How to brainstorm blogging ideas and organize them

Okay so you’ve heard the advice, you know quality and consistent blogging can improve your chances of being listed in SERP or AI Overviews.

But also, “don’t write content for search engines or AI, write for people.” But also, “search algorithms include looking at the words of your query.” And don’t forget, “quality can be determined by other prominent websites linking to or referring to your content.” (Google)

Cool. So where should you start when you’re ready to begin blogging? The answer is an initial brainstorm and creating a place to organize your ideas.

Ignore the rest for now, it’ll start to sort itself out as you start researching your topics.

First, you need to focus on what you want to write about – and how to go about doing it! One step at a time.

🔍 Looking for more blogging tips? Learn more about content and copywriting.

Brainstorming techniques for blog content ideas

I get really excited when I’m writing and I catch myself off topic because it ultimately means I get to pull content and paste it into a draft for a new idea!

How do you know what content to pull and start writing a new post with?

Some bloggers will focus on word count, and when they reach a goal, they stop writing. I prefer treating writing like it is a conversation or consultation:

When you book a 60-minute consultation we typically make a priority list of topics, or a meeting agenda beforehand to make the best use of your budget and time. If you ask a question that leads to a larger conversation, we’ll set that topic aside for a future date so that we can still cover what we set out to.

Writing a blog post can work the same way. As you’re writing you will generate new ideas or more thorough analyses that are worthy of their own supporting content. This is when you open a new document, drop the idea, and separate your focal points.

It helps to consider organic search engine optimization best practices in these cases because they illustrate the process of segmenting topicality.

In Search Engine Optimization (SEO) we aim to focus each URL of our website on a specific topic, product, service, solution, or goal. Whatever problem our audience is trying to solve, they search for, and we aim to have our webpage or AI citation appear as providing a solution.

If we try to target too many different keywords or ideas on a single page, we lower the likelihood of that URL being prominently listed because we aren’t focusing on our purpose: our audience’s goal.

So, if your writing starts going off in different directions, or you introduce a new idea, it’s worth starting a second (or sometimes third) draft!

This process will also give you some additional optimization steps by way of internal linking:

“Internal links are hyperlinks that point to pages on the same domain. (Internal links) help Google find, index, and understand all of the pages on your site. And they help users navigate your website and find your content.”
– Brian Dean, Backlinko.

1. You’ll choose which post you publish first,
2. This post likely still alludes or refers to the topic(s) you pulled. Remember those areas, because you’ll come back to set up internal links later.
3. When editing your additional post(s), you’ll want to include a reference to your initial post so that you can internally link to it.
4. Once your additional post(s) are published, go back and edit your first post to include internal links to these new posts.

Phew! Here’s an example of how that might look:

I started writing a blog post about why website owners should spend time blogging.

The goal of my post is to convince business owners to blog by showing them why it’s important. To be relevant, I need to include data and proof that supports this recommendation:

• Why websites are important to a business,
• How websites work,
  • Why keeping them updated is important,
• How a blog can influence and improve your website,
• Having time to blog, and
• What the next steps are to take.

However, while researching and writing about this theme I uncover supporting topics that come up naturally while someone is looking for blogging support:

1. If someone is wondering if blogging is still relevant, a likely next step after coming to this conclusion is to consider what to blog about.
2. This leads into an entirely different theme of blog strategy, and ideation.
3. Which then can lead into another theme of copywriting and publishing tips.
4. Then optimization recommendations when they inevitably want to ensure their blogging efforts are strong.

I could make a master post that includes all the information I want to touch on, but each post/theme would perform better for both my SEO and user experience if I focus on the intent of the original search query within its own post.

Instead of having one post about “general blogging tips” I end up with (5) different blog posts all stemming from one original idea, but can be optimized individually for different audience intent:

• Why blogging is still relevant,
• Resources for creating a blog strategy,
• How to use SERP to generate blog post ideas,
• Content and copywriting tips, and
• Using stock images for blogging.

Using internal linking, I can still connect each of these posts to one another by hyperlinking applicable content within the post’s copy:

For example, near the end of my original post, Why you spend time blogging, I included a brief sentence that hyperlinks to the next post idea:

“Here are more content and copywriting tips for blogging, including some of the more technical, accessible, and SEO-friendly.”

Then, in the second post, I included a reference linking back to that original post:

“… This is one of the reasons why the advice of blogging regularly is floated around so often.”

