The internet is full of crap.
Crap and a lot of low-quality, non-useful content that is published for the sake of being published.
You, dear reader, don’t want to add to that pile, do you? Else, you wouldn’t be going through a content/ inbound marketing blog and trying to strengthen your arsenal of content skills.
The truth is, while low-quality blog content is read, it is not remembered.
It is able to garner clicks, but it does not convert.
It solves short-term problems but keeps you from becoming the industry expert/ go-to.
Seeing the contrast, what would you prefer? High-quality blog posts or low-quality ones?
For 96% of the best content marketers, high-quality content has been crucial in building trust and credibility with their target audience.
But, how do you define high quality? Probably different than what someone else would, right?
So, when it comes to writing ‘high-quality’ blog posts, how do you nail the perfect formula? What is the secret recipe, the common threads?
After perusing through thousands of blogs, writing our own, tracking performance, and taking a little help from Google (plus some more), we’ve put together 7 tips for writing high-quality blogs.
For the purpose of this guide, we’ll define high-quality as: relevant, educational, and actionable content presented in an easy-to-read and digestible manner.
You ready? Let’s do this!
7 tips for writing high-quality blogs
- It is written with the target audience in mind
Conversion and connection is the result of writing for a defined target audience.
This is because: you cannot be everything to everyone every time.
This is true not just IRL, but also on the internet. If your audience is everyone, then… your audience is no one really. *shrugs*
Rather than coming up with topic ideas in an entire 360-degree range, you should begin by asking ‘what does my audience care about?’ and then follow that trail to ‘what can I help them with?’ The area where they meet is your content minefield, full of blog topic ideas.
You can take the help of the following questions to define the niche audience for your blog posts:
Not only are these questions helpful for your overall brand targeting, but they help you to write high-converting blog posts with content that is more valuable and relevant to the readers.
- It solves a specific problem
Now that your target audience has been established, it’s time to start solving problems for them through your blog posts. And by problems, we mean very specific problems.
As a digital marketer, you will be attracted to read the following blog post for a different reason:
Than you would read this one:
One is promising to help you get more clicks; one is helping you to go viral.
Both are solving a specific problem even in a niche domain as headline writing.
In fact, headlines are a wonderful way to attract the reader who is looking for a specific problem to be solved.
A few quick examples of specific headlines templates that you can leverage for your own blog posts:
- Here’s how we went from ____ to ____ in ____ days/ years (Here’s how we went from 5,000 readers to 500,000 in 365 days)
- For ____: How to ____ (For stay-at-home mom-preneurs: How to build an audience on Quora)
- __ surefire ways to __ (10 surefire ways to NOT turn off people with a direct sales push)
It goes without saying but the content of your blog post has to deliver the value that was promised in the headline. Else, readers will bounce from the page, will not engage, or leave negative comments.
Hence, keep your word. Share specific, actionable steps and insights for the readers so their problem is solved.
- It goes in-depth
A truly useful and high-quality blog post goes right down to the bones of a subject and turns them up so the audience can know the heart of the matter as well.
In this article, Neil Patel makes the case for longer content length backed up by his own research and findings.
For once, the pages which rank in Google’s top 10 search-results cohort have an average length of 2,000 words.
This is not because Google prefers content-rich websites. This is because readers prefer such long-form and in-depth content! Surprised?
In another experiment, Neil tested how much blog posts had been shared across Facebook and Twitter media by dividing them up into two categories: >1500 words and <1500 words.
Here are the results:
On both platforms, long-form content performed better.
Now, this does not mean that you will crank up the word count with crap simply to hit that 2000 wordmark. No.
The 2000 word blog posts which have ranked and have also been shared so enthusiastically provide a tonne of value.
They educate readers about a subject (and not merely informs them).
They are thoughtful and also filled with the elements that we cover in the next point. In short, they are well-rounded, credible, and educational.
- It is backed up with data, real-life examples, and case studies
There is something about data that calls to us.
No matter whether the conclusion from the data is positive or negative, we are somehow hardwired to trust data and what it says.
Possibly, it’s because numbers add concreteness and credibility to a claim. They are the backbone of any opinion, a stand, an argument.
Moreover, as of today:
Data can help to rebuild this burgeoning trust- if not for the whole of the internet, but it can establish your audience’s trust in you.
When you use (and properly credit) impersonal, objective, and neutral data, your content becomes more solid. Statista is one reliable source for finding the latest data for many niche segments.
The same goes for real-life examples and case studies.
These examples and studies add substance to your content. They help the reader to see your proposition being forward in action. Thus, if you are writing product-focused blog posts, they become all the more essential.
