There really isn’t a written-in-stone right or wrong way to write a blog post, although there are some aspects that have proven to be more effective than others. Whether they are lengthy, short, professional, or anecdotal, as long as they’re entertaining and/or informative for a specific group of people, your blog will have a good chance of serving a useful purpose.

If you’re attempting to start your own blog, here are some general guidelines to follow that I have found to be helpful for the Wordy’s Wisdom blog, as well as other techniques that I’ve seen in other blogs that I read.

• Use Your Voice: I believe blogs are meant to be personal, and as such, it helps to write in your own unique voice. When writing blogs, I write as I would talk (i.e., informally to a friend). This practice makes it much easier to read. Avoid sounding “salesy,” as the casual reader doesn’t enjoy reading advertisements.
• Have Structure: In my opinion, blogs should have a theme or cover a specific niche topic. Focus on cars, movie reviews, real estate, or anything that you feel you can write a lot about. Doing so will allow you to have a particular set of readers that you can cater to, as well as making it easier for you to come up with blog post ideas over a long period of time.
• Utilize SEO Principles: If you want to have people search for and read your blog, remember to include items that will be friendly for search engines, such as keyword usage in the URL, blog title, “h1″ header, and throughout the text/content. Of course, make sure the post doesn’t come off as “spammy” or as if you’re trying to manipulate search engines, as no one would want to read anything like that (i.e., junk mail or spam content.)
• Proofread and Edit: You knew I was going to mention it. But, when I’m reading other blogs and notice a couple of errors here and there within the text, the post and message become less credible. It is important to proofread your message and edit your blog post in order to not alienate OCD grammar readers like yours truly.

I know this isn’t an all-inclusive list, but those four points do help form a foundation. Do you have any tips or suggestions on how to write well for blogs? Leave a comment below and let’s hear your thoughts.

Luis D. Bonilla
luis@wordszilla.com
Wordszilla, LLC