Top 10 Tips for Effective Technical Blog Writing

Technical blog writing is a form of content writing which is more focused on engaging the audience with articles of high quality and getting more traffic to the websites. Technical bloggers write on topics with fine details of technical operations and focus on what the audience is interested in. With proper research, they add value to the articles which include SEO optimization using relevant keywords,  infographics, and pictures, and have a more casual style of writing.

What is Technical Blog Writing?

Translating technical information into accessible and readable to a broader range of audiences is technical writing. Technical writers create instruction manuals and technical documents, brochures, trade articles, and sales letters and provide an online help system.

Technical writing is found in the non-profit, business, and governmental arenas to guide technical information to its customers and users. Technical blog writing can be a great career if you enjoy technology and writing complex information in simple language.

How to Write a Technical Blog?

1. Select the Best Platforms to Start Writing Your Technical Blog.

a. Medium

Medium is one of the best platforms for technical writing as its audience is more interested in articles related to startups, technology, and business. For software engineering blogs, the Medium platform is very compelling due to its built-in distribution, which has millions of monthly visitors.

Medium is easy to use. It has high Domain Authority which shows statistical measures of your site and how it is ranking in search engines, and it also gets traffic to your primary domain when you backlink. You can easily engage with your audience through the Medium, as it allows readers to leave comments and notes for authors.

b. WordPress

At WordPress.com, you can host your website with a domain name and start blogging, as it’s an excellent platform for fresh bloggers. WordPress gives many theme options to create the best tech blog. You can import any pre-built demo website and layout, and choose designs when publishing any new tech article, as they are highly flexible.

At WordPress, you will be able to use plugins for the leading page builders to edit templates and also check theme settings before publishing the blog. Some of the best theme collections for tech blogging include Network, Zeen, InHype, Ceris, Newspaper, Enlil, Zoxpress, Paper, JNews, Jannah,  and Soledad.

c. Gatsby

Gatsby is fast and has an open search framework platform with easy search engine optimization. It helps developers build websites and apps, as its framework is based on React. GraphQL is used by Gatsby to manage data through its plugin ecosystem which makes it easy to manage content with these plugins.

You can also use gatsby-plugin-favicon and gatsby-image to easily size your image and process. Due to Gatsby not having a server, it might be difficult for Gatsby users to search their site and needs to dedicate more time to it.

d. Hugo

Hugo is a static site generator, and its main advantage is speed and having an active, thriving community. Another advantage is it is easier to set up than Jekyll. Within your project, content in Hugo is stored in text files. If you are new to this platform, the template engine can be confusing. There are also a variety of themes available to choose from in Hugo, and it is a very strong contender as it supports formats like Markdown, Asciidoc, or HTML.

e. Jekyll

Like WordPress, Jekyll doesn’t have a user-friendly back end and uses built-in code, so you have to rely on Jekyll plugins. You will never have to lose the content or upgrade your site as it automatically backs up with GitHub. You can also host your website for no cost on GitHub pages.

Jekyll is a great option to consider as it takes very little effort and is fast on your end to optimize, and it generates a static website. Jekyll has been out for a while, and there are many users creating paid and free themes which are easy to install using the RubyGems plugin; as in static site arenas, it is one of the originals.

f. Ghost

Ghost is great if you are looking for a simple blogging platform, as it suits your specific needs. Ghost relies on a minimal user interface and is written in Node.js. Like many technical blogging platforms, Ghost uses Markdown and allows customizing themes. People like Ghost’s utilization of  FTP (File Transfer Protocol) to upload themes and content. You can choose one of these great platforms for your next technical blog writing, depending on your need and choice.

2. Know Your Audience

You should have a clear understanding of your audience, as it will help you in defining the approach when writing the technology-related blog. When coming up with the topic for your blog post, always consider your audience’s interest. An ideal blog inspires your reader and drives them toward tech and science topics, and also keeps them updated with the latest developments in the tech field. It also makes the reader feels the sense of gaining something and wants to come back again.

3. Topic Selection

Choosing a worthy topic is very important and needs careful consideration. Select a topic that strikes a chord with the reader and is relevant to current times. You can always check Google trends for topic ideas. Before choosing topics, always ask yourself who do you want to write to? How well do you understand the topic? And is this topic relevant?

4. Research

The standard rule for technical blog writing or any other blog is getting your facts and information right. Do some groundwork before sharing anything on your blog. Research your topic on the Google search engine and gather information on the subject. Go through common issues, writing styles, cover photos, and structure to get an idea as a beginner and save the data for reference.

The overall design of a blog post is as follows:

1. Title

2. Cover photo

3. Introduction

4. Body and

5. Conclusion.

5. Keep it Simple

Always stick to simple language, irrespective of how complex the subject is, and convey it straightforwardly. Keep in mind that the approach of technical blog writing is anything that can be broken into easy concepts. The idea is to make interested in the subject and not get intimidated by it.

Depending on the audience’s grasp on topics related to technology, you can always break a technical blog down into several shorter paragraphs or subheads, which leads to addressing and following different aspects of the same subject.

To get hands-on training, have a look a at the best Technical Writing Courses in India

6. Add Visual Elements

Use graphics, pictures, and videos whenever possible, as it is essential to have some kind of visual element to support your writing. It will be easier for the reader to get the more significant concept at a glance. You can also buy images from internet websites like Shutterstock or just use free photo editing tools available online.