This article (3 Real-World Examples of Freelance Writing Pitches That Sold) is an invaluable read for beginner and even seasoned professionals. Why? It presents 3 examples of freelance pitches and then explains what works and why it works.
The article then follows it up with what the freelancer’s experience with the editor was. Who wouldn’t bookmark this article for reference and help?
Likewise for case studies. They increase credibility and add tangibility to otherwise fluffy and empty statements.
- It is generous with recommending tools and resources
Neil Patel is a good example of consistently and generously recommending relevant resources and tools.
In this blog post about keyword research, Neil has sprinkled the names of the tools which can be used for different stages of the keyword process.
Not only do readers get to learn what to do, but they also get to learn where to do it. This makes Neil Patel’s blogs the go-to place for readers to find all the information they need in one place.
In addition to tools, you can also recommend/add:
- Links to specific studies
- Relevant courses and programs
- Products on Amazon
- A listicle of the most ___ brands
And many more!
A combination of theory + practical tools is the best way to entice readers. Make sure the links are reliable and safe for your audience.
- It incorporates visuals
The power of visual content is summed up in the following graphic:
And also:
And if you don’t want to rely on numbers, think of your own experience.
Which blog posts do you end up reading the most? Which ones do you prefer? Which ones are pleasing to read and how do you retain information the best? Which ones are easily digestible?
Image-rich blog posts, of course.
Create the same for your audience.
Which type of images can you use? Plenty. But, the following are some of the most high-quality ones:
- Data based visuals
How neat and self-explanatory is it?
- Infographics
Infographics are complete content packages on their own. They present detailed statistical information both visually and textually, thereby making it easier to retain it and understand it. For example: this infographic about connectivity. Using infographics is crucial for the success of your high-quality blog content strategy.
They are particularly popular on Pinterest. So, if Pinterest is a crucial part of your marketing strategy, then we highly recommend investing in infographics. You can easily create them on Canva these days.
- Flowcharts
You do not see flowcharts in a lot of blog posts. But, you can fill that gap by leveraging them in a really useful way. For example, check out this colorful flowchart on whether to check your email or not:
They are a hit on Pinterest and can help to add an interesting angle to your brand. They are also highly shareable which means word about your brand can spread far and wide on the internet escape. Use flowcharts and witness remarkable results with your high-quality blog content.
- Videos
Video marketing is another powerful tool you can use. It can also help you to expand your reach to other platforms and make your content more shareable.
- Filler images
These can be used intermittently throughout the text when you don’t feel any of the above are fitting in your blog topic. These can be:
- Stock images from Pexels, Unsplash, Pixabay
- GIFs and memes from giphy
- Quotes from executives, influencers, and important takeaways in the article
Just a final few things to take care of when using images:
- Be mindful of the image file size. If necessary, compress it.
- JPG image format is most suited to the web while PNG makes for high quality.
- Leverage image SEO as well by saving your images with names that are relevant to the blog post and have at least one keyword incorporated.
- It is easy-to-read
Unless you are writing a thesis, there is no reason why your content needs to be difficult to read. This goes for both the format and the tone.
Here’s how you can make the format of your content scannable:
- Use bullet points and lists. Since they are used for listing out actionable advice mostly, you can allow the reader to jump to this critical section by making it stand out through bullets and the list format.
- Use bold, italics, and underline judiciously. Use them to highlight the different types of text you have in your blog post. This can be a key component of any useful and high-quality blog content. For example, you can underline heading, bold a revelatory conclusion or groundbreaking statistic, and italicize a dialogue snippet or thought.
- Sprinkle images at regular intervals.
- Generously use headlines and sub-headlines.
- Keep the paragraph length up to 2-3 lines max.Finally, use a conversational tone. Having a relatable tone always boosts conversions. It is one of the key components of useful and high-quality blog content. Even if you are writing blog posts in domains like insurance, fintech, blockchain, security, or any other ‘uptight’ domain, there is always a liiiiitle bit of space to add a conversational touch. You can find an interesting study on the same here with well-written examples.Even something as simple as using you, I, we, us can help your reader read your words as if they were written by a human and not a bot.
By following the above 7 tips for writing high-quality blog posts, your website will become a hub of useful and high-converting content for your relevant target audience. It will also help you to establish yourself as the leader and go-to expert in your industry- only with time, of course. We hope these insights will help you to figure out the key components of useful and high-quality blog content.
The best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago and the next best time is now. Same for building high-quality content. Are you ready to start now? Let’s get in touch and start creating high-quality content for your brand.
