The Anatomy of a Perfect Blog Post

If the act of writing a blog post is daunting, then writing a blog post to describe the anatomy of a perfect blog post is even more daunting! Perfection is subjective, but there are a number of key points to include in your blog posts, which are widely agreed upon across the Internet.

The aim of this post is to educate you on 5 key points you should consider whilst constructing your own blog posts.

 

1. What Makes a Good Headline?

The key to a good headline is to make it eye-catching. Your headline is one of the most important components of your post, without it, no one is ever going to read your post.

Your headline needs to be short and to the point, between 6-8 words or around 55 characters is best, so it doesn’t get cut off in Google search results. The wording can be tricky to get right, here are some strategies that have a great track record in getting clicks:

• Use How to – ‘How to Write the Perfect Blog Post’
• Use numbers – ‘5 Ways You Can Improve Your Writing Skills Right Now!’
• Make your title a question – ‘Do You Know the Most Important Thing About Blog Post Writing?’

A great tool you can use if you are suffering from ‘headline writers block’ is Portent’s Content Idea Generator.

 

2. Your Introduction

Your introduction should provide readers with a hook, so that they keep on reading. The hook that makes your post engaging, is the answer to these two main questions:

• What is your post actually about?
• Why should they continue reading it, in other words, how do they benefit from reading your post?

If your readers like the answers to these questions, it is likely that they will keep on reading.

It is sometimes better to write your introduction last, to ensure that your answers to these questions are accurate. Make sure that your intro reflects any changes.

 

3. Format Your Post Effectively

You must format your post correctly in order to keep your audience reading. This is because most people prefer to scan posts initially.

In order to accommodate these people, you need to make your post scannable.

The best way to do this is to work on your use of ‘white space’. People find it much more pleasing to see a post that has plenty of spacing and clear formatting, rather than a huge chunk of text.

Creating white space is fairly easy. You may have already noticed the use of subheadings in this post, making it easy for you to zone in on the section you are particularly interested in.

Below is a list of formatting considerations:

• Always use subheadings for different points, this allows readers to easily find the points most relevant to them
• Make use of bullet points in lists like this one
• Add an appropriate image or two

 

4. Create Quality Content

No one wants to read an article that is poorly written. A well-written article doesn’t mean a post stuffed with fancy terms. A well-written article is one that is chatty but informative, uses proper grammar but uses normal words and phrases.

Your post must always benefit the reader in some way, whether it is because you taught them something, or even led them to another great resource.

Ways to add value to your post include:

• Link to another relevant blog post you have written
• Include a relevant, free PDF
• Link to a useful online tool

 

5. A Strong Conclusion

Your conclusion should summarise the main points covered in your post, and include a call-to-action. Examples of good calls-to-action are:

• Leave a comment
• Sign up to our newsletter
• Share this article

It is always best to encourage readers to take some action on your post, as you want them to engage with you and to continue to visit your blog.

 

Get Going on Your Next Perfect Blog Post!

 

I hope that this blog post was useful to you, and it gave you some helpful tips on how to make your next blog post ‘perfect’.

Keeping these 5 key points in mind whilst blogging will help you add value for your readers, and keep them reading on past the headline!

What do you think?

Is there anything else you would add to this list? Leave a comment below if you have any more tips to share!

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