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Use these tips to learn how to structure a blog post that ranks on Google.
Are you struggling to rank on Google Search Results? Having been a blogger since October, I have been following the same structure when writing a blog. Since implementing these strategies, my impressions and clicks have been on an upward trend.
In this article, we will be talking all about how to structure a blog post including the basic structure of a blog, blog SEO tips, blog structure template, and more.
This post shows you how to structure a blog post for SEO.
Basic Structure of a Blog
Let’s start with the fundamentals. What is the basic structure of a blog? There are 4 main elements.
#1 Headline
The first thing about writing a blog is its headline. When it comes to brainstorming a great headline, here are the things I always think about:
- Is it a great hook?
- Will I click in myself?
- Has the keyword been included?
The basic structure of constructing a headline for my blog is [keyword][reasons why you want to read]. As my blog talks a lot about business & data analysis which are more informational, I use questions as a headline most of the time.
That being said, I do take on some other structures to fit the context of my blog well. Here are some other formats you can take into consideration:
- [number][adjective][keyword][reasons why you want to read]
This is usually adopted when it comes to tips or step-by-step guides.
- [number][keyword][reasons why you want to read]
When the keyword already includes an adjective, I will not add another one if not the headline will get too long.
- [number][adjective][keyword]
This is similar to the previous one. I will use this structure when the keyword already includes the reason but is missing the adjective.
Using ‘Basic Blog Structure’ as the keyword, here are some examples:
| Format | Headline Example | |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | [keyword][reasons why you want to read] | Basic Blog Structure for Better SEO |
| Format 1 | [number][adjective][keyword][reasons why you want to read] | 4 Key Elements of a Basic Blog Structure for SEO |
| Format 2 | [number][keyword][reasons why you want to read] | 4 Components of a Basic Blog Structure that ranks |
| Format 3 | [number][adjective][keyword] | 4 Key Elements of a Basic Blog Structure |
#2 Introduction
Next, the Introduction of the blog post. For my introduction, I always use the same format with 4 paragraphs and an image.
- 1st Paragraph: This is always a one-liner that includes the keyword with a call to action to read on.
- Image: Then, I will add an image with on-screen text that includes the keyword
- 2nd Paragraph: Here, I will talk about the problem I am going to solve and why I can talk about this topic to give credibility.
- 3rd Paragraph: This is where I put in all the keywords that are related to the topic I am talking about.
- 4th Paragraph: Lastly, I will end with a sentence to summarise what this blog post will be about and if you guess it, include the keyword here too.
#3 Body
The body of the blog post is where you start to write the actual blog post, providing your readers with value with all the details you promise to give.
Here are some tips for better readability:
- If your body gets too long, use headers to segment them.
- If a particular section is too long, use headers to segment them.
That’s right, good readability is all about formatting and segmenting it such that it is pleasing and organised for the reader to read everything. This will improve your engagement rate over time.
In the section below, I will go through my 3 go-to formats when it comes to structuring the body of a typical blog post.
#4 Conclusion
When it comes to writing the conclusion of the blog post, you do not have to overthink. I usually write 1 sentence to summarise what the blog article is all about and include KEYWORD in the sentence.
If you are not clear on the basic structure, study this blog article. 😉
Blog SEO Tips
SEO Tip 1
A rule of thumb when it comes to ranking on Google Search Engine is to make sure that the blog post is long enough. My benchmark is to write more than 1,000 words per blog post.
So far, all blog posts with more than 1,000 words are ranking. You can check whether your blog post is ranking on Google Search Console.
If you haven’t set up your Google Search Console, read this article here to verify your blog.
SEO Tip 2
The next tip is to include keywords in your headers and subheaders. This means H1, H2, H3, and so on.
Even if it is not your main keyword, include related keywords that make sense to the context of the blog.
Take for example this article, the main keyword is ‘How to structure a blog post’. Related keywords will be ‘Basic Structure of a Blog’, ‘Blog SEO Tips’, ‘Blog Structure Template’, ‘Blog Format’, and ‘Blog Structure’.
This way, when Google scans your blog, it signifies that this is a legit blog article that covers all these topics (ie keyword).
SEO Tip 3
Slug is a commonplace that bloggers miss out on when it comes to including keywords.
A slug is essentially your permalink – the think that goes behind the slash in your URL “www.blog.com/slug”
For example, for this article, the slug will be “how-to-structure-a-blog-post”.
SEO Tip 4
Next, keywords also need to be included in the meta description to let Google know what this article is all about so it can push to your desired reader.
Here, include all keywords – both main and related keywords.
SEO Tip 5
The last place that one often misses out on is the title & Alt text of a photo they place on the blog. You should be including keywords in ALL of your photos.
- For the title, always include your main keyword.
- For Alt text, include any of the related keywords on your list.
Resources for you: The Beginner’s Guide to Blogging | Beginner’s Blogging Bundle
Blog Structure Template
In this section, we will be going through the 3 main blog formats I used personally.
#1 Recommendation Style
This format is great if you want to recommend certain tools and add your affiliate links.
#2 Informational Style
The Information style is what I use most of the time because of my niche. This is the style with the least number of photos and buttons included.
What I focus on is providing value like providing more resources that are related to the topic to help accelerate their learning or link to other blogs within each section. This helps drive traffic to other posts so readers stay on my blog longer.
#3 Inspirational Style
This is similar to the first style, but instead of recommending the products right away, you give an image to show the audience what they can use it for.
For instance, if you want to promote a mousepad, the inspiration image will show how you can use the mousepad. Another example is if you want to promote a camera, the inspiration image can be a comparison of the same image using different cameras.
The inspirational photo can consist of multiple products.
This article highlights how to structure a blog post.
If you love to see more content like this, connect & follow me on social media to stay updated with the latest information.
Other posts you may like:
- Step-by-Step Guide: How to Start a Blog for Beginners
- 4 Quick & Easy Steps to Verify Google Search Console for WordPress Website
- 3 Tips to Make Your Blog Posts Appear on Google Search
