As SEO tools have become smarter, the writing behind them has become weaker. Blog content became easier to produce, but harder to get right.

We chased rankings, stuffed keywords, and leaned on platforms like Surfer and Frase to do the heavy lifting. For a while, it worked. But the results didn’t hold.

In 2025, most blog posts still underperform. Not because SEO is broken, but because the content behind it often is. We started writing for search engines instead of people.

Even among top-ranking pages, the average bounce rate is 60%. That says a lot about how forgettable most blog content still is.

I’ve written numerous blog posts that didn’t take off over the years. This is what I’ve learned from the ones that did.

Start With Search Intent (Not Keywords)

A keyword is what someone types. Intent is what they're really asking.

We keep treating “email marketing tips” like a magic phrase when the real question is:

“How do I stop people from ignoring my emails?”

That’s the difference between content that shows up vs. content that sticks.

How do you figure out the intent?

• Look at Google’s ‘People Also Ask’ section
• Use Search Console to see what queries are actually bringing clicks
• Go browse Reddit threads and forums where your audience vents

Write your H1 like you’re responding to a real question, not trying to craft a perfect headline. The best ones feel like answers, not marketing.

Before you start writing, search your topic and find a real question from someone who’s clearly stuck or frustrated. That’s the angle worth writing from.

Structure for SEO, Flow for Humans

Good content gets ignored when the structure is a mess. If readers can’t follow the flow, they won’t stick around. Neither will Google.

The fix is straightforward:

• Use H2s that reflect how someone moves through the topic
• Keep paragraphs short. Three lines or fewer
• Add internal links that help the reader
• Use a table of contents or anchor links for longer posts
• Format the basics properly: title tags, alt text, clean URLs, schema if it applies

Google’s Helpful Content Update rewards a structure that makes sense. So do your readers. 

Make your post easy to scan, easy to read, and easy to use.

Say Something Worth Reading

(Don’t Just Reword What’s Ranking.)

If your strategy is to rewrite what’s already ranking, don’t expect anyone to remember it. Or finish it.

Google’s EEAT guidelines (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust) don’t just care about what’s being said. They care about who’s saying it and whether it sounds like they’ve actually done the work.

Have an opinion. Share an experience. Say something that couldn’t be pulled from a summary.

Here’s how to do it:

• Add one sentence per section that reflects your point of view
• Make it clear where you stand, not just what you found
• Information is everywhere, but a clear perspective is rare

Use formatting if it helps call attention to the right ideas. Bold, italic, whatever makes sense. Just make sure your voice is in it.

Voice Still Matters (Even in B2B)

Too many intros read like they were written by a committee. Too many conclusions feel like someone gave up.

If your blog sounds like it was built to hit a word count, it’s not going to hold attention, no matter how good the topic is.

Content still needs a voice. One that sounds like a real person with something to say. 

The best kind of writing connects with the reader.

Here’s what I do to check:

• Read your intro out loud
• If it sounds like a press release, rewrite it
• If it sounds like you’re stalling, cut it
• If it bores you, it’ll bore everyone else

Even B2B readers want clarity. They just don’t want to feel like they’re reading instructions.

Back It Up

Having a point of view is important. Backing it up is what makes it credible.

Data gives context. Sources build trust. And quotes from people who’ve done the work go a lot further than another recycled “tip.”

Use outbound links that lead somewhere useful, not just for SEO, but for the reader. Give them something solid to work with.

Point to things that matter:

• Research from places like Pew, Statista, or HubSpot
• Actual practitioner quotes, not just founder soundbites
• Industry reports or case studies with real numbers behind them

If you’re skeptical that any of this makes a difference, here’s a number: A study from Xerox found that content with charts, graphs, or images gets 80% more readership than text-only posts.

Even the stats say stats help.

A good rule:

• Include at least one relevant stat, quote, or link every 500 words
• If you can’t find anything worth citing, you’re probably not going deep enough

Don't Waste the Ending

The end of a blog post is where most people stop thinking, which is strange, because it’s often the part that matters most.

You’ve done the hard work. You held someone’s attention for 800, maybe 1,500 words. Don’t throw that away by closing with “Let us know what you think.”

The ending is your chance to guide the reader toward something useful, not with a sales pitch, but with direction.

What that looks like depends on the type of content.

A blog post at the top-of-the-funnel (TOFU) isn’t trying to sell. It’s trying to educate, build trust, and keep the conversation going. Your CTA here might be:

• “Read the next article in the series”
• “Subscribe for more like this”
• “Download the full version”

A bottom-of-funnel (BOFU) post is a different story. The reader already knows the problem. They’re looking for a solution. Your CTA should reflect that:

• “Book a demo”
• “See pricing”
• “Talk to someone”

Either way, the rule stays the same: don’t leave the reader at a dead end.

Wrap with clarity. Make the next step feel obvious and low effort. And write like you’re talking to someone interested—because if they’ve read this far, they probably are.

If You Want It to Work Long-Term

There’s more content online than ever. But there’s still not enough that’s worth reading.

If your blog is going to work in 2025, it can’t just aim for rankings. It has to be useful. It has to sound like it came from someone who knows what they’re talking about. And it has to help the reader do something they couldn’t before.

Start with intent. Structure it properly. Say something real. And make sure every post leads somewhere.

Most teams get this part right once, then they burn out by month two. Here’s how we build content systems that don’t fall apart.

That’s the job; everything else is extra.