How to Start Writing a Blog (Even If You're Not a Writer)

Google says a change to your site can show up in search in a few hours or take several months, so the sooner your first post is live, the sooner the clock starts. This guide to how to start writing a blog skips the setup talk and goes straight to the part most beginners stall on: getting a first post from an empty page to published.

You don't need to be a natural writer for any of it. You need a reader in mind, a question worth answering and a rough draft you're willing to fix afterwards.

How to start writing a blog: pick one reader and one purpose

Decide who your first blog post is for and what they should be able to do after reading it. Google's own test for helpful content asks whether someone will feel they've learned enough to reach their goal, and a post with no clear reader can't pass it.

Write the reader down as a single sentence. "A shop owner who has never written a post and wants one that brings in search visits" is a better brief than "anyone interested in marketing".

The same page calls the purpose question perhaps the most important one: is the content mainly meant to help people, or to attract search visits? Settle that now. Posts that start from help tend to earn the visits as a side effect.

Choose a first topic by searching it

Your first blog post should answer something your reader already asks. Type a keyword from your subject into Google and follow the suggested searches and the "People Also Ask" boxes, a method WeWork's blogging advice recommends for beating a blank page.

Three other places produce topics quickly:

• The questions customers or clients keep asking you, which are likely useful to other readers too.
• A notebook of ideas jotted down without worrying about grammar or structure.
• A mind map with your main keyword in the middle and related words branching out.

If none of that gives you a shortlist, our list of blog post ideas is a quicker way in. Pick the topic you can answer from your own experience, not the one that sounds most impressive.

Outline the post before you write a sentence

An outline is a list of headings, each one a question your reader would ask. Put them in the order a person would ask them, with the answer to the main question first.

Four to six headings are plenty when you're learning how to start writing a blog. Google's starter guide says there's no magical, ideal amount of headings a page should have, so add one only when a new question deserves its own section.

Under each heading, write one line saying what you'll answer. That line becomes your opening sentence later, and it's what keeps a rambling draft on track. Our guide on how to write a blog post goes deeper on the structure of each section.

How to start writing a blog post when the page is empty

Write the worst version first. Nobody sees it, and fixing a bad paragraph is far easier than staring at an empty one.

This is where beginners lose weeks. They polish the opening line, delete it, polish it again and never reach the second heading. Work through the outline in order, and if a section stalls, leave a note to yourself and move on.

When the words won't come at all, change the surroundings or step away for a while. WeWork's piece suggests a break of anything from half an hour to a day or two, or, if you're on a deadline, free writing by hand to build momentum.

Read other blogs for ideas if it helps, but don't copy another writer's voice. Yours is the thing they can't supply.

Make it easy to read, then publish

Photo by Negative Space on Pexels

Editing a blog post mostly means making it easier to read. Google's starter guide asks for text that is easy to read and well organised, and for long content to be broken into paragraphs and sections.

In practice, that means one idea per paragraph, short paragraphs, and a plain heading above each part. Read the draft aloud and rewrite whatever you stumble over.

Give the post a title that is unique to the page and accurately describes it, as the same guide advises. Clear beats clever, and a title that promises something the post doesn't deliver costs you the reader.

Length comes last. Write as many words as the question needs, and check our notes on blog post length if you want a sense of the options. For more blog writing for beginners, with a wider checklist of habits to build, there's a list of 25 blog writing tips every beginner should know.

Find a voice that sounds like you

Voice is how you'd explain the topic to a friend across a table, and it's what makes one blog feel different from another covering the same subject. Write in the words you'd really use, with the contractions you'd really use.

If you're stuck on what that sounds like, our collection of brand voice examples shows how different businesses sound on the page, and you can borrow the approach without borrowing the words.

Not everyone wants to draft by hand, and that's a fair choice. If you'd rather start from a finished draft, an AI blog post generator can read your site and write one in your voice, which you then edit as you would your own rough draft. At FreeBlogWriter, every account gets 4 complete posts, free for life, with no card.

Whatever route you take, Google's guidance asks whether any use of automation or AI is clearly explained to visitors, and whether the content is written or reviewed by someone who knows the topic. Read what we say about whether Google penalises AI content before deciding how to handle it.

Keep going with a simple schedule

One post doesn't make a blog, and knowing how to start writing a blog is only half of it. A schedule does the rest, and it only has to be one you can keep.

WeWork's advice is to set a posting rhythm, such as every weekday for a busy blog, and map topics for the next month. For most beginners that's far too ambitious. One post a week, or one every two weeks, is a schedule you can survive.

Keep a note on your phone for ideas as they arrive. Customer questions, things you explained twice in one week and posts you could update with new information all go on the list.

Then wait. Google suggests allowing a few weeks before judging whether a change has had an effect, so don't rewrite a post after three days of silence.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to be a good writer to start a blog?

No. Google's guidance judges content on whether it helps the reader, is clearly sourced and is easy to follow, not on literary skill. A plain, honest explanation from someone who knows the subject meets that bar.

How do you start writing a blog with no ideas for a first blog post?

Search your main keyword and read the suggested searches and "People Also Ask" boxes, then add the questions your customers already send you. Those are real questions from real readers, so each one is a ready-made first blog post.

How long does it take for a new post to show up in Google?

Google says changes can take effect in a few hours or take several months, and recommends waiting a few weeks before judging the result. Its crawlers mostly find pages through links from pages they already know, so you usually only need to publish.

Can AI help me begin if I dislike writing?

Yes, as a starting draft that you review. Google's guidance asks you to say how AI was used and to make sure someone who knows the topic stands behind the content, so edit the draft and add your own experience before you publish.

Sources

• Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content — Google Search Central
• SEO Starter Guide — Google Search Central
• How to beat writer's block for your blog — WeWork

Cover photo by https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels