Over the years, blogging has morphed from part-time hobbies to full-blown income-generating businesses for many. And then there are business owners like me who use blogging as an extension of our business to give extra value to our current or hopeful future clients.

Regardless of why you blog, there are six fundamental elements you should include in each post that not only make for a perfectly structured post but also helps you establish expertise and gain credibility from the get-go.

Let’s dig into what they are. 

Disclaimer: This means, at no cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I only recommend tools or resources that are beneficial to my biz and I believe would be the same for yours. I am not paid to endorse these companies. You can read my full disclosure here. Thank you for your support. 

Strong Attention-Grabbing/Keyword-Having Title

As they say, you only get one time to make a good impression. And in this day and age, you only get about 3 seconds to make that impression. So ensure your blog title is catchy enough to draw your reader’s attention immediately.

Another thing about your title, if possible, is to include at least one keyword your reader would use when searching the topic of your post.  

Value to Your Reader

Unless your blog is centered around chronicling life in the day of you, ensure your posts answer a question or offer a solution to your reader’s issue. After all, they’re searching for help, so give them what they need. If you do, your blog is the one they’ll return to again and again.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s undoubtedly okay to blend storytelling and information. Just be sure the information part is clear and gives value. 

Visual Graphic

To help break up the text, include a visual. But not just any ‘ole thing. Either add a post graphic that you can quickly whip up on Canva, like the one I’ve included above, or find an image that compliments your topic.

You can find free; no attribution required images in Canva or on such sites as Pixabay, Pexels, or Unsplash. However, there are restrictions on how you can use them, so be sure to read and adhere to their respective policies.

Go one step further with your graphic and make it pinnable so your readers can easily share your post to Pinterest with a simple click of the graphic.

Not familiar with Pinterest? Click here to learn more.

Call-to-Action 

Finish up your article with a call-to-action. For example, ask them to subscribe, or share the post, or follow you on social media, etc. 

Affiliate Disclaimer

One of the ways that bloggers make money is through affiliate marketing. This type of marketing occurs when products and services are offered for which the affiliate (blogger) earns a monetary commission if their readers make a purchase.

If you incorporate affiliate marketing into your posts, The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires that you include a disclaimer to let your readers know. You can decide to include a brief but informative sentence that links to a broader disclaimer or give the whole shebang in your post. 

Regardless, the notice must be prominent and obvious to your readers, and it must be listed on every post that contains affiliate links. 

All this said, you shouldn’t overlook the thread that weaves this all together, and that is …

Make Your Post Readable

A great blog post includes proper grammar and punctuation. And if you’re not an English scholar, mastering this part is hard to do. But there is a solution, and it comes in the form of a service tool called Grammarly, which is an extension add-on for your toolbar.

Once added, you can write until your heart’s content on your subject matter without worrying if you’ve missed a comma, colon or period, or confused “your” with “you’re,” or made any other snafu.

And let me say, it’s a load off my mind knowing I’m presenting my writing in its best form possible. Plus, as a user, you’ll find that Grammarly is more than a grammar correction tool.

Sign up for your free Grammarly account today.

In Summary …

Blogging takes forethought, time, dedication, and patience. So if you’re going to do it, do it right from the start. That way, you’ll not only have a leg up on others who aren’t, but you may just create the like, know, and trust factor with your readers from the very first contact they have with your blog, which could lead to a subscriber or follower or sale (or all three!).

A small request: If you liked this post, please share it. 

Blogging takes time, dedication, and a lot of work from creating content, graphics, and much more. But I take on this labor of love because I want to do my part to inspire and empower women to launch, grow, and scale their dream business or blog.

Whether you’re a regular reader or stumbled across my blog for the first time, welcome.
I’m glad you’re here.

Every share would help me a lot, and I appreciate your consideration.

Some great suggestions:

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The share buttons are on the left-hand side of this page.

Thank you so much!