14 Characteristics of A Blog (that grows + makes money)
There are over 600 million blogs on the web, but less than 10% of them actually generate an income. But this doesn’t mean you can’t make it work.
Blogging is not dead and it’s still an awesome way to grow your brand, drive traffic and make money (or whatever your goal is).
You just need to pull the right levers and have the right things in place. So these are the most important characteristics of a blog.
I organized this post into two main sections:
Characteristics of a great blog post
Characteristics of a great website
Now let’s do this!
7 Characteristics of A Solid Blog Post
1. A Solid Title
A good title increases your CTR (click through rate) and your blog traffic. It’s often the first thing people see and your blog’s first impression. So let’s make it good!
The goal is to stand out from other articles. A simple question to ask is why should someone click on your website over another?
It takes practice to get good at copywriting, but here are some tips:
Be clear and concise
Use different or evocative words
Be specific (like using numbers)
Use your keyword towards the front
Be click-worthy (not click-baity)
Be different from what’s ranking
2. Scannable + Easy to Read
Want to know the quickest way to scare a reader away? Make your blog post super hard to read and impossible to scan quickly.
Let’s not do that.
“A good blog post is easy to hop around, find key sections and consume the main points quickly.”
Here are some ways to make your blogs simple to consume:
Avoid big blocks of text
Write concisely (delete the fluff)
Use bullet points
Use bolded text
Use H2 and H3 headings
Use visuals and infographics
Use blank space and avoid overcrowding
3. Original Visuals
You probably already know the importance of using images or videos in your blog posts.
But using original visuals is where it’s at these days.
Because let’s be honest, stock images just don’t hit the same. Some are definitely better than others, but nothing beats an original.
So here are some ways to use more authentic visuals:
Take and use personal photos
Upload original videos
Do creative edits of stock photos (I use Canva)
Leverage AI
Tip: Compress your images to increase page speed. Opt for JPG files and compress them using a site like tinypng.
4. Engaging
Engaging content lowers your bounce rate, increases your sessions per visit and boosts your average session time.
Put another way, engaging content makes people explore more and stick around longer. This is good for SEO, building brand and conversions.
So what makes good engaging content?
Most of the things in this list help a lot, but here are a few more tips:
Invite readers to leave comments
Use video
Offer free downloads
Include social sharing buttons
Use quizzes, calculators or surveys
5. Relevant Categories + Tags
Categories and tags organize your blog posts.
It’s like a filing system for your site, so you, your readers and Google can easily find what they need.
“Your blog is a library. Now Imagine going to one that has no filing system, signs or organization. Pure madness!”
Categories are your main topics and are more general. For example, this post’s category is filed under marketing (pretty broad).
Tags are smaller topics within a specific category. This article’s tag is blogging.
Using relevant categories and tags creates a coherent website architecture and makes it easier for your readers and Google to navigate your content.
Choosing the right categories and tags are a part of a good content strategy. You can learn more in this content mapping article.
6. SEO Optimized
SEO (search engine optimization) is how you optimize your blog posts for ranking. Luckily it’s not crazy hard to do.
I linked my full SEO strategy just below, but here are some key takeaways:
Use your keyword in the right places
Make your site fast
Use first-hand experience
Interlink between relevant pages
Have an organized structure
Be mobile-friendly
Make great content
Explore more:
➤ My SEO Blog Strategy
7. Amazing Content
Great content is how you make a great post.
So here are some things I do to make sure my stuff is up to snuff:
Add genuine and real experience
Write well — write clearly
Have an intentional content strategy
Only cover brand-relevant topics
Share your authentic voice and personality
Avoid fluffy thin content
Always deliver on the title’s promise
Add something new or unique to the conversation
7 Characteristics of A Solid Website
1. Core Pages
One-page websites have their place (like sales pages), but for blogging, it’s important to have a few more on your site.
Which pages you have depends on your niche, goals, offers and more. But here are some core ones to include:
About page
Contact page
Home page
Services
Blog
Terms & Conditions
Affiliate disclosure
Privacy policy
2. Good UX
UX (user experience) is how a reader interacts with and experiences your website.
Poor UX leads SEO issues, a frustrated audience and lower traffic. But good UX makes a happy reader and better blog growth. So let’s make sure things are looking good!
Here are some simple tips to ensure your site has solid UX:
Use simple navigation
Have clear and specific CTAs
Create an organized menu
Prioritize website loading speed
Use blank space
Avoid 404 errors
3. Accessible
Web accessibility makes your site easy to use and read for disable persons. This is obviously super important — around 16% of the world has some type of disability.
Luckily, it’s pretty simple to make your blog more accessible. Here are a few tips:
Add alt text to your images
Use color contrast
Avoid non-descriptive buttons (like ‘Click Here’)
Avoid mouse-only assets (like hover to see more)
Use clear H2, H3 and H4 headings
Tip: Cookie compliance and privacy are important. So be sure to add a cookie consent.
4. Clear Branding
Branding makes your website stand out. But it also solidifies your image.
Branding is one of my favorite elements of content creation. It’s creative, expressive and fun.
So here are some quick tips to ensure your site branding is on point:
Know your brand identity
Use your brand colors
Include your brand story
Write in your tone of voice
Create relevant content
Choose relevant affiliate programs
Explore more:
➤ Personal Branding for Creatives
5. Mobile First
Most of your website traffic is on mobile. So a mobile-first strategy is pretty important.
This comes down to stuff like formatting, designing and writing with the phone in mind. Modern website builders should get you most of the way there.
But the best advice I have is to always check how your site and blog posts look on mobile after you push things live.
There’s a good chance you’ll need to tweak some things.
6. Social Integrations
If you’re making great content (like I know you are), people will want to share it or follow you.
So another great website feature is adding social integration buttons (like the ones at the footer of my site or a Pinterest share button on images).
This expands your reach and makes it easier for people to share you stuff. Plus, it diversifies your traffic source.
Relying on a single source of traffic (like Google) is risky. There are always algorithm updates, new competitors and things outside of your control influencing your site’s growth.
I use X for this site.
Here are my favorite social media platforms for bloggers:
Pinterest
X
YouTube
Instagram or TikTok
7. Analytics
Analytics help me make better decisions — data-driven decisions. This takes out the guesswork on things like blog performance, keyword rankings, site issues and user behavior.
You know, all the important stuff for growing a successful blog.
With data, I can target better keywords, update the right posts to perform better and grow my brand more efficiently.
So here are the main tools I use for all my website data:
Google Search Console
Google Analytics (GA4)
Hotjar
Ahrefs
Later ✌️
A great blog is more than choosing the right keywords, having great content and being consistent. You also need the right features and design.
Your website’s traits are like the DNA of your blog.
The key characteristics of a good blog include things like having solid UX, being mobile-first, accessibility, being SEO-optimized, using original photos and making things scannable.
But don’t worry if you don’t have it all perfect from the start. Your design will evolve and you’ll get more optimized as you grow, gather data and become a stronger blogger.
So that’s all I’ve got today — thanks for stopping by!