And another later in the same article that refers to the third post:

“By creating helpful content that continues to gain traffic, earning a lot of organic backlinks, …”

By separating my themes into different focal points I’ve turned my original blog post into 5 independently optimized articles. That’s 5 different funnels that could earn traffic, and by being specific my audience is more likely to find what they’re specifically looking for, which is always our goal. 

💡 Tip: Depending on your desired blogging schedule, this can help you plan out content weeks to months in advance!

How do I organize my blog post ideas?

Organize your blog post ideas by status type

Regardless of what application or medium you decide to use to start brainstorming your blogging ideas, I recommend categorizing your post ideas by Status type, using (3) high-level headings for:

1. To-do
2. In progress
3. Complete

Under To-do, create (3) more sub-categories for:

• Not started
• Idea
• Researching

Under In progress, create (4) more sub-categories for:

• In progress
• Outlined
• Drafted
• Edited

And under Complete, create (2) more sub-categories for:

• Scheduled
• Published

💡 Tip: If accessibility isn’t a priority for your own personal in-house use, you can go further by colour-coordinating these, making it even easier to see at glance what you have prepared and in what stage each is at. 

By labeling your posts this way, you can see what has been saved merely as an idea vs what you’ve already started researching, if you’ve already outlined a post, or drafted one completely. 

This not only helps to keep me on schedule and task, but on the off-chance that I need to publish something quickly, I can see what posts will be more work versus what already has a sufficient start.

Organize your blog post ideas by categories and tags

Categories and tags are a filter-based archiving system that blogs use to differentiate post types, post feeds, and archive feeds.

Using categories and tags helps both users and search engines find and correlate content on your website.

💡 Tip: For more information on how to select your categories and tags, start by reading my ‘think of a website as a house’ analogy.

By including the categories and tags that my posts will eventually be published under, I can see at a glance how many references to any given one there are, so that I can concentrate on a topic that hasn’t been discussed in some time.

Organize your blog post ideas by publish date

Having a content calendar can help you plan in advance, and keep you accountable. This is especially beneficial if you’re also planning your social media or newsletter content in tandem, or seasonality plays a big factor in your marketing efforts.

Where to find brainstorming platforms for bloggers

If you’re having a hard time deciding what software or application to use to start brainstorming ideas for your blog topics, you should choose based on how your brain works best when organizing and understanding information.

Consider whether or not you’re a visual thinker, if you prefer tabular data, or tend to like a bit of both when you’re learning.

Top software for organizing blog ideas and outlines

If you’re looking for the best apps to start organizing blogging ideas, these are what I’m currently using, no affiliation or referral codes:

Notion: https://www.notion.com/ 

I use Notion to manage and organize my content strategy, publishing calendar, social posts, and well, tons of other things too.

With Notion you can build your own content creation hub from scratch, or you can find a number of free and premium templates online through the Notion Marketplace or via third-parties.

When working with Notion templates, you’ll be sent to a Notion page that you’ll duplicate to use on your own workspace. Then, you’ll repurpose it, having the bulk of the database connections already built for you.

Why I like Notion: It mixes the control and organization I like about tabular data and working within a consistent framework, with the option to apply more customization within your pages. I can embed files from selected third-party applications to act as a “hub”. I can make database connections between various pages with variable viewing layouts giving it a lot of versatility, where my client calendar, project management, content calendar, and Wiki all work together.

Why it may not be for you: To enjoy using Notion, you have to appreciate its interface, and it really just comes down to preference. There is a learning curve, especially when there are so many options and configurations you can do, so I would consider the Time Cost of learning and tweaking templates. You could start with a pre-made template and review it to learn the ins and outs, or, you could hire a Notion Consultant to help you set-up your workflow based on your needs.

I did a combination of both when I started using Notion. After I put together my space, I hired a consultant to review it with me, and they helped me make changes based on my wants/needs.

One thing I will say though, is that I don’t draft or keep my source content in Notion, I do that work within my own documents for two reasons: Cloud-base applications often require an internet connection to use most features and we don’t need one to write, and I simply don’t like the idea of my only content access point being on an external server that I don’t have direct control over. Instead, I copy/paste, link out to an external doc, or backup when applicable.

