A lot of creators write blog posts that get a little traffic and then sit there. The post answers a question, someone reads it and then they leave without joining your list or buying anything. The traffic is real, but it doesn't turn into sales because the post was never set up to send people anywhere.
A blog post that sells is set up differently. It answers one question that your buyers are searching for, it's written so Google and AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI answers can understand it and point to it and it sends readers to one next step, either a freebie or a product. This is one of the ideas on my Sales on Repeat list of 99 ways to make sales every day, in the section on content that keeps selling.
In this post I'll show you how to pick the questions to write about, how to write the post so both search engines and AI tools can use it, how to connect each post to a product and what to avoid.
How search and AI search find your posts
Regular search is what you're used to. Someone types a question into Google, Google shows a list of pages and the person clicks one. Your post shows up when it answers that question well and Google trusts your site enough to show it.
AI search works a little differently. Someone asks ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI a question and the tool writes an answer by pulling from pages it can read. Sometimes it names the sources and links to them. Your post is more likely to be used when it gives a clear, direct answer that's easy for the tool to pull out and quote.
The good news is that the same habits help with both. A post that answers one question clearly near the top, uses headings that match how people ask and explains things in plain words is easier for Google to rank and easier for AI tools to use. You don't have to write two versions.
Pick questions your buyers are already asking
The most important choice is what to write about. A post that ranks for a question your buyers never ask won't sell anything, no matter how much traffic it gets. So start from your products and work backward.
- Pick one product. Choose something you sell that you'd like to sell more of, like a template, a course or your membership.
- List what people ask before they buy it. Look at emails from your list, comments in your community, questions on sales calls and what people ask in your live sessions. Write the questions down in the words people actually used.
- Type a few into Google and an AI tool. See what comes up. Look at the "people also ask" questions on Google and notice which follow-up questions the AI tool suggests. Add those to your list.
- Pick questions where your product is the natural next step. "How do I price a digital planner" is a good question to write about if you sell a pricing guide. "What is a digital planner" is further away from a sale.
Aim for five to ten questions per product. That gives you a small group of posts that all point to the same place and each one can link to the others.
How to write a post that ranks and gets quoted
Once you have a question, here's how to build the post around it.
Answer the question near the top
In the first two or three paragraphs, give a direct answer in a few plain sentences. This is the part AI tools are most likely to pull out and it tells readers right away that they're in the right place.
Use headings that match the questions
Make your H2 headings the follow-up questions people ask, or the steps in the process. Someone skimming can find what they need and search tools can see what each section covers.
Give real steps and examples
Explain how to do the thing, step by step, with an example. When a post teaches the steps, people stay on it, share it and come back to it and it gives AI tools specific information to use.
Add a short FAQ at the end
Close with four or five questions and short answers. Write the questions the way someone would type them into an AI tool. This gives search tools more clear answers to pick from.
Say who you are
Search engines and AI tools pay attention to who wrote a post and why they know the topic. Add a short author bio to every post that says what you do and what you've built. Link to your about page. If you have a podcast, a book or events, mention them in the bio so the tools can connect your name to your topic.
Fill in the settings
Every post should have a clear title with the question or the main phrase in it, a short URL, a meta description (the one or two sentences that show under your link in Google) and a few tags. If your site lets you add FAQ schema, which is a bit of code that tells search engines what your questions and answers are, add it. Squarespace, WordPress and most blog tools have a place for the title, URL and description.
Connect every post to one next step
This is the part that turns a blog post into a sales tool. Every post needs one clear place to send readers and it should be the thing that fits the question best.
- Send them to a freebie when the reader is early. If the question is about getting started, a free checklist, template or Claude skill on the same topic is the easiest yes. Once they sign up, your welcome series takes over. If you don't have one yet, read about the welcome series that makes your first sale for you.
- Send them to a product when the reader is ready. If the question is about doing something specific, like "how do I set up an order bump," which is a small add-on offered right on the checkout page, a template or course that does exactly that can go right in the post.
- Mention it twice. Put it once in the body where it fits naturally and once at the end in a short call to action box.
Keep it to one main offer per post. If you list five products, readers don't know which one to pick and the post sends people in too many directions.
