Writing blog articles - 10 x better and twice as fast (instructions)

 

You can set up a blog and you can write a blog article.

 

But can you also write perfect blog articles that are read and shared - and rank well on Google?

I have found a working method that helps me to write such great blog articles.

You have doubts?

Then take a look at the following articles:

10 good reasons why you should start a blog

23 surefire tips for more visitors to your blog - 2019 update

Writing TOP SEO TEXTS [tips and instructions]

I have either written or revised these posts using the method presented. They rank on page 1 and are often shared and read. And we have even more of these successful posts on our ithelps blog.

Here's how it works.

 

You've probably heard it before: search intent is the name of the game.

I'll start this blog article with an anti-thesis.

 

The searcher's search intent is not the most important thing!

What?

But everyone (gurus) claims the opposite.

I know. And I'll explain to you in a moment why I see it differently.

 

Why the searcher's search intention is not the most important thing in blogging!

Imagine the following:

A reader comes to your blog, reads the post - maybe even to the end - and then disappears again.

Goodbye.

See you never again.

Is that what you want?

No.

You want to achieve something by blogging. You're pursuing an intention with it.

• To build or strengthen your expert status.
• Introduce, present or promote your product or service.
• Social shares
• Newsletter entries
• Subscribers
  
  

Whatever it is, you intend to achieve something with your blog and posts.

And that, my friend, is the most important thing.

My thesis:

The blog owner's intention is the most important thing in blogging!

The searcher's search intention is important in order to rank well on Google, because the search engines want to provide their users with exactly what they are looking for.

That's a good thing and you should take this into account when creating your blog posts.

But what good is a good ranking and masses of traffic to your website if your content has no goal - no intention.

Therefore, the first step in writing a blog article is to

1. Determine the topic and intent of the blog article.

You need to know what you're writing about in order to know what you're writing.

Therefore, you should first determine a suitable topic for the article. You can read here if you need ideas for blog articles.

Once you have the topic, think carefully about what you want to achieve with the article.

You need to know what the goal - the intention - of the blog article is in order to get straight to the point.

Only if you know what you want to achieve can you lead the reader there.

Without knowing what you want to achieve with your blog article, you don't even need to start researching and writing.

That's a waste of time.

Therefore: Know what you want to write about and what you want to achieve with it!

Okay?

Then on with the text.

Of course, you also want your blog article to be found by readers. That's why you need to be indexed and well positioned in the search engines. The further ahead, the better.

To achieve this, you need to feed Google with the right keyword. So let's take a quick look at how to find the right keyword.

 

2. Find the right keyword

To give your blog article a chance of ranking at the top of the SERPs (search results pages), you should focus on a single keyword.

Don't fall for the temptation (and mistake) of trying to cover several keywords in one post.

Example: If you focus on the keyword "write blog articles", don't also include "start a blog" or "make money with your blog".

You can write your own blog posts about that.

Just like we did with "How to start a blog - in just 7 easy steps" and "How to make money with your blog in 2018".

If you want to write a good blog article, you need focus.

• On what you want to achieve with your article and
• on a single keyword (including LSI keywords)

 

What are the characteristics of a good keyword?

It has a good search volume (number of monthly search queries) and little competition.

So the first thing you do is think of a few keywords or keyword phrases that match the topic of your blog article.

Then analyse and research them.

This research is about 3 essential things:

1. The aforementioned search volume and how competitive the keyword is.
2. The search intent of the searcher (yes, now this is also important)
3. Semantic terms (relevant, topic-specific words and phrases)

 

Tools and options for keyword analysis/research

I only use free tools for this. In my opinion, that's all you need.

I recommend the following tools for analysing or researching your keyword:

1. Search volume: Ubersuggest, Google Keyword Planner
2. Search intent: Google SERP
   • Analyse the TOP 10-20 in the search results
   • Briefly click through (it's only about recognising the intention)
3. LSI keywords: Google Suggest & similar search queries, WDF*IDF tools

 

How to find out the search volume of your keyword

Go to Ubersuggest and enter your keyword and target country. Click on "LOOK UP".

The tool then retrieves the results from Google Keyword Planner and Google Suggest and presents you with the search volume and other interesting data on the keyword.

 

I won't go into the Keyword Planner now.

If you are only interested in the search volume, you don't really need it, as Ubersuggest sucks the data from the Keyword Planner.

If you still want to look at it, you can find an instructional video on: What are keywords - [SEO Basics].

