The art of blog copywriting
It’s no secret that a large part of blog copywriting is about attracting the attention of those clever bots at Google. However, blog copywriting is something that many brands underestimate because they focus too much on stuffing SEO keywords and phrases into their web copy which tends to put a potential customer off.
A customer can tell the difference between a piece of writing that’s generated in order to climb the ranks at Google and a piece of writing that’s been carefully crafted to educate and inform a customer. Blog copywriting and balancing tone of voice with SEO keywords and phrases is a juggle and this is why it’s best to commission a copywriter to create this kind of content.
However, if you’re short on budget and need to write the copy yourself, here are a few tips to help you create content that appeals not just to bots, but to customers, too.
Pick your topic and map out your article
Once you know which subject matter you are going to write your blog post on, create a rough map of how the article will be structured. In terms of word length, there are differing views on how long a blog post should be but I usually recommend that your blog post is about 700-1000 words. Ask yourself what a potential customer is likely to want to learn from your blog post and how much knowledge they will already have on that particular subject.
Do your research
After you have chosen your topic, it’s time to do some digging. I like to spend a good amount of time online, reading up on a particular topic and making sure I feel confident to write with some authority on it. A customer can usually tell if the person writing a blog post doesn’t really understand the topic fully. Also, it’s really important to avoid the use of jargon in your blog posts. You are likely to alienate a potential customer if you use language they might not understand.
Draft your blog post
Using the rough content structure you have already created, start writing your first draft. Be sure to keep the content concise and relevant to your audience. It’s also a good idea to break up your blog post with subheadings and a couple of images, too. When you add your images, be sure to include alt tags and only choose images that really enhance the post.
Optimise your blog post for SEO
This bit is really important: choosing the right keywords or phrases for your blog post is what is going to allow Google to put it in front of your potential customer. Which keyword or phrase is your customer likely to type into a search engine? If you’re selling art supplies, are you reliant on local trade? If so, try to weave your location into a keyphrase, such as ‘art supplies in Luton’. However, when choosing an SEO keyword or phrase, it’s important to pick something you can easily weave into the copy, otherwise the copy can end up sounding quite clumsy.
Edit and proofread
This is the most important part and often something that gets overlooked. A single spelling error has been proven to put customers off. Don’t miss out on that potential sale simply because you didn’t thoroughly check your blog post before publishing. It’s also really worth getting someone else to check it for you as it can be easy to miss errors here and there. Read it out loud and be sure that it flows well. Try to keep the paragraphs and sentences short in order to keep your reader engaged and not overwhelm them with long chunks of text.
Publish – and share!
Many brands make the mistake of publishing their blog post and then forgetting to share it with their customer base. Whether it’s shared on social media or via an email newsletter (I highly recommend Mailchimp if you’re looking for an efficient email-marketing system), keeping in regular communication with your customer base helps to maintain a good relationship with them.
Writing a blog post is quite a complex process but it’s worth investing in time in your blog and keeping it regularly updated. If you’d like me to cast an expert eye over your blog, I offer a copyediting and proofreading service. So, get in touch and we’ll take it from there!
