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How to Write a Blog Post: The Definitive Guide

Today you’ll learn how to write a blog post that gets:

Hundreds of comments.

Thousands of social shares.

And first-page rankings on Google.

Let’s dive right in.

How to Write a Blog Post: The Definitive Guide

Chapter 1: Find a (Proven) Topic

Find a proven topic

Choosing the right blog post topic is HUGE.

Question is:

How do you find proven topics?

Use one of these five simple step-by-step strategies.

Tap Into User-Generated Content for Ideas

Find your target audience in subreddits, Facebook Groups, and industry forums.

See what they care about.

For example: You’re a salon owner.

You might join a Facebook Group like this:

Facebook group – BeBeautiful

Look for insights like this:

Facebook groups – Hair porosity question

And this:

Facebook groups – Rice water

And this:

Facebook groups – Frizzy hair question

That’s three blog topics right there:

  1. Hair Porosity: What It Is and Why You Should Care
  2. Benefits of Rice Water in Haircare
  3. The Ultimate Guide to Frizzy Hair

The key?

Find groups where your target demographic hangs out.

Then look for patterns. And posts with lots of traction.

You’re sure to have popular blog topic ideas in no time.

Dig Up Existing Customer Intel

Your own customers can be a GOLDMINE for blog topics.

Here’s how to uncover them:

If your business is set up such that you have regular, direct contact with your customers, ask them!

What do they wish they knew more about?

What questions did they have before they bought from you? Which questions did they have right after?

What tips or advice would they give to someone considering a purchase?

If your business is bigger than that, or direct customer contact is harder to come by, go to your sales team.

Your sales team talks to your customers every day.

Ask them what topics are hot. What questions they keep hearing. What trends they’re seeing.

Voice of the customer – Sales team

Talk to your customer service team, too.

They’re on the front lines, handling issues and answering questions.

Ask what patterns they see. Ask about common problems.

Voice of the customer – Customer service

Customer comments and reviews are helpful too.

What are your reviewers doing with your product? What are they excited about? What do they want more of?

Voice of the customer – Comments & Reviews

Add social listening, surveys, and Net Promoter Scores to collect even more existing customer POVs.

Voice of the customer – Surveys & Social

In no time, you’ll have a list of blog topics that are sure to resonate with your target audience.

Because the inspiration came from them!

Very cool.

Use Semrush for Competitor Insights

It’s time to steal your competitor’s best topics.

Grab a competitor’s blog URL and pop it into Semrush and hit “Search.”

Semrush – Input website

Then, hit “Traffic Analytics” on the left-side menu. And the “Top Pages” tab at the top.

You’ll see the exact content that’s worked best for that blog (in terms of direct, referral, social, search, and paid traffic):

Traffic Analytics – Backlinko – Top Pages

Check BuzzSumo’s “Evergreen Score”

You already know that BuzzSumo is a GREAT tool for finding content ideas.

(In fact, BuzzSumo is one of my favorite content marketing tools.)

They have a VERY cool feature that makes this tool even more useful: the Evergreen Score.

Here’s how it works:

First, type a keyword into BuzzSumo just like you normally would.

BuzzSumo – Content Analyzer – Search

By default, BuzzSumo shows you content that has lots of social shares.

Content Analyzer – Results – Total Engagement

But here’s the problem:

You can’t tell whether that content went viral for a day and quickly flamed out, or if it’s still racking up shares and links years later.

That’s where the Evergreen Score comes into play.

It shows you content that people share and link to MONTHS after it first went live:

Content Analyzer – Results – Evergreen score

With that inspiration, you can publish content that brings you traffic for YEARS.

Leverage Conference Agendas

This is quickly becoming one of our FAVORITE ways to find killer topics.

First, head to a conference website in your niche.

BrightonSEO – Homepage

Go to the agenda page:

BrightonSEO – Talks menu

You’ll see topics that people are paying to learn more about:

BrightonSEO – Talks

A bonus idea:

Pop the conference agenda page into the Google Keyword Planner and select “Use only this page”:

GKP – Start with a website – BrightonSEO

And click the “Get results” button.

You’ll get a list of targeted keyword ideas straight from Google.

GKP – BrightonSEO – Keyword ideas

Chapter 2: Blog Post Templates

Blog post templates

Now that you have a topic, it’s time to get started on your post.

