The 5-Step Process To Creating Optimized Blog Content Which Sells Your Product

Writing content that appeals to your target audience and drives sales is an incredibly difficult challenge. Great articles keep your readers wanting more, make them trust your brand and want to interact with your business.

I used to really struggle with writing blog content for my businesses. I remember back in my school days when I despised writing assignments. I used to feel utterly lost, unsure of what to write, how to arrange my thoughts into a coherent structure, or even where to begin.

However, through a lot of perseverance, I found a reliable 5-step formula that has transformed my writing experience entirely. This method not only made the process of writing posts significantly easier but also gave my businesses a massive boost of traffic from Google.

Each of the posts I’ve written on Solo Innovator (over 120 of them at the time of writing) is a testament to the success of this strategy, so buckle up as I take you through my formula for writing engaging and converting articles.

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This is the third in our five-part series on the fundamentals of SEO. If you’ve missed the first two posts, we’d recommend that you read these before getting started

1. SEO Basics: The fundamental concepts and terminology necessary to improve your site’s search rankings.
2. Keyword Research: Find which keywords people search for.
3. Content Creation (Current Post): Creating blog content that people are searching for.
4. Page Optimisation: Optimise the content of your page to be picked up by search engines.
5. Link Building: Build trust and authority for your site by adding links from other websites.

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Before we get going, if you’re more of a watcher than a reader, check out Neil Patel’s comprehensive guide to writing a blog post.

What Is SEO Content?

Search Engine Optimised (SEO) content is any online content that is created to improve a website’s search engine ranking.

This content is designed to be highly relevant to specific keywords or topics that people are searching for online. This type of content is usually created with the intent of attracting more organic traffic to a website and engaging visitors with valuable information.

SEO content can take many forms, including blog posts, articles, infographics, videos, and more. If you’ve not researched a selection of keywords yet, check out our guide on identifying the correct keywords for your business.

How Do I Write Optimized Content For My Business – The 5-Step Formula?

This is where the magic happens, where I reveal my 5-step process for writing optimized, high-converting content for your business.

This process assumes that you’ve identified the correct long-tailed keywords for your post. If you haven’t I’d recommend reading our post that covers how to do that here.

Step 1: Find the Perfect Title

The journey to a great blog post begins with the title. Don’t make the mistake of diving into writing without a compelling title in mind.

Did you know that 8 out of 10 people will read your headline, but only 2 out of 10 will click through to read the rest of your article? That’s the power of a captivating title!

When coming up with titles, I often try and do most, if not all of the following:

1. Be Descriptive and Specific: Your post’s title should clearly say what your blog post is about. Use descriptive words and be specific about the topic or benefit your readers will gain from reading the post.
2. Be Concise: Short and snappy titles are more memorable and visually appealing. Aim for a title that’s around 5-7 words in length to maintain clarity and impact.
3. Incorporate Keywords: Include relevant long-tailed keywords that are likely to be searched by your target audience.
4. Evoke Emotion or Curiosity: Engage your readers by triggering their emotions or curiosity. Use power words or pose a question to make readers want to click and learn more. Using numbers, such as The 5-Step Formula can also help to intrigue your readers.

Don’t be afraid to brainstorm multiple title variations and ask for feedback from friends or colleagues. Choosing the right title is your first step toward capturing your audience’s attention.

Step 2: Craft an Engaging Introduction

With your title locked in, it’s time to craft an introduction that hooks your readers from the get-go.

Just like I did in this post by including a personal anecdote, your introduction should make readers eager to delve deeper into your content and trust you as a brand.

But it’s not just about hooking them – it’s also about providing a sneak peek of what your blog post will cover.

Offering a brief overview of what readers can expect to learn is a great way to pique their interest and encourage them to explore your post further.

Remember, the goal is to keep them engaged and enticed to read more.

Step 3: Create a Well-Structured Body

Now, let’s dive into the meat of your blog post – the body.

Here’s where the structure matters. Make your content easy to skim by using subheadings and keeping your paragraphs concise, around five to six lines max.

Another crucial element of the body is linking out to other reputable websites. This not only adds credibility to your content but also positions you as an expert in your field.

(If you’re wanting to know exactly what to write in your article, don’t worry! We’ve covered that in detail later on in this post)

Step 4: Write a Compelling Conclusion

As you approach the end of your blog post, it’s time to wrap things up with a well-crafted conclusion.

