Perfect blog post outline with template – for killer blogs

Are you a blogger searching best blog post outline template 2022?

Do you have a preparation time for outlining a blog post, before start writing blog content?

Well, we have already seen a detailed article about writing a perfect blog post. So this article is not about writing a blog, but how to prepare yourself for writing an excellent blog post with a simple blog post outline and template.

I have seen that many beginners, just only taking one topic headline and start writing the blogs, without analyzing the blog post content outline and layout.

Without proper layout and template, the blog posts will look like an essay, but blog writing is more different from writing an essay.

Your blog outline should be optimized for both users and search engines.

Well, this article will serve you better, how efficiently you can outline and prepare for writing your outstanding articles, with a simple blog template.

Everything needs proper planning time to execute things perfectly.

Here in blog writing, if you take 10 hours to write 2000 words article, then you need at least 15 to 30 minutes of preparation time and planning content outline.

The preparation time can be different, based upon many factors like content depth, amount of words used, blog writing niche, type of article (how-to guide or data study), and many more.

Professional content writing companies have their content managers to manage their blog content outlines and plans. They usually have a standard blog template to give their best.

But what is the thing for solo writers?

That’s why I’m here, to tell you the things you should focus on when preparing and outlining content for writing blog posts.

How to outline for a blog post

Let’s start with an assumption, that you are a beginner blogger, running a blog site and you prepare the outline for your blog. 

If you are the only one maintaining your blogging site, then here are the tips to outline the blog post for higher ranking in search engines  (quick minutes)

Every planning starts with research.

7 steps to prepare an outline for a blog post

Step 1–define your purpose for writing the blog post outline and find who is your audience.

Step 2–Find the keywords you want to focus on the content of your blog. Use keyword research tools to find it better.

Step 3–find the semantically related keywords to use in outline the blog subheading. Your secondary keywords are focused on the subheadings.

Step 4–analyze the contents that your competitor has missed and include that in the blog draft list.

Step 5–prepare a set of questions you need to answer in that blog post. Prepare the questions before start writing.

Step 6–headlines have a major impact on the organic click rate, so customize it.

Step 7–Estimate the number of words that need to be in the blog post.

Find the purpose of  the blog post outline

Every content in the blog and article has its own purpose and targeted audience.

Like the way, who is the audience you are targeting in that particular blog post. 

Your writing article may be a product review or evergreen articles or trending articles or any other it could be. So define your audience.

For example–if you are writing an article about a newly released mobile phone.

Then your goal will be somewhere like, giving the features and specifications of that newly released mobile phone.

If you are writing it as a sponsored post, then you have to attract customers for buying it.

Collect the data related to that topic.

So, fix the goals and the audience you are targeting.

Keyword preparation to outline a blog post

Choose the keywords you want to rank in search engines. If you don’t know what keywords to choose, then do competitor research.

Competitor research is analyzing the keywords, for which your competitor is ranking high.

If your competitor is ranking high, then why not you? The best and unique content always has value in search engines.

The SEMrush competitor analysis tool helps you to do your research.

If you are a beginner, then use free keyword research tools like ubersuggest, for your keyword research.

Ubersuggest gives you enough keyword ideas with monthly search volume and keyword SEO difficulty.

For example–if you’re writing a topic “outsourcing a blog writing”

Then type seed keyword “Outsource blog”

You have taken a bunch of keywords. In that bunch of keywords, one is your main keyword that you are targeting and others are related to secondary keywords, which also rank in search engines.

Here another question

How to outline one blog post for many keywords

Is it possible to rank for many keywords with one article?

If you outline your blog content properly, then your one article also gets you a good deal of traffic for many related keywords.

With the updates and advancements in search engines, repeatedly stuffing keywords will leads to a look like a spam website.

By the way, keyword stuffing doesn’t work.

Then what else am I needing to do?

Design your content in the blog, that the search engines understand your blog post completely. 

Maintain the keyword density in your articles. There is no perfect keyword density for blogs, but maintain somewhere between 1% to 3% is considered being good.

Using semantic SEO keywords will help the search engines understand completely about your topic. Semantic SEO improves your SEO without stuffing the primary keywords.

Where to use the semantic and related keywords in the content?

Here the subheading comes into play.

The heading H1 to H6 is the primary area, which helps the search engines to understand the content in the article.

Here H1 is the title, which is your highest priority. 

Place your main keyword in the title (H1), which is followed by related keywords in the subheadings (H2 to H6).

H1 is used only once. That should be in the title. Use the subheadings in the correct hierarchy.

Use your secondary keywords or slightly different keywords in your subheadings.

For a perfect example–see the same blog post which you are reading.

Here the title is “Simple blog post outline and template to get higher rankings”. 

But the focused keyword is “blog post outline”.

I’m used to the keyword in the title, which is H1. Then my subheading (H2) is “7 steps to prepare an outline for a blog post”.

Here also I have focused my keywords on slightly different changes. This is how you should focus on keywords for ordering your subheading.

Your next subheading (H3) should hold the categories that come under subheading H2.

Heading helps the search engines to easily understand your topic, so optimize your headings.

Don’t use fake subheadings to convenience the search engines. 

Content gap analysis for blog outlines

Analyze the subheadings that your competitors missed.

Type your keyword on the Google search page. Look out for the top 10 results in the SERP results.