Where to download brainstorming mind mapping software

We don’t really download anything anymore do we? It’s all cloud-based for the most part. If you’re less of a linear text thinker and more of a visual thinker, I’d turn you more towards a mind mapping app:

Miro: https://miro.com 

I also turn to Miro when I want to use a more visual and interactable playground. And while I’m not personally a fan of all their new integrations, I do use some of the non-AI accelerated templates:

Brainstorming: From brain maps to bubble maps, mood boards to spider diagrams, virtual sticky notes to storymapping, there are tons of visual mind maps to use when you need to be able to interact with your ideas and move things around easily.

Calendars: If you prefer a literal calendar, have at it! But there are additional templates tailored more towards editorial, blogging, and content strategy that can further support how you organize your ideas.

Or, don’t use a template and create your canvas from scratch! I just found a ‘Mario Kart Sprint Retrospective’ and I would be lying if I said I didn’t immediately think, “Oooohh! I need that in my life!”

The free plan will only give you (3) editable boards, and some advanced features may be limited to paid plans, but if you’re a sole blogger it has what you need.

Why I like Miro: I use it more when I am working with a client or on a team project as it allows multiple users to edit a canvas simultaneously. As far as using templates goes, it’s less of a learning curve than Notion due to its visual nature. It uses a drag-and-drop interface with each element having its own style settings, making it easy to build and edit.

Sometimes if I’m struggling with a concept that I’ve been working on linearly in Notion, on paper, or in a document, I’ll create a version in Miro that I can interact with and often get inspiration just by using another part of my brain.

Why it may not be for you: I would point out that Miro being as robust as it is does require a strong internet connection. And due to having an “infinite” canvas there is a risk of becoming disorganized, limiting your data export, or not including it in the same order you may see on your screen.

Can I try a trial version of a blogging idea generator tool?

There are free tools that help with blogging idea generation, but instead of looking for an independent tool you might be better off using existing SEO applications, for the added insights they’ll provide about your website.

My biggest piece of blogging advice is always to have a plan before you start, where I’ve previously highlighted some free tools that you can use online to inspire your blog content strategy.

For example, if you’ve already hooked your website up to Google Analytics and Search Console, and are receiving traffic data, you can get an inside look at what search queries are already bringing visitors to your site. If there is room to improve on these topics you can start developing new content!

Here are some free SEO tools to use for generating blog topic ideas:

1. Google Search Console
   • For free you can link your website to a profile on Google Search Console and access a dashboard that displays Google reporting data related to your site health and indexing.
2. Google Analytics
   • For free you can link your website to a profile on Google Analytics and access a dashboard that displays Google reporting data related to website traffic and user behavior. In June 2026, Google added the ability to connect Google Business Profiles to Analytics to start reporting traffic information for that feature too.
3. AnswerThePublic
   • For free you can search (3) phrases per day on AnswerThePublic, with no access to historical data, but get insights on similar search queries or AI prompts that your audience also uses when searching your topic.
4. SparkToro
   • For free you can get (5) reports per month on SparkToro with audience insight on their Top 5 websites, search and AI tools, and social networks. 
5. Mangools
   • In addition to restricted access to premium features on a free plan, Mangools’ offers several free SEO tools that you can use in your browser, including a Content Optimizer to help you improve your existing content. 
6. Google SERP
   • Google’s search engine results page (SERP) has additional features like ‘People Also Ask’ and ‘People Also Searched For’ to get ideas when you search your own key terms.
7. Google Keyword Planner
   • While you have to create a Google Ads account, which requires having a payment method on file, you can immediately turn off any campaigns and continue to use Google’s Keyword Planner for free.
8. Screaming Frog SEO Spider
   • For free you can download the unlicensed version of Screaming Frog SEO Spider to your computer and crawl up to 500 URLs. I don’t need to say more because they did already! Learn more about using Screaming Frog to streamline content creation.

How to brainstorm blogging ideas and organize them

We’ve covered brainstorming techniques, how to organize ideas, and where to find tools to help you along the way. I think you might be ready to start your next blog brainstorming session!

If during your adventure you hit a roadblock or an overwhelming moment, consider getting out of your own head for a bit.

When we hit a creative block it usually means we’re missing some external inspiration or challenges that help us make decisions we either didn’t realize on our own, or were holding ourselves back from. 

Talk to a friend, a colleague, a consultant for professional feedback, or speak your thoughts out loud, this will allow your mind to redirect the focus you’re stuck on and away from overthinking it into perpetuity. (Ask me how I know!)

Now go forth, and get your blog on!