You might think that blogs are a thing of the internet past. But you’d be seriously mistaken –last year 47% of consumers viewed three to five pieces of content before making a purchase. Content remains a crucial component to your business’s success, and blogging is an ideal way to create and showcase your best content. Blogs haven’t gone away – they’ve just gotten smarter.
Here are 26 strategies to help bring your blog up to speed:
1. Link to your previous and popular posts
By linking to older content on your blog in your new posts, you’ll help drive new traffic to your site because you’re showing people articles they may not have seen before. This will not only help bump up your SEO and Google rankings, but it’ll also help new readers get to know your business or service by showing them the “greatest hits” of your content.
2. Create interesting but specific tags
Organizing your posts by categories is good for wide, general topics, but it’s also important to narrow it down with tags. If you’re blogging about social media marketing, for example, think of specific tags that get to the heart of what you’re describing.
“Facebook advertising” is much better than just “social media marketing” when it comes to being able to sort your content. It also allows readers to easily drill down on a certain subject matter on your blog.
3. Use eye-catching images
Your Instagram addiction should clue you into something you already know: Images are compelling and we’re more likely to linger on and share blog posts that have photos. In fact, articles with images have 94% more total views than those without.
4. Tap into the power of video
Adding video to your blog posts is one of the best things you can do to keep your readers engaged – and to find new ones. This year, video will make up 74% of all online traffic. And a 2016 study found that social video generates an astounding 1,200% more shares than text and image combined. By using video in your blog posts, you can’t help but boost your growth and conversion rates.
5. Include a call to action
One of the problems with traditional blog posts is that there’s no action for readers to carry out once they’re done. This contributes to a high bounce rate. By including a “You might also like” line at the bottom that links to other relevant posts, you’ll decrease your bounce rate and lead readers to more of your content.
6. Prioritize simple design
Don’t give your people an instant headache by having with a blog page that looks cluttered and sloppy. Choose a simple, elegant design that invites the reader to linger on your page. Using bullet points, a readable font, and incorporating white space are all good ideas too.
7. Make room for comments
Having a comments section gives your readers the opportunity to communicate with you –and for you to respond back. If you take the time to craft thoughtful replies to readers’ comments and questions, they’re much more likely to keep reading your posts, purchasing your products and services, and sending their friends your way.
A comments section is also a good measure of how much your readers enjoy your content. Posts that generate a lot of comments are good indicators of what to write about in the future.
8. Write an eBook for download
Create an eBook about a topic that’s relevant to your business or service, and then include a “download the eBook” box next to every blog post. This is a great way to offer your readers in-depth content – and to get their email addresses.
9. Don’t forget to share
Sharing buttons are a simple way to increase your audience. If you make it easy for people to share your posts on their social media channels, you’ll be introducing your content to hundreds (or thousands) of potential new readers. Social shares help improve your SEO and Google page rankings and also helps you get an idea of what kind of content your audience likes most.
10. Back it up with facts
Include data and facts to support your arguments. So instead of simply writing “more people now use mobile devices than desktop computers,” say “In the U.S., people spend 71% of their time online on mobile.” Your audience will take you more seriously and will be more likely to turn to your posts for reliable and authoritative information.
11. Incorporate graphs and charts
Visual content is always in demand, and graphs and charts are a good way to visually display data that might be difficult to understand through words alone. Just make sure that your graphs are easy to understand and have visual appeal.
12. Title it right
Captivate your audience instantly with your headline. Think of it as your blog post’s business card. It should be concise, to the point, and professional, but also – depending on the ethos of your business or service – witty and charming. A good headline alone can double your amount of readers.
Get a perfect title!
13. Optimize for SEO
SEO is an important marketing channel but what makes it better is that it’s also free. You can help your search engine rankings by writing the kind of content that ranks well with search engines – and that your readers will want to read. And, of course, you can consult the experts for an additional boost.
14. Use banners
As we mentioned earlier, one of the most common problems with blog posts is that there’s no specific action for readers to do. If you don’t give them the chance to take relevant action after reading your post, they’ll simply leave your site. Make sure you’re sending people to the right place after they’ve finished reading by using banners that link to other content. For example, if you’re offering marketing tips, create a banner that links to your own marketing platform.