Let's look at the next point - search intent.

 

How to find out the user's search intent

This is the easiest task. Just go to Google, enter your keyword in the search box and click ENTER.

Google will then show you the first page of search results.

 

Now go through the first 10 results and take a quick look at the content. What is being written about and how is the topic covered?

• Are they mainly detailed blog articles?
• Or are they sales pages?
• How-to guides?
• Listings?
• etc.
  
  

Whatever you find, it's what Google interprets as the user's search intent based on constant monitoring and tracking.

It's what Google says searchers want to find. And that's why you should depict precisely this content in your blog article and deliver it to users.

Only then do you have a realistic chance of achieving a top position in the Google SERPs.

Once you have completed this step, it's time to show Google that your blog article is really relevant for the keyword.

How do you do this?

Through LSI keywords. Semantic words and phrases that match your topic.

 

How to find LSI keywords

I'll tell you something now.

If you follow the next step in this guide, you won't need to worry about semantic words and terms at all. You'll have them in your content almost automatically.

Nevertheless, I'll show you how to research LSI keywords.

Again, go to Google and enter your keyword in the search mask. Don't press ENTER yet.

The search engine will provide you with suggestions as you type - the so-called Google Suggests.

 

In the Google Suggests you will find one or two semantic terms and, which is also an advantage, some ideas for subheadings. But we'll come to that later.

If you click on ENTER, you can then scroll all the way down. There you will find the "similar search queries".

 

You will also find LSI keywords in "Similar search queries to...".

This concludes the keyword research and we move on to the next step.

A particularly important, particularly interesting and creative point.

The headline.

 

 

3. Create an enticing, meaningful headline

The headline (H1 or title) is the be-all and end-all of your blog article.

It is a promise to your reader that you then fulfil in the text.

The advantage of defining the headline at the beginning is that you give yourself a direction.

It makes a difference whether your title is: "How to achieve your bikini figure in just 3 months" or "Why you should avoid these 7 foods when losing weight"

But no matter which headline you choose, it must fulfil the following requirements:

The headline of your blog article must:

1. Grab attention (see AIDA model)
2. Contain a promise (which you fulfil in the article)
3. Be SEO-optimised
   
   

For this reason, pay attention to the following criteria for your headline:

• Must have
  • Keyword (exact match, at the beginning)
  • Benefit (bikini figure, free download, never be hungry again, etc.)
• Recommended
  • Quantifiers/numbers (10 tips, 7 ways, in 14 days etc.)
  • Modifiers/defining words (2018, checklist, guide, best, complete etc.)
• Nice to have
  • Entertainment
  • Creativity
    
    

Create at least 10 drafts of your headline.

Tweak the headline!

 

 

For this article, for example, it was these:

 

From your drafts, you then choose the title that you think is the strongest.

I chose this one:

Writing blog articles - 10 x better and twice as fast

It contains the keyword, benefits for the user and is attention-grabbing.

Let's move on to the next point.

You haven't discovered anything new so far?

Then take a close look at the next step.

 

4. Collect material - research - inspiration

Now we come to the point where my approach differs from that of many other blog article writers.

Most people would now say:

Research for all you're worth

In order to familiarise yourself more deeply with your topic, not forget any details and generally find reputable sources for your claims, extensive research is necessary.

To research correctly, quickly and easily, you should follow these steps:

• Enter various search terms in Google
• Look at the first 100 search results
• Search through suitable pages, magazines and blogs
• Scan hundreds of websites
• Read and familiarise yourself with the topic

 

I say: what a waste of time.

 

Collect material - don't reinvent the wheel

Basically, all the information on any topic you can think of already exists. Start a Google search (on anything) and you'll find thousands of pages about it.

Joanna Wiebe of cobyhackers.com, a copywriter since 2004, says: "Writing is not about writing. Writing is about putting other people's ideas together."

I add: ... and interpreting those ideas your way.

The reader doesn't care where you got the information or how you got it. He or she wants to find and consume the information as quickly and completely as possible.

It's like academic writing.

Your idea or what you know is in most cases not enough to fully cover a topic. Your interpretation of other people's ideas is the secret to a perfect blog article.

What is the idea behind this approach - and also the advantage?

• By collecting other people's content (headlines, ideas, quotes, studies, etc.) you ensure that you cover all areas of a topic (including the LSI keywords mentioned earlier).
• Through your own interpretation and additions (case studies, own experiences, etc.), you then turn it into unique content.
• And by the way, you will always learn something new while writing blog articles.
  
