Are you sometimes disappointed by the content that hides behind the top search engine positions? Or are you looking for ways to improve your own copywriting skills? Then look no further. In this article, I'll explain everything you need to know about good blog articles.

When I search for a topic in Google, I usually find nothing but standardized mash among the top 10 results. What we call search intent in SEO is taken by many content producers as an excuse not to have to think about it.

"Google shows us what goes down well. We just have to produce something similar." - This or something similar seems to be the reasoning behind many articles. But the approach is fundamentally wrong.

We don't just write for the search engine, but for people like you and me. People with feelings. People who want to be informed, inspired and entertained.

Incidentally, this is the problem when we always talk about traffic instead of visitors in online marketing. One is just a metric. The other is real people.

A list article about the "100 best WordPress plugins" or "20 thousand content marketing tips for the year 2035" rarely achieves this. Sorry for the cynicism, it's hard for me to hold back. 

At the end of the day, it is also people who are interested in our range and buy from us. A search engine won't do that - so why only consider Google and the like?

What makes a good blog article?

When is a blog article good and when is it bad?

Good and bad are always subjective perceptions. That's why you may have a different view of whether a blog article is good than I do. That alone would be too easy and wouldn't get us anywhere. After all, you expected something from this article when you clicked on it.

Let me give you a definition of a good blog article so that we at least have a yardstick to guide us. What are the characteristics of a good article?

A good writing style

I did a survey on Linkedin about what makes a good article. The result was clear ...

We can argue about whether something is missing or forgotten in the options. LinkedIn only offers four options and this evaluation of 140 votes is better than nothing.

What does a "good writing style" mean in concrete terms?

I'm glad you asked. It means that the text is fun to read. Not yet in the sense of the structure (that comes in the next point), but rather in the tonality. We simply enjoy listening to some people when they speak.

While with others it is exhausting. The difference lies in their choice of words. It lies in the way they communicate and the context in which they talk to you.

For all the blog articles I regularly write, I imagine the following scenario: You and I are old acquaintances. You sit opposite me and I try to explain the topic to you in a way that you can easily understand.

Whether it's "The effect of an infrared cabin on the body when you have a cold" or "Decoupled content management systems".

Reading the texts out loud afterwards also helps. It may feel ridiculous at first, but as many people read a text in their "inner voice", you can hear what the result sounds like straight away.

Take a look at the Hamburg comprehensibility concept. It provides a good framework for explaining dry or complex topics in simple and understandable terms.

A sensible structure

This starts with a visually appealing structure and the readability of a text. If I run into a wall of text when I open a blog, I'm already fed up. 

Short sentences with short syllables are part of a copywriter's standard arsenal. Although it's nice if you know a lot of complicated foreign words, it definitely doesn't help comprehension when reading. It's best to calculate the Flesch index of your last blog articles. Then you can quickly see how well you score in terms of readability.

A paragraph doesn't have to be more than five lines to elaborate on a thought. Take the Raidboxes articles as an example. Here you will rarely find articles that consist of eternally long paragraphs - especially as the style guide already states that this should be avoided.

Images, graphics, videos, bullet points or tables are also helpful elements that visually enhance the structure of a blog article and contribute to a better understanding of the content.

There also needs to be acommon thread, a thought that runs through the content. It must be easy for me as a reader to follow your train of thought!

This is often easier said than done. There is a well-known saying among copywriters: "If it's easy to read, then it was difficult to write". 

This wisdom is confirmed in my daily work. Because after I have submitted my first drafts of blog articles for feedback, my customers leave comments and notes on the text about what needs to be added and where.

These comments are rarely structured and are more like mental ping pong. My job is then to sort these thoughts and make them understandable for the audience. This is where the value of an editor really becomes apparent.

Provide food for thought

This point is tricky. Ultimately, however, it makes the biggest difference between bad and good. Everyone who reads this nods and thinks inwardly "Yes, that's right". But only a few put it into practice. Either because they are not allowed to due to questionable guidelines or because they are too shy to do so.

