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How To Write A Ranking Blog Post From Scratch? 9 Steps Every Writer Should Follow

how to write a ranking blog

Do you consistently publish blog posts, but the number of visitors drops after one traffic spike? Most of this traffic rollercoaster comes from not planning your blog posts before writing them. 

There’s much more to a prepared blog post than just putting sentences and keywords. A well-planned blog post ranks because of on-site SEO, but most importantly, it performs well when the readers find the value they are looking for. And there are some clear steps you can take to achieve it.

In this article, you’ll learn what makes a blog article engaging and how to prepare for writing a post that generates traffic for months after publishing it. 

Shall we start?

How to make readers love your blog

First, consider what makes you love a blog post. Ask yourself: Would I like to read my blog? Does it have something that intrigues me? 

Usually, people love blogs for a few reasons.

No 1 – they are interested in the topic. No matter what topic you choose to write about, there will always be people interested in the subject. Some topics attract more readers than others, but in the end, there’s an audience for everything. 

No 2 – You provide interesting information and credibility. Your extensive knowledge about the topic covers it better than any other source. More than enough copycats pump out articles that say the same thing in different words over and over again. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write about subjects that matter to you or your business, but you should always strive to find a unique angle and add your experience.

No 3 – You’re a great writer. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I read blogs that have nothing new to say. I just love how the writer presents the topic, and their style keeps my attention. 

So, if you have these three but no audience, it can only mean one thing – you’re not doing your homework before writing a blog post to help your audience find you. 

What makes a blog post rank?

blog writer

The answer to this question depends on who you ask. Each SEO and content specialist has their own opinion and experience of what has worked well for them. There are a few crucial factors that determine your post’s success. 

  • On-page SEO – how well your article is structured and prepared to cover the topic based on the search intent and keywords. 
  • Relevance – how relevant your readers find the information you cover.
  • Credibility – how credible your information and website are.
  • Value – what value your blog provides to the readers and whether it answers their questions.
  • Ease of use – is your website easy to use, loads fast, and allows visitors to navigate quickly? 

How to do research for a blog post

What comes first, the topic or the keyword? If you look into the keywords for your topic, you’ll most likely find that all the good ones are just too difficult to rank for. That means you’ll have to pick the low-hanging fruits or, in other words, long-tail keywords or keywords with a lower search volume and difficulty. You can get great topic ideas from those keywords and increase your ranking. 

However, it can be tricky to rely solely on keywords to come up with a topic. The topic can overpower a keyword if the keyword doesn’t come naturally and doesn’t relate to the full blog post. Keywords work like indicators for search engine crawlers, helping them identify what the content is about. Google scans a piece of content: Is there enough valuable and credible information for the reader? If not, it won’t work, no matter how often you mention the target keyword. 

9 steps to begin writing a ranking blog post

If you can, make a screenshot or copy this list to paste it each time you’re preparing to write a blog post.

1. Think of a topic

When you pick the right topic, you’re halfway there. If you can’t decide on the topic, I suggest you check what people search for. Write a list of short topics related to your business and paste them one by one into Google search. If you have an SEO tool, paste those keywords to identify what topics rank and what people search for. 

If topics across the first pages seem to repeat the same thing, check discussion forums like Quora and Reddit. People come there with their real-life issues, looking for answers and guidance. See the tendencies and whether you can help people solve their problems by writing a blog post. 

2. Pick the main keyword 

blogging

Your main keyword should say – this is what I’m writing about. The right keyword will help Google crawlers identify the topic of your blog post and index the page. However, forget the times when cramming a bunch of keywords into every sentence used to bring results. Use your main keyword only sparingly, and it’ll still generate results (if the article is relevant and matches the intent, but more on that later). 

Also, I recommend going for long-tail, low-difficulty keywords. Don’t be discouraged by the search volume. If it says it has a volume of 10 clicks per month, that usually is just an estimation. Remember that your article is likely to rank for more than one keyword. 

3. Find keyword variations 

Synonymous keywords will help your blog post sound more natural, avoid keyword stuffing,  and target a larger audience. For instance, if you’re writing about top restaurants in Berlin, you can add keywords like places to eat in Berlin, cafes in Berlin, etc. It’ll minimize keyword stuffing and won’t make your article sound forced.

