Simple Steps to Writing a Blog (How to Write an Article in 5 Easy Steps)
Updated: October 4th, 2023
Understanding the steps to writing a blog can make the entire process much easier and more enjoyable. I’ve been writing blogs for over five years and finally have the perfect recipe.
Whether you’re writing blogs for your business or a client’s business, it’s essential to understand how to write blogs that drive results. While using AI might seem like an easy route, it’s best to stick to organic content that connects with readers.
In this article, I’ll discuss how to write a blog from start to finish. I’ll walk you through brainstorming, organizing, and writing engaging blog articles that reach a wider audience and generate leads.
What are 5 steps easy steps to writing a blog?
Follow these steps for writing a blog article:
Step 1: Do keyword research
Step 2: Create an outline
Step 3: Write the content
Step 4: Edit and proofread
Step 5: Add visuals
Bonus for SEO: Request indexing on Google Search Console
I’ll share helpful details for each step below.
5 Simple Blog Article Writing Steps
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Whether you're new to content creation or a seasoned pro, these blog steps will help you craft a well-organized, engaging piece that your readers will love. It’ll also help you show Google that your articles are rank-worthy.
Step 1: Do Keyword Research
Start with keyword research to find one primary phrase to target in your article. Keywords are the phrases people use when searching for information online.
Targeting a high-traffic keyword article helps you optimize for SEO (search engine optimization) so you can rank on Google and reach your target audience.
I recommend using Keysearch for keyword research. It’s easy and affordable. It also shares a lot of helpful information, and I’ve seen amazing results since I started using it a few years ago.
If you decide to try Keysearch out, use code KDISC for a 20% discount.
Keysearch: a keyword research tool to write high-ranking blogs
Tips for finding appropriate keywords:
Identify topics you’re familiar with that are related to your offers.
Consider your audience's pain points. This is what they want to read about.
Use answerthepublic.com for ideas.
When you find a primary keyword for your article, identify secondary keywords. These are words that also get some traffic that are related to your main keyword phrase. For example, this article’s primary keyword is “steps to writing a blog,” while a secondary keyword is “how to write a blog.”
Use your primary keyword 1-2% of your content and sprinkle in your secondary words sparingly.
Step 2: Create an Outline
Creating an outline lets you brainstorm important information, organize your thoughts, and cover all the bases.
In my blog articles, my outline includes the headers (h1, h2s, h3s). This breaks the article up and makes it easy to read. After I put in the headers, I might add quick notes to some sections.
You should have one h1 (title) per page on your website, including blog articles. H2s and h3s further break down the article.
Here’s my outline for this article:
Blog outline template
To create your outline, brainstorm the main points you want to cover. Quickly do this by jotting down what comes to mind, doing a word dump on your Google doc, and then organizing it into your outline.
If you need inspiration, Google your primary keyword and browse the first three articles to see what these cover.
Start your outline by introducing the topic of your article and explaining why it's important. The reader should immediately know what the article covers.
Then, you can move on to the main body of your article, where you can delve into more details of the main point.
While creating your outline, put yourself in your reader's shoes. What questions might they have about this topic? How can you answer these questions?
Wrap up your article by summarizing the main point and offering final thoughts or suggestions. This is where you can include your call to action, which tells the reader what to do next (i.e., read another article, check out your product, or book your service).
There’s no need to spend too much time on your outline. Think of it as a draft. You can always change things up as you’re writing.
To get a customizable blog outline template, check out my SEO Blogging Toolbox.
Research Your Topic
If you're writing about a subject you’re not an expert on, you’ll want to do some research during the outline step to learn more and decide what to cover.
As I shared above, looking at the top-ranking articles will help you learn what Google wants to see. But you’ll also want to use reliable sources to research facts.
To find credible information during research, I usually search for .gov or .edu sites. For example, if I want to learn about organic dog food, I’ll type “organic dog food site: .edu .gov” in the search bar.
Step 3: Write the Content
Always write your content with the reader in mind.
Now that you've got your outline, it's time to start writing the actual content, which is my favorite part, aside from hitting publish.
VALUE needs to stay at the front of your mind the entire time you’re writing a blog. Every sentence should be valuable. If not, leave it out.
When you’re writing, consider:
What the reader wants to find after they search the keyword phrase
What questions the reader might have
What words can offer help or inspiration
To write reader-friendly, valuable content, you should include:
Headers
Lists
Charts
Short sentences and paragraphs
Step 4: Edit and Proofread
When articles have errors, they lose their credibility. To avoid this, you should always edit and proofread.
Editing
Editing is the process of carefully checking for readability, grammar, and spelling errors.
I use Grammarly for editing. It’s a free tool, but I prefer the premium version to ensure articles are easy to read, which is important for conversions.
Grammarly: a content editing tool
Proofreading
Proofreading is the final read-through before publishing.
I recommend proofreading your article with a clear mind and eyes, so take a break after writing and editing. Then, come back to do your final proof.
It’s best to proofread aloud to catch any final issues with your article. You can also use NaturalReaders to hear your blog being read.
Step 4: Add Visuals
You can add images before or after you proofread, but all blog posts should include visuals.
Not only do images help break up large blocks of text, but they can also help offer value and engage your audience.
Pictures should be high-quality and relevant to your content. Poor quality or unrelated photos can be distracting and take away from your message.
For visuals, you can:
Use stock photos from sites like Unsplash
Create graphics on Canva
Take screenshots (great for writing about products and services)
Embed YouTube videos
Unsplash: a useful tool for finding free stock images
Large files can slow your site speed down and negatively affect user experience. After you have your images, use TinyPNG, which is a free tool, to reduce the file size. This helps ensure large files don’t slow down your site’s speed.
When you put images in your articles, add descriptive alt text. This helps your visually impaired audience and Google better understand your content. If it makes sense to, you can also include your primary keyword in your alt text.
Now it’s time to write your meta title and description and hit publish!
Bonus for SEO: Request Indexing on Google Search Console
Once your article is published, you want it to show up on Google so that you can start getting traffic. Make sure Google sees your new blog by requesting indexing via Google Search Console.
Google Search Console is a free service that helps you monitor and maintain your website's presence in Google search results. You can use it to track analytics and identify any issues with your site to make sure it's driving results.
To request indexing, you'll need to sign up for a Google account (which you have if your email is @gmail.com) and add your website to Google Search Console. Then, you can use the "Submit to Index" feature to request that Google crawl and index your new article.
Requesting indexing doesn't guarantee that Google will rank your article in search results, but it increases the chances.
If you find that Google isn’t ranking your article(s), consider updating it to improve SEO.
Final Thoughts: Steps to Writing a Blog
I hope this article has helped you feel more confident about writing blog posts. I use these steps for every article I write and have gotten incredible results for my own blog and my clients' blogs.
To learn more about writing blogs that drive traffic and conversions, check out my SEO Blogging Course.