Summarize the key points of your post and conclude with a thought-provoking question. Ending with a question encourages reader engagement, and engaged readers are more likely to become leads or customers down the line.

When it comes to your conclusion, keep it straightforward – just label it as “Conclusion.” This clarity helps readers quickly navigate your post.

Step 5: Link Out To Other Sites

When you link out to other websites in a positive manner, it flatters them. People appreciate backlinks, as it drives more traffic to their content.

After linking out to someone, drop them a friendly email expressing your admiration and letting them know you’ve featured them in your latest blog post.

Who knows, they might even share your post on their social media channels, driving even more traffic to your blog.

How Do I Write a Compelling Article For My Brand?

Now that you understand my formula for creating a killer blog post outline, you’re probably wondering how I create the body of the post.

Below are the 4 steps that I use to create the actual content that I publish on the blogs of my businesses.

Step 1: Research

In order to write a great article, you need to make sure that you:

• Cover the topic in detail
• Have accurate and up-to-date facts and figures
• Are providing more information than your competitors

To do this, my first port of call is always a Google search. I type in the exact long-tailed keywords that I’m trying to target and make a list of what headings and topics they discuss.

I also make note of any areas that I feel the posts don’t go into enough detail on. I generally ask myself:

• Is there anything that I still don’t understand after reading this article?
• What questions has this article made me think of?
• Am I convinced by the article’s points? Do I need more stats/references to believe the site more?
• Were the graphics clear enough on the site? (if applicable)

After I’ve answered these questions, I start to research the areas that I’ve identified need improving from the other articles that are currently ranking by looking for additional statistics and researching other areas around the topic.

Remember: We need to make sure that we’re drastically improving the articles that are already on the search results. We don’t want to copy existing content, but provide a marked improvement that aids understanding for readers.

Here’s some tips for when you’re researching for an article for your business:

• Stay Updated: Use recent sources, preferably not older than three years, to keep your content current.
• Seek Reliable Sources: In the era of abundant information, evaluate websites for reliability and accuracy.
• Give Proper Credit: Always include citations and links when using information from other sources.
• Utilize Data: Incorporate data, infographics, charts, and surveys to strengthen your article.
• Include Quotes: Add relevant and timely quotes to engage readers effectively.

Step 2: Organize Your Key Points

Now that you’ve researched what you want to include in your article, it’s time to focus on the structure. To do this, you should:

1. Create an Article Skeleton: Develop an outline that includes an introduction, subheadings, bullet points, key takeaways, and content allocation for each section.
2. Word Count Planning: Determine the word count for each section. For example, consider allocating 150 words for the introduction, 800 words for the main body, and 100 words for the conclusion. Aim for a first draft of around 1200 to 1300 words.

Use your research of other blogs from Step 1 to help you pick a good structure for your article. See which structures work well and mimic their layout in your own post, updating them to include your new research and findings.

Make sure to include your long-tailed keywords naturally within your titles. You don’t want to force your keywords into every title as Google will penalise you for it, but naturally including the keywords in a few titles will massively help your rankings.

Step 3: Write The Post

Now we come to the exciting phase of putting your research notes into sentences.

When writing your post, I’d recommend:

• Write 2-3 sentences per paragraph: Unlike the long essays you wrote at school, paragraphs need to be short and snappy to keep your reader’s attention
• Be Personable: A lesson that took me a long time to learn – you need to write in a personable way. Use I, we and you as much as possible in your writing to help your readers feel connected with your writing
• Focus on Formatting: Make sure to use lots of bullet points, graphics and videos to keep your readers engaged
• Include Definitions: Don’t assume your readers know everything! Where applicable, define the important topics that you’re talking about in a simple way. This may also help you to rank for featured snippets which will boost your rankings too!

The tips I mentioned above took me a long time to find. While they may sound simple it’s actually really hard to get right when you’re writing.

If you’re struggling to get the tone of voice and formatting right, I’d recommend writing a rough draft where you don’t care much about anything apart from getting the words down on the page. Then you can go back over your post a refine it to match the tone of voice that you’re looking for.

Speaking of refining your content, let’s explore how you should review and edit your article.

