Content/Writing Tips

1. Create an editorial calendar if you need structure and motivation to keep producing content.
2. Have a running list of topics, which you can pull post ideas from at any time. Researching competitors is a great way to find content you should produce for your own blog.
3. Report timely news and developments within your niche, but make sure to add your own insights and not just echo someone else’s opinion. Becoming the go-to resource for news in your community can be a great source of recurring traffic.
4. Focus on developing cornerstone or evergreen content regularly. These types of articles offer the best opportunities to attract links from high authority publications.
5. Write for your audience first and foremost, not for Google. Write something you yourself would want to read. This means being personable, yet comprehensive and solution-oriented. Try to create the best guides in your industry – content that will answer every question a reader may have.
6. Invest the time to come up with killer titles. Obviously avoid link baiting readers, but you can start it off with the keyword phrase you want to rank for, add a colon or dash, and make a quantitative statement. You will also want to review Google Webmaster Tools to optimize your page titles.
7. If you have trouble writing or coming up with what to discuss on a topic, make a rough outline that will give your post flow. Research what the best in the industry may be saying and add even more information and value than them. This is especially crucial when you are trying to compete for high volume, high competition keywords.
8. Identify your voice or tone and be true to your personality. As they say, “there already is a [famous person’s name] in the world, but there is only one [Insert Your Name].” The easiest and simplest way to differentiate yourself is to share your own experiences, opinions, and expertise.
9. Keep your sentence structure and vocabulary simple. Don’t use “big” words to impress. Use good grammar, but don’t write overly complicated or long sentences merely to show off your grasp of the language.
 10 . Break up your text into paragraphs that are 2 to 5 sentences long. Use headings, sub-headings and bullet points freely.
11. Always include a featured image or one near the top of your page. Imagery entices readers to click and is much more welcoming than a block of text.
13. Leverage infographics, graphs, charts, and visually whenever possible. People absorb more information through images than text, and images also make your post shareable.
14. Always proofread your post to check for grammar, spelling, and typographical errors. This is often optimally accomplished a day after you’ve finished writing. This gives your mind time to percolate ideas in your subconscious and come back with a fresh approach. Sometimes what you wrote one morning just doesn’t seem as great the next. Nevertheless, done is better than perfect.