  

Brian Dean's Skyscrapper method is based on a similar principle.

Vladislav Melnik from chimpify.de also writes in one of his blog articles: "For example, steal my headlines and put them in your own context. It's a smart shortcut to success."

 

 

This is how you go about collecting ideas:

Go through the TOP 10-20 again. Study them and copy out all the important passages.

Headlines, quotes, data, sources - everything that will help you write your perfect blog article.

You should check that data, figures and statistics are up to date. If they are no longer up to date, update them.

What do you do with this material?

• Copy it into a Word document, sorted by keywords (tags)
• Import into Airstory (cool tool, be sure to check it out)
  
  

Take enough time for this, the more detailed you research and collect, the more complete your blog article will be.

Once you have collected enough material, the next step follows:

 

5. Determine the article format

Determine the article format based on the findings from the analysis of the TOP 10-20.

The following formats have proven successful:

• List post (The 10 best...)
• Instructions (How to...)
• Field reports (My experience with...)
• Case studies (How I... in just 14 days)
• (Expert) interview (What ... says about ...)
• Guidebook
• FAQ articles
• etc.
  
  

Sylvia Fritsch from prspionin.at has compiled a list of 111+ content formats and blog article ideas in her article Finding topics and content formats. You're sure to find something for you there too.

And further...

6. Create your subheadings (subtopics)

Research the subtopics and use them to create subheadlines.

Use for this:

• Your collection of materials
• AnswerThePublic
• Google Suggest & similar search queries
• Analyse the TOP 10
  
  

You can find out how to use these tools in our article TOP SEO copywriting.

 

7. Determine the structure of your blog article

Determine the structure of the article by sorting the subheadings.

Sort by:

• Relevance
• SuVo
• Red thread (logical order)

 

8. Inserting and editing the content

Once you have finalised the structure, you can easily and conveniently fill it in with the collected material from point 4.

Insert the collected content, assign it to the subheadings and sort it again if necessary.

Once you have finished, you have your blog article blank.

Now take it chapter by chapter and formulate the material in your own words. Add any missing content and give it your own interpretation.

Then read your draft aloud and note what you could improve.

Ask yourself:

• Do the sentences sound right?
• Are the sentences grammatically correct?
• Have I written in a pleasant conversational tone?
• Does the writing make sense?
• Are there any superfluous things I can delete?
• Do I need to add anything else?
  
  

It is very important that your blog article reads or sounds as if you are talking to someone else. So write in the first person and avoid phrases like "you should" or similar.

Also remember that you are only writing for one person. Here is our blog on the buyer persona.

 

9. Fill in the gaps

After reading your blog article, you will have noticed one or two gaps in the content.

Don't worry, this is completely normal.

Go back to Google and research the missing content. Fill in the gaps so that your content covers everything the user wants to find.

 

10. Write a conclusion that invites the reader to take action

This is called a call to action (CTA).

Use the summary, the "conclusion" or the "conclusion" to remind the reader of the most important points and suggest the next step.

This could be:

• Leave a comment
• Subscribe to the newsletter list
• Read a further blog article
• Take up a specific offer
• Share the blog article on social media
• etc.

 

11. Format your text

Next, you need to format your text.

In this step, you highlight important words and text passages in bold and make sure you have the right paragraphs.

One paragraph per idea or thought is a good formula. Be generous with paragraphs and white space. Light, airy text is more pleasant to read.

The advantage of marking text in bold is that readers recognise the important content as soon as they scan the page.

 

12. Give yourself a break

Your blog article should now be almost finished.

Take a break.

I usually sleep on the text for a night. That gives me a little distance. Otherwise I'm kind of blinded.

The next day, or at least after a few hours, with the necessary distance, you will notice mistakes or inconsistencies that you can correct before you integrate the text into your blog.

 

13. Check your spelling

There's nothing worse than a well-researched (or compiled) blog article that's full of spelling and grammatical errors. At least I don't like it at all.

Imagine a potential prospect reading your post, realising the inadequacy and leaving your site again without having seen your offer at the end of the text.

You don't want that.

So make sure you check your text for impeccable spelling and grammar.

How can you do this?

Words with its integrated spell checker can be a great help.

There are also online tools you can try out.

https://rechtschreibpruefung24.de/ and https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibpruefung-online

But you don't have to be more pontifical than the Pope.

