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Revamp your blog program with our top tips for creating a blog content calendar.
It’s time to write a new blog for your business. You’re dreading it. There’s so much research to do before you even start writing, and sometimes you forget certain elements. Or maybe you just feel out of ideas and out of time. There’s gotta be a better way to do this.
There is a better way, and it’s called a content calendar. Learn what a content calendar is, how to make one, and what to include so your next round of content can shine!
A content calendar is a plan for the blog content that you’ll write and post in a given period. Depending on how your planning is structured, you may make a content calendar for a month, a quarter, or even an entire year. Your content calendar contains all the information you need to write each blog post and puts that information in one place for review.
It might sound daunting to do all of your content research and planning at once, but when you get in the habit of making content calendars, it can help you stay organized and lighten your future workload. You can better stick to a consistent posting schedule and align with marketing initiatives when you plan your content ahead of time. Planning blog posts also gives you an excellent opportunity to review your analytics from the previous period and decide what’s working and what isn’t.
The good news is that creating a blog content calendar is as easy as opening a new spreadsheet and adding some column titles. Your content calendar can be as simple or as complex as you need it to be. Looking for some inspo? These are our must-have elements for any blog content calendar.
Craft a clever, click-worthy title for your blog. Including a key phrase, especially your top-ranking targeted keyword, is an SEO best practice. Don’t be a victim of keyword stuffing, though – make sure your title accurately conveys the blog’s purpose and doesn’t look spammy!
Let’s say you’re planning to write a blog about how to clean your home’s windows. Take a look at these titles.
Option 1: Best Way to Clean Windows Fast | Ultimate Window Cleaning Tips for Streak-Free Windows! | How to Clean Your Windows at Home Like a Pro Window Cleaner! | Window Cleaners Near Me
Option 2: How to Clean Windows: Our Top 5 Streak-Free Tips
Title number one straight up looks like you’re going to get your credit card information stolen if you click it. Plus, it’s more than 60 characters, so Google will cut it off with ellipses. Title number two, on the other hand, concisely explains the article’s purpose while targeting the keyphrase “how to clean windows.” Remember: Google’s favorite content is written for humans, not robots.
What’s my purpose? That might be a little too existential for this blog. We’re talking about your individual blog post’s purpose. You know, the why of the post. Here are a few ideas to guide your purpose:
You’re doing search-optimized keyphrase research, right? Put all your beautiful, high-volume, low-difficulty keyphrases in this section of your content calendar! Listing your keyphrases in your content calendar helps you stay on target while writing and prioritizes those super-necessary inclusions. After all, your keyphrase research is a waste of time if you don’t actually use those keywords in your blog.
While semantically-related keywords aren’t as critical as your target keyphrases, they can still be helpful. Semantically related can help you understand your audience better, guide your content, and answer questions you might not have considered. If you aren’t the one writing the blog, these can also help your writer understand where you’re coming from and ensure they cover the topic thoroughly. Don’t know how to find semantically related keyphrases? Simply plug your primary keyphrases into Semrush’s SEO Content Template, et voilà!
You know that every blog has to have links. Or maybe you didn’t…no judgment here. Internal links help point your readers towards other relevant content on your website – check out how we linked to our blog about the critical elements of a high-quality blog in the first sentence of this paragraph! That keeps readers on your site for longer. External links help you build domain authority and help Google better understand the context of your content.
So why include links in your content calendar? It helps ensure writers have (and use) necessary links when writing your blog posts. It also helps consolidate your research process so that you can get to writing once blog topics are approved.
The dates you include in your content calendar may vary depending on how your content creation process works. Examples of dates you may want to include are:
When you build the calendar, you may list a specific due date or posting date, like 02/05/25. Specificity is helpful if your blogs align with marketing campaigns, holidays, or seasons. Alternatively, you may give more vague dates, such as Q1 2025 or February 2025, depending on how frequently you create calendars or if you want to wait to schedule each piece.
Every blog needs to end with a strong call to action — include that call to action or guidance in your content calendar. Some teams may request that you use specific CTAs. Other teams may want you to write the CTA, but they want to approve it before it is written. Others may be comfortable with you providing a vague CTA (“Direct readers to Wild Wally White’s Window Washers for the best window washing in Washington”).
Including your CTA or at least the CTA concept can once again help keep your blog on track. It also forces you to consider: How am I tying this to the business and purpose? If you have trouble tying your call-to-action back to your keyphrases, business, and purpose, you may need to reevaluate your blog’s value and relevance.
Every business, website, and blog host has different priorities. You may want to include other important information in your content calendar, such as:
One of the magical things about creating a content calendar for a blog is that it can be a living document customized to fit your needs. Include the information relevant to you, your business, and your content. Scrap the rest!
Are you more of a visual learner? Check out this example of a content calendar entry for Wild Wally White’s Window Washing.
Yours may look totally different. As long as you capture all the information you need to write a beautiful blog that soars to the top of the SERP, you’re doing fine!
Every successful blog begins with a solid, strategic content calendar. GPO’s blog services include quarterly content calendars backed by careful keyphrase research. From ideation to publishing, we take care of every step. All you have to do is approve and watch the traffic roll in. Contact us today to give your site the blog content it needs to dominate search.
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