After watching Pretty Woman for the umpteenth time the other day, one line hit me – in the scene where Julia Roberts struts her way over to Richard Gere’s car, her room mate Kit De Luca shouts: “Work it. Work it, baby. Work it. Work it. Own it.”
Well, that’s the only way you’re going to make a ripple in the pool of blogging – by working at your structure and presentation.
Writing a good bog isn’t just about having an idea and running with it. Of course, great ideas are important but so is how you execute them to produce informative, well written posts that people are going to want to read.
I’ve been blogging for several years now. Coming up with a fresh batch of ideas is tough, but inspiration can come from anywhere – films (like above), conversations, letters, images, experiences etc.
So what do you do when you’ve got an idea?
How to shape a great blog post
As I see it, there are five main steps you have to go through to create a great blog. It’s a system that works for me; this is how it goes:
1. Title
The title of your post is really important. It has to grab the attention of your reader – if it doesn’t they aren’t going to bother wasting any time over it. The best titles are ones that are very specific. Tell them what your post is about.
2. A great beginning
Many people think a blog is just about writing. I would disagree with that which is why all my posts are preceded by an image. Using an image that is related to your post in some way introduces an instant link in your reader’s mind. But not only that, the beginning of your post must grab them immediately.
You can either dive straight in or, like this post, begin with a personal experience. But if you do, make sure you also explain what it has to do with your subject matter.
As with any form of writing, the initial paragraph or two is what will make or break your post. Make it interesting and your reader will stay with you until the end.
3. Importance first
Pick the most important aspect that you are talking about and tackle it first. Explain concepts simply to your reader using simple terms and sentence structures. If you bamboozle them with jargon they’ll lose interest and go.
If your subject has more than one point, repeat this stage again until all your points are covered.
4. Tell them what to do
There’s no point in writing about a concept and then not telling them how they can put it into action. Give an example of how it can work for them. Take this post for example; if you’re still reading it you’re learning how you can utilise these techniques on your own blog.
5. Summarise
At the end of your post tell them why the information they’ve just read is relevant to them. Explain that when they put your tips into practice they will enhance their lives.
So as you can see. Being careful about how you create your posts paying attention to the heading, images and initial paragraph will help you write informative and enjoyable blog posts that people will want to read.
I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that Google has been making a few changes to its search facility.
Google Instant is here!
Now, when you make a search, Google predicts what you’re searching for. Once you see your search term appear in the box (as you can see below Google predicted I was searching for a freelance copywriter) results are automatically shown and change instantly depending on how your search term develops:
There have been numerous posts and news articles written about this new phenomena and what it is going to mean to users.
Rather than going over old ground, I wanted to being one of the best posts to your attention to illustrate precisely what Google Instant is going to mean to search engine optimisation.
There are a couple of videos embeded within the post which are really good – one is quite long though so it may be best to save that one for your coffee break.
Are you one of the many businesses out there with your head firmly lodged in the sand?
Are you still refusing to acknowledge that organic SEO is the way to go for businesses marketing online?
Despite my best efforts to tell you why you should be investing in search engine optimisation and even confiding in your the 7 Must-knows About SEO Content it is frustrating when people say ‘oh, but it wouldn’t work for my business’.
Why wouldn’t it?
As a copywriter it’s worked wonders for me and many other businesses I know.
A lot of you turn to PPC (pay per click) campaigns through Google Adwords. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong in that, but it isn’t very cost effective and certainly not something you’d want to do for the long term.
If you’re unsure the PPC or sponsored (paid) listings are shown below in the red box.
The other entries on the page are organic results – they’ve got there through utilising a good SEO strategy.
Most people opt for PPC because is offers fast results. Search Engine Optimisation (keywords, SEO copywriting, back links etc.) will take time to show results. How much time will depend on the competitiveness of your chosen keywords.
But organic results are best not only because of cost, but also because their click through rate. Many people think that if their website was features in the sponsored area at the top of a page of search results, they would get the most hits.
Wrong.
In fact, according to the latest data from SEO MOZ, it equates to just 10%, with 90% going to the organic results. In fact, they have shared their latest PowerPoint presentation on Search Engine Optimisation on their blog post A Comprehensive Intro to SEO PowerPoint Slide Deck. This a great resource for anyone wanting to understand the murky world of SEO. It’s full of great information not least how your position within the rankings will affect the number of hits you get – take a look at this:
It really does pay to keep on at your SEO to gain the highest possible position.
So basically, organic SEO really is the most effective way to market your business online.
If you are a follower of this blog, you’ll know I have been championing the art of blogging for quite some time now.
I have written numerous posts that extol the blog as a form of expression, a way of driving traffic to your websites as well hints and tips on how to blog and generate fresh ideas.
The content is obviously key to the readership you attract, but the look of your blog is also important.
Use a design that is over fussy and you’ll put people off. Loads of advertising can also be a turn off – so you have to be careful about the look you go for.
You can also use a number of plugins on your blog to make it work harder for you. This blog post from Social Media Examiner identifies 24 Impressive Blog Plugins You Should Consider. Why not take a look and see which ones you want to add to your blog. They relate to the WordPress platform and illustrate how you can customise your blog to suit your needs perfectly.
Once you’ve taken a look at that, why not have a browse through these posts to help you make the most out of your blog:
Your writing has to perform a number of functions simultaneously:
It has to attract traffic
It has to be interesting
It has to capture your readers’ attention
It has to persuade
It has to convince
It has to make your reader buy
As I said, it has to perform a number of tasks which is why you must create powerful website copy that is capable of satisfying all of these needs.
If you merely start writing about your business, awards you have won or your premises you’re not going to capture your reader.
The women’s Rugby World Cup is happening at the moment and the following video illustrates my point. We’ve all seen the All Blacks perform their menacing Haka before every game. Their gesturing, shouting, tongue sticking-out and other shenanegans would certainly make you think twice before approaching any of them.
But I recently saw the Black Fern’s version (that’s New Zealand’s female rugby team) – it’s not quite so scary:
Don’t get me wrong, I still wouldn’t like to face them on a rugby pitch. The closest I get is watching my son on a Sunday morning play for Ipswich – and that’s close enough. But to me it’s more akin to mums at a disco trying to recapture their youth by trying to remember dance steps to the hits of the 80s. Their movements seem to be too gentle to strike fear into the hearts of their opponents.
It’s the same with your web copy. You are competing with a huge number of other businesses on the web so you have got to create copy that will make you stand out from the crowd. And that means just one thing – write about your reader.
Tell them what they want to hear
As people browse websites, they are looking for one simple piece if information – what you’re going to do for them. They aren’t interesting in anything about your company. They are totally self-centred.
So make sure you tell them what they want to hear. If you do, and you address them directly and state the benefits immediately your website will stand out from the crowd.
Why?
Because I see far more sites with bad copy that revolves totally around the company than good sites that address the reader directly and show them precisely how they will benefit.
The easy way to good copy is to find yourself a good freelance copywriter. As they are not directly involved with your company they will be able to look at your products and services from a customer’s point of view. Even if you are the best writer in the world, if you try to write your own copy you will find it very difficult to distance yourself from your company and be completely objective.
Why do you need to know this?
Quite simply because you want your website to:
a) Attract visitors
b) Get people to buy
And the only way you are going to do that is by creating copy that is focused on the reader, tells them what your product or service will do for them (the benefits), and then tells them what to do through a strong call to action.
I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that Google has been making a few changes to its search facility.
Are you one of the many businesses out there with your head firmly lodged in the sand?
If you are a follower of this blog, you’ll know I have been championing the art of blogging for quite some time now.
