A blog post template helps you organize your research and write SEO-friendly content quickly and easily.
HubSpot states that businesses that use blog posts get 55% more visitors compared to websites without graphical and textual blog posts.
Therefore, blog posts are essential for almost every business with an online presence.
A template can help you express information in an orderly manner, allowing readers to consume content faster and with desirable scannability.
Here are 5 blog post templates to help your write and present engaging content for your audience.
1. List Post Template
A list post or listicle is a blog post or article written in list format.
Listicles can represent a list of the best tools, techniques, tips, or other pointers you want to describe in your blog post.
They are search engine friendly and can bring more traffic as readers find it easy to skim through the content and read sections of the article they want instead of going through the whole blog post.
Usually, list posts can have 10-15 items in the blog post, but if you want to list more, it’s better to divide the long list into different categories as it can be overwhelming for the reader to consume extensive lists.
List posts are best for presenting non-chronological information or topics which can feature as a collection.
Structure of a List Post
Follow these simple steps to write a list post.
1. Title/Heading
A compelling title includes:
- Number of items on the list
- Benefits
- Timeframe
For example, in the title ‘10 blogging tips to boost your organic traffic in a month’, here the title has a number, organic traffic conveys the benefit, and month is the time frame.
The title should align with your content. Try to use actionable words such as grow, boost, or striking and be very specific to make it catchy and entice the reader to click on the title.
2. A Short Introduction
Most people simply skim through list posts. If a subheading does not satisfy them, they will move to the next one quickly.
Thus, write a short intro and summarize what to expect from your article.
First, introduce the reader’s problem that the items on the list can help them solve and reiterate the benefits of your last post.
3. Headings
Every item on the list is your subheading. You can use the <h2> or <h3> heading for lists in your blog post.
Try to write an odd number of lists because they are more attention-grabbing than even lists.
For example, in ‘9 destinations for your Europe vacation’, odd lists are more trustworthy for the audience as they think you created the content from authentic information, and the writer didn’t round up the list using filler information.
4. Conclude Your List Post with a Tip
Don’t generically summarize your list post at the end. Instead, provide extra tips as a bonus or give them advice about what to do after reading the listicle in the concluding part of your article.
2. How-to Post
A how-to blog post describes a series of steps to achieve an end goal.
It’s an instructional guide to help a reader through a specific process. For example, a blog post on ‘how to write an Email’ describes the step-by-step process of drafting an email.
They are similar to list posts, but unlike them, they describe a chronological order of a workflow.
You can use the how-to post if you want to teach something to your readers in a specific order.
Structure of a How-to Post
Similar to listicles, how-to posts have four important parts in their structure. They are:
- Title
- Introduction
- Body of the post in sequential order (usually in a steps format)
- Conclusion
Here’s how to write a how-to content piece:
1. Title/Heading
The title of your how-to post should be straightforward.
Here are tips for writing your how-to title:
- It starts with a ‘how-to’ statement.
- Use an active verb to describe the problem the post can solve.
- Include a benefit or timeframe to make it captivating.
For example, ‘how to get 1000 subscribers on YouTube in 6 weeks.
Here the title starts with ‘how-to,’ which hints to the reader about a process; getting 1000 subscribers is the specific problem the post can solve, and 6 weeks is a timeline that makes the title sound authentic and time-tested.
2. Introduction
In your introduction, try establishing your credibility that you understand the problem you are trying to solve through the blog post.
You can use the PSP (Problem- Solution-Proof) method to make your introduction convincing for the reader.
- Problem: Clearly explain your understanding of the problem through empathetic content.
- Solution: Briefly express why and how you intend to solve the problem.
- Proof: This is optional, but you can show evidence to describe how your process works.
Include a fact or evidence about your process. For example, this process helped me earn 1000 subscribers within a month (attach graphical proof as well). The statement highlights how you solved your problem using the same process, persuading the reader to scroll further.
3. Body of the Blog Post
The main body of your how-to post shows the order of steps your blog includes. Each item is your <H2> in the list.
Use actionable keywords and a parallel heading formation structure to describe the process.
For example, for a blog post titled ‘how to write a resume,’ your series of steps can be:
- Research your target company
- Choose a suitable template
- List your educational and professional achievements
- Edit and proofread
You can see how each step includes a verb, and all verbs are parallel at the start of the heading.
Active verbs can motivate the reader to take action, whereas a parallel structure improves the reading experience.
4. Concluding a How-to Post
In a how-to post, you can either summarize the process or list a few benefits of the steps.
In the end, leave your readers with a few sources to help them figure out what to do after learning about the topic. You can provide links from your website or suggest a few external sources.
3. Comparison Blog Post
A comparison article is useful in differentiating between two or more products, services, or ideas.
This template is perfect for readers who are at the end of their buyer’s journey but confused about finalizing their intention to make a purchase.
You can help a reader settle a decision by comparing two different products based on their features, similarities, and differences without bias.
Structure of a Comparison Article
A comparison article does not follow a fixed structure and usually depends on the reader’s needs. A few comparison articles might use tabular representation for differentiation, or some might compare using paragraphs and bulletins.
You can follow the below steps to write your comparison article:
1. Title/Heading
The title of your article directly states which products or ideas you are comparing. For example, ‘Product A vs. Product B: Complete Comparisons Guide’ or ‘Difference Between CV and Resume.’