Google crawlers are smart enough to identify keyword variations, and they prefer it when content has a few, but intentional keywords. When you have the main keywords and synonyms, it’ll be easier to refine a clear angle for your topic and think of subtopics. 

4. Be intentional with your keywords 

Let’s say you have a long list of good keywords that you would like to use in your post. Take each one of them and paste it into Google search to see what the first pages show. The first pages display what people are actually searching for when they put your keyword. You can also use keyword tools. Some SEO software shows the most common search intent next to keywords.

Let’s say you want to use a keyword to direct a visitor to your sales page, but you see that your keyword is rated as informational. Chances are people aren’t searching to buy with that keyword. If you’re going to use it anyway it can increase your page bounce rate, which damages your positioning. 

Semrush explains in more depth keyword search intent, types of intent, and how to use it to get the best results. 

Use only the keywords that match your intention. Let’s say you sell skincare products for aging skin. The blog post you’re writing targets people who are already looking to buy. It wouldn’t be your best bet to use a keyword like “how to care for aging skin.” Chances are someone who’s using this combination only wants to know more about a skincare routine for aging skin and MAYBE buy later. Instead, look for keywords with commercial intent like “Best moisturizers for mature skin”, etc.

One more thing to remember is to not only match your keyword with the search intent but also to the format. If you see that your keyword ranks for video format, it makes sense to adapt the post to it.

5. Check your competitors 

Paste your main keyword into Google search. There you’ll see what ranks for your competitors. Look at what they are writing and check the “people also ask” section.

It’ll help you better understand what to write and find ideas to make your content more informative, resourceful, and authentic.

If you want to learn more about using Google’s “people also ask,” you can find interesting tips by Ahrefs

6. Find interesting and new information 

Making your blog post as complete as possible is good for ranking and readers. Trying to cover every sub-topic or keyword related to your main topic is not recommended, but if you cover your main topic fully, it can help a lot. 

So what do I mean by that? When you go over the first search pages, you get a general idea of what people are searching for. If you can find new information and answer most of your readers’ questions in one article, you’ll get better results. The best thing you can do is to include your experience and insights as an expert or invite other experts to share their views.

I already mentioned the “people also ask” part. It’s a great way to know more about your readers’ needs. It’s good to answer those questions (if they make your topic more informative and rounded). Don’t try to cover everything from that section, but you can use it to add headlines, find questions that could have better answers, and produce a more informative piece of content. 

7. Research your sources

blog writing

When you have the topics and keywords you want to cover prepared, you can start looking for information. I usually do that before writing an article because you’ll need to focus on writing instead of switching between multiple tabs every two minutes to search for resources. 

Find credible sources to back your words that are relevant to the reader. What makes a source credible? You should check the page first, what the company or a blogger does, and read their other work. If you find the information you want to mention, try to find its primary source. It can be scientific articles, research thesis, or statistics done by a company. Always link to the original source. 

8. Round up relevant links

Don’t be afraid to link to other websites in your posts. Credible and relevant sources can boost your content and show search engines you’re using trustworthy information. 

And, of course – don’t forget your own content. Find articles or other links to add to your post. They should be linked naturally, using anchor text that makes sense. The better your website is linked, the easier it is to index it.

9. Prepare headlines 

Headlines are art. According to Copyblogger, only 20% of people read beyond the headline. And the majority of those who do only skim through content reading only subheadings. The most important is your H1 headline. It has to include the main keyword and enough information to catch the reader’s attention. But H2s and H3s are also important. They should flow naturally and come in the right order. It’s better not to repeat the H1 headline and not to use it twice. 

Make sure your headlines not only spark curiosity but also describe what’s written in the paragraph below. Google checks headlines for hints. I highly recommend the book “How to Write a Good Advertisement” by Victor O. Schwab. He begins the book by listing 100 powerful headlines that worked for him and generated thousands, if not millions, for his clients. You can also find other useful tips on writing effective headlines.

Write a ranking blog post

And there you have it. Preparation is 50% of the work. If you follow these 9 steps to prepare your blog post, the second part – writing it will be seamless. It also makes editing and proofreading easier as you know what structure and style to follow. If you want more tips on website content and to give your content a makeover – let’s discuss it over a call. Find my portfolio and let’s chat!

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