The Dos & Don’ts of Writing a Blog Post

Writing a blog post might seem straightforward enough, especially with the invention of AI writing tools, but there’s actually a lot more to it than you might have otherwise thought. But that doesn’t mean to say that it has to be complicated to execute. In this article, we’ll be giving you a few dos and don’ts of writing a blog post so that you can be sure that the content you’re writing is high quality and done to a professional standard. So, here are the dos and don’ts of writing a blog post that you need to know about. 

The dos of writing a blog post

There are numerous things that you need to do when it comes to writing a blog post. These steps ensure that you’re writing content that is valuable and worthwhile. This helps your content to ultimately rank higher in the search engine results pages (SERPs). With that being said, here are a few dos of writing a blog post that you need to know about:

Do understand your audience

Knowing who you’re writing for helps you to choose the right tone, level of detail and topics that will interest your audience. If you write content that addresses their needs and answers the questions they have, then it becomes much more valuable all around. There’s no point writing about skydiving, for instance, if your audience is generally over the age of 75. Alternatively, you wouldn’t write about how to cash in a pension if your audience is below the age of 25. If you did, then your content wouldn’t perform very well, and it wouldn’t answer the question or meet the needs of your real audience. 

Do use a strong headline

Strong headlines are equally as important as getting your audience right. Your title is often the first thing that readers see. Therefore, you should clearly communicate what the article is about while encouraging people to click and read more. The more they click and scroll through your content, the more trust and authority Google will attach to it. In addition, you should avoid being vague and instead focus on highlighting the benefit your readers will gain. 

Do use your introduction to capture attention

Your introduction needs to be attention-grabbing in order to suck your audience into reading more. This needs to be done immediately. You can do this easily by asking a thought-provoking question, presenting an interesting statistic or introducing a common problem that your article will solve. A compelling introduction encourages readers to continue, which is the ultimate goal for content creators and marketers alike. 

Do organise your content with headings & subheadings

Organising your content with headings and subheadings will make your blog post easier to understand and navigate. Breaking information into smaller sections allows readers to scan the article and find the information they’re looking for without messing around. Also, keeping paragraphs short will help to improve overall readability, especially if your audience will be using a mobile device to view your content. This is something that your demographic and analytic research into your audience should tell you. 

Do make sure that the content is valuable

Valuable content performs well in the SERPs. This is because, generally, your audience will leave your article having learnt something useful that answers their query or meets their needs. Whether it be expert insights, step-by-step guidance or practical advice, supporting your points with examples, credible sources or statistics also strengthens your message and builds trust. 

Do use a conversational tone

A cnversaitonal tones jhelps to create a connection with your audience. Writing as though you’re speaking directly to the reader makes your content feel more engaging and approachable while still maintaining professionalism all around. It also helps to encourage engagement, which Google will see as a positive thing. 

Do proofread your work before publishing

Proofreading your work before publishing it is imperative. This is because it adds to its overall quality, which Google will reward. Checking your grammar, spelling, punctuation, and factual accuracy ensures that your blog appears polished and professional throughout. Ending with a clear call to action (CTA) is also common practice for good measure. It invites readers to comment, subscribe, contact or sign up for newsletters or emails, for instance.

The don’ts of writing a blog post

Just as there are things that you should do to make sure that the blog post you’re writing is valuable and high-quality, there are several things that you should avoid in order to keep the standard as high as possible. With this in mind, here are the don’ts of writing a blog post to ensure your content is top-notch:

Don’t write without a clear purpose

Every blog post needs to have a purpose. Usually, it answers audience questions or meets their needs in other ways. Whether your article is meant to inform, educate, entertain or persuade, your content needs to have a clear objective. Without a solid focus, your readers may lose interest. 

Don’t use an exaggerated or misleading headline

Clickbait headlines that are overly exaggerated or misleading are a huge mistake when it comes to content creation. Although they may attract initial clicks, they often disappoint readers and damage credibility in the long run. This will then affect your trust and credibility moving forward, which could cost your readers. 

Don’t use long or unbroken blocks of text

Text that is long, unbroken and isn’t formatted with any lists or bullet points will look boring and difficult to read and navigate. If your readers see this on your blog post, then they’re likely to click off it again, contributing to a high bounce rate, which can be bad for marketers. Instead, you should use headings, subheadings, bullet point lists and shorter paragraphs so as not to overwhelm your audience. 

Don’t use excessive jargon or technical language

Jargon and technical language are only useful for others in your industry. If you’re writing a blog post that’s aimed at the average customer, who has no in-depth knowledge of your craft, and you’reusing jargon to help them, this will only make your readers feel more alienated. They’ll then have to go elsewhere to find information that explains what your technical jargon is trying to explain, rather than getting everything they need from your blog post. This is where your competitors can steal custom. To avoid this, write your blog post as if you’re talking to someone who knows absolutely nothing about the topic, avoiding technical language in the process. 

Don’t plagiarise

Plagiarism is never tolerated, and it’s never encouraged. Not only is this bad practice, but it’s frowned upon in the marketing and content creation industry. Finally, Google will punish content that’s been duplicated or plagiarised in any way. Ultimately, it will end up being a complete waste of your time as your content will not be seen in the SERPs, therefore resulting in a low engagement rate. You should always create original content or properly credit any information, quotations, or ideas that you use from other sources. Original writing helps to establish your authority and improves search engine performance in the process. 

Don’t stuff your content with keywords

Keyword stuffing is frowned upon, both by marketers and the Google search engine. This is where SEO (search engine optimisation) comes into play. You need to include relevant keywords throughout the article in a natural manner, but you should not “stuff” your content with them. While you might think this is doing some good, it isn’t. Google will look negatively on this and punish your content as a result. 

Don’t make unsupported claims

Writers should never make claims without having some evidence to support it. This is where research comes in. You do the research first, check out the credibility of your sources and make sure that it’s backed up sufficiently before writing something and then publishing it. You can add a link to the source within the copy or create a references section at the bottom of the content. 

To conclude

Writing an effective blog post involves much more than just putting words on a page. By understanding your audience, creating engaging headlines, providing valuable content and presenting your ideas in a clear and organised way, you can produce blogs that readers can both enjoy and trust. At the same time, avoiding common mistakes, such as clickbait, unsupported claims and inadequate editing, will help you to maintain credibility and encourage readers to return for more. In turn, following these simple dos and don’ts for writing a blog post will help you ensure creative, engaging content is produced, therefore enabling you to achieve your writing goals. 

Kumo is pleased to provide a wide range of digital marketing services, including content creation, SEO, PPC, website design and more. You can rest assured that our team of dedicated experts can set you apart from your competitors with excellent content creation and copywriting services. If you’d like further information about how we can help you today, get in touch with a member of our friendly, specialist team – we’re always happy to hear from you.