15. Interview a well-known expert
Think about the most authoritative and influential people in your field, and then find ways to interview them and post that content to your blog. You’ll cultivate a relationship beneficial to you, and there’s a good chance that person will share your post with his or her audience, which puts you in the spotlight, and earns you new readers. You’ll also gain additional credibility with your existing followers.
16. Link to other quality content
You want readers to feel that you understand your area of expertise and are familiar with top sites related to your field. Linking to authoritative posts on other prominent websites is a great way to begin important relationships that will pay off down the line. It’s also possible you’ll get a few good link backs too!
17. Know your reader
Think about the profile of your ideal reader. What kind of content would they want to read? Try conducting a survey to see what they’re interested in reading about in future posts. If you know your target audience, you’ll know how to shape your content. This can’t help but lead to a more compelling blog.
18. Proofread, proofread, proofread
Failing to proofread your work will end up costing you big time. As soon as readers encounter mistakes in spelling and grammar, they’ll doubt your credibility. They may even stop reading and never return again. Even if you’re a native English speaker, it’s always a good idea to work with a professional proofreader to make sure your posts are error-free.
19. Make it easy to subscribe
First, make sure you have a subscription form – it’s an ideal way to grow your mailing list. Then make sure that the form is in a prominent position that readers won’t overlook. Consider putting your form on the top right-hand side of your sidebar, or just above the main navigation bar. And make sure you send out regular newsletters to keep your readers engaged.
20. Write clear sub-headers
Most people scan your blog and decide within 10 to 20 seconds whether to stay or leave. Even if you’ve written the perfect headline, a lot of users won’t read your entire post, so sub-headers help them briefly skim your article to find the sections they’re interested in and only read those parts in full.
21. Use short paragraphs
Short paragraphs (like this one) make it easier for readers to digest important information – and move through your entire text.
22. Highlight key sentences
Even if users don’t read your entire article, they can still learn something valuable from you. Putting important sentences in bold or italics is a great way to inform readers who are in a hurry about your post’s key points. If they feel you’ve given them something for their time spent scanning, they’re more likely to become regular readers of your blog.
23. Craft unique content
No matter how many other fancy tools and tactics you use, if your content isn’t compelling, you won’t grow your readership. Consider keeping an ideas file so that you’ll have a constant pool of inspiration to pull from. And never copy content from anyone else – it’ll damage your SEO because Google won’t index those pages. But it’ll also damage your reputation. Think about what makes you unique, and write content that showcases your value.
24. Be the expert
Make your blog stand out from the competition by offering your audience information they won’t find elsewhere. Own what you know. Consider using relevant internal data from your website or business that can provide insights to your readers. They’ll start to feel invested in your blog’s expert knowledge.
25. Spotlight your author box
Your author is always an important part of your post. Authors are authorities on their subjects, and highlighting their expertise works to your advantage. Make the author box easy to find on the blog page, and have it include essential details from an author’s biography.
For example, if you’re a personal trainer who trains people to be productive and reach their personal goals, and you write an article about this topic, your author box should say clearly who you are, how much experience you have, the number of clients you have and more. Users will find your content reliable if they feel they can trust the author.
26. Don’t be afraid of longer posts
You might think that our shrinking attention spans mean we all want to read shorter posts, but data reveals that the opposite is true. Google’s top-ranking content averages between 1,140 and 1,285 words. Even on our own Fiverr blog, we found out that posts with more than 1,000 words generated 23% more purchases.
Think about it: If you want to educate your readers about a certain topic, it’ll be hard to do so in a blog post that’s only 500 or so words long.
Don’t be afraid to highlight your authority on a subject and write posts that are longer than 1,000 words. As blogging becomes more competitive, longer blog posts are now the competitive norm.
Conclusion
It’s a no brainer: Content is key to boosting your rankings, attracting quality leads, and converting readers into buyers. Not only does blogging improve your sales, but it also provides you with a platform to create an organic community around your business or brand.
If you generate trustworthy, compelling, and relevant blog posts on a regular basis, you’ll keep the attention of your regular users and will gain new ones as well. The rewards of strategic blogging are multiple. And if you need some help getting started, there are plenty of professional writers on Fiverr to lend a hand!
Are you a frequent blogger? Do you have any additional tips? Tell us in the comments below!
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