What are the Different Components of a Blog Post?
The different parts of a blog post, or the components of a blog article, consist of several key elements that each serve a different purpose of being. Because niche blog posts are a specific type of post, focusing on one specific topic, the different types of elements that an author will choose to include will be based on the type of emotions and the final outcome the author is trying to achieve.
We will be reviewing these components in an order that would be structured from Top – Bottom, for the most common types of blog posts.
Headings
What are headings?
Headings allow the body to be organized and makes the content easier to read. Headings are created with snippets of HTML called “header tags.” There are 6 levels of header tags, <h1>-<h6>.
Your post title should always be highlighted as the main header tag with <h1> . Your post title should be the only <h1> header tag on the entire page.
Post Title
When you create a new blog post in WordPress, you will immediately be required to create a Post Title. The post title should describe exactly what the post is about. Do some simple keyword research to discover the best keyword phrase that will generate the most traffic, while explaining exactly what the content is about. Make sure your niche blog post title summarizes the main topic of the post.
When you create a new title and click save, the title will automatically generate the “slug,” or the part of the hyperlink that links to your page.
- Title – The title is displayed at the top of the post.
- Slug – the part of the web address that links directly to the specific blog post.
- Breadcrumbs – Show the path to the blog post, and often are listed as the post title. It shows the post title as it relates to the hierarchy of the content
Header Tags
Headings are created with HTML tags:
- <h1> Header Tags are used for the title of the blog post or blog page. Only use 1 H1 tag per page.
- <h2> H2 header tags are used to highlight the different sections of the post. It’s recommended to only use between 2-4 H2 tags per blog post.
- <h3> H3 Headings are perfect for highlighting subsections of the <h2> tags. If you have a lot of subsections on your blog post, we recommend using the H3 tag.
- <h4> H4 headings are perfect for additional categories within subsections, or you can use them for lists and bullet points.
- <h5> H5 header tags are ideal for lists, bullet points, etc.
- <h6> H6 header tags are perfect for highlighting quotes and longer lists.
With WordPress WYSIWYG Editor, all H1-H6 tags have a specific style set in the CSS. Due to their limited use, some people may choose to set <h5> and <h6> tags as ‘accent’ or ‘secondary’ font sizes to be used for blockquotes and short lists. It makes text formatting easier, and keeps the style on all blog posts across your domain nice and clean.
Subheadings
Subheadings are helpful to break content into easier to read topics. They help keep the content organized. Subheadings are necessary when creating Table of Contents – they provide an anchor point that the page will jump to, making the reader more likely to search through your content because it provides them a quick way to access a specific part of information.
Subheadings can use <h2> tags, and the hierarchy of content importance continues. H2 tags should be reserved for 3 -4 sections.
Meta Data
WordPress blog post and pages have something called “meta data,” which allows search engine crawlers to find and identify the type of content on your page. A popular and simple description of metadata.”
“Data that describes other Data.”
WordPress has three different types of metadata – descriptive metadata, administrative metadata, and structural metadata. WordPress metadata isn’t necessaraly displayed on the niche blog post or blog page, unless the administrator decided to publish the metadata in a visible place on the WordPress niche blog itself.
- Descriptive metadata – Identifies the content and allows discovery. Blog titles, keywords, search engine descriptions, and author information is considered descriptive metadata
- Administrative metadata – Technical elements about a WordPress blog post, such as publication date, file type,
- Structural metadata – Headers, subheaders, categories, tags, sitemaps, table of contents, page numbers, section count…
Meta Description
With social media as the world’s new favorite past time, social media sharing buttons give readers the ability to automatically share interesting information to their social media profile. Viral content is a big thing – people love to share interesting content with their friends, family, and followers. As a blogger, you may choose to list all the social media sharing icons, or you may choose to only interact with a few social media platforms. Social media sharing links are not required; however it’s encouraged for marketing purposes, as well as reader engagement. Even if it’s just links to 1 or 2 sites that you have profiles on – it gives your fanbase a way to interact with your brand, and for readers to continue the conversation with their local community.
