Blogging is different than other kinds of web writing. More often than not, bloggers are known to be able to:
- Get away with writing less formal written content;
- Briefly cover time-sensitive subjects;
- Take freedoms in writing—ignoring many of the usual “rules.”
In many everyday cases, using a blog to fill in the gaps between existing web content—and taking an “artistic license” to write whatever and however you want on the blog is okay. But this is not the case for those looking to build a traffic-driving, professional website, using the blog as a highly beneficial site component.
So here’s how to write for your blog if you’re aiming to be part of this more professionally-oriented group:
1. Plan your content.
Come up with topical themes and article ideas before you ever begin writing. Keep a scratch pad handy at your desk to capture ideas as they come to mind if this helps the process for you at all. Whatever you do, don’t just write on your blog just to write. Rambling dilutes the benefits of blogging.
2. Use your keywords in your posts.
We’ve talked about using keywords throughout web writing at least a hundred times, and we’ll say it again—target each of your posts to a specific keyword or keyword phrase. Doing this turns each of the blog posts you write into search engine friendly, visitor-attracting content.
3. Keep it concise.
Writing for blogs professionally shouldn’t be all that different than writing any other type of web copy—say what you want to say and then be done. 400 words is fine most of the time. Longer content isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but make sure you have a reason for it first, lest you may end up with intimidated readers.
4. Make it easy to read.
Blogs are the perfect opportunity to write conversationally. Sure, you’ve still got to be professional, but don’t just state the facts—instead, explain them as if you were speaking to a customer directly one-on-one.
5. Write blogs that are eye-appealing.
Make sure your visitors can visually “breathe” when they’re looking at your blog posts. Good techniques to keep the space include using lists (both numbered lists and bullet lists are good), sub-headings throughout the blog article, and of course, keeping paragraphs short and frequent.
Writing blogs can be really quite easy—and even fun too! By keeping a few of these pointers in mind, you should be able to create some killer copy for your website while remaining professional all the while!
