Can you believe it? 2020 is done, kaput, a part of history. You see, 2020 changed the business landscape with marketing becoming increasingly important to not only ensure success, but, for many, also survival. Considering this, you’re maybe looking at content marketing in 2021 to increase your marketing efforts? Then you know you need to write high-quality blog posts on a regular basis that are perfect and loved by Google. Without it, it’s almost impossible to succeed at content marketing.

Sure, you can post generic blog posts that don’t show up in any search results, but you won’t be doing your business any favors.  To prevent that, we’ll show you how to create blog posts that generate traffic, build your brand, and reach your target audience.

How to write a perfect blog post loved by Google

Let’s face it, if you write a blog post that don’t show up in search results, almost no one will find, let alone read it. But despite this, too many businesses and marketers fail in content marketing because they still write posts that no one reads. Here is a perfect example of what Donald Miller’s StoryBrand tells about marketing. Being a New York Times best-selling author and having tons of experience in marketing, he recommends some strategies that would be helpful in the process of providing value to your readers and succeeding in it.

It’s almost like those big budget movies that push the envelope, but no one watches. You know the ones we’re talking about and you don’t want your blog in that bin of lost blog posts that have no audience. So, it’s obvious why you would want to feature in the search results. And for that you need a plan that not only works for one post, but for any post you write. Call it a blueprint if you like on how to write a perfect blog post.

Find a topic

You can’t write a perfect blog post if you don’t have anything to write about, right? So, your first step is to find a topic. It may sound easy at first, but it’s more complicated than you think.

Sure, you could just think of something related to your topic or plug your topic into a random idea generator, and there you go. Despite the topic being so important, there are many marketers that still do this. No, you want to find a topic that’s relevant and that your audience wants to read.

But where do you find these topics? According to Backlinko definitive guide how to write a blog post:

• Keyword research. This can help you decide which topics are in demand that readers want to read. And you’re not just limited to Google or other search engines, you can also look at places like Udemy or Amazon to develop a topic that will get the most reads.
• Your competitors. What a place to look for topics? By seeing what your competitors are writing, you’ll get an idea of what’s popular in your niche. You’ll see what products your readers love to read about and what problems they are trying to solve. 
• Conference agendas. Look at what topics leaders in your industry are discussing at conferences. This will show you what your readers want to hear.
• Google Trends. Definitely look at what’s trending on Google. Higher trending means more readers and more engagement for your post.

By doing your research you’ll see what could work and what not. As a bonus, you may even stumble across a few blog examples that generate traffic.

Use a template

While we’re speaking of examples, let’s move on. Now that you’ve decided on a topic, you’ll start on your post. Depending on what you’re writing about, you can use a template to guide you on your way.

You can for instance write:

• A classic list post. These are the darlings of search engines because they distill a, sometimes complicated, topic into small chunks. 
• An expanded list post. Think of this as a list post on steroids. These posts give your reader not only a list that readers love, but also a lot more information on every item in the list. 
• The case study. These posts solve a problem your readers have and gives them something tangible to link to by using a real-life example. Also, it helps to establish you as an authority in your niche. 
• Tools of the trade post. Here you give your readers the tools to do something they struggle with. With it they find all the tools to solve their problem in one place. 
• The ultimate guide. These in-depth guides contain everything your readers want, or need, to know about a topic in one place.  
• The complete list. These posts take everything related to your topic and put’s it in one place for your readers to read. They don’t have to search for days for the information they need. 
• Product comparisons. By saving your readers time in researching whether a product is right for them or not, you provide immense value. 
• The myth debunker. Here you disprove some common myths with some agreeing and others not. One thing’s for sure, they’ll certainly share your content.

Depending on your topic and what message you want to convey, you’ll find a blog template that works. 