Keywords
Because visitors locate your WordPress niche blog online via Google Search Engine or Bing Search Engine, best practice is to do keyword research before writing your blog post. This gives you a focus on exactly what words you are looking for, and it also provides a way to know what information your key target audience is searching for.
- Main Keyword – the critical keyword used to describe your blog post.
- Keyword Phrases – the top phrases used to describe your blog. Use keyword phrases in your blog title and meta description, as well as the body of your content.
- Long tail Keyword Phrases – Consider utilizing the “People Also Ask” section on the first page of Google to locate additional keyword phrases and to discover content to include in your blog post.
- Buyer Keywords Phrases – that signal the visitor is about to make a purchase. Use your keyword and include phrases such as “buy, compare pricing, cheap, discount, coupon code”
Keywords are a critical component of Search Engine Optimization. Good SEO is the ultimate factor in raking well in the SERPS. Create great content and implement the most recent SEO practices to dominate search engine results. The image below is an example of the Google Ads keyword planner. Visit www.ads.google.com/home/tools/keyword-planner
Categories & Tags
Blog post categories are predefined sections of blog content that allow for filtering and organization of posts. Categories make blog orginazation easier – for example, the front page of the blog, you may only wish to display blog posts from a specific category. You then may choose to have three other pages – each page only showing posts of a specific category. Another example of category organization would allow a user to search for a specific category, with the results showing all posts in that specific category.
Tags are different from categories in the fact that tags are not predefined. Examples of Tags for this blog post would include phrases like, “parts of a blog post, header tags, blog visuals.” When creating tags, you may wish to use your H2 – h4 header elements as guides, or you may wish to create specific tags that are highly optimized for your specific niche.
WordPress drag-and-drop page builders, like Elementor Pro, have elements that allow you to display items within certian categories. If you’d like to create a page with a Masonry style, or a scrolling style, categories make it simple, instead of having to create a link to each individual post. Categories are also helpful for people using WordPress as an E-commerce solution, such as with WooCommerce.
You may choose to display categories & tags near your content’s Blog Title, or at the bottom of the blog post.
Table of Contents
If you’re looking for a way to improve blog post navigation and user experience, consider adding a table of contents at the top of your blog post. You can quickly add a table of contents to WordPress blog posts with Elementor Pro. You can also add a WP Table of Contents manually via creating JUMP LINKS via HTML.
What are the benefits of a blog post Table of Contents?
Table of Contents provides an overview of the blog post contents, as well as allowing readers to quickly locate specific information within your blog post. It’s also a great way to create internal links, and reduces bounce rate. Google crawling and indexing are improved by implementing table of contents.
Body
The juicy part of a blog post. The body. The information presented to the reader that will provide the answer to their search.
How long should the body of a niche blog post be?
The word count of a blog post should be 2,500 words. The word count of a blog post should NEVER be less than 300 words. Google ranks content based on several factors; word count is one of them. Sure, you could create an article that would suffice with 1000 words – that’s enough words to not be marked as skimpy content. However, it may not be enough to get you to the first page. Research suggests that the majority of niche blog article posts that make it to the front page of Google via organic ranking almost always have 2,500 words.
300 words – Absolute mininum amount of words on a blog post
1,000 words – Recommended amount for all blog posts
2,500 words – Highly recommended for people wanting to develop superior content with better rankings.
Paragraphs
What is a paragraph?
A paragraph is a group of sentences that discuss one specific point of a blog post. Paragraphs include one core sentence, with two or more sentences that validate, provide evidence or analyze the core sentence.
Readers comprehend blog content easier when it is structured and broken into smaller sections. Long blocks of text (6 or more sentences) make it difficult to locate specific bits of information.
When it comes to creating content for your niche blog post, start your paragraph with the most important sentence. This helps the reader understand the content that is about to be discussed.
Introduction Paragraph
The blog post introduction provides a brief summary of the article’s content. Try to create content that grabs the reader’s attention and provides the reader with the assurance that the blog post will provide the answer they are seeking, and your article provides the solution to their problem.
