11 Ways to Write Better Blog Posts Right Now

There are many methods for improving your content over time: creating and adjusting a long-term content plan, studying your analytics and using customer feedback to inform your content, formulating new strategies based on what’s worked for you in the past – just to name a few. Marketers and content creators should be constantly striving to get more out of their content and provide more value to their readers.

But chances are good that if you’re reading this, you’re trying to improve a blog post that you’re currently creating. Here are some things you can do right away today to improve the blog post you’re currently working on:

#1 – Study Your Audience

The single most important aspect of your content is its value to those who see it. Take a quick look at your Google Analytics and any other audience tracking tools you use. Then ask yourself these questions:

• What demographics of people typically view and interact with your content?
• What are the characteristics of your highest-trafficked blog post?
• Which of your posts have received the most engagement, either through comments or social media?
• Can you determine the posts that have led to conversions or sales for your business?
• What keywords were being targeted in your most popular content?

Answering these questions may provide some insight for making your current post more popular and valuable to your potential audience. Specifically, this analysis can help improve elements of your post such as its style, tone, formatting, media use, length, headline, keywords and many other factors.

#2 – Edit, Edit, Edit

Editing the text of your post may seem like the most obvious way to improve it, but it’s often a rushed step that doesn’t get the diligence it deserves. How many times have you read a blog post and wondered to yourself how it could have been published with so many mistakes, poorly written passages or ugly formatting?

Spend some time proofreading your blog post once your draft is complete, and don’t be afraid to get harsh with your edits. Consider creating a duplicate copy of your post just for editing so that you can eliminate sections, add copy, completely re-word passages, and then compare your edited version to your first draft.

Also, be sure to take advantage of the many excellent editing tools out there that can help you improve your content in many ways you might not have even considered. To improve even further, consider having two or three of your colleagues read the post and make editing suggestions.

#3 – Consider Your Formatting

Take a look at some of the most popular blogs in your industry. What do their blog posts typically look like? Do they use a lot of small, one or two-sentence paragraphs, or do they have longer sections of uninterrupted text? How many subheadings or lists do they use? How long are their posts typically? How many images or videos do they use? Are there other design elements that you could implement into your own posts?

Emulating the formatting of your competitors’ most successful posts could prove effective for attracting some of that audience to your own blog.

#4 – Spend Time on the Headline

As a content creator, you know how important a headline is. Not only is it the one element of your post that’s most likely to grab someone’s attention, but studies have also shown that a headline can affect a reader’s interpretation of your content more than the actual content itself. Creating the perfect headline is an art form, and taking the time to really hone in on the best possible version can improve the effectiveness of your post immensely.

There are many great title generators available that can help you create catchy headlines. Alternatively, one great strategy is to simply brainstorm all the possible headlines for your blog post that you can think of, then mix and match the best elements of each and look for feedback from your colleagues until you’ve determined the best title.

#5 – Add More Media

One simple way to improve your blog post immediately is by adding different types of media to it. You don’t want to go overboard of course, but research has shown that the most successful blog posts contain several images and/or videos. This is often because video and images (especially infographics, data charts and screenshots) are often extremely valuable to readers in that they present information in a simple, easily digestible way. And while not every blog post warrants a video or infographic, even adding one more image for the sake of your post’s design could prove beneficial.

#6 – Add Internal Links

Internal links can improve your post in several ways. Wherever possible, you should be linking to other pages on your site that support any points you’re making in your current post. This can seriously increase the perceived authority of your site and business, while also potentially keeping users on your site for longer. Also, if you’re trying to accomplish specific business goals with your blog post, don’t be afraid to link directly to your service pages, contact page, product pages or anything else you’re trying to promote.

#7 – Make an Outline

An outline should ideally be created before writing, but if you’re finding yourself losing direction after you’ve already started, it’s never too late to take a moment and organize your thoughts. Content that’s well-planned stands a much better chance of getting some traction than something that’s just written from start to finish without any forethought.

#8 – Dive Deeper Into Your Topic

Perhaps the most surefire way to improve your post is to simply add more detail and inject as much value as possible into it. It’s no coincidence that successful blog posts are getting longer and longer. Expand on your ideas and research your key points deeply. Write about the subject from as many angles as you can think of, and ask yourself what else you would want to know if you were the reader looking for answers and information from your post.

Consider learning more about the skyscraper technique to find out how creating the best possible content on a subject can get you ahead of your competition in terms of traffic and search rankings.

#9 – Polish Your Intro

You know that you only have a few seconds to grab your readers’ attention before they click away or start scrolling and scanning. If you truly want to your visitors to read the majority of your post, a catchy intro is essential. Spend as much time as you can formulating ideas for an intro that will get people interested. Keeping it short and adding emotional elements (often surprise or humor) may help draw your readers in.

#10 – Avoid Burnout

This is easier said than done, but you have to give yourself enough time if you want your posts to improve. Taking your time when creating a post will result in content that’s immeasurably better than something that’s rushed and underdeveloped. Also, taking breaks is extremely important. Sometimes the best way to improve the post you’re working on is to walk away from it for a while and come back to it later with a refreshed mind.

#11 – Use an Agency

Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention one of the most efficient ways to improve your content – let somebody else do it. Agencies like Content Customs provide professional blog writing services that ensure you get the best possible content without having to spend time on the actual writing. You’ll get your own dedicated, responsive project manager to discuss your content with, as well as unlimited revisions to your posts, allowing you to get exactly what you want in a fraction of the time.

Overall, it’s important to remember that no matter how much you improve your post, you’ll still likely need to promote it in several ways for it to achieve the goals you’re hoping for. However, simply trying to improve the blog post you’re working on right now by following some of the steps above shows that you’re heading in the right direction. Over time, making these small improvements will lead to consistently publishing more valuable, effective content.