Find and list out the topics and subheadings they are covered. Use Chrome extensions like smart TOC to outline the subheadings of the pages you are visiting.

Write in the document, what are all the topics they (top 10 ranking blogs) are covered in their blogs.

It gives you a rough idea of what are all the subheadings you have to focus on in your article.

Then the next, find the heading that is missed by your competitors because only better versions can replace the best articles.

Don’t take the broad title and cover everything in one blog post. Instead, choose a more specified title over all aspects of information related to that title.

Prepare your questions for blog outline

Most times, if you answer all the questions that are asked on that topic, then you can present a perfect blog.

How to find a question related to that topic.

For example–If I have written a topic “Guide to outsourcing a content writing”.

Look at the below screenshot. Those are some basic questions that I need to answer on that particular topic.

Try to make 10 questions for a 2000 word article. The above are only some basic questions to answer.

But if you need more search engine-related questions, then head to the search engine’s result page (SERP).

At the bottom of the SERP page, you can see that search related to your search queries.

Note down all the questions, and answer these questions in your blogs, because they are often asked questions in search engines.

Crafting blog post headlines for maximum traffic

Do you know how headlines increase your organic traffic?

The curious title tags increase your click rate in search increases. Spend your separate time selecting the headlines of your blogs.

Usually creates 5 to 10 headlines for one blog post, so you can choose the best from it.

Copyblogger states that 8 out of 10 people will read the headline, and only 2 will read the rest.

It shows the power of headlines, how it affects the entire blog. 

The headlines should not only be optimized for search engines but also for readers.  

The blog from Neil Patel shows how brands use the headline for maximum conversions.

If you are lack headline ideas, then use this potent headline generator.

For example, I am typing “outsource a blog writing”

It shows me curious headlines, that people want to click it.

Again, if you click the reload button, it shows a new topic every time.

Here is another headline generator from HubSpot. It is one of the famous headline generators that give you a year full of blog topic ideas.

Number of words in the blog post

Estimating the number of words in the blog post is also important in outlining a blog.

Mostly try to plan over 1500 words in every blog post. Estimate how many words need to be covered in each topic and create a blog post outline template.

Longer articles perform better. A study from HubSpot shows that longer articles get more organic traffic and a higher share on social media.

Everyone has that question shorter or longer articles perform better in rankings.

Simple blog post template to craft a perfect blog

Combine every pre-planned thing to draft a perfect blog post. Here I’m given some basic principles to be followed for presenting the ultimate Blog post outline. You can also use this as a blog post outline template.

1. Heading

• Choose a powerful headline that gives you maximum conversion. 
• Your headlines must be less than 60 characters, or it will cut off in the search engine results.
• The heading should carry your main seed keyword.
• Sometimes negative words in the introduction have a higher click rate in search engines.
• If you are using numbers in the headline, then use odd numbers. It has more advantages.
• Use headline generators to get attractive headlines.
• Make your topic related to your blog content.

2. Introduction

• Start with a question and increase the reader’s curiosity.
• Accept their problems and assure the readers and what solution you are giving through that blog post.
• Your introduction must do the wonders to attract them to read the entire blog post.
• If you are a beginner, take a minimum of 10 to 20 minutes for planning an introduction.
• Give 5 to 10 one-line paragraphs in the introduction.
• Use straight conversation tone like “I” and “you”, because it looks like directly taking to readers.  
• Still, if you are worried about the introduction, check out a guide to writing a perfect introduction.

3. Arrange your subheadings

• Find the subheadings you need to cover (later also can be changed).
• Use it in the correct hierarchy. If you are naming a subheading as H2 then next should be H3, not name it as H4.
• Use semantically related keywords in the subheadings.
• Ensure that your subheadings are easy to understand.

4. Body of the blog post

• Use short sentences and simple language.
• Mostly try to use active voice.
• Provide your content with a data-driven answer. Add the links to the reference pages, so that readers can get more about it.
• Whenever providing statistics, it should include a proven data source.
• Provide real-life examples, so that readers can easily understand.
• Provide a straight conversation with your readers when you are writing. 

5. Usage of multimedia in blogs

• Use different multimedia like video, GIFs, infographics, images, and sometimes you can also use podcasts.
• Use images with data like graphs and charts, so it shows the proven results.
• Infographics are a glorious thing to attract readers, infographic articles get more shares and many back links. 
• Include images wherever necessary, then have at least a minimum of 5 images. Many times regular text bore the readers.

6. Conclusion of blog post

• Make it 2 to 3 smaller paragraphs to finish the conclusion.
• Add call to action (CTA) in the conclusion. Your call to action should have any perfect goal.
• Finish it with a question or controversial, so that triggers your readers to do the comments. It increases your engagement rate.
• Summarize your entire article shortly.
• Always provide a conclusion positively because that motivates the reader.

Check out–some handpicked tools to reduce blogging time and increase your productivity.

Conclusion

Finally, this simple blog post outline template will enhance your blogging skills, and it helps to present your articles to higher rankings in search engines.

If you don’t use any outline and template for blog writing, then create a perfect outline that suits your blog writing. So that you can avoid writer’s block.

If you are a beginner, you can also follow the above outline and template for a blog post, and later you can create your own preparation and writing style.

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading this article. If you find this article useful, kindly share it.

Did you have any other points to be added to the blog post outline? Comment me below.