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The main H2 heading that agrees with the problem this post solves
The H6 subheading that gives an indication of what you're going to do I.E. fix, explain, showcase, solve
This is the first paragraph, and there should be an extra line break between the H6 subheading and this paragraph. This paragraph should be a preview so that the reader knows exactly what this blog post is about, what problem they will solve when they finish reading the post, and the kind of content they should keep reading for. When you hit enter/return after the H6 subheading above, you should come back to paragraph formatting of the text. If not, just select it from the dropdown.
Now we're writing the second paragraph. You should put an extra line break between the main paragraphs, where you're moving onto an a new point/topic. So for example, the next sentence comes after only 1 line break.
If this is going to be a list blog post, such as "8 reasons to have your own online ordering website", then instead of writing this first paragraph — you would start with a heading that your first paragraph leads into, as shown in #1 below. For example, the first paragraph might have said "so let's get started with the first point" or "now we're going to look at the reasons this problem exist.". Make sure to put an extra line space between a paragraph and a heading. It helps the heading to stand out.
The H3 Section Heading about structure
If you are writing a long post, it can be good to break it down with h3 headings. This helps readers to understand that there are multiple sections to the post. It also highlights a change in topic between each section.
#1. The H4 list title on importance of structure
When you hit enter/return after the H4 list heading above, you should come back to paragraph formatting of the text. This paragraph text is the content that you want the heading to be about.
The whole reason for structure is that readers like consistency and predictability. A good structure helps guide readers through the post. By guiding readers, you will ensure they stay engaged and don't leave the post frustrated.
You might even want to add an image after the first paragraph. Images are great for keeping readers engaged by taking breaks in the reading. Images help SEO because blog posts with images/richer content is currently preferred by search engines. Plus, we can add alt text to images which indicate to search engines what the post is about. Alt text should include the keyword we're targeting. More on keywords later.
Typically, use the full size option for images, and center it. Images should already be compressed to <500kb using something like tinypng, including the header image you want to use. The smaller the better, though. In some cases, you may want to use the medium or thumbnail size if it is a step by step guide with cropped screenshots. Sometimes these smaller images work better left aligned. Center aligning small images can make them seem "lost".
At this point we might write 2 more paragraphs, or 2 more list sections, before ending what I'm calling section 1. In this case, we're going to finish with 1 x paragraph that includes info about the header image and feature image, along with a guide to using the quote layout. Then we'll follow with a final list item to reinforce what I've written, and round out this section 1.
The header image and feature image are the first images that readers will see and engage with. We want the quality to be high, and it should relate to the topic of the post in some way.
The header image is what appears at the top of the post. The size for this is ENTER SIZE AFTER HEADER ADJUSTMENT. There will be white title text over the header image. So try to use a darker image. If you can't find one, just ask Cian to put a darker overlay on the image so the text is in contrast with the background.
The Featured Image is what appears in the blog feed (the main blog page). This is sized as 234 x 340 pixels, so it's a portrait orientation. If you don't upload an image in this size, it will crop the middle section of the image you use. In most cases, you can use the same as the header image. But, if the content that appears in the image on the blog feed is important, you should edit the image to those dimensions with the important content in it.
Now here's how we use quotes.
"This is a quote. We write in bold, italic, paragraph format. We will use this when we have an interview, a reference, a review, or a comment from a third party.
It can also be used if we want to highlight something that we have written in the proceeding paragraph. If it is a direct quote, follow with the name and company the person is from in italics non-bold" Cian Shortt, Flipdish
At the end of a quote, you may need to hit enter twice. Enter once will bring you to a new line in the quote, enter twice will bring you to a new line outside the quote. Like this sentence here.
#2. Ending section 1 for a CTA
This is the last paragraph or list section that we write before we break up the page for a CTA. Context and post length will matter for where we decide to put the CTA. This post is just a guideline. Specific decisions can be made per blog post. The last thing to note is that section 2 below the mid-page CTA will talk about writing with our "inner voice" when we write. This is about our writing style, and finding a voice that's consistent with the Flipdish brand, but also comes naturally to you. If you're writing in a natural way, you will find it is easier to make your points and keep the reader engaged.
