How to Write Great WordPress Posts
When you work with me, you’ll get coaching on the dos and don’ts for writing great WordPress posts. Posts that are ranked and maybe even shared.
But first, your posts have to be read…
Know that your content will be lost amongst the millions of similar pages unless you know about and implement the basics to SEO your content—the trick when “SEO’ing” is to keep your content readable and compelling.
Even those that consider themselves “authors” aren’t always aware of the formatting and styles that work online to encourage content to be consumed. Without considering certain things — folks may click away.
Over the past 27 years of consulting those who want to succeed online, a handful of topics are always met with resistance. Learning to write better is most certainly one of them.
Yes, you have things to say. Points you want to make and information you know folks need to know. But if that content is not well written and structured, you are handicapping yourself from the start.
The online arena has its own set of proven strategies you have to embrace. It is no longer a build it, and they will come. You are lucky if you get found.
A website is defined by its content. If the content is shallow and untrustworthy, you won’t accomplish any realistic goals. And that then leads to what I talk about all the time—your E-A-T factor. Without E-A-T (Expertise, Authority & Trust) = minimal overall success.
It’s all about the content. So while most website owners obsess about the look of their website, they should translate some of that obsession to their content as well.
Are you guilty of these bad habits?
You want to embrace the six points below and consider them in your everyday content creation efforts. While it may seem difficult at first, it will become a habit over time.
1. Post titles that suck.
You’ve heard of click-bait, right? That’s basically when a title lures the reader to click through based on the promises the title infers. Then it’s a letdown. The content is shallow or not worth the reader’s time (usually to get them to click on ads).
Make sure that your post content delivers on what the title claims.
2. Huge paragraphs that go on and on and on…
While what you have to say is important to you, and may be good stuff, if not properly structured, your great content can appear overwhelming when visitors land on your page.
Onliners have the attention span of a gnat. Statistics show the average length of time spent on any blog is 96 seconds — just a minute and a half. And they scan first and, maybe, read after. That’s where the acronym TLDR (too long didn’t read) comes from.
When the topic is very wordy (2000 words or more), format it with top of page Table of Contents navigation and in-page links so that visitors can navigate quickly to each section. Another option is to create a series where you break up your post into an easily digestible multi-part series of posts.
If you use the Kadence Theme as I do, this is as easy as just adding the “Table of Contents Block.” The Yoast SEO Pro plugin also has this feature.
3. Over formatting text with too many styles…
Let your theme’s style-sheet format your content (bolding, colors, sizes, etc.). Doing so will allow all your content to display consistently and professionally throughout your website.
When it comes to formatting text, adding additional formatting should be the exception, not the rule.
4. Posts that are over SEO’d and on the verge of spammy…
We all want the best rankings possible, but keyword stuffing hasn’t worked for years. Concentrate on the SEO basics to start. Such as including your primary phrase in the post title. Then pepper that phrase throughout your headlines and post along with variations of the same.
If you want your content to be perceived as credible, always keep front and center that you need to be writing for your site visitors, not search engines. This approach contributes to you having the best chance to convert (order, appointment, contact form).
This is where your online writing skills and experience will pay off. Over time your writing will improve, and your content will be read and have the best chance to be ranked positively.
PRO TIP: Yoast SEO’s readability tools help you improve your writing skills and SEO. The “Premium” version is worth the cost to upgrade.
5. Posts that include photos not correctly formatted or inserted.
We live in a visual world. Photos and graphics help to make your point and enhance your message. But just inserting them willy-nilly doesn’t help make your content look professional.
Here are a few considerations when adding images to your website:
6. Posts that have no internal links or Call to Action…
Always inform site visitors why you are writing about what you are writing about and what you want them to do. For example, do you want them to read more, subscribe, buy this, or order that? Then guide them on how to accomplish that goal.
The other extreme is overdoing it. Be too sales-hypey-pitchy, and you’ll lose visitors if your content serves no purpose other than to be the online equivalent of a used car salesman.
When it makes sense to do so, linking to your other posts within the content of a post helps visitors find out more. Internal links also keep readers on your site longer and build your credibility to be that info source worth bookmarking — and doing business with.
Blogs are Serious Business
Having a personal blog to share your thoughts and point of view is one thing. But, you want to be taken seriously, which means approaching your content creation as a business would.
With the above tips and consistently applying them, you can structure your blog content to have the best chance of being read, linked to, shared, and ranked. And that is ultimately the purpose, right?
At your service,