When you write a group of posts for the same product, link them to each other where it makes sense. Write one longer main post that covers the whole topic and link every smaller post back to it. This helps readers find more of your posts and helps search tools see that you cover the topic in depth.
Mistakes to avoid
- Writing about topics nobody is searching for. Start from real questions, in the words people use.
- Burying the answer. If the answer is in paragraph twelve, readers leave and AI tools may skip it. Put it near the top.
- No next step. A post with no freebie or product link can get traffic for years without making a sale.
- Too many next steps. Keep it to one main offer per post.
- Using numbers you can't back up. Search tools and readers both pay attention to accuracy. Use your own numbers, or use a clearly labeled example.
- Publishing and forgetting. Check your posts every few months. Update anything that's out of date, fix broken links and make sure the product you're pointing to is still the right one.
- Expecting traffic overnight. Blog posts can take a while to show up in search. This is a long-term idea, so plan to keep writing.
A hypothetical example
The numbers below are made up to show how the pieces connect. They aren't results from my business or anyone else's.
Say you sell a $27 Etsy shop pricing template and a $49 Etsy listing course. You go through your emails and community and find questions like "how much should I charge for a digital download on Etsy," "how do I figure out my Etsy fees" and "should I raise my prices on Etsy."
You write six posts, one for each question. Each one answers the question in the first paragraph, walks through the steps with an example and ends with a short FAQ. Four of the posts point to a free Etsy pricing checklist that starts your welcome series and two of them, the ones about doing the math, point straight to the $27 template. You also write one longer main post on Etsy pricing and link all six posts to it.
Now say, over several months, those posts bring in 1,000 visitors a month. If 30 of those visitors sign up for the checklist each month and 5 buy the template directly, that's $135 a month in template sales plus 30 new subscribers going into your welcome series, where some of them may buy the course. These are made-up numbers and they'll be different for every niche, but they show how one group of posts can keep sending people to the same offer.
"Every post needs one clear place to send readers and it should be the thing that fits the question best."
Dr. Destini CoppHow this fits with the rest of your funnel
Your funnel is the path people take from first finding you to buying from you. Blog posts bring new people into it, so they work best when there's something waiting for them. A freebie that leads into a welcome series is the most common setup. You can also send readers to the same freebie you use in an always-on freebie ad, so both your ads and your blog feed the same welcome series.
And once people are on your list, a weekly product email can keep showing them your products over time. Each piece does its own job and the blog post is the piece that brings people in from search.
Wrapping up
Pick one product, list the questions people ask before they buy it and write one post for each question. Answer it near the top, use headings that match how people ask, add a short FAQ and send readers to one freebie or product. Then link the posts together and update them every few months.
If you'd like help picking which ideas to start with, the free Sales on Repeat skill is a Claude skill that asks a few questions about your business and picks the first three ideas for you. You can see the rest of the ideas on the full list of 99 ways to make sales every day.
Find your first three Sales on Repeat ideas
The free Sales on Repeat skill is a Claude skill that asks a few questions about your business and picks the first three ideas you should set up.
Get the free Sales on Repeat skill →Frequently asked.
How do I write blog posts that show up in ChatGPT and other AI search tools?
Answer one question clearly in the first few paragraphs, use headings that match the follow-up questions people ask and explain things in plain words with real steps. Add a short FAQ at the end and an author bio that says who you are. The same habits help with regular Google search too.
What should I write about on my blog if I sell digital products?
Start from one product and list the questions people ask before they buy it. Use the words they actually used in emails, comments and live sessions. Pick questions where your product is the natural next step.
How do I get blog readers to buy my product?
Give every post one clear next step. Send early readers to a freebie that starts your welcome series and send readers who are ready to a product that does exactly what the post teaches. Mention it once in the body and once at the end.
How many products should I link in one blog post?
Keep it to one main offer per post. If you list several products, readers don't know which one to pick. You can write a group of posts that all point to the same product and link them to each other.
How long does it take for a blog post to show up in search?
It can take a while and it's different for every site and topic. Treat blog posts as a long-term idea, keep writing and check your posts every few months to update anything that's out of date.
Dr. Destini Copp helps digital product creators build sustainable, systems-based businesses through the Creator Growth Flywheel framework. She's the founder of Creator's MBA and HobbyScool, and has been teaching online business strategy for over a decade. Learn more →