And here’s the great news:

You don’t need to start from scratch, suffer from writer’s block, or stare at a blank white screen.

Instead, use one of the awesome blog post templates that we’re about to share with you.

Template #1: Expanded List Post

What It Is

A regular list post. But better.

List posts are a blogging mainstay.

And for good reason:

They’re a collection of bite-sized tips that people can use to get a specific result.

The issue is that traditional list posts usually leave out key details, like how to implement each tip.

Regular list posts

The Expanded List Post is completely different.

With the Expanded List Post, you give LOTS of detail about each item on your list.

Expanded list post

Why It Works

Normal lists posts aren’t actionable. They make the reader do a ton of extra work.

For example, let’s say the first tip from a list post is: “Eat Eggs at Breakfast.”

Well, that leaves out A LOT of important info, like:

  • What time should I eat?
  • How do I cook the eggs?
  • What about organic and free-range eggs?
  • Can I eat anything with the eggs?

Well, the Expanded List Post answers all of those questions and more.

That way, your reader doesn’t have to fill in the blanks.


Real Life Example

A while back we published 19 NEW SEO Techniques.

Backlinko – SEO Techniques

This Expanded List Post is extremely successful.

To date, it has over 14k social shares.

And 5.5K backlinks from over 1.1K domains:

Backlink Analytics – SEO techniques – Backlinks & Referring Domains

Our secret?

Unlike most list posts, we gave people detailed steps for each tip:

SEO techniques – Detailed steps

Template #2: The Branded Strategy Case Study

What It Is

A Branded Strategy Post solves a problem that your target audience struggles with.

And when you give this solution a “branded” name? You’re instantly seen as an industry expert.

There’s only one catch:

You need to prove that it works.

Enter: The Branded Strategy Case Study.

The branded strategy case study

Why It Works

Your branded name gives people something tangible to link to.

It also helps establish you as an authority in your niche.

(If you created your own strategy, you MUST be an expert.)


Real Life Example

In Backlinko’s earlier days, our founder, Brian Dean, had trouble building our email list.

After trying a bunch of different strategies, he finally found something that worked:

Offering people VERY targeted lead magnets.

Targeted lead magnets

We decided to write a blog post about that experience.

Backlinko – List building

We made sure to give that new strategy a name:

The Content Upgrade.

This piece has over 2.1K backlinks from over 780 domains.

Backlink Analytics – Increase conversions – Backlinks & Referring Domains

A lot of that attention is a direct result of this unique, branded name:

Neil Patel – Content upgrade backlink

Template #3: Tools of the Trade

What It Is

A “Tools Of The Trade Post” is a list of tools that you recommend.

To be clear:

These tools DON’T have to be software.

A “tool” can be a morning routine, a foam roller, or a B12 supplement.

As long as the tool helps your reader solve a problem, you’re good.

Tools of the trade

Why It Works

Strategies are hard.

Approaches are tricky.

But using tools is EASY.

(In fact, the number one question we get is: “What SEO tools do you recommend?”)

That said:

Finding the right tool can be REALLY hard.

That’s where your “Tools of the Trade” post comes in. It’s a hand-picked list of the best tools, all in one place.


Real Life Example

A while back, we published a blog post called How to Learn SEO In Record Time.

Backlinko – Learn SEO fast

It was a list of “tools” (resources) to help people learn SEO.

Learn SEO fast – Chapters

It didn’t go viral or anything. But it did get over 2K shares.

Template #4: The Ultimate Guide

What It Is

A complete resource that covers EVERYTHING.

The ultimate guide

Why It Works

Your guide gives your reader everything they need to know about a topic… in one place.

They don’t have to read 18 different posts.

Once they find your guide, they have everything they need to know.

Not only does it work for your audience, but it’s also great for getting backlinks. Bloggers will link to your guide when they write about your topic:

Google RankBrain SEO – Backlink

Real Life Example

The first guide we ever published at Backlinko was: Link Building for SEO: The Definitive Guide.

Backlinko – Link building

(Since then, we’ve updated that guide at least 50 times.)

Because the guide is SUPER thorough, other SEO and content marketing blogs were happy to link to it:

Medium – Link building guide backlink

And share it on social media:

Link building guide – Twitter share

Template #5: The Complete List

What It Is

A Complete List is like an ultimate guide in list form.

