Well-written business blog posts can captivate, engage, and attract readers. But how do you create content that resonates with your audience and brings in organic traffic?
We’ve discovered that the secret sauce of business blog writing blends compelling storytelling with SEO best practices. Here’s how to do it.
Grab attention with a great headline.
Your headline is the first thing people see. It could determine whether they’ll click through to read your post. Make it clear and intriguing, and show the benefits of reading it immediately. SEO experts like to use numbers, questions, or power words to get noticed.
Tip: Instead of “Tips for Writing a Blog,” try “7 Simple Tricks to Write a Blog Post That Ranks.”
Hook readers early
The first few sentences of your post should pull readers in. Can you relate to them right away? Consider a thought-provoking question (assuming the answer won’t be ‘no’) or something that triggers their imagination or an emotional response. The goal is to make them want to keep reading.
Structure for Readability and SEO
Nobody likes reading walls of text. Once someone starts scrolling, you have only a few seconds to get their attention before they leave your site and head back to their search results.
Break your post into short paragraphs, use bullet points, and add subheadings for easy scanning. Structuring your post also helps with SEO, as search engines index and prioritize well-organized content. Include relevant keywords naturally in your subheadings and throughout the post.
Write how you’d speak to your customers.
Write your business blog posts conversationally, avoiding jargon and overly complex language. When writing, think about how you would have a conversation with your audience—keep it friendly, clear, and to the point. Active voice makes your writing stronger and easier to understand.
Tip: Read “What’s the difference between active voice and passive voice?“
Provide value and solve problems.
In many cases, readers come to your blog looking for solutions. Offer practical advice, examples of how your business solves problems, and step-by-step guidance. The more helpful your content, the more likely readers will stay on your site, share your post, and return when they need help again.
Use links, but use them wisely.
Linking to other valuable content on your website and high-authority external sources helps boost SEO and keeps readers engaged. Internal links encourage visitors to explore more of your content, while external links show search engines that your blog is well-researched and credible.
Tip: When linking to an external source, ensure the information opens in a new window. You want to keep the window to your website open so readers can quickly return to it.
SEO is essential, but don’t sacrifice readability
SEO is essential for organic traffic, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of readability. Keyword stuffing is a dated strategy that has always looked terrible and no longer works. Place keywords naturally throughout the post, optimize images with alt text, and write a meta description that gets more people to click on your link in search engine results.
Include a strong call-to-action (CTA)
Okay, so they’ve visited your website and read your blog post. What do you want them to do next? Ask them to take action with a good CTA. For example, you can encourage them to comment, share the post, sign up for a newsletter, contact you or check out related content. A clear, compelling CTA helps turn readers into engaged followers.
Refresh and repurpose content.
In most industries, the well of content ideas is not never-ending. No worries, you can get creative and write refreshed spins of similar topics and ideas. Update older posts with new information, repurpose content into social media posts or newsletters, and find ways to keep your blog working for you long after publishing it.
Strategy is key
Writing engaging blog posts that drive traffic isn’t just about good writing. You need a thoughtful strategy. We can help with both. Contact us to start writing compelling content for your business blog.