Make sure to add at least one image in your blog which gives an overview.  To further explain the concepts, you can add images to the body of the blog. It is always more appealing to add video or images as it helps your technical blog writing get more readers as pictures say a thousand words than having a blog with no images at all.

7. Blog Domain

The domain is a page or website address to find your website online. You need to register your domain name with the website host. Check this list for some of the best web hosting services.

1. HostGator
2. GoDaddy
3. DreamHost
4. iPage
5. Bluehost

WordPress is one of the best content management systems where you can maintain and build a website without any coding. In a content management system, you can manage domains and create websites and manage subdomains, where a webpage created is connected to an existing website.

The next step after you have set up your domain name is customizing the look of your blog by selecting a theme that reflects the content of your blog. Once you are ready with your first blog, make sure your article is in alignment with the subject and appearance of your website, and this can be done in two ways.

First is setting up a logo, which helps readers to check who is publishing the article. The second is setting up an About page, which helps your audience connect to a unique story of yourself or your business. It can include stories, photos, and personal interests.

8. Proofread Before Publishing

The most important part of blogging is editing and proofreading your article before publishing it. Use a free grammar checker like Grammarly to check everything is grammatically correct. Read your article and make sure everything is good from a technical point of view.

9. Create SEO-friendly Content

Presenting the content in an SEO-friendly manner not only includes a popular set of keywords but also helps you narrow down the focused search area and rank high in search engines. Your article will be well received if you have gone the extra mile to add inputs and the topic is well researched and relevant.

10. Promote Your Blog

Once your blog is published, it is now time to promote your blog on social media platforms depending on  your post content like:

1. Reddit
2. Slashdot
3. Twitter
4. Google+
5. Dzone
6. Email

Tools Required For Technical Writing

Writing a blog post is time-consuming and is not easy. You must also promote your blog on social media channels, find content ideas, and research keywords. Blogging tools let you share, manage content, and check new trends on social media effectively. Here are some time-saving blogging tools which help you in promoting content on the search engines and social network channels.

 Tools For Content Ideas

1. Google Trends
2. BuzzSumo
3. HubSpot Blog Topic Generator

 Tools For Keyword Ideas

1. Ubersuggest
2. Semrush
3. Ahrefs

Tools to Organize and Create Content Ideas

1. Trello
2. Jira
3. HubSpot
4. Google Sheets
5. Todoist

Best Tools For Blog Visuals and Images

1. Meme generator
2. Canva
3. Evernote

Tools To Promote Content

• Flipboard
• Make web video

Tools for Blog Analytics

• Google Analytics
• Crazy Egg

Skills Required for Technical Blog Writing

Technical writing is a creative job and has many advantages to it. User guide development for the product gives a technical writer a chance to work with devices and new technologies before being released.

1. Writing Skills

A good technical blog writer’s main work is to know which words suit best and simplify the software documentation to the best clarity of the text. The technical writer knows how to achieve this by putting complicated words into simple ones, which can be achieved by practice and hard work.

You can improve your writing skill by always viewing and checking your document from the readers’ point of view, asking yourself how will your audience or reader be using it, if the blog is accessible, and can the reader navigate it easily. Your final goal is to make sure your blog is useful to your reader.

2. Technical Skills

To succeed in technical writing, you should choose your niche from different spheres of fields like engineering, medicine, science, and pharmaceutical, which allows you to achieve your goal as a technical writer. The deeper you understand your interest in your niche, the better you can explain complex documentation. Always keep yourself up to date with the latest trends, and news in technology and science to develop your technical skills.

Check out the most demanded Technical Writing Courses in Delhi

3. Work with Modern Tools

As a technical writer, you should have the ability to work with modern writing tools like Flare, MadCap, ClickHelp, RoboHelp, or MS Word. Technical blog writing can be successful when you are aware of tech format writing tools like PDF, Word, and CHM that can save a lot of effort and time for documentation.

Be aware of the latest writing tools available in the market to become a successful blog writer in technology. Check for documentation tools and know-how that appeal to you personally, and keep updated with them.

4. Troubleshooting and Testing Skills

Knowing the features of the product is the main responsibility of the technical writer. When facing technical issues, readers always look up to technical writers for solutions. You need to find the right way to explain those problems and provide with easy to read manuals for better solutions. First, you need to identify the problem, find different ways to address it, evaluate the options, and then apply the solution.

FAQ’s

1. Does it take very long to write a technical blog post?

Some technical blog posts may require many hours to write due to in-depth explanations. Generally, most technical blog writers take one to two hours to write a 500-word blog post.

2. What are the best blogging tools?

You can start with free blogging tools like Canva is best for images. To find ideas, check Google Trends and Ubersuggest for keywords if you are a beginner.

3. How much do we earn from technical blog writing?

Earning through technical blog writing depends on factors such as finding your niche, choosing how to monetize it, how much traffic you get to your website and where it is coming from.

4. What other types of technical writing are there?

Three most common types  of technical writing

1. Traditional writing includes scientific papers and repair manuals.
2. Technical marketing content-wise catalogs and press releases.
3. End-user documentation is how-to guides, instruction manuals, and user manuals.

Conclusion

Becoming a technical blog writer is very rewarding and is not an overnight process. When writing your first blog, keep in mind a few simple planning steps; writing clearly, and with easy-to-understand language and reviewing is critical. You can gain practical experience by starting writing in public GitHub repositories and personal blogs. Your first blog doesn’t have to be perfect, but with practice, you will be proficient in technical blog writing.