So instead of a guide with steps, you list every…

  • Tip
  • Item
  • Tool
  • Technique
  • Strategy
  • Example
  • Case study

So it’s all in one place.

The complete list

Why It Works

First off, Complete Lists have a legit “WOW” factor.

(A list of 200+ anything is impressive.)

Second, you’re curating scattered information on a single page.


Real Life Example

In 2018, we published 41 Best SEO Tools (Free & Paid).

Backlinko – Best free SEO tools

It’s a huge list of 41 SEO tools.

(Yup, we personally tried each and every one of them.)

But we didn’t just list a bunch of tools and call it a day.

We made sure to highlight each tool’s strength and call out our favorite features:

Best free SEO tools – Best feature

The post has been a traffic MAGNET for Backlinko.

In fact, over 6,000 people visit that post every month:

Best free SEO tools – Monthly visitors

Chapter 3: Write an Awesome Headline

Create an awesome headline

When writing a blog post, your headline can make or break your entire post.

So it’s important to nail this step.

And in this chapter, we’re going to show you how to write amazing blog post headlines.

Start by Looking at the SERP

Search for your topic or primary keyword.

Look at the titles on the search engine results page (SERP).

Google will show you what searchers are interested in.

You don’t want to copy anything that’s already in use. But use results as inspiration to build on what works.

For example, let’s say you’re writing a blog about lead nurturing.

You might see SERP results like this:

Google SERP – Use email marketing to nurture leads

This list is a great start for crafting your own version that will stand out!

Use Keywords and Specific Phrases

Especially at the start of your headline.

Put the primary keyword closer to the start of the title. Show searchers that the post matches what they’re searching for.

And consider starting your headline with one of these phrases.

Why?

Because BuzzSumo analyzed 100 million headlines.

They found that headlines that start with these 20 phrases tend to get the most shares:

Top phrases starting headlines

For example, this Backlinko post uses one of the tested phrases:

Backlinko – Actionable SEO tips

In B2B? Use These Proven Headline Phrases

If you’re in B2B, you know that clickbait titles don’t work that well.

Fortunately, the BuzzSumo study mentioned earlier also analyzed a subset of B2B post titles.

And they discovered that these 20 phrases work GREAT in B2B:

Top B2B headline phrases

Consider Your Headline Length

Google rewrites 61.6% of titles!

Overly long and especially short titles are some of the most common victims.

Try to keep our headline within 50-60 characters (600 pixels).

Or, as a BuzzSumo study suggests, within 12-18 words. They discovered this is the sweet spot for social shares.

BuzzSumo – Number of headline words

Pro tip: Use the SERP Simulator tool to check your headline length and see how it will look in search results.

Try a Proven Formula

These proven arrangements of words can help your headlines stand out:


The Keyword-Colon Formula

The formula: [Content Topic]: [Actionable promise]

Why it works: It directly addresses the topic, hooking the reader with an actionable promise.

Examples:

  • Local Keyword Research: 4 Easy Steps to Attract More Customers
  • Google E-E-A-T: How to Create People-First Content
  • Small Business Marketing: 6 Proven Strategies for More Reach
  • Law Firm SEO: A 5-Step Guide to Getting More Leads and Clients

List or Number Formula

The formula: X [Unique Adjective] [Topic]

Why it works: Lists are compelling in part because human brains love complete stories. Readers naturally want to see what made the list.

Lists also provide clarity and set expectations in a way audiences like.

Examples:

  • 5 Powerful Local SEO Tools to Get More Customers
  • 22 Proven Content Marketing Examples to Inspire Your Strategy

The Keyword-Question Formula

The formula: [Keyword Question]? [Promise]

Why it works: Directly acknowledges the question and hooks the reader with a simple promise.

Examples:

  • What is an H1 Tag? Best Practices & Examples for SEO
  • What Are URL Parameters? A Guide for Marketers and SEOs

Add Brackets (and Parentheses)

This is one of our favorite headline hacks.

Why?

A study by OutBrain found that adding brackets to headlines can improve CTR up to 38%.

Brackets increase click through rate

Our tests back this up.

Six of our top 10 most popular posts have brackets or parentheses in the title:

Backlinko – Top 10 content – Brackets

Optimize for Emotional Marketing Value (EMV)

Every copywriter knows that emotional headlines get LOTS of clicks.

And now there’s data to back this up.

