1. Learn what people are searching for

As you build your list of topics, you’ll want to do a bit of keyword research. This is the practice of targeting specific words and phrases in your article based on what your audience is looking for on search engines. You don’t need to be a keyword research expert, but it is useful to know which terms people are searching for. Not only will this help you write content that better resonates with your audience, but it will also help you rank higher in search results – ensuring your content actually gets read.

2. Structure your blog by category

Just as you’d organize your closet by category, you’ll want to take a similar approach with your blog. If you’re just starting your blog, format it in a way that makes it easy for readers to find what they’re looking for. For instance, you may want to add overarching topic categories to the navigation menu. Google also appreciates this structure – in fact, its algorithms take website structure into account when determining which posts to rank among the top search results. So, having neatly organized blog categories is beneficial on all fronts. For example,

3. Incorporate different content types

Images aren’t the only type of alternative content to add to your articles. In the world of blogging, mixed media posts outperform words-only posts. Once you’ve gotten the hang of writing articles, try enhancing them by embedding a podcast or video within the post. You can provide even more value to readers by adding a link to a webinar or downloadable e-book on the same topic.

On top of that, try repurposing some of your articles altogether into different formats so you can share them on different platforms. For example, you may want to start a YouTube channel with videos inspired by your blog content. Similarly, you could create a podcast of your own based on your articles, or write an e-book to share with your audience.

4. Use a variety of visuals

Your writing is the core of your blog posts, but it’s not the only element to include. It also helps to add visual elements to your articles. In fact, articles get shared twice as much when they have one image per every 75-100 words. With that in mind, break up large blocks of text by incorporating images and videos. This keeps your readers’ attention on the page for longer and prevents them from getting bored or intimidated by so much text.

Be sure to use unique, high-quality images to create a polished and professional piece. If you’re not able to use photographs of your own, you can get free stock photos from sites like Unsplash and Pexels. Once you upload the images to your blog, add alt text to optimize them for SEO. Essentially, this just means adding a short description to each image – ideally using keywords – that explains to search engines and screen readers what it depicts. This is an easy process available on nearly every blogging platform.

5. Promote your blog on social media

Next, there’s the question of how to get new visitors – people who’ve never landed on your blog before. A simple (and free) way to promote your blog is by sharing your articles on social media. Whether you’re promoting your blog on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, give it a profile of its own, using your blog logo as the profile picture. Then, publish and share every blog post on your pages. Give microblogging a try to capture your audience’s interest and get them to click. In addition to sharing these articles on your own, you can encourage others to do the same. Make your posts shareable by adding social media share buttons somewhere on the page. At the end of your post, leave a small note asking readers to share your content.