A blog post is obviously an important aspect of your website for SEO purposes. You can, of course, tailor blog posts around a specific keyword set, but it’s important to keep in mind that keywords are just one part of the picture – how your blog actually reads is going to be a much better determinant of your success.

This means you need to produce a  post that’s engaging for the reader. It needs to encourage shares and it needs to be popular.

How do you choose a post to engage your readers? How do you pick a topic to make your visitors stay for a little longer?

There are a few angles you can take when creating a blog that keeps readers engaged.

Give Take Away Information

A great blog post  is one that may be saved by the reader as it provides take away information, help, and tips that they can use again and again. This could also encourage a share.

Informative blog posts include subjects such as:

• The Best Apps for Small Businesses
• The Calorie Count of Your Favourite Foods
• How to Rewire a Plug

Of course, it depends on your business model. For example, ideas in different sectors may look like this:

• Digital Marketing – How to Set Up a Facebook Page for Business
• Food Retailer – A Fail-Safe Yorkshire Pudding Recipe
• Fitness – The Top Calorie Burning Exercises
• Fashion – How to Tie a Bowtie
• Homewares – How to Make a White Design Work

These are all subjects that give value, that can be used as a reference point, and that will bring in visitors from places on the web you may not have considered being present in. It’s worth noting that these all fall under the category of evergreen content, which means they can be published at any time of the year and they will still be relevant.

Use Comedy

Another way to engage the reader is to use comedy. If you can make your visitor laugh, they will want to share the humour with others in their network. Comedy can be hard to pull off, and you need to ensure you’re politically correct, as the social media users are an unforgiving bunch.

Use the News

If your blog is updated regularly, you can tap into current trends and news to bring a unique perspective that’s hot off the press. This involves keeping a close eye on what’s trending; however, you may find you receive a slice of the action and a percentage of the visitors that are flocking to the major news stories.

Veer Off a Little

Once you’ve been running a blog for some time it can be difficult to think of new ideas. In this case it’s worth looking into your customer’s profiles. Do a consumer analysis, see what other groups they’re a member of on Facebook, and try to spot some popular hobbies and interests in common.

For example:

• Food retailers will find that their customers also love interior design, especially kitchen design.
• Digital marketers will find their clients are also interested in local business marketing, award ceremonies, and networking.
• Fashion retailers may discover that their clientele also favour cosmetics or pampering treatments.

These all open up a world of possibilities for blog titles that will engage the reader.

Top Tips for a Readable Post

There are certain rules copywriters, like myself, follow instinctively when writing a post. These rules ensure that the entire blog is digested and the reader is left feeling as though they’ve spent their time well. Along with ensuring there’s value to the content we also:

• Write in the second person. Unless you’re a celebrity, few people will enjoy reading a blog post in the first person. They want to be pulled into the copy and the second person does this perfectly.
• Break it up with headers. It’s a fact that not every person will read your post from start to finish. It’s madness to expect them to. They will scan the page and pick out information they want to take. It’s always best to understand the scanner so you can structure your content well. For example, if someone is short on time they will read a blog like this:
  • Top Right Corner
  • Middle Content
  • End Content
  • Top Left

We don’t read webpages in the same way we read a book or a magazine, and the post needs to adapt to accommodate this. Of course, if a visitor does have time on their hands, they will read the entire post but it’s polite to break it up into digestible chunks. The bottom left is rarely glanced at.

Bullet points are ideal for scanners along with some facts and figures. Once you’ve drawn in the reader with some points they want to learn more about, they’re more inclined to read the rest of the blog.

Become an Authoritative Voice in Your Industry

With a great blog post you can inspire trust. You can also approach other publications and show off your writing skills. You can become an authority in your industry on topics related to your business; in short, you can conquer the world. A blog should not be underestimated.

To summarize, it’s important to delve into your visitors psych to discover their likes and dislikes. Find out what engages them, what keeps them glued to their phones when they take time out to read the news and adapt your blog to suit.  If you need help with ideas, or blog writing, feel free to get in touch.

About the Author

Martina Mercer is an award winning copywriter, organic search marketing expert, and author. She works with startups and household brands to bring traffic and conversions through the use of high quality content and psychology.

 

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