CoSchedule published a blog post headline study.

Noah Kagan – We analyzed nearly 1 million headlines

Specifically, they analyzed a million headlines for emotional marketing value (EMV).

And they found a clear correlation between high EMV and social shares.

Average EMV score for headlines

You can measure your EMV score using this tool from the Advanced Marketing Institute:

AMInstitute – Headline Analyzer

Just pop your headline into the tool and you’ll get your EMV score.

AMInstitute – Headline Analyzer – Score

At Backlinko, we try to get our EMV score to at least 25%.

We even have a few headlines with an EMV score of 70%+.

Chapter 4: Craft a Compelling Intro

Craft a compelling intro

Topic? Check.

Headline? Check.

Now it’s time to grab your reader’s attention.

How? Your blog post introduction.

Here’s how to write a great one.

Limit Your Intro to 4-7 Sentences

Let’s face it:

No one likes long blog post introductions. Like this:

Paleo diet – Long intro

That’s why we try to limit our intros to under ten lines.

For example, the intro from this post is only eight lines:

Video marketing guide post – Intro

In our experience, four to seven sentences is more than enough to hook people and get them excited for the content they’re about to read.

Use the PPP Formula

It stands for preview, proof, preview.

This formula that’s KILLING it for Backlinko right now.

Here’s a visual:

The PPP formula

Let’s break down each part of the PPP formula. And look at real-life examples.

First, you have the preview.

This couldn’t be any simpler.

Just let your reader know EXACTLY what to expect.

That way, when someone lands on your post, they know they’re in the right place.

Here’s an example:

SEO strategy – Intro preview

Next, it’s time for the proof.

Here’s where you show people that you can deliver.

Specifically, you want to prove that you know your stuff.

You can show proof with:

  • Personal results
  • Years of experience
  • Number of clients
  • Credentials or certifications

In our article on how to use hreflang tags, the proof comes in the form of a screenshot.

Semrush’s organic search result appearing in German shows we know how to help readers do the same.

Hreflang tag intro – Proof

Last up, we have the preview. Again.

The first preview was a high-level overview of your post.

The 2nd preview is a little bit different. Here, you get specific about something from your post.

For example, in this intro to an article about keyword research, we preview the fact that the steps are actionable.

Local keyword research – Intro preview

End with a Transition

We like to end intros with a transition sentence.

In our experience, a transition helps push people to read the next section.

Here’s an example from an article on SEO tools:

SEO site audit – Intro transition

Chapter 5: Write Your Post

Write your post

Now it’s time to write your SUPER engaging blog content.

How?

Use these six strategies to make your blog posts 10x better.

Starting with…

Keep Your Paragraphs Short

Want people to read your content? Avoid giant walls of text.

Here’s an example:

Wall of text

Instead, stick to paragraphs that are one to two sentences long.

Like this:

Backlinko – Short paragraphs

Why is this important?

Short paragraphs are easier to read.

(Especially on mobile devices.)

Add Section Subheaders

We LOVE subheaders.

That’s because subheaders break your content up into easy-to-read chunks.

For example, our post “The Complete SEO Checklist” has A LOT of content.

Backlinko – SEO Checklist

(In fact, that post is 4,833 words.)

So we broke up the content into lots of smaller chunks. And added a list with links that take you to that section:

SEO checklist – List with links

Keep Your Voice Active

If we could give you ONE writing tip for writing blog posts it would be:

Use the active voice!

Seriously.

The passive voice is just… lame.

On the flip side, the active voice is crisp and clear.

Use the active voice

Use 15-17px Font

You might have noticed that Medium.com posts are REALLY easy to read.

Medium – Readability

How do they do it?

They use a 21px font.

If you’re using anything less than 15px, you’re losing readers.

That’s why we use an 18px font here at Backlinko.

Backlinko font size

Write Like You Talk

This is the holy grail of engaging writing.

But it’s not easy.

(Especially if you took English classes in high school.)

This will help:

Read your post out loud.

Come across something that sounds weird? Scrap that sentence.

To replace it, explain the same thing out loud. Use THAT language instead.

You’ll probably find it sounds a lot better.

Include Lots of Visuals

Screenshots.

Charts.

Pictures.

Infographics.

Don’t be afraid to use a ton of visuals in every post.

For example, this post from Backlinko has over 75 visuals:

Backlinko – SEO Site Audit