The Anatomy of a Successful Blog: 5 Things You need for Every Post

 

When you ask experts what makes a good blog post, you’ll likely get several different answers. Some say it’s all about building SEO, and others suggest that you need to tell a story to draw readers in and convince them to come back. Others might say the sole purpose of a blog post is to drive sales. All of these are true to one extent or another, but there are a lot of nuances. Your needs will change depending on your end goal, but here are several things that make up a successful blog post.

 

The Headline

“You Won’t Believe What Happens if You Do This One Thing!”

Not every headline needs to be clickbait, but they need to attract the reader. Some people never read past the headline. For blog writers, this is about more than just a combination of words that get more clicks; you also want to be sure that you have a good headline that works with SEO. I get it; headlines are hard. There are tools to help! Check out the Headline Analyzer.

 

An Attention-Getting Opening Paragraph

If you get someone to click on the link based on your headline, your next challenge is to create a compelling first paragraph that makes the reader want to finish the article. You only have a split second to create a great first impression. Stats and data can help because people want to read more to learn about the details.

 

Headers and Subheaders with Supporting Points

Successful blog posts are as much about the formatting as they are about the content. Use headers and subheaders that draw the eye. Why? No matter how hard you try, some people will skim the article, and you want them to retain the most crucial information. But flesh out each header with supporting points that are specific to that portion of the subject. That's one way to incorporate your keywords, which will help your SEO. 

 

A Narrative

You may be saying that this blog post doesn’t have a narrative, so why bother listening to me? Well, it doesn’t have a traditional storyline, but it still has a narrative. I want to convey the essential parts of a blog post that will encourage people to read. That’s my narrative. Some blogs will have more of a storytelling feel, and that’s great too. Stories draw people in.

 

Call to Action

The end of your blog post should always include a call to action. However, what you ask your reader to do may depend on the blog post itself and the nature of your business. When I wrote a blog about my Tiny House, I would always end with a question because I wanted people to comment. When I write a blog here, I want to encourage people to reach out to me if they want to know more about content creation for their website.

If you would like to know more about creating blog posts that draw attention, keep people reading, and give them the right call to action, email me at lmlavoie@gmail.com