In terms of the text for the CTA, Cian will usually set this. The mid-page CTA should relate to the content of the post however. It should grab their attention, but not look out of place.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type="full_width_background" full_screen_row_position="middle" scene_position="center" text_color="light" text_align="left" top_padding="2%" bottom_padding="4%" overlay_strength="0.3" shape_divider_color="#ffffff" shape_divider_position="top" shape_divider_height="80" shape_type="curve"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_position="all" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_link_target="_self" column_shadow="none" column_border_radius="none" width="1/1" tablet_width_inherit="default" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid" translate_y="-50%"][vc_row_inner equal_height="yes" content_placement="middle" column_margin="default" text_align="center"][vc_column_inner column_padding="padding-2-percent" column_padding_position="all" centered_text="true" background_color="#05149e" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" font_color="#ffffff" column_shadow="small_depth" column_border_radius="5px" column_link_target="_self" width="1/1" tablet_width_inherit="default" column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid"][vc_custom_heading text="Need help writing blog posts?" font_container="tag:h4|font_size:20|text_align:center|line_height:20px" use_theme_fonts="yes" css=".vc_custom_1538499858902{padding-top: 10px !important;}"][nectar_btn size="large" button_style="see-through-2" color_override="#ffffff" hover_color_override="#ffffff" hover_text_color_override="#000000" icon_family="none" url="/contact" text="Contact Us Now" margin_top="20"][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type="in_container" full_screen_row_position="middle" scene_position="center" text_color="dark" text_align="left" overlay_strength="0.3" shape_divider_position="bottom"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_position="all" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_link_target="_self" column_shadow="none" column_border_radius="none" width="1/1" tablet_width_inherit="default" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid"][vc_column_text]
The H3 Section Heading about writing
This paragraph section goes under the H3 heading. This particular section is to guide as we write. It will help us to build a better quality of blog posts, and improve the impact that our writing has on Flipdish sales growth.
#1. The H4 heading on how we write
The way we write is important for 2 things:
- How we represent Flipdish
- How we provide information in an engaging way
How we represent Flipdish
How we represent Flipdish is important. The reason we write is to help food businesses, while showing them that Flipdish has a product can be valuable to them.
So we have these guidelines to make sure that we're aligned with the company values and brand identity. Once you stay within these guidelines outlined below, you can start to focus on the way you write personally.
- Don't talk about competitors
- Don't talk about clients without their permission
- Don't use images that aren't explicitly copyright free
- Do Spellcheck
- Do refer to Flipdish as an "online ordering platform"
- Do refer to businesses as "stores"
- Do spellcheck agian
- Do ask for reassurance if you aren't sure if you can say something
How we provide information in an engaging way
Every blog post should provide value with the ideas, facts, thoughts, and/or opinions you present. But, your personal style of writing will make all the difference in creating an engaging post. If you can't engage your reader and keep them interested, the value will never be provided — even if it's there.
"Write with clarity, simplicity, brevity, and humanity." William Zinsser, Author of "On Writing Well"
Clarity and brevity are the key to keeping readers engaged. Ironic in such a long post, but get your point across in as few words as possible.
Simplicity is important in a world where we feel the need to use big words. Nobody speaks like that, so we shouldn't write like that. Write the way you speak, and the way you like people to speak to you. This is why humanity is important too.
You are a human who is writing the post, and readers expect that. So write it with your inner voice. Write something, then read it back. Does it sound good in your inner voice? Then it'll sound good to the majority of readers. If you're writing sounds the same as you talk, then readers will be able to "listen" to what you say — instead of feeling like they're reading an endless amount of text.
Along with the human side of writing, find your personal side of writing. Readers appreciate your personality coming through in your writing. By showing your personality, readers will be able to relate to you, and want to hear what you have to say. Let your inoffensive sense of humour come through from time to time. Let your language feel natural when you write, and it will feel natural when it's read.
#2. Why we provide value
We write blog posts because we want to provide valuable information to people in the quick food service industry. We write about marketing your food business, managing your food business, along with the ins & outs of online food ordering.
By showing we have people that provide value with blog posts, we are showing that we have people that build software that provides value for food businesses taking online orders. Together with the CTAs we have in our blog posts, and around the website — we will encourage more of our readers to contact us or sign up for our product.