Usually, the most thought-provoking content is that which challenges the status quo and represents opposing views.

Simply disagreeing with everyone else is not very helpful. You also need to provide a solid justification as to why your counterargument to the status quo is better.

Example 1

• General view: "Content is king!"
• Contrary view: "Content is NOT king!"
• Reason: "Your business is king and content should serve the king."

Example 2

• General view: "We prefer not to mention competitors in articles so as not to draw attention to them."
• Contrary view: "You should definitely mention the competition in your content!"
• Reason: "Your target group is not stupid and only one Google search away from the competition anyway. Better to cover everything (benevolently) with you."

Example 3

• General view: "A good buyer persona is crucial for the success of our marketing campaign."
• Contrary view: "Most buyer personas are worthless."
• Reason: "A (target) group cannot be depicted in a hypothetically conceived representative personality = buyer persona, because it consists of a large number of sometimes completely different individuals."

Put your marketing hat on here and let your inner copywriter out. "Be different. Think different." is the motto for standing out in the market and attracting attention.

However, you should proceed with caution here. All too often, blunt opposing views are communicated in order to polarize. This not only comes across as desperate, but also quickly degenerates into the morally reprehensible when exaggerated - something we want to avoid.

A good blog post pursues an economic goal.

Surprised? Often enough I look into blank faces when I say that blog articles are basically only there to serve the economic success of the company.

If it is not clear that users are moved closer to making a purchase when they read the SEO text in the customer journey, the work involved in creating it was (economically) worthless. 

To avoid this, a call-to-action should be built into the text. Whether this is a hard CTA (e.g. "Buy now") or a soft CTA (e.g. "Subscribe to newsletter") is of secondary importance. 

Each article must increase the likelihood of generating more sales. In case of doubt, the call-to-action can consist of suggesting other similar articles in order to generate more touchpoints with visitors.

The aim of a company is to make money. In other words, to make a profit. Published content that does not serve this purpose falls into the hobby category - there is nothing wrong with that per se, of course.

The only exception to this would be if you earn money with the articles. In the sense of a paid newsletter or magazine. Then your readership has already bought something before consuming the content. And only needs to be delighted with cool content.

Publish better blog articles from now on

First of all, please don't be afraid to swim against the tide.

Far too often I see great content producers water down their choice of words. The reason is obvious: they fear that we might disagree with them or that they will get negative feedback. Of course, this can happen if you hold unpopular views.

You have to risk it to stand out in the market. Innovation doesn't happen if you always agree with everyone else. Counter-arguments to your blog articles always allow you to reflect, question your own views and learn something new.

The next tip for better blog articles is just as important: stop reading books and articles about copywriting! Yes, I'm serious. Instead, start reading the books that are written so engagingly that everyone loves to read them and they sell millions of copies.

I rarely have the typical "Wow, that person writes beautifully" moments with specialist literature on marketing or copywriting. They also rarely serve as a creative muse for me to improve my own writing skills.

I gain much more inspiration when Sebastian Fitzek casts his spell over me or when I can't get the story of J.R.R. Tolkien's works out of my head. 

Of course, tastes differ when it comes to authors and genres. The basic message remains the same: instead of listening to what supposed experts say in theory, pay attention to what real professionals do in practice.

Sounds a bit like blasphemy, especially as I'm only giving tips here. Contrary views generate more resonance than uniformity.

Conclusion: A little punk never hurts

You don't have to directly challenge the establishment and occupy an apartment building. It's perfectly okay to take some offense with the content of your blog articles.

With all the run-of-the-mill content floating around in the vastness of the Internet, we almost crave variety and contrary views.

After reading this article, you will know how to write and prepare content in such a way that your target group will enjoy reading it. And you will have learned how to make your texts stand out from the competition. Get started right away and write your next blog article that will inspire your audience. I look forward to reading from you!