Writing an engaging blog is a tool of marketing strategy to reach potential clients and drive online traffic to websites. Written content provides deep insights into different products, services and ideas.
A blog is informative content that gives detailed information about a certain topic. And they are written in both formal and conversational styles. Primarily, they are text-based content.
In order to get leads, it is important to rank on a SERP which is a search engine result page. SEO optimized blogs rank easily. But if the web articles are not engaging, the website will lose traffic. In turn it will increase the bounce rate.
Search engines like Google and Bing consider many factors for ranking articles. Such factors include the originality of content, the writer’s tone, language flow, keywords optimization, website speed, user friendly website etc.
In this article, I will discuss how to write an engaging writing piece. I have amazing tips for you. So stay with me. Let’s start.
Blog: An important tool in the Digital Era
In this technology era, brands and companies have to ensure their presence in the top 3 positions of search results. Because users normally click on top searches and they ignore the links below on the result page.
Now, we have AI-based chatbots like ChatGPT to get information on any product, service or idea. Brands have digital influencers and media to market their products on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok and Pinterest.
In spite of the above facts, blogs are equally important. Bloggers publish 7 million posts on a daily basis. These posts share 77% of the total traffic. 3 users out of 5 often read reviews and comparisons before making a buying decision. (Source: First Site Guide)
Manufacturers buy ad space from bloggers to market their products and they also sponsor the latest posts. Therefore, you might have seen ads from Nike and Adidas on blogging websites in the niche of sport, leather items and textiles.
Here are the reasons why brands are using the potential of online articles:
- It helps brands to rank higher in Search Engines.
- Better ranking generates traffic on a website which can later become leads.
- Reviews divert readers to the web store or ecommerce store.
- Well written articles answer the queries of clients about a certain issue, product or service.
Ask yourself before giving words to your ideas
Before writing an amazing blog, it is crucial to logically plan your strategy to get the desired results. You can achieve your goals by answering the following questions.
- Why am I writing this blog? (Aim of writing)
- For whom am I writing? (Who is the target audience?)
- What problems are addressed by this blog? (Outcome of blog writing)
- How can I make this blog engaging and captivating?
- How will this blog impact the reader’s life?
Here We Go – Write an engaging blog
Now, you have properly designed a strategy, start writing your blog as per the coming paragraphs.
Fine tune your writing style
Writing style can be either formal or informal depending on the niche and target audience. At a minimum, high earning websites have the following attributes in their articles.
- A table of contents.
- Proper headings and subheadings.
- Short paragraphs.
- Bullet points.
- Balance between active and passive voices.
- Idioms, phrases and proverbs.
- External and internal links.
- Relevant data and stats.
- Attractive visuals like images and videos.
- Use connecting words like so, hence, therefore, because, but, however, in spite of, on the spot, at least, at a minimum, on the go, furthermore, moving towards the end etc.
Remember: It does not matter which writing style you adopt. Your content should have the above attributes. So, the user can navigate your content easily and understand your point. Keep your content organized.
Go with storytelling
Storytelling is the best way to address the audience. Books, magazines, news columns and folks are written examples of storytelling. These writing pieces have suspense and improvisation in the narration. So, include a flow of story in your articles.
Start with a catchy headline
It’s really important to write a captivating headline i.e., the main heading of your content to engage readers. Because headlines appear on the search results page. Catchy and unique headlines get more clicks.
Therefore, use powerful words in your headlines. Examples are:
- Unveiling
- Key features explored
- Sleek design
- Cutting edge
- Transforming
- Empowering
- Revealing
- Unlocking
- Top, best, amazing, astonishing
- Top notch
- Benefits of using
- How to
- The perfect
- A complete guide
- Who is
- Trends
- Be aware
- Emerging
- Simple steps
- Summary
- Future
- Coming soon
The above list is ongoing. You may find further ideas about words and phrases on other websites. Never forget to use numbers and years in your headlines.
Go with an engaging introduction
Netizens usually read headlines, introduction, table of contents and conclusion to skim the whole writing piece. So, all these attributes must have enough strength to keep your readers on your article.
Therefore, try to write an interesting introduction to your blog topic. An interesting introduction contains:
- A quick overview
- Engaging questions
- Interesting facts
- Start of the story
Write well-researched content
Write a high-quality and an authentic content to build audience trust. Well-researched articles get backlinks easily. Let’s say if you are writing a commentary on a cricket match, you can embed video of match highlights.
The following factors add authenticity to an article:
- Relevant stats
- Source of your content
- Images, screenshots and videos
Maintain a consistent tone
It is really important to stay on track and consistent with your tone while converting your ideas into articles. Otherwise, an inconsistent tone can frustrate your readers. So, keep your writing pieces organized and fluent.
