Anatomy of a Gold Medal Blog

Imagine coming in first and winning that gold medal, or reading a blog and afterward you feel like you’ve learned something that will help you be more efficient. Both are really exciting and overwhelming feelings. Well get ready to feel amazing because I am about to drop some knowledge on how to streamline your blogging experience. Once you have studied the anatomy of a blog you will be ready to put those skills to the test, and in the end you will be standing on top of the podium holding that gold medal with pride!

The Anatomy of a Blog

• Compelling title – Two very important factors to an effective title are keeping it brief and keyword conscious. You also want the title to be clear, actionable and intriguing. Check out a previous Impuse blog Web Headline Writing Made EASY and learn how to make your headline SHINE (specificity, helpfulness, immediacy, newsworthiness and emotional appeal).

• Content – Focus on the visitor or buyer personas. Know your audience and write your content about how you answer their questions. Keep it at 600+ words, any less would be too brief.
  
  
• Keywords – Incorporating search engine optimization (SEO). Keywords are the words the average, non-professional in your field, person would use in an organic search on the web. Think of them as arms reaching out to your customers and bringing them into your website. Include the keywords in the meta description, content, image alt-tags, and of course the blog title and page title.
  
  
• Images – Use attractive visuals to touch the reader in an emotional way. Make the image relatable to your content and make sure it adds a spark to your blog.
  
  
• Call-To-Action – Blogging has huge lead generation potential. So be sure to always include a link (or button) at the end of your blog to either a landing page or another blog. 

How to Win Gold

• Formatting – Chunks of content scare people away. Analyze the information into bite size pieces so it’s easier for the reader to follow. Embrace the white space. Bolded and/or italicized sentences are really great ways to highlight important elements and facts. Subhead titles, numbers and bullet lists are also great practices to break down your information.
  
  
• Blog consistently and frequently – This creates customer acquisition. Make sure to always use the same voice and style of writing. This will keep you fresh and current in your customers’ minds.
  
  
• Keep the information educational – The more free information you give out the more trusting your company will be, and the better reputation you will have. Your clients will refer to you to help answer their questions and eventually will want to use your services. Publish content that’s on topic and important to your buyer personas. Be sure to always provide practical solutions not product solutions. 

You know what they say, “practice makes perfect.” So start practicing now to become the best blogger you can be and win that gold medal! Download the following Beginners Guide to Blogging for Business to help you get started!