How to write a great blog post for your business

If you’re thinking of writing a blog for your business, there’s more to consider than busting your thoughts down on paper. There is a knack to writing a blog post, and using my 20 years web design and writing experience, I will give you a crash course on the basics! Lets go over how to write a great blog post for your business!

First, you need to understand people use the internet as a place to ask questions and solve their problems. Gone are the days where people are scouring the internet to follow your blog for the story of your personal life. Your readers are looking for a way to solve the problem you have. It’s your job, as the expert in your field, to provide the solutions to their problem.  This is one reason why a blog or article for your business website is important. For more reasons on Why you should write a blog for your business, read this article here.

So, how do you write a blog post for your business?

1)   Decide on a topic

Write all your ideas down on paper and decide on the topic that fits the timing for your business. Think about the key questions, How, What, Why, Where, When. Keep all the topic ideas, you can refer to them when you’re ready to write your next post. Some ideas might be

  • Frequently asked questions
  • Things you wish your customers would know about your sector
  • Ask your customers; put a call out to social media
  • Ask your team what they wish they knew about your industry

2)   Brainstorm

Jot down all the ideas around that topic.  Think about the questions you would ask if you were researching that question for yourself. Keep those questions

3) Research

While you may know your topic inside and out, later you’ll want to link your blog post to other authorities in your industry. So do some research and weave quotes and citations into your post. Some examples of places to research are:

  • Your industries professional association e.g. MTA, Restaurant Association, BCITO etc
  • Documents released by those providing the tools for your industry, e.g. Xero, FERGUS, etc 
  • Google scholar is great for finding research related to your content
  • Government organisations which will already be recognised by Google as an authority.
  • YouTube from authority figures – e.g. those YouTubers who have researched and know something about the topic.

4) Write the Title

While it may be fun to think of a catchy title to your post, the best way to get attention of the search engines is to write the title as an answer to the main question your readers are searching for. Do just that. Start with a question you want to answer and then reformat that into a statement. For example, this blog post’s question is “How do I write a blog post for my business?”, so the question is formatted into a response; How to write a blog post for your business.

5) Write the introduction

Blog post for your business - Zesty Virtual Assistants

The introduction brings the reader into the topic, perhaps why it’s relevant or why your post is going to solve their problem.  Then answer the question in bold. Yip, that’s right, you’re going to answer the question in two-three sentences, in bold, right at the top of that blog post. (unless it’s a post with steps in it such as the one your reading now). This will help the search engines find your post quickly, and in the case of Google, assess whether it meets an answer target.

6) Write sub-headings and the content.

Write 3-5 questions which are extensions of the topic, and are directly related. Then write the answers.

Don’t wander off to a different topic. If you find yourself wandering, separate out that content and use it for your next blog post. Keep this post on point.

There’s nothing special about writing sub-headings and fleshing out the content, essentially you’re doing the same as you did with the title. Take the question and re-write in the form of an answer and keep these answers easy to read.  For example; a blog post about car maintenance might have several questions

  • Why change oil in my car?
  • Why should I top up the wiper fluid?
  • How do I check the tyre pressure>

To

  • Why you should change the oil in your car.
  • Why you should top up the wiper fluid.
  • How to check the tyre pressure.

Once you’ve got your questions converted into a sub-headings and provide the content your reader is after. Remember to keep the content succinct and on topic. Flesh it out with example from your life, however don’t ramble. Keep the content relevant.

Sub-headings are important and achieve several outcomes;

  • Provide you with an easy way to write your post.
  • Make it easy for your readers to skim through your post and pick out the information they want to read (lets be honest, how much have you actually read of this post vs how much have you skimmed through the headings).
  • Give Google a really good understanding of what your post is about, what authority you have on the topic, and then log the questions and answers for their search database.  This provides an easy way for Google to provide “answer targets” for their searchers – those quick answers at the top of the page. These answer targets allow you to jump in the rankings above your competition, with less emphasis on SEO search (therefore driving more traffic to your website, and then more sales – that’s the aim right?!).

7) Conclusion

Your conclusion should succinctly cover over what you’ve talked about in your post; essentially, you’re going to cover off the 3-5 headings in a few sentences and round off the article.

8) Call to action

Every business blog should have a call to action.  This is where you tell your readers what they can do next. It might be as simple as saying “If you’re looking for a mechanic you can trust to keep your car and your family safe, call us now”

10) Edit and be critical

This part is important and is a skill unto itself.  It can be really difficult to let go of sentences which are perfectly carved from the depths of your mind. I know, I hear you! I have been writing blog posts for 20+ years now (as long as I’ve been making websites for) and I know how hard it is to cull a sentence or rephrase a paragraph. Have someone else check it over for spelling, grammar, ease of reading and how much it stays on topic.  There is no point spending hours creating a blog post if no one is going to find it in a search.

11) Formatting

presentation blog

Use Headings to make it super clear to your reader, and to the search engine which parts are important (again helping to hit answer targets).

Keep in mind the tone of voice you’re using to write your post; your not giving a lecture, you’re talking to your customers. Usually you’re presenting it as if you’re having a really good conversation with a friend, rather than an essay on the topic.

Use pictures! Pictures from your real life is best, however stock photos will do too. Pixabay is one of my favourite places to get website sized, royalty free images

Break the content up, and allow space between paragraphs so the writing isn’t cramped together. Remember to use bullet points and italics and bold where it makes sense.

To Round off….

That should be a good amount of information to get you started! Remember, you’re providing an answer to a specific problem your reader has, not downloading everything off your chest. The aim is to answer the question and present yourself as an expert in your field. So stay on point and answer your readers questions. This is how you create trust with your audience. Be critical, or ask someone else to edit it for you, and ask them to be critical. It’s often easy for someone else to edit your work, as they will have a readers mindset.

Need More Help?

We here at Zesty Virtual Assistants provide several services supporting other businesses with their blog writing; from including editing and format checking, right up to writing the entire blog. This might be a one-off service, or as part of an ongoing service package for regular clients.  For more information, contact us!