#3. Finding our blog posts
Writing these blog posts, along with a website that shows our product's value proposition, will convince food businesses of our ability to help them grow their online orders. But, how are people finding our blog posts?
Over time we will be partnering with various other publications and organisations to share our content to their audience. While we build that audience, we need food businesses to find us when they search for solutions to their problems. The majority of our potential customers will seek those solutions either by asking others in their industry (word of mouth) or by using search engines (SEO/SEM).
In order to maximize our ability to be found on search engines, do the following when you are writing blog posts.
Keywords
The keywords that we use in our blog posts are very important. The right keywords allow us to be discovered by potential clients.
Keywords in a blog post build a theme for what the post is about, as far as search engines are concerned. This means that if we put forward the right theme, search engines will show our post if the theme relates to the search keywords among many other factors that influence search ranking.
There should be two keyword themes in every blog post:
- The "online ordering platform for food businesses" theme in every post
- The "specific problem that the post is solving" theme on a per post basis
For the "online ordering platform for food businesses" theme, we want to ensure that when we write we are referring to keywords such as:
food, business, online ordering, restaurant, takeaway, collection, delivery, online ordering platform, online ordering system, online ordering website, food ordering app, software, and; marketing for restaurants, cafes, delis, takeaways
By having these keywords dotted around our posts (where relevant and sensible), it shows readers the type of business we are. It shows search engines the type of business we are too. So when potential clients search for our core target keyword of "online ordering platform", it will help us to rank higher on search engines.
So try to include these keywords where possible, but don't overdo it on any particular keyword. Each post will be assessed by Cian anyway, so don't sweat it too much. It just helps to have the keywords in at the start.
For the "specific problem that the post is solving" theme, this is of course going to vary based on the post. However, imagine you were trying to solve a problem such as "how do I get more people to visit my website". Next, imagine the kinds of words that you would search for. It might be:
- How to increase my website traffic
- How to get more visitors to my website
- Not enough website visitors
- Help increasing website hits
- How to get people to my website
If these are the kind of terms that you would search for in order to solve the problem your blog post fixes, then these are the words that you want to have throughout your blog post. They should appear as phrases, not just words on their own. The more of these phrases/queries in your blog post that directly or loosely match the search engine query (among other factors), the better chance we have of appearing at the top of search results.
The higher we appear in search results, the more traffic we get. The more traffic we get, the more leads we get.
Internal Linking
If you are writing about any of the above keywords, and there is a related webpage or blog post for it — hyperlink the text. Don't overdo it. We should have 2-3 internal links per 500 words.
For example, if you're writing about our online ordering platform, link it like it's done here. If you're writing about in-store marketing, link it like this also.
You can also link to external websites, only if they are not competing with us, and are reputable. So websites like Wikipedia or major news outlets/publications are fine.
Categories
The right category for our blog post is important for guiding our readers through the website, and allowing them to find the content they need.
We have 4 main categories for our blog posts:
- Flipdish News (announcements, changes, team info)
- Restaurant Marketing (guides, tips, customer success)
- Software Features (new features, system changes)
- Start Guide (When the post is specifically for someone starting out online)
Ideally, we should assign blog posts to only 1 category. If you feel it applies to more than 1, then do so, but try to pick the most relevant one only.
The H3 Section Heading about finishing
Getting to the end of writing your blog post is difficult. Deciding how to finish it can be even harder. The two CTAs below should be at the bottom of every blog post.
The most important thing with the end of a blog post is that people need to know it's the end. Context matters, but as a general rule you can end it with a final thought that gives the user something to think about. Sometimes it's good if it contrasts with the post. So if you write a post about "why your restaurant needs a Facebook page", you might end it with:
"Maybe you don't think your restaurant needs a Facebook page. I still think you should consider what I've just written. You might be surprised by the difference it can make."
At the end of your final thought/conclusion, put one final offer to help in writing. Something like:
"If you've enjoyed reading this and think we could help with your online ordering, click below to get in touch today."
So there you have it. My guide to writing blog posts for our website. If you have questions about it, just message me on Slack 😊 Cian.
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