Statistics
Where possible, give evidence for your statements. This isn’t applicable for all blog posts, but if you’re trying to convince people of an idea and you’re making bold claims, then you need something to back this.
It doesn’t need to be metric-based, though it helps if some figures and facts relate to your idea. You can also give real-life examples (like a case study) as evidence.
For example, here’s a quick one from Hubspot this year – “Video remains a key priority for marketers with usage and spend both, overall, increasing slightly throughout 2020, and plans to increase again in the next 12 months..” (Source Hubspot) So if you don’t already, consider a marketing video for your next campaign
Length
The old guidelines for blogs posts used to be around 300 words minimum. Now, the average blog post should around 700 words minimum. Many of my favourite blogs have posts regularly 1000 words or over.
Long-form blog content gives readers and Google a better understanding of what you’re about. A post that is 2000 words plus is genuinely informative and can be a real resource to refer back to.
You always don’t need to write quite this much, but you can see the trend is for more in-depth knowledge.
If you’re struggling to reach the target word count, please don’t waffle or use over-complicated words! More research around the topic might help you find additional points or points of view.
Title
Your blog title and first few lines matter more than you think. They are the first thing viewers see before they even decide to read more, so keep it exciting and relatively short (less than 70 characters).
Lists with numbers always work well (though the post should reflect this), and don’t be afraid to use strong words to create excitement. ‘How to’ type titles or questions are also popular devices.
Generally, I have 3-4 attempts at the title before settling on one – it’s worth spending some time on. Think, would I read this post, based only on this title?
This topic deserves a whole blog in itself, so read this good one from Hubspot – A Simple Formula for Writing Kick-Ass Blog Titles.
Linking
You can link to your relevant pages and pages on other website – it will help boost your page, guiding the viewer.
But please don’t spam the page and add lots of links that have no relevance! Keep it just to a few.
Internal Linking
Here’s a quick example of a Printing company—the example link in the text that is bold and underlined. It would go to a case study that’s related to the post topic.
Here’s a recent leaflet print project we did, that demonstrates this example of paper folding and cutting well.
Adding links allows the viewer to explore further if they want to, and is directly relatable to the blog post. It also boosts SEO if the links are relevant and helpful.
Another way of linking is to link to similar blog posts you have written on the same topic.
Another example
If you’re interested, you can learn more about designing flyers in our in-depth post How to Create the Perfect Flyer
External Linking
Linking to other websites on a similar content will also give your blog post more credibility, just don’t link to a competitor.. and check that the website is genuinely informative and have a high domain rating.
These links all aid the viewer, and lets them discover more, but interlinking also boosts your site SEO.
to say great blog!