Hit hard with your headline

Your headline lays the foundation for the rest of your post so it’s important to get it right. Don’t just write a headline that fits with your topic, but rather do some research to see what works. For example, you could look at headlines that work and which phrases get the most shares. Simple tips to also improve your headline are to keep it between 12 and 18 words, use brackets and parentheses in it, and optimize it for emotional marketing value. These are proven ways to up your click through rate. 

Lead readers down the path with your intro

What’s the sole purpose of your blog’s first sentence? It’s simple. It’s to get your reader to read the second. And the second’s purpose? You guessed it, it’s to the reader further. According to Time Magazine, the average reader’s attention span is eight seconds. That means you’ve got eight seconds to convince your reader to read on. That’s a lot of work in little time. If it isn’t interesting, exciting, funny, or relevant, your readers simply won’t read it and your post will end up like those movies we spoke about.

The solution is simple: make your intro compelling to make your readers read on. It should set the tone for the rest of your post so that your readers know exactly what to expect. You wouldn’t read on if the first few sentences of a post are boring, would you?  Your readers wouldn’t either, so craft an intro that pulls them into the post.

Write, write, and write

Now that you’ve researched your topic, developed your headline, and crafted your introduction, don’t make your post fall flat with its content. Just like your intro, you want your content to be engaging. Readers love engaging content, and, more importantly, they love to share it. And sharing is where you get more readers, more engagement, and more leads.

Some strategies you can use to make your content more engaging are: 

• Short paragraphs. Readers hate staring at a wall of text. It’s hard to read, so stick to shorter paragraphs.
• Subheadings. These break your content up into smaller, easier digestible chunks that makes it easier to read.
• Active voice. Passive voice is weak so rather opt for an active voice that is strong, crisp, and clear. 
• Font size. Up your font size to keep your readers. If your font is too small, and you’ll lose your readers along the way. 
• Write like you talk. Keep your posts conversational to engage your readers. If you need to look up a word before using it, don’t use it. 
• Use visuals. Visual elements draw readers to posts and the content. So, use screenshots, pictures, videos, and charts in your posts.

Conclude in style

No, despite what many bloggers think, your conclusion shouldn’t just be a summary of your content. It’s far more important than that. It increases your chance of engagement and, after reading your post, motivates readers to comment or share your content.

With this in mind, it makes sense to transition logically to your conclusion so that your readers know it’s the conclusion. And don’t stop there. Remember, you want your readers to engage, so after your transition ask your readers a very specific question. This will lead you to including a call to action where you can ask your readers to comment or share the post. 

Get your search engine optimization (SEO) on point

There you go, you wrote a perfect blog post with a perfect headline and a captivating intro. But alas, there’s still more work to do. You’ll need to optimize your post for SEO to up the chances of readers finding your post. Here are simple simple things you could do to improve your SEO and make it easier for your readers to find your post.

• Short URLs. For proper SEO optimization, short uniform resource locators (URLs) work best. They help Google to understand your page’s topic and help readers decide what to click on in the search results.  
• Meta description. Although search engines don’t use your meta description for SEO, it sure helps readers to click on your result. Here you should include your target keyword and describe your unique selling proposition but keep your description within the 155 character limit.
• Keyword in your title tag. Include your keyword in your title tag for the best results.
• Keyword in intro. Also make sure you use your keyword once in your post’s intro.
• Internal linking. Include some links to older posts in your post and your SEO will love you for it. 

Keep in mind that the goal with your SEO strategy is to make your content easier to find and up your readership, so it’s vital to get this right. But also, keep it natural and flowing within your text.

It’s your turn to write a perfect blog post now

Easy, isn’t it? Now it is. With these steps you’ll be able to create content that will be a solid foundation to your content marketing efforts in 2021 and write a perfect blog post loved by Google. Which of these strategies will help you most in the next year? Please comment below.

This guest blog post was written by Moses Mehraban, a Storybrand consultant and copywriter at Creativeo. He has more than 15 years of marketing experience helping clients in a wide range of industries and sizes. You can connect with him on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter.