As a small business owner, you’ve recognized how important it is to have a blog for your business. And seeing how you’re the expert, who better to write about your industry than you?

However, even for the most practiced writers, creating content can be intimidating. Where do you start? How do you write a blog post that will entice readers?

With a little help from these tips and some practice, soon you will be confident in your ability to create compelling content for your business’s website.

Organize your thoughts.

Before you start writing, you need a clear idea of what you are going to write about. For some bloggers, this means starting with a title. For others, drafting a rough outline might keep you focused. If you’re unsure of your chosen topic, some research should help you gain your footing.

Eliminate distractions.

All of us are guilty of procrastinating a difficult task by replacing it with other, less important distractions. Writing requires a lot of focus. Close out of webpages that are designed to keep your attention. Lock yourself in a quiet space or put in headphones. Do whatever it takes to ensure that nothing distracts you from the task at hand.

Get out of your head and just start writing.

Even the most seasoned writers have to stop second-guessing themselves and just get something out on paper. Nothing will frustrate you more than being self-conscious while you write. And save the editing until the end – if you edit as you go, you’ll never get anything written.

Remember your audience.

You may be the expert on your topic, but your readers definitely aren’t. Don’t presume that they know everything you know. Spell out acronyms that might be commonplace to you; explain everything. Keep it simple – many writers do this by trying to write at a fifth grade level.

Keep your voice.

Your online readers want to know that there is a real human behind the screen. The best way to assure them that you are real is by keeping your quirks in your writing. How do you keep your voice throughout your blog posts? Try writing the way you would talk normally. Imagine that you are explaining your post to a friend or real customer. Don’t use big words you wouldn’t normally use or fancy sentence structure. In fact, stick to the lingo you normally use when talking. Remember that you can edit it later for clarity and professionalism.

Edit!

Editing is crucial when writing for an audience. If you have trouble self-editing, try walking away from your writing for a few days or having a friend read your piece over. Some fresh perspective should help you find mistakes. Don’t focus on making your piece Shakespeare – instead, make sure it is readable and easy to understand. Read it out loud to find awkward phrasing or poor word choices.

Find the best format.

Readers online prefer articles that are formatted. This means that instead of a block of text, your post should be written in a list or in sections. Include bold headers to help your SEO and to make it easier on the reader. Whether or not you want to format your blog post while you are writing or during the editing process is up to you.

Include a call-to-action.

The conclusion of your blog post should always include some sort of directive. Call for more information, share your thoughts in the comments, sign up today, etc. Remember that the purpose of your blog is to share valuable information, but also to draw customers in to your business. Without a call-to-action, you may have lost a customer.

Have fun!

Writing web content may not be your favorite part of the job, but do your best to enjoy it. Some of the best ways to do that is to write about topics you love. Include some fun blog posts with the informative ones. Write about events that your business or employees are participating in. Crack some jokes and put in a funny picture.

With some time and practice, you’ll get the hang of writing effective web content and drawing customers to your website.

What are some methods you’ve learned from writing for the web? What’s the best advice you can give for a budding content writer? We’d love to hear in the comments below.