A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Blog Post.

 If you've ever read a blog post, you've been exposed to content created by a thought leader who is an expert in their field. If the blog post was well-written, you probably came away with useful information and a favourable opinion of the author or brand that created the content.

Anyone can connect with their audience through blogging and reap its numerous benefits, including organic traffic from search engines, promotional content for social media, and recognition from a previously untapped audience.

If you've heard about blogging but are unsure where to begin, the time for excuses is over. Not only will you be able to create an SEO-friendly blog, but we'll also cover how to write and manage your company's blog and provide helpful templates to make your blogging efforts easier.

A blog post is any article, news piece, or guide that is published in a website's blog section. A blog post typically covers a specific topic or query, is educational in nature, contains other media types such as images, videos, infographics, and interactive charts, and ranges from 600 to 2,000+ words.

Blog posts enable you and your company to publish insights, thoughts, and stories about any topic on your website. They can assist you in increasing brand awareness, credibility, conversions, and revenue. Most importantly, they can assist you in increasing traffic to your website.

However, before you can start writing blog posts, you must first learn how to start one. Let's get started.

1. Know your audience.

Before you write your blog post, ensure you understand your target audience.

Inquire, for example, "What do they want to know?" What will they find appealing?

This is where the buyer persona creation process comes in handy. While brainstorming a blog post topic, consider what you know about your buyer personas and their interests.

For example, if your readers are millennials looking to start a business, you probably don't need to provide them with information on how to get started on social media — most of them already know that.

You might want to give them information on how to change their social media approach (for example, from a casual, personal approach to a more business-savvy, networking-focused approach). This type of tweak allows you to publish content on topics your audience wants and needs.

Do you have buyer personas in place for your company? Here are some resources to get you started:

2. Research your competitors.

What better way to get ideas than to look at your established competitors?

It's worth looking at popular, well-reviewed blogs because their strategy and execution are what helped them gain credibility. The goal isn't to copy these elements but to better understand what readers look for in a quality blog.

When conducting a competitive analysis, you should consider the following factors:

Consider the blog's branding, colour palette, and theme.

Copy: Examine the tone and writing style of the competition to see what readers respond well to.

Topics: Determine what topics their readers enjoy interacting with.

3. Choose the topics you'll cover.

Choose a topic to write about before you start writing. To begin, the topic can be fairly broad until you find your desired niche in blogging.

You can choose topics to cover by asking yourself questions like:

• Who should I write to?
• How well do I comprehend this subject?
• Is this a relevant topic?

4. Identify your distinct point of view.

What unique perspective do you bring that sets you apart from the crowd? This is critical in determining your blog's future trajectory, and there are numerous options to consider.

What distinguishes you as a trusted expert or thought leader on the subject?

• What issue will you address for readers?
• Will you express your thoughts on current issues?
• Do you want to show your readers how to do something?
• Do you want to compare or share original research?

It is up to you to decide what unique perspective you will take on topics.

5. Give your blog a name.

This is your chance to be creative and come up with a name that will give readers an idea of what to expect from your blog. Some suggestions for choosing a blog name include:

• Maintain an easy-to-say and spell blog name.
• Connect your blog's name to your brand's message.
• Take into account what your target audience is looking for.
• If you still need help, consider using a blog name generator.

Make certain that the name you choose isn't already in use, as this could reduce your visibility and confuse readers looking for your content.

6. Register a domain name for your blog.

A domain is a component of the web address nomenclature that someone would use to locate your website or a page of your website online.

The domain for your blog will be www.yourcompany.com. The name that appears between the two periods is entirely up to you, as long as this domain name does not already exist on the internet.

Do you want to make a subdomain for your blog? If you already have a cooking business at www.yourcompany.com, you could set up a blog at blog.yourcompany.com. In other words, your blog's subdomain will live in its own section of yourcompany.com.

Some CMS platforms provide free subdomains, which allow your blog to live on the CMS rather than your company's website. For example, yourblog.contentmanagementsystem.com. However, to create a subdomain for your company website, you must first register the subdomain with a website host.

Most website hosting services charge very little to host an original domain — in fact, website costs can be as low as $3 per month when you commit to a 36-month term.

Pro Tip: With HubSpot's free CMS or premium editions of CMS Hub, you can connect your custom domain to free hosting. Access to built-in security features and a content delivery network is included.

Here are five additional popular web hosting services to consider:

• GoDaddy
• HostGator
• DreamHost
• Bluehost
• iPage

7. Select a CMS and set up your blog.

A CMS (content management system) is a software application that allows users to create and maintain websites without having to code them from scratch. CMS platforms can manage domains (the location of your website) and subdomains (where you create a webpage that connects to an existing website).

A self-hosted WordPress website on a hosting site such as WP Engine is another popular option. After you've decided on a CMS and a domain or subdomain for your blog, you'll need to choose a web hosting service.

Pro Tip: Use HubSpot's free blog maker to get started for free. Our free CMS includes everything you need to get started, including hosting, a visual editor, and access to hundreds of free and paid themes.

8. Personalize the appearance of your blog.

Once you've registered your domain name, customize the look of your blog to reflect the theme of the content you intend to create as well as your brand.

Green, for example, might be a colour to consider when designing your blog if you're writing about sustainability and the environment.

If you already manage a website and are writing the first post for that website, make sure the appearance and subject matter is consistent with the website. There are two ways to accomplish this: include your:

This can be your company's name and logo, and it will remind blog readers who is publishing the content. (How heavily you brand your blog is entirely up to you.)

"About" Page: You may already have an "About" blurb that describes yourself or your company. The "About" section of your blog is an extension of this higher-level statement. Consider it your blog's mission statement, which supports your company's goals.

9. Create your first blog post.

The only thing left to do is create content for your blog. While the design and layout are enjoyable and functional, it is the content that will draw your readers in and keep them coming back. So, how do you go about creating one of these interesting and informative pieces?

How to Write Your First Blog Post

You've memorized the technical and practical information; now it's time to write your first blog post. And, no, this isn't the place to introduce yourself and your new blog (for example, "Welcome to my blog! This is the subject I'll be discussing. Here are the links to my social media accounts. "Would you please follow me?").

Begin with the "low-hanging fruit," which is writing about a highly specific topic that serves a small segment of your target audience.

That seems counterintuitive, doesn't it? More people searching for a term or topic should translate to more readers for you.

But that is not the case. If you choose a broad and popular topic that has already been covered by major competitors or well-known brands, your post is unlikely to appear on the first page of search engine results pages (SERPs). Give your new blog a chance by picking a topic on which few bloggers have written.

Let's go through it step by step.