Add visuals
A blog is made attractive by adding visuals. It is a great source of client engagement. Visuals might be videos, images and infographics. Images have alt text which contributes greatly to SEO. And search engines also love text-based content with a mix-match of text and visuals.
You can design visuals from Canva. It is sufficient for a blogger and a content writer. No need to invest time and money in Adobe Creative Cloud and Coral Creative Suite. Canva is enough where you can edit pre-designed templates.
Conclude your blog
End your article with a conclusion. Just use the word “conclusion” as its heading. No need to use fancy words. Include a transition from your whole article to its closing so that readers feel that your blog has now ended. Never forget to ask a question. Also add a call to action option.
Add a Call to Action
I have covered all the points from starting the blog and ending it. Now it is time to add a call to action (CTA) option. CTA gives you a conversion and it also helps to build an affiliation with your fans.
At the end of your blog, you can use these options.
- Comment box
- Social media icons for sharing
- Newsletter subscription
- Ask a thought-provoking question
- Offer visitors free resources like courses, ebooks etc.
Proofread – Edit – Publish
When you are done with writing, proofread and edit it and then publish it to your website. And it’s done. Use tools to proofread your blog before finalizing it. For proofreading, you need to check:
- AI generated content
- Plagiarism
- Mistakes in spelling and grammar
- Inconsistency in tone
There are tools to perform these tasks for you such as Grammarly, WordTune, Zero GPT and DupliChecker. Tools save a lot of time.
Bonus Tips: Optimize your content for SEO
SEO falls into two categories. One is on-page and the other one is off-page. On-page SEO is all about optimizing blogs. While off-page SEO is the fixing of all technical aspects and matters that are other than optimizing your article.
I have written a detailed commentary about it. Currently, I am covering just a summary.
For on-page SEO:
- Use a proper table of contents, headings, subheadings, short paragraphs and short URLs.
- Add the selected focus key phrase to the title, URL and meta description.
- Set pixels of text within the range of 16 to 20px.
- Keep keyword density within reasonable limits to avoid keyword stuffing.
- Avoid keyword cannibalization.
- Add internal and external links to your article.
- Add LSI Keywords
For off-page SEO:
- Prepare a sitemap for your website.
- Keep a close eye on the website loading speed.
- Go with guest posting for link building (backlinks).
- Never compromise on the quality of your content. It will help you build a community of loyal fans.
- Build your brand with podcasting, Vlogs and social media marketing.
Bonus section: Simple and Easy steps to setup your engaging blog
Here is the bonus section. Most content writers sell their skills as ghost writers. They write on Medium and they write for freelance clients. However, they do not know how to set up their own blogging website.
Choose your niche wisely
Understanding the concept of a niche is the first step to content writing. A niche is actually the theme that a writer selects for his or her writing journey. It is important to select those topics that are in demand and for which more people have queries.
Therefore, it is advised to do thorough research before choosing a niche. This way, you can grow your blogging website and create leads.
Target the audience accordingly
After selecting a niche, the next step is to find your target audience. For instance, if your blogging niche is Health and Fitness, the target audience will be people who are struggling with weight issues.
Share your articles with social media groups and pages in your niche. This is the easiest and free route to engage potential followers, likes, clicks and shares..
Gather authentic information
It may sound hard, but it is actually the most important step in convincing your audience. Authentic information builds the credibility of a blog. This will help engage the audience in the long term and build trust between the blogger and the reader.
Choose the CMS
Content management systems (CMS) are platforms that publish content and help writers build their portfolios. CMS is a blessing for those who cannot create their own website. WordPress is the leading CMS. It is too easy for beginners to build a website on their own.
Choose the right keywords
Now is the time to select keywords for the blog. Keywords are generally used for a certain topic on the Search Engines. Ranking can only be possible with the smart use of the right keywords.
For instance, nutrition, food, and health are the keywords for the Health and Fitness blog. It is just a generic example. There are a lot of tools for systematic search. But Ubersuggest, Semrush and Moz Pro are the leading tools for keywords research.
When you get a keyword, confirm its trend in Google Trends. Also check its traffic, competition and ranking probability in Google Keyword Planner.
Plan a writing calendar and strategy
Last but not least, brainstorm and create a calendar of writing blogs at regular intervals. It could be weekly or fortnightly. It depends on your time scheduling. Consistency and time management take off on your flight to success.
Conclusion
Although growth of a blogger takes time and effort. An engaging blog helps generate high-end traffic and builds loyal followers. I have covered almost all the aspects and strategies to kickstart your growth. I have also included bonus tips on setting up your blogging website and optimizing SEO.
Now it’s your turn to tie your knots and take your blog off. Never forget to share your experience with me in the comment box. Also share my blog with your circle so they can get some insights into engaging traffic.
Promotion is your next step when you have written your engaging blog. Do not worry. We have an article for you. It explains how you can promote your blog.
