I’m sure you’ve heard recommendations to regularly update your website visitors by publishing new website articles regularly. But why is this so important?
Increased Online Visibility: Blogging helps improve your online visibility by regularly publishing valuable and relevant content. Search engines love fresh content, and blogging gives you the opportunity to target specific keywords, making it easier for potential customers to find you through search engine results.
Demonstrating expertise: Blogging allows you to showcase your thought leadership and knowledge in your industry. By consistently sharing valuable insights, tips, and industry trends, you position yourself as a trusted authority. This can help build credibility and trust with your audience, leading to increased customer loyalty and potential business opportunities.
Driving Website Traffic: Each blog post you publish creates an additional indexed page on your website, which means more opportunities for organic search traffic. By optimising your blog content for search engines and sharing it across various platforms, you can attract targeted traffic to your website. This traffic can then be converted into leads or customers through effective calls-to-action and lead-generation strategies.
Generating Leads and Conversions: Blogs can serve as a powerful lead-generation tool. By offering valuable content, you can attract potential customers who are interested in your industry or products. Use strategically placed calls-to-action (CTAs) within your blog posts to guide readers to relevant landing pages, where they can sign up for newsletters, download resources, or make purchases. Consistent blogging creates a steady stream of opportunities for lead generation and conversions.
So, hopefully, you have been sold on the benefits of writing articles for your business website – but how do you ACTUALLY do it. While this might seem daunting (we know as we have many of our Care Plan customers ask us to do it for them), you can relax, as WordPress makes this super simple. If you follow these 10 tips, you’ll be blogging like a pro in no time.
Step 1: Login
Begin by logging into your WordPress dashboard, usually accessible by entering “yourdomain.com/wp-admin” in your web browser’s address bar. This will take you to the administrative area of your website where you can manage its content.
Note: To improve security, our customer’s websites are accessed under a different URL to stop automated attacks on the admin login page so please use this if you are a Care Plan customer
Step 2: Create a new post
Once inside the dashboard, navigate to the “Posts” section on the left-hand menu and click on it. This will reveal a dropdown menu, from which you should select “Add New.” By doing so, you’ll open a new editor window specifically designed for crafting blog articles.
Step 3: Pick the perfect headline
Start your article with a captivating and informative title.
The title serves as the first impression for potential readers, so aim for clarity and conciseness. Make it compelling enough to pique their interest and accurately represent the content that follows.
Step 4: Write your content
Begin writing the body of your article, paying attention to its structure and flow. Start with an engaging introduction that hooks the reader and provides a clear overview of what they can expect from your piece. Clearly state the purpose of your article to set the direction.
Step 5: Think about the structure
We often see articles that while well-written, lose their impact due to structure. Large blocks of text are difficult to read and put visitors off.
To avoid this, divide your content into coherent paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect or idea. Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence that clearly conveys the main point it will address.
Use supporting evidence, examples, or data to substantiate your claims and provide depth to your arguments.
Step 6: Break it up
Consider using subheadings to organize your article further. Subheadings act as signposts, guiding readers through different sections of your content. Make sure they accurately reflect the content that follows and aid in the overall readability of your article.
To make a subheading, click on the block and change it’s type to Heading
Step 7: Add images
Enhance your article’s visual appeal and comprehension by incorporating relevant images, infographics, or videos. Add a new block and choose an image, galley or video as the type and upload and insert multimedia elements that enrich your message.
If you are using stock images, make sure you have selected images that you have permission to use. We’ve written a guide to avoiding using copyrighted images, including resources you can use that you might find helpful.
Optimise images for web viewing to maintain fast page load times.
Step 8: Set categories, featured image, and post excerpt
On the right-hand sidebar you’ll see a tab called Post. Click this and scroll down to set desired category if your website uses them.
You should also set the Featured Image. This will show on your blog/news page and if you share the article on social media will also display there.
You can also write a short Excerpt. This is recommended to control the introduction for the article and avoid your website and Google automatically choosing their own based on the article content.
Step 9: Review
Prior to publishing your article, conduct a thorough review and editing process. Check for grammar and spelling errors, ensuring your writing is clear, concise, and free from any inadvertent mistakes. We recommend the free Grammarly tool to help with this.
Verify the accuracy of any facts, statistics, or references you’ve included to maintain credibility.
In the top bar, look for a link labeled Preview. This will allow you to see how your post looks without publishing it and is perfect for a final review.
Step 10: Publish it!
When you’re satisfied with the final draft, click on the “Publish” button to make your article live on your WordPress website. You can select a Publish date in the future to schedule the publication if desired.
Remember, as a responsible content creator, maintain a high standard of professionalism, adhere to legal and ethical guidelines, and respect the rights and privacy of others. Create content that adds value, sparks meaningful discussions, and contributes positively to the online community.
If you have social media accounts, consider sharing it across them and relevant online communities to expand its reach and engage with a wider audience.
You want people to come back to your site to read the article and see your other content and offers to move them a little further along the path to becoming a customer.