Mistakes are human. Nobody will be angry with you for a few spelling mistakes. As long as there aren't too many.

 

14. The final overview and fine-tuning

Read through your blog article again with the question in mind: Have I fulfilled my mission?

• Have you really thought of everything your readers need to know to solve their problem?
• Are there a few more tips?
• What else could be helpful in this article?
• What else does the reader need?
• Is the blog article written in such a way that it might even create a longer relationship with the reader?
• Would you as a reader be satisfied with the article?
• What could you leave out? What only steals the reader's time?
  
  

Add, correct, delete, change until you are completely satisfied.

 

15. Integrate your text into your blog

Now you need to integrate your pre-written blog article into your WordPress blog (or any other CMS).

This usually works quite well with copy-and-paste. Nevertheless, check the formatting of the headings and the article structure to be sure.

 

16. Place links in your article

Once the post has been inserted, you can add links to further information and sources of information.

These can be internal and external links.

Link to at least 3-5 of your own relevant blog articles and one of your service pages or offers.

You also link to several external pages relevant to the topic. You can read why here in our blog about Google E-E-A-T.

 

17. Use suitable images

To break up the text even further, look for suitable images to support your text.

Take screenshots or go to image portals such as pixabay.com. There you will find free images that you can use if required.

Also think about the featured image of your blog post.

Pay attention to the licence terms when using third-party images. You can often use the image if you link to the licence holder. With Pixabay, you do not have to provide any information.

If you can, create the graphics yourself. Then you don't have to worry about usage rights.

Don't forget that you should also optimise your images for search engines.

 

18. Click on the "Publish" button

Now the time has finally come. If you're happy with your blog article after a final check, then you're ready to hit the "Publish" button:

 

One click and the perfect blog article is published, ready to be read and shared.

 

19. After publication is before promotion

I'm sure you know that the work isn't over yet. Now it's time for promotion and content seeding.

Distribute your blog post on social media platforms. Where your target readers are.

But that's another story.

Today we're looking at writing the perfect blog article. 10 x better and twice as fast.

 

Writing blog articles - checklist

I've put together a checklist for this guide. You can download it, print it out and tick it off point by point.

It's absolutely free. You don't even have to enter your email address.

Of course, it would be nice if you could sign up for our newsletter at the end of the article so that we can let you know when there's more interesting information for you. But it's not a must.

Download the blog article writing guide checklist as a PDF.

 

 

The final question remains:

Why do you have to write blog articles that are 10 x better than all the others?

The battle for first place on the first page of the Google ranking, for website visitors and their favour and trust, is getting tougher and tougher. Alongside backlinks, content is the most important ranking factor. Good content is no longer enough. It has to be better - 10 x better.

 

What is 10 x better content?

The content of your blog article must be super useful.

You need to write blog articles that are complete.

The reader must find everything they are looking for.

And even more if possible.

 

How to write better blog articles in the long term

1. Know your target audience
2. Know your persona
3. Write only for your readers
4. Research and collect material (the more, the better)
5. Write clearly structured blog articles
6. Write simple sentences in a conversational tone
7. Collect content when you find it interesting (e.g. with Evernote or Pocket)
8. Keep and use swipe files

 

What is a swipe file?

A swipe file is a collection of:

• enticing headlines
• interesting text passages
• tempting calls to action
• etc.

In a word, all the texts you can find that could be useful for your blog posts in the future.

Once you have collected these texts, all you have to do later is put them into context.

 

Now it's up to you to write perfect blog articles

I've shown you what you need to do.

You may already know a lot of it. Some things may be new to you.

 

 

FAQs: Frequently asked questions about blog articles and how to write them better and faster

How do I write a good blog article?

Good blog articles are characterised by the fact that they offer added value by not only providing answers to the search query, but also answering other possible questions. You can recognise how good a blog article is by the fact that photos, video, graphics, GIFs, audio etc. are also used throughout the text.

How long should a blog article be?

A blog article should be as long as necessary. A length of 1500 words can be used as a guideline. If a search query can be answered in a shorter blog post, this is also fine. Large and detailed blog articles can even exceed 3000 words.

How often should you write a blog article?

It depends on the topic as to how often blog articles should be written. For current topics, a blog article can be written several times a week. If you want to write longer and more detailed blog posts, one entry per week is sufficient. A routine is the most important thing here.