There are many reasons why you should write guides and how-tos in your blog. It is one of the most common contents on the internet, for any form of media. Cooking videos, building videos, fashion guides – anyone could literally search anything on the internet! Guides and how-tos can be incorporated into almost any niche or industry.

Google > Instruction Manuals

Readers would prefer to find the shortcut for their queries instead of referring to the lengthy instruction manuals they find with their appliances, furniture, or gadgets. Other than this, there are also a lot of things that don’t even have instruction manuals. Ever wondered why Wiki-how became so popular? A guide is a generic form of presenting the information. This is why this form of content can be used with any topic or niche. Here’s an example:

Sometimes readers think that they have an issue with their device, appliance, or furniture that only they experience uniquely. Then they go to the internet and find out that not only do others experience the same issue, but some people have also found a “quick fix” for it as well. Many bloggers and influencers focus on creating content just on “quick fixes” for almost anything!

Lots of people enjoy DIYs

Especially now that people spend more time at home, DIYs have become quite popular. It could be about cooking a dish, upcycling old clothes, redecorating the house, and more. Writing a DIY is also an enjoyable project, not only do you get to share how you have created something but you also get to create one yourself. Moreover, learning something new is also a trend right now, which is why online lectures, tutorials, and lectures are quite popular as well.

Guides are really fun to write

No one can write a guide without actually experiencing (or have expertise on) the topic. Imparting knowledge to someone else knowing that you have made their lives easier somehow is a very enriching experience. If you’re writing about how to build furniture, you actually have to build one for yourself. A lot of “quick fixes”, especially device issues, are usually found through trial and error. You can never write a how-to guide for traveling if you’ve never been to the place before.

There is a sense of adventure when writing guides and how-tos because it will also give you (the writer) a learning experience. How do you explain your passion to another person? How can the topic be written in a manner which is easier to understand? How can you impart the lessons you learned from mistakes in your experience?

On top of this, writers can be creative in presenting guides. They can use infographics, pictographs, video guides, or other formats to create their content. It does not have to be lengthy, it just has to serve its purpose and maintain the interests of the readers.

Targets Micro-Moments

Google explains that four types of micro-moments should be targeted for content. These micro-moments are instances with which a user goes to a device (or the internet) to act on a specific need. Usually, these include knowing, going, doing, or buying. This is more related to consumption, but it could also be used in creating other general content. How to’s and guides could easily target all four types of micro-moments. Here are some examples:

KNOWING – A simple guide on speaking French for travel

GOING – How to catch the cheapest flights to…

DOING – A guide on building a fashion blog

BUYING – How to identify counterfeit goods on the internet

SEO Keywords are direct to the point

Many users straight up write “how to….” on their browsers to find answers to their questions. Using these specific key phrases, even if they may be longtail keywords, can easily direct a user to your content. It is easier to create content based on a key phrase and create a key phrase from the content. Just remember to avoid writing multiple longtail keywords that may mean the same thing.

Easy to target the ‘People Also Ask’ Box on SERP

The ‘People Also Ask’ box (or PAA box) on Google features multiple variations of questions that are related to a query on the results page. The more a user interacts with the PAA box, the more questions seem to load onto it. There are many techniques on how to target and rank in the PAA box. However, ‘how to’ contents are often featured in this part of the SERP. At some point, if your content is seen featured in the PAA box and readers see it as relevant, the PAA box could lead to more traffic to your blog.

Also read: Strange But Profitable Niches That Are Interesting to Write About

Author: Sangalang Kristine Civil Engineer by profession, Writer by passion. Serving readers since 2014 on different niches like Science, Current Events, Tech, and Travel.

Source: Blogherald.com

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