If possible, the introduction paragraph should be located “above the fold.” The term “above the fold” refers to the part of a webpage that the visitor sees when they immediately land on the page. You want to be able to capture the readers attention in the few seconds it takes for them to make the biased subconscious decision to continue reading your niche blog post, or to seek their answers elsewhere.
Remember you have about 3 seconds with the first-time visitor to captivate their attention and convince them that they’ve “come to the right place.” In that three seconds, in that first sentence, you’ve got a lot to accomplish: You have to create a sense of trustworthiness and authenticity, that you’re not just “in it to win it.” You are there to HELP them make the best decision for their current situation. You have to trigger an emotion that makes the reader feel the need to keep reading.
The recommended word count for the blog post introduction paragraph is 100 – 200 words. It can be more than 200 words, however studies have shown that most first time visitors are skimming the surface – keep that introduction brief and to the point.
A good introduction contains three essential parts: the hook, the transition, and the thesis. By the end of the introduction paragraph, the reader should feel the blog post will contain the information they need to make the best decision for the situation they are facing. If the reader has any form of doubt about the authenticity of your blog post, or if the content sparks an uncomfortable or uneasy feeling in your visitor, they will seek an alternative source.
Hook
The niche blog post hook is the main keyword phrase or single sentence at the start of the introduction that ultimately attracts the reader to continue reading the article. The hook should be short, specific, spark interest, or encourage engagement. The hook point can be a sentence, or it could be a closed or open-ended question. The hook should grab the readers attention and convey the message that you have the answer they are looking for – and that the answer is on the current page.
Tips for writing the hook
- Know your target audience. Before you start writing, create a buyer persona of your ideal reader. Know what information your reader is seeking, and understand your reader’s pains and problems.
- Relate to the reader and demonstrate your ability to help them.
- How does the reader feel BEFORE arriving to your blog post? What caused your reader to seek your advice?
- How should the reader feel after reading the first sentence? What emotion do you want to spark in the reader?
- Don’t be pushy with sales. In fact, forget that you are selling anything. You are not selling anything. You are helping your reader achieve a specific objective.
After you finish the hook introduction and provide that emotional bond with the reader, it’s onto the transition paragraph, or transition statement (the transition content of your content is largely based on the length of your niche blog post. For bloggers who create lengthy content, a transition paragraph may be necessary. However, if you opt for a shorter post, 600 – 1000 words, then you may only need 1 sentence, or for content with less than 600 words, you may choose to only have a three word transition statement.
Transition
The transition sentence explains the post title while signaling the relationship between two ideas. It gives the reader direction for processing the hook, and understanding the content that follows. Transition statements shape the way a reader thinks about the information you’ve just presented them. It also shapes the way you’d like the reader to react to and process the content.
The transition statement doesn’t have a specific length that has to be met, even though it has to be included to explain the logic needed to process the post. Often, bloggers are not aware of what a transition phrase is, they automatically include it. It’s good to know what it is, how it is used, and the effect it has. A good transition can make or break your entire content.
The transition statement will be a single phrase or sentence that does one of the following:
- Is this an emotional blog post that will make me feel a certain emotion?
- Is this a biased opinion piece I can relate to on a political, moral, or ethical level?
- Is this a compare-contrast article that will provide information on more than 1 product or service?
- Will this how-to article help me complete a specific objective?
- Will I learn about different options available to me for a certain type of service or product?
- What entertainment value does this article offer?
- What will I learn from reading this article?
Transition statements advise the reader about the type of content they are about to consume: is this a logical piece that will educate me and teach me something? Is this an emotional article that can shape my opinion on a political, religious, or socio-economic level? Will this blog post make me smile and entertain me?
It’s important to write the transition statement with a specific target audience in mind. The way you piece together a transition statement for a college undergrad seeking information about a niche industry won’t necessarily be the same way you encourage a 35 year-old mother of 3 seeking information on the same industry, due to the fact the college undergrad may be seeking information about jobs in the field, while the mother is seeking information that is work-from-home related.
