Each blog post you write should leave your readers fully satisfied. Like sex, a good meal or even a good TV show, each blog post must be enough to leave people happy but wanting more at that same time. While every performance may not be better than the last, you have to leave the expectation that the next performance will be at least just as good.
Developing a good blog isn’t about being a one-hit wonder. If all you have in you is one post then you’re better off guest-blogging for someone else, instead of trying to build a blog of your own. But if you want to develop your own blog with your own following then you’ve got to be able to deliver the goods on a regular basis.
So how do you make sure that each performance reaches it’s maximum potential? Start with the basics:
Proof and rewrite
Proof reading and rewriting is not to be undervalued. I can read something I’ve written a dozen times and each time find an error or a better way to word things. Of course a dozen times may be overkill, but each piece should have at least one or more reviews before being published.
Don’t be a afraid to rewrite large sections of your blog post if needed. I’ve found that if you write a post and give yourself a space of three or four days, or even a week or two, when you come back to review it you’ll have a whole new fresh perspective. As you proof for errors you can rewrite substantial portions, either adding or deleting content as needed to make it even better.
Integrate keywords
Since you are writing not just for readers but to get attention with the search engines you need to review your keyword usage. For the most part, using keywords should be a natural part of the topic you know so much about. Many times the research you perform will give you even more terms that are not a natural part of your vocabulary, but are for your visitors. Going back and re-editing your post to add these keywords can be highly beneficial in targeting your audience better.
No stuffing
Be consistent in your keyword usage without overusing the words. Make sure they flow in your content properly and you use them in headings, image alt tags and throughout the body content. Just be sure you keep it natural.
When you’re done writing, if you are unsure if you’ve used your keywords too frequently, go back and read your post out loud. If it sounds funny to you it’ll read funny to your visitors. Keyword usage isn’t about getting keywords in everywhere you can, but using them in all the right places that it makes sense.
Need, Value, Desire
And don’t forget to re-iterate the need, value and desire. Each post needs to come back to these three things. You keep providing that, you’ll continue to bring readers back while getting new readers each month.
Everybody has one great blog post in them. Fortunately, not every post has to be super-utterly fantastic. But you do need to be able to write good content on a consistent basis that keeps your readers coming back for more. If you do the first one right, follow it up with another done right. And then another. You don’t have to post every day, a couple times a week is fine. Take the extra time you need to write good content that ensures reader satisfaction and keeps coming back for more of the same.
Other posts in the “Go Blog Yourself” series
* Introduction: Writing Your Blog Post with Pen in Hand and SEO in Mind
* Step 1: Know Who’s Looking
* Step 2: Know What They Want to See
* Step 3: Have a Good Pick-Up Line
* Step 4: Reveal the Goods
* Step 5: Be Easy On The Eyes
* Step 6: Keep Them Interested
* Step 7: Give Them More Than They Came For
* Step 8: Do It Right and Do It Again
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