Is the topic broad, covering a wide body of research—or highly specific, such as a long-tail keyword target? If you’re new to long-tail keyword targeting, here’s a great primer video from Ryan:
Long Tail Keywords: More Traffic + Less Competition
If you’re going after a broad topic, the subsections throughout the outline may also be more broad. If the second, the subsections will be highly specific as well.
A legal blog post on ‘Personal Injury Lawyer’ would cover a broader scope of topics than a post on the ‘Cost of Personal Injury Lawyers in Detroit, MI.’
For example, headings for a blog post on personal injury lawyers might look like:
Personal Injury Lawyers
Key Facts on Personal Injury Lawyers
Reasons to Hire Personal Injury Lawyers
Benefits of Personal Injury Lawyers
But an outline for a legal blog post on the cost of find owner of cell phone number free philippines injury lawyers in Detroit might be:
Average Cost of Personal Injury Lawyers in Detroit
Factors That the Affect Cost of Michigan Personal Injury Lawyers
Contingency vs Hourly Fee Rates
Location
Case Type
Key takeaway: I tailor my headings not just to the topic, but to the topic reach.
Consider the Goal of the Blog Post
Next, I ask if my blog post should entertain, inform, or cover a topic that doesn’t belong in my current content hubs. Knowing the goal of the post helps me know what sections need to be included in the outline.
For example, a post that is relevant to my audience but doesn’t belong in my content hubs could include sections that internally link to other pages on my site (and should!). And effective link placement requires strategic planning during the outlining process.
Understanding the goal of my blog post helps me marry it to my overall content strategy.