by The Computing Australia Group | Website Blog Guide
2025
Blogging remains one of the highest-ROI content channels for businesses. Well-planned blog content attracts qualified visitors, builds brand authority, nurtures leads, and keeps customers engaged long after the click. The catch? Results don’t come from “publishing and hoping.” They come from a strategy-led, repeatable process that blends content quality, on-page SEO, technical hygiene, and consistent distribution.
This guide shows you how to start a blog for your website (or relaunch it) the right way—from choosing topics and setting up WordPress to crafting posts that rank and convert. You’ll also get checklists, templates, and a practical SEO plan tailored to real-world business needs.
Why a Business Blog Still Matters
A well-run blog can:
- Improve search visibility: Frequent, high-quality posts signal freshness and topical depth, helping you rank for a wider set of keywords.
- Build brand authority: Teaching your audience (instead of just selling to them) positions you as a trusted expert.
- Generate and nurture leads: Educational posts + clear calls-to-action (CTAs) move readers to resources, trials, demos, or consultations.
- Grow website traffic: Search + social + email compounding effects drive steady, defensible traffic over time.
- Increase engagement and retention: Useful content gives customers reasons to return—and reasons to stay.
Bottom line: A strategic blog compounds value. Each post becomes an asset that can rank, earn links, and drive conversions for months or years.
How to Start A Blog for Your Website: Getting the Foundations Right (WordPress)
Most businesses run their blog on a subdirectory like yourdomain.com/blog. This keeps analytics, authority, and UX unified. If you use WordPress (the most common CMS), here’s the quick setup:
1. Create a Blog Listing Page
- Dashboard → Pages → Add New
- Title it Blog, Insights, or Resources.
- Leave the body content empty (your theme will render the post loop).
2. Publish the Page
- Click Publish. You now have a page to hold your post archive.
3. Point WordPress Posts to That Page
- Dashboard → Settings → Reading
- Under Your homepage displays, choose A static page.
- Posts page → select Blog (or your chosen title).
- Set Blog pages show at most (e.g., 10).
- Choose For each post in a feed, include: Summary (recommended) or Full Text.
- Save Changes.
4. Create and Publish Your First Post
- Dashboard → Posts → Add New.
- Write, optimise (see below), add a featured image, preview, and Publish.
5. Theme & Performance Considerations
- Use a fast, accessible theme (e.g., a performance-optimised block theme).
- Install only essential plugins (SEO, caching, security, image optimisation).
- Enable server-side caching/CDN.
- Compress and lazy-load images (WebP/AVIF when possible).
Content Strategy: Plan Before You Publish
Great blogs are built on a content strategy—topics, formats, and cadence mapped to audience questions and business goals.
Define Your Audience & Goals
- Who are you writing for? (buyer roles, industries, job titles, maturity)
- What problems do they have? (pain points → content opportunities)
- What business goals matter? (leads, demo requests, sign-ups, bookings)
- What’s realistic for cadence? (quality beats quantity; consistency compounds)
Choose a Topic Framework
1. Cornerstone / Ultimate Guides– in-depth, evergreen content targeting core themes.
2. How-To Tutorials – step-by-step problem solving (great for Featured Snippets).
3. “What Is” Explainers – definitions, frameworks, key concepts for beginners.
4. Lists & Curations – tools, tips, templates, examples (high shareability).
5. Visual Posts – infographics, diagrams, short videos, annotated screenshots.
Pro tip: Map 3–5 cornerstone themes (your “content pillars”), then build clusters of related posts that interlink to those pillars.
Build a Simple Editorial Calendar (First 12 Weeks)
- Weeks 1–4: Publish one cornerstone guide and two supporting how-tos.
- Weeks 5–8: One “What Is” explainer + one tools list + one customer story.
- Weeks 9–12: One comparison post (X vs Y), one checklist template, and one FAQ post that consolidates common questions.
Finding Topics That Can Rank (Without Needing a Giant Domain)
1. Start with customer conversations. Sales/support FAQs become high-intent posts.
2. Mine Search Console (if you have one): expand queries you already appear for.
3. Target low-competition opportunities: long-tail queries (“how to…”, “best way to…”, “checklist”, “template”).
4. Cover local angles if you serve a region (e.g., Perth/Australia-specific regulations, prices, suppliers, standards).
5. Look for content gaps: What are competitors not explaining well? Fill that void with clarity and examples.
The Anatomy of a High-Performing Blog Post
1. Craft a Clear, Compelling Title
- Convey the core outcome (“How to Start a Blog in WordPress: A Step-by-Step Guide”).
- Keep it under ~60 characters if possible (for SERP display).
- Avoid clickbait. Promise value and deliver it.
2. Write an Engaging Introduction
- State the problem
- Preview the solution
- Set expectations (who this is for; what you’ll cover)
3. Use an Organised Structure
- Short paragraphs (2–4 lines).
- Descriptive H2/H3 sub-headings (include natural keywords).
- Bulleted lists, tables, and visuals to increase scannability.
4. Add Real Examples and Screenshots
- Show the steps. Annotate where helpful.
- Include before/after or mini-case studies if you can.
5. Optimise for On-Page SEO (without stuffing)
- Primary keyword in: title, H1, first 100 words, one H2, meta title/description, URL slug.
- Natural variations and related entities throughout the text.
- Descriptive alt text for images (what it shows, not just keywords).
