Write Your First Blog Post That Actually Gets Traffic
Are you in dilemma on how to write first blog post and simultaneously generate good traffic?
A common question among first-time bloggers, aspiring to strive well in the field of content writing. Visibility in social media, gaining maximum visitors and readers, and ranking high up in the search engine are always a challenge for them.
To ease up the worry, in this article we will distinctly discuss the best ways and methods to boost up traffic after writing your first blog post. So without further ado, let’s start exploring them for your quick reference and guide.
Select a Trending Topic
Before starting to write first blog post, first and foremost check out the trending topics of your genre. The reason being these topics will be searched by maximum people and likely to hit your website. Find out if the topics are covered by your competitor’s websites. It is advisable to read them and check the content thoroughly. Find out uniqueness about the topic, which you can focus more on your content better than the competitors. This strategy will pull in more readers, the majority of whom seek to gather distinct information about the topics. Since the readers will be searching more on the trending topics; if your article or content stands out from others, your post will gain maximum traction.
Find out Appropriate Keywords
Unless your content is SEO-friendly, you won’t be able to boost up your traffic. Hence when you write first blog post, one of the critical activities is to find out the appropriate keywords. Keywords are a powerful mechanism to increase the ranking of your post in the search engine and thereby increasing the influx of traffic into the website.
Here are some of the prominent keyword research tools that you can use for finding out the appropriate keywords. The tools are powered with extensive algorithms to churn out the best keywords with high search volume for your content. Search for both primary and secondary keywords and use them judiciously in your content.
- Google Keyword Planner – It is one of the most widely used tools for keyword research. You need a Google Adwords account to start using the tool. You can discover new keywords from the tool and check the search volume along with the forecast. The search volume dashboard shows the clicks, impressions, Click Through Rates (CTR), Average Click Per Cost (CPC), etc. of each of the keywords
- Google Trends – One of the powerful tools by Google to find and discover trending keywords. Once you enter the phrases related to your content, the tool displays the popularity of the words for a specific region and for a specific time. The results are displayed graphically; one of its key features. You can leverage the results to select the keywords for your content specifically for the region and timezone best suited for you
- Soovle – The tool assists in finding out keyword ideas from various search engines and websites like Google, Amazon, YouTube, Yahoo, and many more. Besides, it shows the competition for each of the keywords
- Jaaxy – User-friendly, simple, and easy to use tool. It displays multiple keyword ideas segregating them based on the search volume and competition. The key feature is its “Quoted Search Result” or QSR that helps in finding out the number of websites trying to rank the keyword
- Ahrefs Keyword Explorer – The tool performs a detailed and in-depth analysis of the keywords searched. It displays the keyword difficulty level, search volume, CPC, CTR.
Short Blog Post
When you write first blog post, do not make it long and elaborate. Normally website visitors or readers seeking to read a topic, expect shorter and focused content. Unless it is a research or scholarly article, the concentration span of readers is less. In few paragraphs, you must draw the attention of the readers. The objective must be to capture and pen down the content in a clear and concise manner. Pick out the interesting aspects of the topic which will be of interest and elaborate on them at the beginning of the topic. The more common and unimportant parts of the content can be dealt with at the end.
Catchy Title
Select a catchy title for your blog post. The title is the foundation stone when you write first blog post. The primary keyword must be present in the title. When the readers search for the keyword, the search engines will crawl through your blog post title and fetch it to display in its results. If you have some unique combination appended along with the keywords in the title, your blog post title will attract more attention. A very convenient yet intelligent way to gain traffic to your website article. Some expert and experienced content writers often pose a question along with the keywords to grab the attention of readers. You can try the technique as well.
Engaging Introduction
The introduction must be engaging and prompt readers to read through the entire content and not stop at the first paragraph. You can provoke the reader’s mind by asking questions. Leaving small snippets of what is coming next in the sub-sections, is also a good idea. The introduction must never be more than 1 or 2 paragraphs. The paragraphs must be short or else you will again lose the attention of the readers. The objective of an introduction must be only to kindle the mind of the readers. The next larger sections must focus on the details of the topic.
Attractive Headings and Subheadings
A very key point to remember when you write first blog post is, readers must read through the entire content till the end. To encourage the reading minds, you need to ensure the post is divided into meaningful headings and subheadings. Each of them must be distinctly separate from one another and must never be a repetition. The language and the fact stated in the headings and subheadings must be provocative enough to lure the readers and increase their attention span. Only then you can be successful in increasing traffic to your blog post.
For example, if you are specifying a listicle under one of your headings, specify in the heading title itself. There are powerful SEO tools to analyze the headings and subheadings of your blog post, which we will discuss in the subsequent section.
