Last Updated on December 20, 2023 by andrewtk
You’re already blogging, and you’re pretty decent at it too.
Not a total newbie, that's for sure!
And that’s why I’m not going to bore the life out of you by banging on about the usual blogging basics.
This article is about becoming a better blogger…
…a great blogger.
So, no “create a content plan”, or “carry out quality keyword research”, on this list.
Because you already know that stuff.
You're already doing it all, day-to-day in your blogging business.
This is all about taking your blog writing from okay/good, to great/awesome.
Enough of the fluff, let’s get cracking.
#1. Write For The Joy Of Writing
Forget the Google bot.
Forget SEO.
Erase any thought of short-tail and long-tail keywords.
Word count?..Who cares?
Just write for all the reasons that you first wanted to start your blog…
…because you love to write.
Let it flow and your love of writing will show.
And you'll stand out from the crowd because 90% of your competition is writing only with SEO in mind.
You can't completely ignore SEO, unfortunately.
So write your post with love and passion…
…and then then go back and tweak it for the main SEO stuff later.
#2. Let Your Personality Shine Through
Never suppress your personality when writing your blog posts, or worse still, try and write like somebody else.
Do precisely the opposite and let your personality flood out.
Never fall into the trap of thinking that your natural personality will not gain a following online.
You are not as odd as you might think you are!
Be yourself and you will soon find there are plenty of people online looking for a voice exactly like yours.
#3. Be Different
It is tedious isn’t it?
You find a few blog posts that you want to read on a certain topic…
…only to find they are all as near as damn-it to identical.
Sure they are.
Why wouldn't they be?
Most bloggers are currently obsessing over the notion that you cannot be the outlier if you want page 1 rankings.
Current SEO BS says that you should create content that's as close as possible to what’s already ranking high in the SERP’s.
Hell yeah that sounds great doesn’t it? Everyone trying to be just the same as everyone else.
Everyone just assimilating…
…pretty much copying what's already ranking well, just spinning the words about a little bit.
Do not get sucked into this ridiculous game.
Write the outstanding post that you want to write, and its sheer quality will help it rise to the top.
#4. Avoid Writing In A Bad Mood
It makes a difference…a big difference.
Because it’s almost impossible to write a post that comes across as powerful, motivational, optimistic…
…when we’re just having one of those days when it feels like we have the weight of the world on our shoulders.
Everybody gets them.
Just save the blog writing for the next day, when hopefully everything seems that bit rosier again.
#5. Ditch The Fluff
Your readers have not shown up on you blog to read a certain number of words.
They don’t have the time to read your ramblings.
They want to know what you have to say, preferably in as few words as possible.
But this is yet another SEO led hang-up.
And it’s one that has seen a ton of bloggers trying to achieve some magical word count…
…that will apparently get them ranking in the top spots.
Write your blog posts so that they get your point across, without a load of added fluff.
You make a significantly greater impact when you write concisely.
When you ditch the fluff, your readers will be multiple times more engaged.
They will spend longer on your post and are far more likely to react to any on-page CTA's.
#6. Craft Great Titles And Headlines
No point writing great blog posts if nobody ever clicks through to read them.
And whether you get people clicking through to your content, or not, is all down to your title tag.
Whether they then stay on your page for longer than three seconds, is down to you H1 tag.
Both your title tags and H1's are incredibly important for reader engagement.
So learn to craft great titles and headlines.
Spend time on it. A lot of time.
This is a genuine potential win for you, because most people spend roughly 30 seconds on their title tags and H1’s.
The best, most successful copywriters, will spend an anything up to an hour writing and re-writing their titles and headlines…
…only hitting the publish button when they are totally satisfied with what they've come up with.
#7. Know What You’re Talking About
Okay so this one is a little bit straight out of the’ Blog Writing 101 Handbook’…
…but hey, sometime a thing is so important that it has to be said.
If you try to BS readers along, faking that you have some clue as to what you are writing about…
…you will get found out.
You cannot build a loyal, expanding following if you don’t know what you are talking about.
I’m not saying you have to be the world’s foremost expert. Far from it.
What I’m saying is that you simply need to know more than the audience that you are targeting…
…and to do your research wherever required.
This is how you will build authority, and authority is what really boosts search rankings.
#8. Write Like Your Writing An Email To A Good Friend
I would put a ton of cash on betting that you write very differently, when you’re writing an email to a friend…
…than when you’re writing for your website audience.
I often write new articles in Gmail.
Does that sound slightly crazy?
Try it for a more relaxed writing style.
There is genuinely something hard-wired in most people’s brains that releases them to write in a friendlier style when they are in Gmail.
It sparks-off a totally different mindset.
I will confess that once I’m ready to publish my post, I do check that I haven’t written too casually, or flippantly.
And if not, I just hit publish.
#9. Finish With A Call-To-Action
Okay, okay, I get it…
…I promised you nothing out of the book of blogging basics…
…yet here I am hitting you straight between the eyes with another one.
But, same as the last time, back in ‘better blogging tip number 7' some things just have to be said.
Never let anyone leave your post without trying to get them to take some other action on your site.
Never!
You've worked way too hard to get them on to your site, and to read your post, to let them just click back…
…without at least trying once or twice to nudge them into some other action that would benefit you both.
Don't relentlessly batter your readers into submission with your CTA's…
…but don't be too shy either.
READ NEXT: Best Blogging Courses For Under $300
How To Be A Better Blogger…Wrapping It Up!
Well that's about it for my tips on how to be a better blogger…short and sweat!
No fluff, No BS, just what I wanted to say, and nothing more.
Good luck with your blogging efforts.
p.s.
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