Thesis
The thesis statement clearly identifies the specific topic, and gives the reader confidence in your blog post to provide the information they are looking for. The introduction thesis briefly describes the information that you will be covering in the blog post, and is generally the last sentence of your introduction paragraph. When writing your thesis statement, remember:
- Spark the reader’s interest
- Provide a brief overview of the topic that will be discussed in the blog post
- Is written specifically for your target audience in a way that they can identify with and relate to
- Don’t try to sell the reader anything – the reader isn’t there to buy a product. The reader is there to learn more about the topic.
Transition Paragraphs
Transition paragraphs help your reader move from one paragraph to the next, and signal a shift from one idea to the next.
Transition paragraphs can be as short as one sentence, and based on your writing style, it may be the last sentence of the prior paragraph before moving onto the next topic. A transition paragraph may not be necessary if your blog post is less than 1,000 words. With shorter blog posts, you may choose to keep your content brief and only use a simple phrase as a transition statement.
Transition sentences or transition phrases allow the writer to link two thoughts together. They help the writer communicate and describe a way the reader should logically process the information.
Examples of transition paragraphs and statements include the following:
Compare / Contrast Statements
The following paragraph explains what we just did with the previous paragraph, and then tells the reader what will happen in the next paragraph.
“Now that we have reviewed the WordPress content management system for niche blogging, let’s take a look at some of it’s competitors. The top WordPress competitors, Joomla and Mambo.”
Express Similarities & Differences
The following paragraph is discussing Google Docs and Microsoft Office. The transitional statements are in bold. Notice how they help the reader process the information by defining both the sequence and action that are about to take place in the content following.
“I love the fact that Google Docs makes it easy to create documents and share them with your coworkers. Google Docs can read Microsoft Word documents. They are both WYSIWYG editors, and allow you to save files as .doc, .docx, or PDF files. The key difference between Microsoft Word and Google Docs is Google Docs is free, and is only available through the Google platform. Microsoft Word is available both in a free version online, and a paid version that you can download and use while not connected to the internet. Let’s take a look at the other services provided by Google that can open Microsoft Office files. We will start with Microsoft PowerPoint and compare it to Google Slides.”
express similarities
cause and effect (because of the previous statement, the following statement happens)
Cause and Effect
The following paragraph is a “cause and effect” paragraph. It advises the reader of what does happen with default WordPress installations, what can happen, and what to do if something bad does happen. Notice how the last statement advises the reader that the content following provides a solution.
“By default, WordPress automatically updates the WordPress core. WordPress themes and plugins are also set to automatically update. This helps to keep your site running smoothly. However, it can have negative effects. We recommend always keeping a recent backup of your current site. If your WordPress installation encounters an error after an automatic upgrade, follow the steps outlined below to repair your WordPress installation.“
Transition Phrases and actions that explain a step-by-step or how-to examples:
- “The first step you will take is…”
- “After you complete the first step…”
- “Finally, submit your name and email for a chance to win the grand prize…”
This is only a brief summary of transitional phrases, and why they are critical when creating niche blog posts, how-to articles, and other types of niche blog content.
Conclusion Paragraph
When ending a blog post, the conclusion paragraph is a critical element to the article. The final paragraph should be crafted in a way that leaves your audience curious or encourages your reader to take action. For niche blog articles that are comparing and contrasting products, you may wish to summarize your final review, and what product you’d highly recommend and why. You may choose to provide an affiliate link to the recommended product, and advise the reader that you will be happy to help them by answering any questions or concerns they may have. For opinion articles, you may choose to finalize your thoughts and express to the reader why your point of view is the best point of view. Or, you may decide to leave the paragraph as an open-ended question, providing the reader with something to think about. Encourage social media interaction around the content, and ask for their opinion, even if it doesn’t align with your own. The conclusion of a motivational blog post would ultimately be promoting a healthy action, and encourage the reader to complete some type of challenge, or by providing links on where they can go to continue with their journey. The main thing to remember with the conclusion paragraph is you want the blog post ending to encourage they continue actively engaging with your sales funnel either via CTA: internal link, external link, buy now, sign up, etc. Don’t be pushy – instead, talk with an inviting tone, however don’t be passive – talk with authority and guide them to the next best action, considering your target audience’s circumstances. An effective blog post ending summarizes the benefits the post will have on the reader by following your advice. It should encourage the reader to continue making progress, and what the next call to action is for them to continue with their journey. Leave them feeling confident that they are heading in the best direction, & the next step (CTA) they take will improve their physical, mental, or emotional well being. Finally, invite the reader to continue the conversation, either on social media, commenting, or where they can go in their local community to continue participating in your blog niche.Visuals
Visuals come in a wide variety of formats that make blog posts more engaging, and for many readers, easier to comphrend. Every blog post should include at least 3 visuals. We recommend including 1 visual per section. Or, better suggested 1 visual per H3 tag. Because visitors of your blog may not always be there to actually “read” every single word on your page, it’s best to provide an engaging and interactive read to cater to all of your visitors. This is especially true for how-to articles, product reviews, software tutorials, and travel blogs.
