Five Quick Tips to Help You Blog the Right Way

There is a right way to blog…so they say. Do you find yourself getting hung up on that? Does it tend to discourage you from getting your words onto that paper or screen? Maybe you have this insightful message or brilliant thought and want or need to share it with the world, but all these rules just stifle that inspiration. It can be maddening! So how can we accomplish this with our blogs? How can we write what we want to write but still follow the rules so that people will actually get to read them? It’s actually not all that complicated believe it or not! With just a few small tips and tricks, your blog can be as good as any and be out there for all the world to easily find and read! And I’m here to show you exactly how to do it.

Your Purpose

First, let’s talk about your purpose for writing this blog. Maybe you are promoting your business, teaching a skill, telling a true-life story to help others, or just writing a beautiful fantasy. Whatever your blog is about, your purpose is to attract readers. You want them to find your blog when they go to search that particular topic. You want to be the expert in that field, whatever it may be.

The Rules of Blogging

In order to attract those readers and not let your words get lost in the abyss of the internet, you have to do a few of the following things:

• Choose a clear and searchable title for your blog – This is probably the most important of all the rules. As much as you want to use that clever, play on words, funny little saying you dreamt up, it is just not the time or place for it. Let me explain. Let’s say you own a clock making business, for example, and you are writing a blog for your website about the complexities of building a clock. You have the most charming titles in mind like “Buying Time” or “Taking Time to Make Time.” They are catchy, cute and seem so fitting for the topic, yet unfortunately, they won’t bring you any readers. See, unless people are searching those exact titles, which is not very likely, they are not going to land on your blog when they go to search that topic. What you want in your title is a simple phrase with the exact keywords someone might use when searching for clocks on the internet, such as “Where to Buy Clocks” or “Clocks for Sale”. Sounds a little boring, but it will bring people to your blog, which will then bring them to your website and hopefully entice them to finally buy one of your clocks!
• The first line in your blog should include that special keyword or key phrase – This is your next guideline to follow to help drive those readers to your blog. This one is pretty simple too. Once you have that clear and concise title picked out. Just pluck that keyword or key phrase you chose and place it right into your first sentence in some way. For example, in following along with our clock making blog, you might say, “Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes of where you buy a clock?” Boom, there it is, right in the first sentence, so when that phrase is searched, your blog will pop up and bring them to your words just like you wanted!
• Include your keyword in the header of another section within your blog – This is the easiest of all the rules. Most likely your blog will contain a few different sections. Give each section a short header that sums up what that passage is about. Then make sure to place your particular keyword or key phrase in at least one of those headers. It can be included in more, but just one will do the trick. This again, helps drive those ideal readers to your words and blog when they search your specific topic.
• Write 1,000 words – This may be the most difficult or the easiest part for some people to do. Whether it takes weeks to hit that mark or flows out easily, it really is important to try and get the length of your blog to 1,000 words or more. This will help your blog to rank higher in those keyword searches.

Search Engine Optimization

All of these guidelines make up what is called Search Engine Optimization or what is more commonly known as SEO. Sounds so intimidating and complicated doesn’t it? Let’s break it down. Search engines are the places we go to ask questions and gain information. We use them daily and probably way more often then we even realize. Some popular search engines are Google, Yahoo, Bing, Pinterest, etc., just to name a few. Optimization or to Optimize means: to make as effective, perfect or useful as possible. How beautiful and simple is that?! SEO can sound intensely intimidating and constraining but it is simply a guideline to help you put your important words out into the world in the best way possible!

Tips

When broken down, it is actually pretty simple. Although having guidelines or rules can seem somewhat stifling at times, organizing your writing enough to follow these will help your audience grow immensely. Here are a few different ways to achieve this goal, depending on what type of writer you are:

• Create an Outline – Start with the structure of your blog. Layout the title, headers and topics first. Once you have the backbone created, you can work on one section at a time expanding upon each topic. This technique will help you to stay focused without veering off topic and will help you to get the boxes of the rules checked off right away so that you don’t have to worry about them while you write the good stuff!
• Write Freely – Don’t think about any of the rules or guidelines and simply start writing. Get all your thoughts down onto that paper so that you feel satisfied that your message has been conveyed first and foremost. Then you can go back and organize your thoughts, add headers that fit each section and insert those keywords where necessary.
• Outsource – If all you have is a brilliant idea and a bunch of notes but can’t seem to put it together, hire someone (like myself) to help you out! The right copywriter or copyeditor can bring your vision to life, no matter what stage your blog is in. Sometimes collaboration is the key to success! For more info go to moxie-works.com to see how we can help!

Recap

These guidelines, tips and tricks are all you need to make your blog a great success. Let’s go over it one more time before you get out there and start writing:

• Choose a searchable title containing keywords
• Use keywords in first line
• Insert keywords in at least one header
• Write 1,000 words
• Create an Outline, Write Freely, or Outsource

Your Blog

So, there you have it! Just a few simple steps to follow and your blog will land in the hands of the readers you are writing for. And at the end of the day, don’t let those rules drag you too far under and discourage you because they are actually only there to help! Remember that you are the only you and your words matter. You have something important, significant and meaningful to say and there are readers out there looking for exactly what you are writing. So, help them find it! Let the rules guide you. And with a few tweaks, a little organization and a lot of heart, you can easily blog the right way!