So you want to write an awesome blog post, but you’re just not sure where to start. There is no perfect recipe for a blog post that will make it go viral. However, there are a few things you can do to make sure that your blog post is getting in front of more people. You need to know how to plan and write a great blog post if you want your blog to succeed.
The purpose of a blog post on a money-making blog is not just to tell a story. Your blog post should be giving you results, whether those results are exposure for your brand, loyal subscribers, or something else. If learning how to plan out the perfect blog post is something you’d like to do, then you came to the right place! Check out the tips below and then get a free downloadable checklist for creating amazing blog posts!
Want to skip the tips and get the checklist? Join my email list below for access to the resource library!
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SEO
Learning about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tends to scare off new bloggers. When you start talking about keywords, tags, and backlinks, newbies tend to put off figuring things out and just wing it.
But SEO isn’t as hard as it sounds! Basically, SEO is just putting specific words (keywords) into your blog post, title, and photo captions that most people would search for if they were looking up something on your topic. Having these keywords in your post will make it more likely to come up on Google and Pinterest searches, making it easier for new readers to find you!
Once you decide what topic you want to write about, choose a few keywords and make sure you put them throughout your text. If you use WordPress, you can download the Yoast SEO plugin for free. This plugin lets you know how searchable your post is by telling you things you should fix and how many keywords you need to add.
Outline or No Outline?
In school, you learn how to write an essay, but it starts with an outline. Most blog posts (unless they’re a story or some other creative format) are the same way; they have an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.
Now before I scare you away with reminders of high school English classes, you don’t necessarily have to use an outline.
That’s the best part of blogging: you have the freedom to write whatever you want, however you want.
I don’t really use an outline when I write a post, I just know a format I want to use and I fill it out. I write out my subheadings, fill in body text, and write my intro and conclusion last. Others may need an outline to stay organized, and that’s great. Do whatever feels right to you for each blog post.
Choosing a Title
Here’s where SEO really comes in handy. Your title needs to contain keywords if you want it to show up in searches. Come up with a few different options for titles and then choose the best one based on the keywords it uses.
Here’s an example. Suppose I’m writing a blog post about things to do in Boston. I might come up with a few titles such as, “5 Things to Do in Boston,” “Things to Do in Boston You Don’t Want to Miss,” or “The Best Attractions in Boston.” These are all okay, but I could make them better by adding more keywords that are specific to my blog post. For example, I could change the title to “5 Things to Do in Boston with Kids” or “The Best Attractions in Boston for History Lovers.”
When searching for an article online, people are trying to solve a problem. The title of your blog post should immediately tell a reader what information they can find on your site. Your title should grab people’s attention, but it shouldn’t be misleading. If your title is “10 Tips for Planting a Garden,” then that’s exactly what your post should be about. Don’t write clickbait!
Meta Description
The meta description of a blog post summarizes the contents of a website page as seen on an internet search.
The meta description is seen in the image above underneath the title of the link. This text should be full of keywords and be an accurate summary of what the article is about. If you don’t write a meta description, Google will just try to pull out a relevant part of the post to show users.
Call to Action
The “call to action” of your blog post is the action that you want your reader to take as a result of visiting your webpage. This action could be subscribing to your email list, buying a product, following you on social media, or something else. You need to figure out what your call to action is and write a post that your ideal reader will want to read.
If you want someone to subscribe to your blog, the best way to do that is to offer something of value. This is your opt-in freebie. A freebie could be something like a printable, an email course, or even an ebook. My opt-in freebie is access to my resource library which contains free travel and blogging printables as well as an ebook teaching you how to start a money-making blog.
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Affiliate Marketing
If you want to monetize your blog post, an easy way to do that is through affiliate marketing. Adding affiliate links to your post allows you to promote products you love, and when your reader clicks on these links, you earn a commission!
This is a great way to monetize your blog and earn passive income. I don’t recommend that you put a million affiliate links in every blog post. This comes across as spammy. People don’t read blogs to have products constantly pushed in their faces; they read them to learn information about a problem they have. If you have a product that you know and love, your readers may also be interested in the product if they trust you. That being said, don’t just recommend any old product that you’ve never tried and probably never will just so you can make a quick buck.
You must have a visible disclaimer on every page where you’re trying to sell affiliate products. This is a rule from the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), and if you want to see more of their guidelines, click here.
Recommended: Travel Must-Haves: Essentials for any Packing List
Social Media
If you don’t promote your blog post on social media, it’s not going to get many views. It’s best to know how many times you’re going to promote a blog post on each social media website. Have your photos ready for Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and any other website you regularly post on. If you want to create videos for YouTube or Tiktok or if you want to promote your post with live videos, prepare for those as well.
If you don’t know ahead of time what or when you want to post, you are less likely to actually post. Believe me, I know!
Don’t forget to create Pinterest pins for each blog post, preferably 3 or more. Pinterest is an extremely large source of traffic for most bloggers, so you want to take advantage of that!
I create all my Pinterest pins (and other blog graphics) on Canva. You can sign up for a free account and start creating beautiful graphics instantly!
If you want to know more about Pinterest and how you can use it to improve your website, check out these posts:
How to Create the Perfect Pinterest Profile
7 Best Pinterest Strategies to Explode Your Traffic
Now you know how to write a great blog post! Use these tips to create a blog post your readers will love. You can download a free printable checklist from my resource library to help you remember everything you need to add to your awesome post. All you have to do is join my email list below!
Recommended:
Blog Post Ideas for Travel Bloggers Who Can’t Travel
Free Ebook: Everything You Need to Start a Money-Making Blog
Hery, thanks for sharing this great tutorial about making awesome blog post with search optimization money making.
Thank you for reading! I’m glad you found it useful!