Listed below, you will find three common and simple types of visuals you can implement into your content. Learn more about helpful visuals for blog post by visiting this blog post on WordPress Niche Blog Visual Elements.
Infographics
Perfect for conveying lots of information in a fun way. Save infographics as .jpg files. For infographics consisting of more than 1 page, consider saving the file as a .PDF file and offer it as a free download. For larger infographics, we recommend allowing visitors to click and enlarge the infographic for a full scale and high quality view.
Images
Images are a quick solution to solving white space. They help visual learners better understand the information presented to them. It also breaks up the text on the screen, making it easier to read by providing the reader’s eyes a break from the small text. Different types of images that are quick to add to any blog post include:
- Photographs – Upload your own photos to your blog post for unique, one of a kind imagery.
- Stock Photos – Popular option when you do not have access to high quality cameras, or photographs of the topic you are writing about. Check out Envato or Adobe for high quality stock photos.
- Screenshots – If you are a technical writer, or reviewing online software, screenshots are a great way to display step-by-step information.
When adding images to your niche article, consider using the “lightbox” feature. Lightboxes are helpful for allowing the image to appear smaller within the post, and they can zoom in and view the larger picture.
It’s also critical to remember image optimization. Use the smallest size file possible to retain quality. .JPG files are easily optimized and their file size reduced. This allows the page to load faster.
Learn more about WordPress Image Optimization here.
Charts
Charts are helpful to display data. Tables allow niche bloggers an easy way to display information that would otherwise be difficult to express.
Progress Bars
Progress bars are another quick implementation to display data on your niche blog post. They are ideal for showcasing your skillset, product value for rating systems, public opinion, etc.
Links
Hyperlinks are clickable bits of text (or imagery) that lead to an external source for additional content. When adding links, it’s best to understand how linking works, and how it can positively & negatively affect your Search Engine Optimization.
Example of Hyperlink: https://iblogmind.com
Internal Links
Internal Links are links that lead to different pages found within your website. Internal links are beneficial for your website from an SEO standpoint, as well as providing your reader with additional content.
Example of Internal Link: https://iblogmind.com/wordpress-tips
When creating internal links, it’s recommended to create links with “Anchor Text.” With anchor text, the link above would become a readable bit of text instead of a hyperlink. Example: WordPress Tips for Niche Bloggers
External Links
Links that lead to another website are called “external links.” External links should be used with care – you need external links to take your reader to an affiliate checkout page, however, you also want to be careful not to overdo the external linkage and start looking like a link farm. Having too many links to bad products online can negatively impact your website page ranking.
With external links, you may choose to implement something called a “no-follow” link, or links that do not provide additional “SEO JUICAGE” to said websites.
Backlinks
External links pointing TO YOUR WEBSITE from another website are called “backlinks.” Backlinks help increase your SEO. When creating backlinks on other websites, you want DO-FOLLOW links. However, you do not want a bunch of DO-FOLLOW links pointing to your blog from “Link Farms.” If you see an email advising you that you can get an “SEO BOOST” from backlinking, we highly recommend avoiding it, as it can result in a blackballing of your website.
Call to Action | CTA
CTA, or Call to Action is a statement used to advise the reader to perform a specific action. CTA’s should be clear and concise. They should also be written with authority – you are *telling* the reader to take action, you are not *asking* them.
Your niche blog post should have 1 main CTA, and may have other less obvious CTAs.
