![The Perfect Blog: Elements to Remember [CHECKLIST]](https://leanwebz.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/LD-57-anatomy-of-blog.jpeg)
Blog posts are often used as a marketing tool. This is why it is so crucial to remember the right elements in every post. We all have busy lives, but being short on time is not a good excuse to post a mediocre blog. Every post needs to include good content and the right blog elements.
You want to use your blog to give useful information to readers. It can be easy to forget all of the important components needed for a successful blog post. This breakdown and the checklist at the end will help you to remember all of those important blog elements!
1) Titles
Blog titles play a critical part in every post. It happens to be one of the most important blog elements to focus on because only 40 percent of readers read past the title, so it needs to be attention-grabbing! Brainstorming is a good start. A title needs to be accurate, interesting and best to keep short. Blog titles with a bracket that states something special in the post, like [INFOGRAPHIC], draws in 38 percent more readers. Also, remember to optimize titles for social media. Blog posts with titles around 8-12 words do best on Twitter and titles with 12-14 words do better on Facebook.
2) Meta Descriptions
The meta description is the preview of what the blog post is about. Try to keep the description short, but of course, descriptive! The meta description works along with other blog elements like the title to convince readers to click on the link to further read the blog post. So, make the meta description to the point and informative, but also interesting!
3) Images
Visuals are another blog element that can grab the attention of readers. Always use a good-quality image that reflects the story of your post. You can be creative with this as long as it is intriguing to readers. Images are most effective when used as a feature image and at the beginning of the blog.
4) Introduction
After you gain the attention of the reader with a catchy headline, a descriptive meta description and an interesting image, the next blog element to focus on is keeping the readers interested with a solid introduction. Use this part of the blog post to quickly explain to the readers what the post is about. You can try a few different approaches with this, like using humor, facts or asking the reader a question.
5) Body
The body of your blog post is the meat of the post and need to contain high quality content. This is what is going to be most valuable to readers. Google reports that blogs that get the most attention are around 2,000 words. I find this to be a little lengthy, but it also all depends on the topic. Every topic is different and some topics do require longer posts, but others can get the message across with shorter posts. It also depends on what is included in your blog posts. Are you including a video, slideshow or infographic? This might lead to shorter word counts in your posts.
6) Conclusion
When you are closing your blog post, make sure to alert readers that you are ending the post. You never want to abruptly end a blog, leaving the readers confused. The conclusion doesn’t need to be long, just make sure to recap the post, provide guidance and include resources.
7) CTAS
A call-to-action is an important blog element to always end your posts with. The CTA needs to be meaningful and lead to more advice, a content offer or even another blog post for more information. Your goal is that your readers learn something from your blog and have the desire to learn more.
There are many essential blog elements to remember when writing your next blog post. It helps to fully understand each element and use a checklist during each blog post to make sure you are including all of the necessary components.