Leverage Tools for SEO Optimization
Now coming to one of the vital factors to remember when you write first blog post. Search Engine Optimization or SEO helps to rank your website content higher up whenever people search the keywords. Several tools are available to aid you in SEO. They help in analyzing your content and check for proper usage of keywords, title, heading, subheading, internal links, external links, image attributes, and meta description.
Here are some of the popular SEO tools which you can refer to:
- All in One SEO or AIOSEO is one of the best SEO tools. It has a huge user base exceeding almost 1 million. It is simple to use and packed with comprehensive features; best suited for improving the search rankings. Both novice and experienced professionals can comfortably use the tool.
- Yoast SEO is a widely used SEO tool. Its free version can be comfortably used, providing all the basic features. Yoast SEO review is positive, being used by a considerable amount of users.
- Semrush is also one of the best SEO tools in the market. It is used by the majority of the companies involved in online businesses and content marketing. Individual freelance content writers, too, prefer using Semrush.
- Check the Readability of your Blog Post
You may select a good topic for your blog post, have some catchy titles, headings and subheadings. But if your content is not reader-friendly then it is tough to keep your readers engaged and focused. Hence it is important to check the readability when you write first blog post.
Some of the key things you must adhere to:
- Use shorter sentences and avoid lengthy ones
- Write either inactive or passive voice and do not mix the two. The recommendation is to write in active voice
- Consecutive sentences must not start always with the same word as it tends to be monotonous
- Divide your content into paragraphs with one paragraph not containing more than 300 words
- Use transition words for emphasizing the connection between the sentences like usage of and, but, so, because, etc.
You can leverage the services of the popular and common readability tools to check the readability of your blog post
Some of the recommended readability tools are:
- SEMrush SEO Writing Assistant
- Yoast SEO Tool
- SearchMetrics Content Experience
- WebFX Readability Tool
- Text Optimizer
- Readability Analyzer
Spelling and Grammar Check
Spelling and Grammar are the basic checks you must do when you write first blog post. It is suggested to use tools like Grammarly for conducting the checks and editing the article according to the recommendations provided.
The key basic checks that are performed are:
- Spelling
- Punctuation marks
- Correct usage of grammar
- Clarity of the sentences
- Ensure the content is engaging and interesting
- Able to create the right impression to the readers
The premium version provides further advanced checks like:
- Word choice
- Passive voice usage
- Unclear sentences
- Wordy sentences
- Adjusting the tone of writing
- Inclusive language usage
- Tone detection
- Clarity and conciseness
Plagiarism Free Content
Plagiarism is a crucial check when you write first blog post. A plagiarised content will be marked by Google as spam and it will result in a low ranking of your website or even lose ranking in the search results.
What is plagiarism?
It is essentially copying someone’s work and claiming it as your own without granting credibility to that person.
Now, you may be thinking that we do research on a topic and write a blog post. During the research, we do come across articles written by various authors and writers, but analyzing them and penning down your own words is expertise and intelligence. When you write travel blogs, recipes, and fashion blogs, it is easier since you would be writing your experience and plagiarism doesn’t come into the picture.
But beyond that, if you are writing an article after extensive research then never copy content. In case you want to refer to someone’s quote or content and even image, then you need to provide adequate attributes for avoiding copyright violations.
Include Images or Videos
Perceiving visually content is appealing and alluring to the readers. The best way to induce interaction with your readers is to include images or videos related to your content. If you include self-clicked images or self-recorded videos, then that is the foremost and preferred option. Else if you are borrowing images or videos from websites or YouTube Channels, be mindful to include the proper image and video attributes.
The readers can relate the content of your blog post with the images or videos and create a visual image in their mindset. This encourages interaction and increases the concentration level. The content will stay embedded in the mind of the readers. They refer the article to their acquaintances, further helping in boosting traffic to your blog post.
Editing and Proofreading
Before publishing your first blog post, proofread and edit your article multiple times. You may even ask a friend or family member who is willing to help in editing and checking with an unbiased mentality. Though Grammarly offers several suggestions to improve your content, yet it’s always good to check with a representative reader. This will ensure that your content is reader-friendly and has the capability to arouse the interest of the readers.
Besides Grammarly, there are some other editing and proofreading tools available that can be used, as mentioned:
Seek Comments and Feedback
Before ending your blog post, seek comments and feedback from your readers. You must encourage the readers to send in their positive feedback as well as suggestions for improvement. Words like “ Your comments will continue to inspire me in sharing more and more interesting blog posts” are good to mention at the end. Readers feel that the writer respects their views. They will be happy to share their thoughts and ideas. An interactive content always encourages more traffic to your website content.
Final Thoughts…
Hope the above-mentioned tips will assist you in writing your first blog post. Do not forget to write a good conclusion, summarizing what you have covered before. A recap helps the readers to refresh their minds on the content and instill thoughts for future reference.
