strong call-to-action so that readers take whatever action you want them to.
And while writing the conclusion part of your blog posts, keep in mind the following two things:
- Only include one call-to-action. The more call-to-actions you add, the lower the chances will be of readers taking any action.
- Make sure that your call-to-action is direct & clear.
Over to You!
Nailing the perfect blog post structure every time is difficult, but with practice, it get’s easier.
Besides, creating the structure of your blog post before you start writing will also help you plan out exactly what are you going to write.
This will ultimately enhance the readability of all your future blog posts and improve engagement.
So, did you find this post helpful? If so, share it on your social media so that it can be helpful to others too!
