If you’re anything like me, you love a good blog. You like long form content, boosting your site’s SEO, and sharing helpful resources with your audience.
Or maybe you’d like to be blogging because you hate posting on social media, but you’re not really sure where to start.
Well, you can officially bookmark this page, because I’m bringing you the go-to blog post template for service providers.
As in, you can consider this an expert copywriter’s official recommendation for how service providers should write their blog posts.
(Bonus, this blog post will be written following the template, so you can see the template in action too!)
Here’s a bird’s eye view of how you should structure your blog post.
Overview:
- SEO Keyword
- Click-worthy blog post title
- Introduction
- Optimized H2s and H3s
- Conclusion
- Call To Action
Got it? Good. Let’s dive into your go-to blog post template.
1. Pick an SEO keyword
Ok, to be honest, this is definitely where people get lost first.
The best blog posts are written to answer a question someone is searching for. We call those questions “keywords.”
To find these keywords, you can use a tool like Keysearch or Answer The Public to see what people are looking for revolving around your niche.
I won’t get into the whole SEO keyword process here because it could be an entire blog post (or 10) by itself. The most important thing to remember is that Google wants to send people to the most helpful answers to their queries. So, writing your post to be the best answer to their question is how you get your blog ranked by Google.
However…
I don’t think every blog post has to be written solely for SEO.
If you have a topic you really want to talk about, a unique take on a problem you solve, or a new perspective on a fun topic, you should write about it! Your audience could still find it helpful if you direct their attention to the blog.
Full disclosure, I’m writing this blog post without much consideration for SEO. For a lot of blogging keywords, the websites that are currently ranking on Google are HUGE websites that I wouldn’t be able to outrank, so this post is more for my audience.
Still, I know my audience has questions about blogging, and I wanted to create a resource to send to them. That’s why I decided on this topic.
2. Click-worthy blog post title
The blog post title is the first thing a reader will see. People are not generous with their time and attention online, so you need to make sure your titles entice them to keep reading.
Here are some great hacks for getting them to click:
1. Include your target keyword
This helps with SEO and tells readers exactly what your post is about.
2. Use numbers and lists
Numbers grab attention and set clear expectations. For example: “31 Journal Prompts for Entrepreneurs“
3. Ask a question
Pique curiosity by posing a question your audience wants answered: “How Often Should You Update Your Website Copy?“
4. Use “How-to” phrases
People love practical, actionable content: “How To Not Sound Salesy In Your Copy“
5. Make bold statements
Catch attention with a surprising or bold claim: “6 Reasons You Need A Blog (That Aren’t Just SEO)”
6. Keep it concise
Aim for 60 characters or less to make sure your full title displays in search results.
And while it’s important to create catchy titles, always be sure your content delivers on the promise of the headline. Clickbait might get initial clicks, but it won’t build long-term trust with your audience.
3. A relevant and catchy introduction
When I was a freelance blog writer, most of the blog introductions I wrote were straightforward, informative, and… boring? Yes. They were kind of boring.
But when you’re writing for your own blog or brand, you can have fun with your introductions.
In fact, I’d say having some fun with your introductions is a great idea because you can showcase your brand voice, be more memorable, and actually enjoy writing more.
So, when you’re writing an introduction to your blog, here are some pointers and ideas:
- Keep it short and sweet
- Tell a fun story or anecdote
- Include your relevant keyword within the first 100 words
- Give a preview of what you’ll be talking about
- Make sure it’s written to your target audience
Go scroll back up to the intro of this blog post to see some of these tips in action.
4. Optimized H2s and H3s
Your H1 is the title of your blog. The H2s and H3s are the subheadings of your blog.
If you’re using WordPress (integrated with Showit) like I am, you’ll be able to change these in the drop-down menu right next to each line of text.
These are important because it breaks up your blog into sections, making it easier to read. It also gives Google a clearer idea of what you’re talking about.
*Pro tip: Include extra keywords in your H2s and H3s to give Google an even stronger indication of how relevant your blog post is to the search query.
Here’s what you can do to with your H2s and H3s:
Elaborate on your bullet points
Ok, this is a pretty literal example here, but adding some bullet points (broken out into your different H2s and H3s) can help move the eye along your blog post pretty easily.
You don’t have to use H3s (or even H4s or H5s) in every blog post, but it’s a good idea to use them intuitively where they make sense.
And think about it: the alternative would be one long post that isn’t broken up at all. It would look more like a technical document instead of a juicy, bingeable, easy-to-read blog post. Boring.
Write a list or step-by-step process
Labeling your H2s or H3s with numbers, or taking your reader through a step-by-step process or list, can help make your blog post easier to read.
You’ve probably seen this in several blog posts before:
- 8 Steps To Redoing Your Website
- 7 Psychological Reasons Why Your Website Isn’t Converting
- 6 Reasons You Need A Blog (That Aren’t Just SEO)
- 15 Creative Newsletter Ideas to Send To Your Email List
These kinds of blog posts are great because they are skimmable, easy to read, and very easy to find the kind of information you’re looking for.
Write quickly with outlines
And of course, breaking out your ideas into different sections makes it easier for you to write about them too.
I almost never write a blog post start to finish directly. I always start with an outline, so I know exactly what I’m writing about in each section. A couple hundred words per section, and the blog practically writes itself.
5. A brief conclusion
So, assuming you’ve written a blog post that’s at least 500 words (I try to write 1000-1500) you’re now ready to write a conclusion.
I don’t think you need to draw out your conclusions on your blog posts. After all, this isn’t an academic paper. No one is going to grade you on how well you support your thesis or whatever…
But I do think it’s important to answer this question: so what?
You’ve written the blog post to answer someone’s question. So what?
So what can they do with that information?
What does that information now allow them to accomplish that they couldn’t before?
How are they more informed or equipped after reading your blog?
Summing up the “so what?” in the conclusion can help drive home for the reader why this blog post is valuable, painting you as a valuable source of information they will hopefully come back to again!
6. Your final Call To Action
If you’re writing a blog post for your brand or business, I’m guessing you want to see a return on the time you’ve spent writing.
For this reason, it’s a good idea to include a Call To Action (CTA) for each blog post.
The go-to CTA to use if you don’t have anything specific you want to promote is to direct someone to your email list or a freebie.
If you have a course, membership, or passive offer, blog posts are also a great way to drive people to those paid offers as well. Just make sure you’re driving them to something that is relevant to the topic of the blog post they’ve just read.
Sometimes, I’ll include a menu of CTAs where the reader can choose what action fits their needs best. (See below for an example!)
Ok, you have a go-to blog post template. So what?
This blog post, as well as several others on my site, are just examples of how to structure your blog posts. Beyond my website, you’ll probably see a lot of different ways people structure their blog posts. It’s a good idea to play around with what works best for you, your writing style, and your brand.
But the most important thing with blogging is to not get caught up in the details and just start posting. If every blog you write follows this template, you’ll be well on your way to creating an amazing blog library that serves your audience and boosts your SEO.
Writing for your business isn’t easy, but I can help.
Blogging? Fun. Easy even. Especially after you get into a rhythm.
Copywriting though? A little harder. Especially if you’re going for the SEO-optimized, sounds-fun-to-read, actually-sells-your-services-for-you kind.
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