You can also indicate the functions of these products in your title. For instance, ‘iPad vs. Samsung tab: Two best tabs for students compared.’
If you are comparing more than two products, change the title accordingly.
2. Introduction
Write a crisp introduction showing which features or aspects of the products you will compare in your article.
Focus on targeting your audience in the introduction. If your reader wants to make a decision, you can highlight on what basis you plan to help them choose the best product.
If your reader is only curious and does not intend to make a decision, use facts or statistics between the two comparison points to entice the reader to know more.
For example, if someone wants to compare a sea and an ocean, they are only curious and looking to expand their knowledge.
Hence, tailor your introduction based on your target audience.
3. Body of The Article
There is no fixed order for writing subheadings. Select the main body structure such that your readers and the search engines can understand the content easily.
Make your article:
- Organized: To help readers study the content smoothly and assist search engines in crawling your page for ranking.
- Scannable: Help your audience skim through the content to find the comparison points they are looking for.
- Consistent: Make your paragraphs of equal size to enhance the page’s aesthetics.
You can structure the body of your article as follows:
- Product A
- Feature 1
- Feature 2……..5
- Pros and Cons
- Product B
- Feature 1
- Feature 2…….5
- Pros and Cons
OR
- Product A vs. Product B: Similarities
- Product A vs. Product B: Differences
- Which one is the best?
Select a structure suitable for your audience and the search engine.
Tip: Study the content skeleton of high-ranking competitors on Google’s top SERP.
4. Conclusion
The conclusion is a quick summary of both the products and premium features and explains the pros and cons. You can guide the reader towards a good decision through an effective and clear conclusion.
4. The Ultimate Guide
An ultimate guide provides a broad overview of a topic.
It explains everything about a topic such that readers can find all their queries in one place.
These guides are usually long and can range between 1,000-5,000 words.
You can use this template to get more backlinks to your website because these guides cover maximum relevant and frequently-search queries about a topic. They are a proven quality source of external links for other websites.
Structure of an Ultimate Guide
An ultimate guide contains several subheadings to ensure the audience can understand everything they want to know about a topic.
The structure for this template starts with basic explanations of terminologies and gradually moves towards advanced concepts of a topic.
Here’s how you can use an ultimate guide template.
1. Title/Heading
The title contains the topic and the purpose of your article. For example, ‘An ultimate guide to digital marketing.’
You can see how the title explains that the article is a complete guide to a particular topic.
To make your title keyword rich, you can use questions your audience might directly ask Google. For instance, ‘what is digital marketing?” or “complete guide to marketing strategies.”
People are more likely to search for the term ‘what is digital marketing’ rather than ultimate guides.
Hence, make your title direct and keyword-specific.
2. Introduction
Your introduction should be a short summary of the topic.
Follow this order for your introduction:
- Define the topic
- Elaborate on its importance
- Explain to the reader how your guide can help them gain a comprehensive understanding of the topic
- Summarize what the reader can expect in the article
3. Body of the Ultimate Guide
Use multiple subheadings as <h2> and <h3> tags and divide the topic into several categories to make it easy to scan all content sections.
To make your body copy keyword-rich, head to the ‘people also ask’ section on the search results page and try to include all the queries in your guide.
It shows the possible queries the audience may have concerning a topic.
It will help you target rich keywords, and the audience can find solutions to all the possible questions they might have about a topic.
4. Conclusion of The Guide
Conclude the article by explaining to the reader what they can do after knowing about a topic thoroughly. Ask them to learn related topics, or add a CTA (Call-to-action) and inspire them to read about related topics on your blog.
Ensure your conclusions clearly state the next step a reader may require after reading a guide.
5. Q/A (Question/Answer) Post
Q/A uses multiple questions as subheadings to explain a topic. It is like a FAQ page, where you answer commonly asked queries readers have about a topic.
You can use this format if you think your audience may have recurring questions about the topic in your business or niche.
Structure of a Q/A Post
A Q/A post contains questions and answers about a topic.
Follow the below steps to use a Q/A Post
1. Title/Heading
The title is presented as a direct question about the topic.
For example, ‘What is an E-visa?. You can elaborate on your heading by adding extra details or benefits in the title.
Here’s another example, ‘What is a credit card, and how do I upgrade it?’ your title hints that it has the answer for every credit card-related query.
2. Introduction
Your introduction should focus on presenting a short definition of the topic and explaining the end of your article.
3. Body of The Article
The main body of your article consists of a series of questions and answers about the topic.
To illustrate:
- Q1. What is E-visa?
- A. Write your answer.
- Q2. How to get an E-visa?
- A. Write your answer…
Similarly, you can write multiple closely related questions to help the reader understand the topic fully.
You can search on Google Autocomplete, ‘People also ask’ section, or include questions from the related search section at the end of SERPs.
4. Conclusion
End your blog post by encouraging the audience to achieve their end goal. For example, when someone searches for an ‘E-visa,’ they might want to apply for one.
You can request them to take the next steps or add a few sentences answering any extra queries that a reader may have at the end of the topic.
Verdict
Study every blog post template closely before selecting one for your audience.
Think about which template allows you to best explain the topic to your audience.
Keep your audience’s intent in mind before using any blog post template for your blog or article.
