How to Create a Comprehensive How to Guide [+Examples]
The irony doesn’t escape me that I’m currently writing a “How to” guide on … “How to” guides.
Fortunately, I’ve had my fair share of experiences writing How to guides for HubSpot over the years — some of my favorites include How to Give a Persuasive Presentation, How to Develop a Content Strategy: A Start-to-Finish Guide, and How to Write a Request for Proposal.
How to Guides are incredibly valuable opportunities to reach new audiences with useful, high-quality content. Plus, for both B2B and B2C businesses, How to Guides are often necessary components of a healthy lead generation strategy.
For instance, consider how many people search “How to [fill in the blank]” on Google each day:
These search queries demonstrate one of the primary reasons people turn to the internet — to learn how to do something.
If your business can reach those users with informative, relevant answers to their questions (related to your own products or services), those readers will begin to see your brand as an authority on the topic. Additionally, they’ll appreciate the value you’ve provided them.
Down the road, those same readers you first attracted with a How to Guide could become customers and loyal brand advocates who spread the word about your products or services to friends and family.
Suffice to say: How to Guides matter.
Here, we’ll explore the right structure to use when making a How to Guide and how to write a comprehensive How to Guide. We’ll also take a look at some impressive examples of How to Guides for inspiration. Let’s dive in.
How to Make a How to Guide
1. Conduct research to ensure your guide is the most comprehensive piece on the topic.
People read How to Guides to learn how to do things. And even if you know very well how to do something, it’s critical you conduct research to ensure you’re writing content that can help both the beginner and the expert who’s searching for your post.
Additionally, to rank on the SERPs, you’ll want to conduct keyword research and competitive research to ensure your How to Guide is the most comprehensive post on the subject.
For instance, let’s say you’re writing a blog post, “How to Make an Omelette.” Upon conducting research, you find Simply Recipe’s post is at the top of Google.
Diving into the post, you’ll see Simply Recipe has covered sections including “French Verses American Omelettes”, “The Best Pan for Making Omelettes”, and even “Ideas for Omelette Fillings”.
If you want to create your own How to Guide on omelettes, then, you’ll want to cover all (if not more) of the sections Simply Recipe has covered in its post.
Additionally, you should use Ahrefs or another keyword research tool to explore similar keywords or queries people ask when searching for topics like “Omelette”. This can help you create a well-rounded piece that will answer all your readers’ questions, and help …read more
Source:: HubSpot Blog
