What is a Blog Post? – The Perfect Structure
If you want to start a new blog or already started one, the next step would be to figure out what to write. Whatever the purpose of a blog is, personal or business, content would play a critical role in blog success.
You need to realize that the internet is oversaturated with textual content. Thus, for your blog posts to stand out you need to invest serious effort to create great content.
In this article, we will show you how to write your blog posts and make them informative.
Definition of a blog post
The blog post is an entry (article) that you write on a blog. It can include content in the form of text, photos, infographics, or videos.
The structure of a blog post
Following is the exact basic structure of a good blog post.
Use these elements to optimize each post for both readers and search engines:
Headline
The headline, or title, of your blog post, has to capture the attention of potential readers. People may see it in their social media news feed or search results. Make sure you include the main keyword phrase that people could use when searching for the topic you are covering.
Publish date
Publish date of your content is optional but recommended. If you frequently update your blog, post dates can help your visitors to determine the recent posts. It’s not that important on evergreen content pages but is often used on daily published content.
Author by-line
An author by-line helps readers identify who wrote the content and is particularly important for blogs with many writers. Furthermore, the author by-line could give your content more trust if a recognized writer creates it.
Post category
Category classes used to group your content into distinct sections. It’s recommended to use category tags for each blog post you create. Grouping relevant content together will be helpful to your visitors and to search engines crawl your blog.
Introduction
The first paragraph of your blog post will either keep people reading or make people leave. Make sure that it compels people to read the rest of your content. You should use your targeted keyword phrase for search engines at least once in this paragraph.
Main content
It is the main part of your blog post content. Think of the headline as the promise and the main content as the fulfillment of that pledge. Your main content should please anyone who visits your post based on the headline. If you create content that does not meet the promises of your headline, people will start to identify your blog as unfulfilling. The length of your blog posts can range from 300 to 3,000 or more words. It’s best to alternate the length of your posts as you gain insight into what works best for your audience.
Sub-headlines
Many people will scan your blog content as opposed to reading it word for word. Write subheads that break your content into digestible sections. Make sure those subheads represent the content within them.
Bolded text
Use bold text in a few areas of your main content to help highlight important points. Use it selectively. Otherwise, your entire article will seem bolded, thus taking away the ability to highlight key portions of the content.
Bulleted/numbered lists
While you don’t want your entire post filled with bullet points or numbers, these lists do help separate out steps and tables with useful content.
Media
Supplement the text part of your content with media, such as related images and videos. It will help break up your content and illustrate your points better.
The least you can do is to include a featured image in your post. Add your post’s main keyword phrase in the filename of the picture as well as the ALT tag. It will help you in search optimization of your post.
Conclusion
The conclusion should be a paragraph or two at the end of your post to summarize the content you’ve written. The reader should understand what material you’ve covered. If they didn’t, chances are, they will go back to see what they might have missed.
Call-to-action
The last line of your blog post should be some form of a call to action. It can be as simple as asking readers to share their thoughts in the comments or to share the post on social media. If you wrote the post to promote a particular product or service, the call to action should encourage the reader to learn more about it.
Social share buttons
Social media is a useful instrument for promoting your blog content. You need to make sure to include social buttons to all your content, so people can easily share it on social networks. You can place them at the top of your content, at the bottom of your content, or on the side, as a floating widget.
Comments section
Aside from your blog post content, comments are the most important part of your blog. This section gives your readers an opportunity to interact with you and other visitors. It’s important that you respond to the comments and open the conversation.
You don’t have to include all the elements from this list in every post. Make sure you always have an engaging introduction, quality content, and a solid conclusion.
How to write your first blog post
The first one will be the most difficult to write, and the chances are that you will feel like Alice in Wonderland. But, it’s important to push yourself out of your comfort zone and get your work out there.
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In your first post, you can take a moment and introduce yourself. Tell your readers who you are, what motivated you to blog, and what you will write. The title of the post could be “Welcome to my blog” or “My first blog post”. You can also introduce your next blog post here, where you will be talking about some particular topic.
Examples of good blog posts
The title of your blog post should capture readers and show them a value proposition. It should include your main keywords and the benefit your readers will get from the blog post.
Few blog posts ideas:
- How to: How to Immediately Become a More Productive Writer
- Question: What I Learned From 100 Days Of Rejection
- Numbers: 73 Top Blogging Tips For Beginners (2021)
Conclusion
Now you’ve mastered the basics and understand the structure of a blog post. The next thing is to experiment with your content. Your blog posts must stand out from the sea of content flooding the internet. Try to be different and approach your subject from a new angle that can even be controversial. Good luck!
Thank you so much for helping me and hope to excel more. I’m a beginner.
You’re welcome Joyce. We hope that you will start a blog on your own and enjoy it!
Thank you so..much. This is my first time blogging and your guide I believe will help me along the way!!
Thanks Michelle. Let me know if you need any help with your new blog!
Wonderful content. Thank you.
Thanks Nicole!
Thank you for publishing easy-to-read article about blog post. I understand the significance of “Call-to-action” from your article. Once again thank you.
You’re welcome Titus! Thanks.