Elaine Pasini

How to Use this Blog Post Template Copy the contents of the template into a fresh document in case you need to access the template again. Fill in the [bracketed] copy with information about your blog post, and delete highlighted instructions after reading them. Delete, add, or alter any headings, section, or content that you see fit. Remember these templates should be adjusted for your audience.  Review the checklist, upload your blog post onto your website, optimise it (inc the image) and hit publish!

How to SEO Your Blog Post 

Whether it’s “how to instruct a solicitor”, “how to eat for IBS” or “how to write a blog post” people are searching “how to” do things on Google all the time. Why not, therefore, concentrate some of your blog post writing on “how to” blogs for your targeted audience?

Outline: [Blog Post Title]

Keyword/s: [Enter Targeted Keyword – this one is: SEO your Blog Post] 

Keyword MSV: [Enter Targeted Keyword’s Monthly Search Volume] find through Google Ad Planner or Download Surfer SEO on Google Chrome

Publish Date: [Enter Desired Publish Date]

Buyer Persona: [Enter Targeted Reader and/or Buyer Persona]

EXAMPLE blog post below.

https://www.ilfm.org.uk/site/blog/ilfm-blog/risk-and-compliance-tips

[Blog Post Title]

Make sure the title starts with something like…..“How to…” and runs for 60 characters or less.

Introduction

Lead into the post with a short 100-200 word introduction. Include your keyword/s.  Be sure to highlight:

• The reason why what you’re talking about is important.
• Who, what industry, or what sector of the industry this applies to.
• What you’ll be covering [i.e. “in this post, we’ll explain why (term) is important, explain how to (term), and provide 8 suggestions if you’re new to (term)”].

What is [Term], and Why Does it Matter?

Some readers may have no idea what it is you’re explaining how to do. Obviously, if what you’re writing about is well-known, you can skip the definition. 

After defining the term, explain why it’s important for the reader to understand the idea and/or know how to do what you’re writing about. 

How to [Task] 

This section should make up the bulk of the writing in your blog post. It’s enormously important for each step to have its own section header for optimal organisation, clarity for the reader, and search engine optimization. Additionally, breaking instructions up by sections also lets you include visual aids for each step as needed in the form of a GIF, image, or video. 

It’s important to remember to be clear, concise, and accurate in the steps you provide your readers. Any extra “fluff” to the article may confuse them, resulting in some readers not achieving the results they intended. 

If what you’re explaining how to solve a query (i.e. “How to I work out my profit margin”), provide a step-by-step explanation and example of how to calculate it, such as.

The profit can be calculated using the formula:

Profit = Selling Price – Cost Price. 

After this, the profit percentage formula that is used is, Profit percentage = (Profit/Cost Price) × 100.

Add IMAGE (or VIDEO link)

Remember to ALT TEXT the image in the back end for user accessability

Show all of your work so the reader can follow along easily. 

# Tips and Reminders for [Term] (Optional)

If you’re breaking down a difficult concept or task, some readers may still feel overwhelmed and unsure of their ability to tackle it. Break down a few suggestions on how to best approach the concept, and/or a few reminders about it. This is not a list post, so keep this short list to three to five pieces of advice. 

• Tip no. 1 [         ]
• Tip no. 2 [         ]
• Tip no. 3 [         ]

If you feel the step-by-step approach is sufficient, you can choose not to include this section, as you already have above. 

Closing

Wrap up your amazing new blog post with a great closing. Remind your readers of the key takeaway you want them to walk away with and consider pointing them to other resources you have on your website. 

Call-to-Action

Last but not least, place a call-to-action at the bottom of your blog post. This should be to a lead-generating piece of content or to a sales-focused landing page for a demo or consultation. 

For example, if your product or service helps your readers do what it is they searched “how to” do, or if you have a template in your content resource library that does what they searched “how to” do, that would be a perfect CTA for this post. 

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Checklist Before Publishing

• Did you provide clear, actionable steps to accomplishing the task your reader needed help with?
• Did you provide relevant and accurate facts and stats to prove your understanding of the concept?
• Did you emphasize the importance of understanding this concept if it is not already well-known?
• Did you include the keywords in the title and some of the headings?
• Did you provide at LEAST one internal link to a page or product that you are specifically writing about?
• Did you properly cite and backlink any sources you used?
• Did you spell check and proofread?
• Are there at least 1-2 images including the featured one?
• Is the post 1,000 to 2,000 words at minimum (including quotes)?

NOTE: Blogs can take up to 6 weeks to be indexed by Google. If you’d like to know if you’re blog has been indexed (and therefore can be found in an organic search) type this into your Google search bar:

site:[your blog URL]

If it comes up its indexed, if it doesn’t come up then it hasn’t yet.

Be consistent and remember Google’s EEAT requirements.

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