The Art of the SEO-Friendly Blog Intro
You don’t think intros matter? Think again.
You may think blogs are dead, but the stats tell a different story. Over 2.5 billion blog posts are published every year – the blog is still a powerful thing.
And if you are a small business owner, building and maintaining a blog that offers helpful relevant content is key to building a relationship with your audience.
But creating blog posts that are informative and engaging is hard – especially if writing isn’t your thing. As a marketing agency we like to compare blogs to fishing – the goal is to hook your reader and reel them in. And the first thing that will hook them is your intro.
If you hook the reader at the start, you can drag them down to the end and get them to click “Buy Now!”
Introductions Still Matter
Think about when you meet someone who makes an impact on you. What was it that caught your attention? Sure, maybe they had a nice smile or a good sense of humour, but it was likely something more than that.
They probably had an interesting story to tell or shared valuable insights that made you want to listen and learn more.
The same can be said for blog intros. When you need to get your audience to invest their time and attention into your blog post the intro has to deliver. It sets the tone for what’s to come and entices the reader to keep reading. Plus 62% of high performing blog posts are those that are easy to get into via their intros.
Think of some of the most famous hooks in literature – “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” from A Tale of Two Cities, or “Call me Ishmael” from Moby-Dick. These opening lines – simple at first glance – have some power to immediately grab the reader and make them want to read more.
SEO Plays A Part Too
But it’s not just the intro that matters. Your blog post should also be SEO (search engine optimised) so it reaches your target audience.
This means using relevant keywords and phrases throughout the content, as well as in the title, meta description and headers. The more you know your audience’s search habits the more you can optimise your blog posts for them.
But remember – while SEO is important it shouldn’t come at the expense of good content. Your blog should still be providing valuable information and be readable for your audience.
Tips for Writing the Perfect Intro
So how do you go about writing an intro that will hook your reader and keep them engaged? Here are a few tips we use every day:
Hook The Reader In Their Main Pain Point
Nothing works better than an “Ahh… me too!” moment to grab the reader’s attention and make them feel like they’ve come to the right place. Addressing a common pain point or problem your audience faces will immediately make them feel understood and more likely to keep reading.
How do you do this? Start by understanding your target audience and the challenges they face. Then, find a way to relate those struggles in your intro. You’ve probably heard the complaints and frustrations from your clients yourself so use those to your advantage.
Use A Compelling Story Or Anecdote
Humans are wired for storytelling – it’s how we learn and connect with others. That’s why including a personal or relatable story in your intro can be so powerful. It allows the reader to see themselves in the story and create an emotional connection.
The key here is to make sure the story ties back to the main topic of your blog post. You want it to be relevant and support the overall message you’re trying to convey. Rather than just telling a story for the sake of it, use it to illustrate a point or provide context for your content.
Ask An Interesting Question
A question will grab your reader’s attention and make them want to know what you have to say. It will also make them think and engage with your content on a deeper level.
Think about the main topic of your blog post and come up with a question that will make them stop and think. This could be an open ended question that encourages discussion or a rhetorical one that sets up the problem you’ll be addressing in your post.
Give Them the TLDR Up Front
“But I don’t want them to skip the content!” We have a short attention span – and if you’re a content marketer you know this better than anyone. Sometimes providing a brief summary of what your reader can expect from your blog post in the intro can be enough to keep them reading.
TLDR (Too long, didn’t read) is a phrase for a reason. People don’t want to spend too much time reading something that may not be of interest to them. By providing a quick summary in the intro you’re giving the reader a sneak peek and helping them decide if they want to keep reading.
Statistics and Data Are Compelling
Did you know that bloggers who invest more time in their content see more results? Numbers don’t lie – and they can make your blog post more compelling from the start. Include relevant statistics or data in your intro to grab the reader’s attention and establish credibility for your content.
This is especially useful for topics that are contentious or have multiple opinions. By getting the facts in first you set the tone for a fact-based conversation rather than just sharing personal opinions or anecdotes.
SEO Considerations For Your Intro
Now, while the words and structure of your intro are important, there are other things to consider too. As a content marketer you want your blog post to be found by your target audience through search engines.
Here are some SEO elements to consider when writing your intro:
Keywords
As with the whole blog post, your intro should include relevant keywords your target audience will use when searching for information on your topic.
But don’t overdo it – too many keywords can make the intro sound spammy and turn off the reader. Keywords still matter – 45% of marketers attribute their content’s success to strategic keyword research.
Title
Your title should be attention grabbing yet SEO friendly. Consider including a keyword in your title to help with search engine optimisation, but balance that with not being clickbait.
Subtitle
Don’t underestimate the subtitle. It can help to further explain what your blog post is about and also be an opportunity to include more keywords.
Drop the primary keywords in the first paragraph
To boost your SEO even more try to drop your main keywords in the first paragraph of your intro. This tells search engines your content is about that topic and will help with ranking.
Want to Learn More About SEO Blogging?
At Sideways Designs we love helping our clients create content that’s helpful to their audience and optimised for search engines. That’s why we offer SEO blog writing services to help you achieve your content marketing goals.
By combining the best of SEO with great content we can get your blog posts to rank higher in search engine results pages and more organic traffic. Over time you’ll see an increase in website visitors, leads and brand awareness.
So get in touch if you want to find out more about SEO blog writing and how it can help your business.