- Internal links (2–5) to relevant pages; external links (1–3) to authoritative sources.
6. Include a Clear CTA
- End with a next step: Book a consult, Download the checklist, Get a quote, Subscribe.
7. Edit Ruthlessly
- Remove fluff; tighten sentences.
- Verify facts and dates.
- Check grammar, brand voice, and accessibility (contrast, headings order, link text).
Step-by-Step: Writing Your First Post (Template)
Working title:“How to Start a Blog on WordPress (Step-by-Step)”
1. Define the outcome (what the reader will achieve).
2. Outline the steps (H2 = Step 1, Step 2…).
3. Research and gather screenshots.
4. Draft: write sections in any order; fill gaps with examples.
5. On-page SEO: refine headings, slug, internal links, meta tags.
6. Review & QA: readability, accessibility, links, images, mobile view.
7. Publish.
8. Promote (see Distribution below).
9. Measure (see Analytics below).
10. Iterate (update and improve based on data).
Word Count: How Long Should a Blog Post Be?
There’s no magic number. Aim for as long as necessary to cover the topic thoroughly, typically:
- Short updates / news: 600–900 words
- Standard how-tos & explainers: 1,000–1,800 words
- Cornerstone guides: 2,000–3,500+ words
Depth and clarity beat length. If you can answer comprehensively in 1,000 words, don’t pad it.
Governance: Keep Quality Consistent
Create a lightweight content operations (Content Ops) framework:
- Style guide: tone, spelling (AU/UK vs US), formatting rules, heading styles, citation rules.
- Brief template: target persona, problem statement, search intent, primary keyword, top supporting keywords, internal link targets, CTA.
- Review checklist: accuracy, brand voice, SEO, accessibility.
- Publishing workflow: draft → edit → SEO check → design assets → publish → promote.
- Update cadence: review top posts every 6–12 months (or sooner if facts change).
On-Page SEO: Practical Checklist
- Primary keyword in title, H1, intro, one H2, slug, meta title.
- Meta description summarises benefit + CTA (~150–160 chars).
- Semantic headings (H2/H3 structure reflects the outline).
- Descriptive anchors (avoid “click here”; use “WordPress reading settings”).
- Internal links to service pages, cornerstone posts, and related articles.
- External links to authoritative, up-to-date sources.
- Image optimisation: WebP/AVIF, descriptive alt text, compressed files, lazy-loading.
- Schema: Article + FAQPage (if you include FAQs), HowTo for procedural posts.
- Readable formatting: short paragraphs, lists, tables, pull-quotes.
Technical SEO & Performance Essentials
- Core Web Vitals: aim for fast LCP (<2.5s), low CLS (<0.1), responsive interactions.
- Mobile-first design: test on common devices; ensure font sizes and tap targets meet accessibility standards.
- Clean URLs: lowercase, hyphenated, human-readable (/blog/how-to-start-a-blog).
- XML sitemap & robots.txt: ensure posts are included; keep staging blocked from index.
- Canonical tags: avoid duplicate content across categories/tags.
- SSL/HTTPS: mandatory.
- Security: keep WordPress, theme, and plugins updated; use reputable security plugins and strong authentication.
- Backups: automated daily backups with off-site storage.
Distribution: Get Eyeballs on Your Content
Publishing is the start, not the end.
- Email: send a short teaser + CTA to your list; add posts to onboarding sequences.
- Social: cut 2–4 snippets per post for LinkedIn/Facebook/Instagram; schedule over 2–3 weeks.
- Communities: share where your audience hangs out (industry forums, Slack/Discord groups—follow the rules).
- Sales enablement: turn posts into leave-behinds, one-pagers, or slide snippets for your sales team.
- Repurpose: convert guides into checklists, cheat sheets, short videos, carousel posts, or webinars.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)
- Publishing without search intent: Always ask, what is the reader trying to accomplish?
- Walls of text: Use headings, lists, visuals, and examples.
- No internal links: Every post should connect to relevant pages (and receive links from others).
- Thin, generic content: Say something new. Use your data, experience, and local expertise.
- Inconsistent cadence: Choose a sustainable rhythm (e.g., 2 posts/month) and stick to it.
Jargon Buster
- SERPs: Search Engine Results Pages—the list of results shown for a query.
- CTA: Call-to-Action—copy or elements that prompt the next step (e.g., “Get a quote”).
- Cornerstone Content: In-depth, evergreen posts that anchor a topic cluster.
- Core Web Vitals: Google’s performance metrics (LCP, INP, CLS) that impact UX and rankings.
- Schema Markup: Structured data that helps search engines understand your content.
Vaikhari A
FAQ
Should my blog be on a subdomain or subdirectory?
Use a subdirectory (/blog) where possible. It typically consolidates authority and simplifies analytics.
How often should we publish?
Consistency beats bursts. For many SMBs, 2 posts per month is a sustainable baseline—supplemented by periodic cornerstone pieces.
How long until we see results?
Expect 8–16 weeks to see meaningful movement for new posts on new topics. Cornerstones and competitive terms can take longer. Updates can accelerate growth.
Do we need a professional writer?
Subject-matter expertise beats pure writing talent—but the combo is best. Consider an editor to polish tone, structure, and SEO.
What’s the best way to pick keywords?
Start with customer questions. Validate with keyword tools, but prioritise search intent and topic fit over raw volume.
