How to write a blog post for beginners and advanced writers that are not getting results. The rules have changed and so should you
How has blog writing changed
Firstly blogs are getting shorter and written clearly with the readers in mind.
The average blog reader stays on site for about 26 seconds. A thousand-word blog takes five minutes to read so what does that mean to you?
Readers are looking for answers or solutions searched via Keywords that you have to provide.
The focus is now clearly on reader intent more than keyword access so you need to fulfill both worlds.
Who do you write for?
We start with the simple fact that readers don't care about you. They don't want selfish articles that build your esteem written to put your great writing skills on display.
People want answers in clear conversational English that are easy to read and understand. Pretty simple it is just a matter of writing as you speak without adding half the long word encyclopedia to your skills. They don't care!
Where do you answer a question?
There is no exact science on this except that some will be early and others late depending on the question.
A question like ” when was Bill Clinton born” is answered easily as 19-08-1946
However, Why did Mr. Clinton resign as president would need a far greater number of words to explain what happened?
Was it because he lied, avoided the topic, got found out, or indulged in activities that were not socially acceptable for a man in his position?
The answer would need to explain what happened and could not be cut to one line as the subject ran a lot deeper than a simple few words.
Sub Headings grab the skim readers
If you have a reader for just 26 seconds you need to grab some attention as they quickly skim your article. This can be done with Subheadings and images to bring those eyes to a grinding halt.
They may just want to know what is written in a small part of a large blog.
In your long answer on ex-president Clinton, the name Monical Lewinsky may just be what they are looking for. It won't be at the top of an article and only loosely relates to the subject but could be integral to the topic.
I have avoided using action photos but a nice image of Monica may well fit the page
Similarly a question like “was he the youngest president” relates to the story but would be buried somewhere on the page and highlighted by a subheading. Maybe you introduce John F Kennedy as the Baby president but again it is part of a whole page and only of interest to some readers seeking more of the history.
Long-winded articles are a thing of the past
Let's face it most of us are attention deficit so speed reading to find an answer will not be captured in a long-winded post. We will simply move on to a better post that takes us on an easy ride.
Google did like posts of around 1500 words but has redefined that t a five-minute read or about a thousand words. They have done that because it is what readers want so you need to give them what they want.
Dropout rates affect SEO
Under the latest Google ratings, user intent has become a premium element in search terms. Exact match keywords no longer apply as the robots try and understand the query.
If you had or have a first-page position in google search and have a high dropout rate Google will send you to the back of the class. They say that you are not answering the question asked so they will find someone better to do the job.
Therefore your writing becomes more important than ever.
How to write a blog post for beginners and advanced
the answer has become very clear in that precise or smart writing in a shortened format is this year must do.
Simply answer the question with brevity and remain in the race for position one.
The long and heavy writers of the past need to return to the new reality. Cut out the selfish writing we don't want award-winning articles that blow the trumpet of the writer.
We want answers and solutions addressed in a dialogue format that is easy to read.
Conclusion
When Google makes the rules we must all obey.
Write like you are talking to your friends and not to yourself and you are halfway there.
The rule is smart brevity as explained by Jim Vanderhei This is the best 15 minutes you can spend all-day
Writing has changed and you need to change with it.
How to write a blog post for beginners and advanced by Peter Hanley
It's not about money it is about success.