Learn more about effective call to action implementation here.
Opt-In Forms
Opt-in forms are a great way to collect customer data, and to add visitors to a mailing list or subscription list. Opt-in forms are often used near the top of the page and encourage the reader to provide their email address or other contact information in exchange for some type of information, discount, or download. They may also be used to encourage phone call requests, schedule appointments, or register for a website.
Social Media
With social media as the world’s new favorite past time, social media sharing buttons give readers the ability to automatically share interesting information to their social media profile. Viral content is a big thing – people love to share interesting content with their friends, family, and followers. As a blogger, you may choose to list all the social media sharing icons, or you may choose to only interact with a few social media platforms. Social media sharing links are not required; however it’s encouraged for marketing purposes, as well as reader engagement. Even if it’s just links to 1 or 2 sites that you have profiles on – it gives your fanbase a way to interact with your brand, and for readers to continue the conversation with their local community.
Comments
Many blog posts will include a comment section that allows readers to interact with the niche blog. WordPress allows you to easily turn this feature on or off. WordPress also has several plugin options for making a more interactive comment section. Some blogs have chosen to allow readers to post comments from their Facebook / META profile, and share that comment directly to their social media feed. This is a handy tool as it allows for easier development of backlinks, as well as social media sharing and getting posts to ‘go viral.’ Comments create the feeling of a community. It provides the reader a chance to ask questions and leave feedback. Readers may have a specific question that they are having trouble locating an answer for. The WordPress comment feature can allow readers to post anonymously, or you may require the comment to be approved prior to posting to the blog. Due to the nature of SPAM, it’s recommended to include a CAPCHA to reduce SPAM posts. Comments are a great tool for bloggers looking to develop authority within an industry. Allowing readers to share a backlink to their own blog increases the chances of others in the industry sharing. They are also a good idea for people that are using WordPress to sell a specific product or service, giving readers the additional option to “review” a product.Author Bio
Author biographys are usually located at the bottom of the post, and includes a brief description about the reader. The author bio may include a photo, credentials, education, experience, personal mission statement, or other information the author finds important to include. Author bios sometimes include a link to an internal author page that includes a more detailed bio, or it may link to an external website. If the author is active on social media, it can include links to their social media profiles.
WordPress automatically creates a link for authors. It is up to the administrator on weather this link is shared or not. Author bios are not required – it’s an option that blogs with several authors may find beneficial. If the blog only has one author, it may be irreverent to include on every page; it all boils down to personal preference.
Author bios help the reader become familiar with the author; it can help establish industry authority. It also helps to build rapport with the reader, as well as creating a pathway to build trust with the reader. It can take several times before a reader actually “remembers” an author – this is why author bios are an important part of the blog post.
Conclusion
How you develop your blog posts is 100% up to you – include as many or as little as you’d like. However, it’s best to follow standard practices that have been proven to yeild results instead of trying to reinvent the wheel. Some elements may work for you, others won’t. At the end of the day, it comes down to the content. Well written and logical content that people can follow and understand will preform better than poorly written content that lacks structure and basic logic. High quality infographics with reliable information is better than low quality stock photos with little or no information other than to be graphically appealing. Obnixious buy now buttons at the start of the page may cause visitors to leave the website, believing that your blog wasn’t designed with their best interest in mind.
Just remember – your content should be informative, logical, and structured for easy understanding. It’s also important to remember that, as a blogger, your job isn’t to “sell a product.” Your job is to educate, inform, or entertain your target audience.
When developing your content, ask yourself, “Do I want to teach my audience a specific task? Do I want to inform my audience about a product or service and give them an honest review? Am I trying to entertain my audience by triggering some type of emotion – either through an opinion piece, humor column, or functional content? After deciding on the specific style of content you’re creating, and creating a generalized buyer persona to hone in on your target audience, take time to craft your blog post that will leave a lasting impression with your readers. You want to help them make the best decision for their life. to provide them with the content that is needed for them to feel well informed. Your readers should feel educated and well informed by the time they finish reading your articles.
Not sure what to write about? Check out niche blog article ideas to get started.