Step 4: Reviewing and Editing

Before publishing your business article, you need to take the time to review and edit it rigorously. Here are my 5 tips for ensuring your article is in top shape:

1. Check Your Grammar: Conduct a thorough review to correct typographical and grammatical errors. If you don’t have it installed, I’d recommend the free Grammarly Chrome extension to automate some of your grammar checks.
2. Read Aloud: For some reason, reading your article aloud makes you find so many more errors than just reading in your head.
3. Multiple Reviews: Be prepared for multiple rounds of editing to refine your article.
4. Check Headline Effectiveness: Use tools like Coschedule’s Headline Analyzer to assess the impact of your article’s header.
5. Plagiarism Check: Ensure your article is authentic by conducting a plagiarism check. This will help you make sure that you’ve not unintentionally copied someone else’s article too much, which will get you penalised on the Google search rankings.

How Do I Get Traction On My Post Without An Audience?

As it can take upwards of 3 months for content to start ranking well on Google, it can be useful to promote your post early using social media channels. (It can also give extra hints to Google, which might make your page be ranked quicker or better – Source).

If you’ve not spent the time on developing the social media presence for your brand yet, but still want to promote your new post, don’t worry there’s a way around this!

When you’re writing your post, remember to link out to relevant sources when it’s relevant. In general, for a 2000-word blog post, aim to include links to at least 10 to 20 sources. But remember, don’t overdo it. Only link out when it genuinely benefits your readers and enhances the content.

By linking out to other sources, you’re putting your readers first. It shows that you’re not just in it for self-promotion; you genuinely want to provide value. As trust builds, readers are more likely to return for more.

How Does Linking Out Benefit My Business’ Post?

Now, here’s the icing on the cake. After you’ve linked out to a source, reach out to them and let them know.

Craft a friendly email expressing your admiration for their work and inform them that you’ve linked to them in your latest blog post.

Here’s a simple template:

Hey [Name],

I'm a big fan of your work, and I wanted to let you know that I featured your insights in my recent blog post. Feel free to check it out here. 

Thanks,
[Your Name]

Ps, if you enjoyed the post, maybe you could share it with your audience?

This approach often leaves people feeling flattered and appreciated, especially because you’ve acknowledged their exceptional content.

As a result, they’re more likely to reciprocate by sharing your post on their social media platforms, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and more.

A Quick Discussion on E-E-A-T

For the SEO uninitiated, E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness and is a framework created by Google to evaluate the quality of content on websites.

The purpose of E-E-A-T is to make sure that the websites that Google recommends are created by topical experts, who have quality and trustworthy information to share.

To comply with E-E-A-T, you need to make sure that the articles you’re creating are high-quality and include up-to-date and accurate information that provides real value.

While the acronym makes it sounds scarier than the topic actually is, I’d recommend doing the following to make sure that you comply with the framework:

1. Showcase your Expertise: Provide evidence of your experience and credentials in your field. This can include linking to any press releases of your business, including any relevant qualifications of your staff and including any testimonials from users of your product.
2. Establish Authority: Build your reputation as a trustworthy source of information by publishing high-quality, accurate, and up-to-date content.
3. Build Trust: Make sure that your website is secure, easy to navigate, and free of errors and includes the pages you’d expect to see on a business website, including an About page, staff page, contact page and contact information.
4. Follow Google’s Guidelines (Source): Google has published guidelines for creating high-quality content that complies with its E-E-A-T framework. Make sure to review and follow these guidelines to ensure that your content meets Google’s expectations.
5. Use Reputable Sources: Cite reputable sources and link to them within your content. This helps to demonstrate that you have done your research and are providing accurate and trustworthy information.

Will YMYL Impact My Business?

If your business deals with topics that Google deems to have a significant impact on users’ health, safety, or financial well-being, you need to make sure that you’re complying with Google’s framework of Your Money or Your Life (YMYL).

Examples of YMYL content include:

• Medical advice
• Financial advice
• Legal advice
• News articles

Google holds YMYL content to a higher standard of expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness than other sites, which means that if your businesses deals with YMYL topics, or you’re writing about these topics in your posts, you should be extra careful to ensure that their information is accurate, up-to-date, and trustworthy.

You should also make sure that your content is written by experts in the field and is backed up by reputable sources, with this information being included on your site’s pages.

Overview

Now that you understand how to create great content for your blog from your keywords, have a look at our tips on how you can structure your posts to improve SEO.

Or, why not have a look at one of our other posts in this SEO series?

1. SEO Basics: The fundamental concepts and terminology necessary to improve your site’s search rankings.
2. Keyword Research: Find which keywords people search for.
3. Content Creation (Current Post): Creating blog content that people are searching for.
4. Page Optimisation: Optimise the content of your page to be picked up by search engines.
5. Link Building: Build trust and authority for your site by adding links from other websites.