10 Questions to Ask When Creating a Blog Article


Inbound Marketing, Strategy

Business Blogging#1 - Is There a Singular and Clear Purpose for Your Blog Article?

Each blog article you write should have one and only one clear purpose. For instance, a blog article about how to create your first home brew should not discuss the benefits of brewing beer at home. If you find that you have more than one purpose for this article, then you probably have two blog articles.

#2 - Does Your Blog Article Serve to Educate or Help a Visitor Solve a Problem?

Your potential visitors have a purpose for being online. They have come to your website because they are trying to solve a problem, or, at the very least, learn more about the problem they are trying to solve. Create articles that educate your visitors and help them solve their problems. The next time they have a problem they will remember how your website helped them last time and will come back looking for additional help. Plus, your assistance will gain their trust and they’ll be more likely to rely on you and your products or services in the future.

#3 - Does the Title Clearly and Succinctly Outline the Purpose of Your Blog Article?

The title is the most important part of the article. It is the first (and many times, the only) part a visitor will read from start to finish. A properly written title should clearly define the purpose of the article and entice the visitor to read more of the article.

#4 - Does Your Blog Article Use Whitespace to Emphasize the Title and Other Key Elements?

Never underestimate the power of empty space. Having all your content clumped together makes it difficult to read. Use whitespace around headers and between paragraphs to give the visitor small ‘breaks’ when reading and to emphasis important content, such as headers and images.

#5 - Will the Most Important Information Appear Above the Fold?

In the context of a website, “above the fold” refers to content that can be seen without scrolling. It is important for your article to display enough important information to draw the user in without scrolling. If it doesn’t, the user will likely move on to the next site.

#6 - Are Header Tags Used Properly?

Header tags help break up the content into chunks that the visitor can easily read. Well-written header tags also help a user quickly scan an article to understand what it is about.

Additionally, header tags should be optimized for SEO purposes. The easiest way to do this is to use them in numerical order (H1, H2, H3, etc.) and incorporate key words.

#7 - Does Your Blog Article contain at Least One Image that Clearly Relates to the Article’s Purpose?

The old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words has some validity online. Images draw in visitors and help break up content into manageable chunks. It is important that you select an image that relates to the content in the article.

#8 - Is There an Author Tag Included Somewhere in Your Blog Article?

Adding an author tag provides validity to your article. The author tag should link to an author bio page that demonstrates that the author is knowledgeable in this field. A real person is much more credible than a webpage without an identified author because your reader will know who the information is coming from.  

#9 - Does Your Article Contain a Clear “Next Action” for Your Visitor?

Now that the visitor has read your content, you don’t want them to disappear. Guide them to an appropriate next step, such as signing up for your newsletter or contacting you for a consultation.

#10 - Is Everything Spelled Correctly?

You’ve created a great article with a clear purpose and valuable content. Don’t retract from this value with misspellings. A great tool for checking spelling on a webpage is Respelt.com. Just enter the URL in the field provided.

BONUS! - Did You Include Social Sharing Links?

What good is great content if no one knows about it? Make it easy for your visitors to share your content on their social media channels with others they are connected to.

Ready to learn more? Believe it or not, there is more to blogging than what we have listed here. Answering these questions will give you a good start and help you polish your content, but our Intro to Business Blogging eBook will dive into even more details. Download it for free.

 

Give a little.
Get a lot.

We regularly share insights on how we approach marketing. Get on the list.

Easter Egg!