A craveable, delicious, delightful blog post isn’t much different from a pastry.
As long as you follow the recipe, steps included, you will create a post your readers are hungry to devour – and might even return for more.
The good news is you won’t make a special trip to the grocery store to get started on the perfect blog post. Everything you need is in your virtual pantry – you just didn’t realize it.
Writing a blog post, especially in today’s competitive market, is intimidating. Once you break it down and understand the ingredients, however, you can whip up these readable bits on the fly and stay up with the trends for the future of blogging in 2023.
So, What Do You Need to Craft the Perfect Blog Post in 2023?
The future of blogging has certainly changed. What worked last year doesn’t necessarily apply today. Therefore, staying up on the latest blogging and SEO trends is essential so that you know what Google expects – and, more importantly, what today’s reader wants.
The Perfect Blog Recipe
Before you start to type, you want to make sure you have the following essentials ready to add to the mixing bowl:
1 click-worthy title
1 attention-keeping introduction
A pinch of creativity
A few cups of informative, scannable subheaders
A splash of succinct body copy
A handful of authoritative research and your expertise
1 part formatting
1 delectable conclusion
A dusting of enthusiasm for the topic
A garnish of passion for your niche
Putting it Altogether – How the Future of Blogging will Change How You Use These Ingredients
As you can see, the ingredients haven’t changed, but how and when you use them has.
We will break down each portion of this recipe so that you know how to mix it all in and get your readers to come back for more.
Creating Your Title
By far one of the most essential ingredients!
Your title sets the stage for what the reader can expect, even determining if they ever get past the SERPs to read your blog.
Spend time on this stage of your recipe. In fact, whatever you title it as your “working” title, be prepared to come back and rework it until it is just right later.
Don’t hastily toss forth the first title you have in mind. Instead, let it sit and rest, and the flavors meld together. Think of title creation as a slow, steady simmer rather than a rapid boil.
A good title mixes intrigue and information and is not too long.
Yes, Google says there is no limit, and the length of your title will not influence your search engine results. Instead, it affects whether or not someone will click on it. The first 60 characters matter the most – so make those count even if you have a 100-character title.
Whatever you do, don’t over-sprinkle in the keywords for your title – not only will it kill your readability factor and turn off any enthusiastic taster, but it will turn away Google too.
Roll Out Your Introduction
Your introduction supports your title. So perhaps you may not create it until you have solidified your intro – and that’s okay.
An introduction requires time and patience. While you will mix up something short, sweet, and enticing, you will also want it to rest a few hours before you revisit and rework it again. While adding a keyword to the introduction is essential, ensure it is not the highlighting flavor.
An introduction gives readers just a taste of what else is to come, but the full flavor doesn’t explode until the end. Of course, if your introduction isn’t tasty enough to keep reading, the end doesn’t matter much.
So, take your time, rework it after the entire blog is done, and ask yourself, would I eat this up?
Never Forget the Power of Creativity
Too many recipes lack creativity.
Think of those five-star restaurants – are they working with “vanilla” recipes used over and over again?
Of course not.
They are hashing out something unique that stays with their branding but still tantalizes the tastebuds.
Never leave out a pinch of creativity in your content – all of your content. Creativity should be tossed in from the start; if you can’t taste it, add more.
Start Rolling Out Subheaders
Subheaders help your reader scan and understand what they are about to digest. They should go in an even flow, make sense, and inform.
Ideally, subheaders are introduced every 300-500 words max (there’s nothing wrong with adding them in fewer words as long as the words in between pack a powerful punch). Subheaders are a great place for optimizing with secondary keywords but don’t overdo it.
Time to Mix in Your Body’s Copy
You have a working title, and you’ve rolled out the subheaders. Now comes the time to mix together your blog’s body.
But before you add anything, do your research. You may be an expert in your niche, but that doesn’t mean you won’t need resources to back up what you say. Today, using authoritative, high-quality links is still a must-have for any recipe. Search Engine Journal states that every site needs credible, authoritative, and trustworthy content – and a reader can’t take you at your word without some citations.
As you mix up that copy, make sure to spice it up enthusiastically. Nothing turns a reader away more than negativity. So, likewise, be as passionate about your niche as you want your reader to be as you create your blog – if you are not excited about it, why should they be?
A few other things to keep in mind while you mix up your body’s copy:
Optimize Gently. Optimizing your content is like working gluten. Too much, and it’s gotten too chewy, stiff, and undesirable. Yes, keywords matter in 2023, but how and where you use them has changed.
Focus on Your Brand’s Authority. What Google praises more than keywords are brand authority and trustworthiness. Ever heard of E-E-A-T? Nowhere in that acronym is keywords. What is, however, is expertise, experience, authority, and trustworthiness.
Be Unique. Today, readers are overwhelmed with choices. You won’t stand out in the crowd if you are the garden variety. Personalization is important.
Focus on the Reader and Not on Google. Yes, Google matters, but the person you are talking to in your blog post is not a search engine but a reader. Center your content’s quality, information, and focus around the reader; you’ll win them every time. Focus on keywords and search engines, and your recipe falls flat each time.
Arrange Your Formatting
No matter where the future of blogging goes, one thing is sure: the wall of text is never coming back.
Today’s reader doesn’t have the patience. Today’s reader prefers the amuse-bouche rather than traditional hors d’oeuvres. They want all of the flavors in a quick little nibble rather than having to enjoy it in a few more bites.
UX planet estimates that readers only take in about 20-28% of the body.
To increase the amount read, make it pretty – after all, we all eat with our eyes and not our stomachs.
Ensure you have an excellent mixture of:
H1, H2s, and H3s to break up the chunks of the body
Sprinkle in bulleted or numbered lists to get to the point
Add images to keep the reader’s attention on the page
Top it Off with a Conclusion
Your conclusion is where you drive action. The reader has stuck with you until the end, so this is an essential piece of content to deliver. Just as with your introduction, keep the conclusion short and sweet. Nothing over-the-top, nothing out of character. Just end the blog on a tasty note with a solid CTA that tells your reader where to go for their next meal.
Let it Rest before You Do the Rest
If you are self-editing your blog posts, you’ve mixed, mashed, sprinkled and dashed, but now it is time to let it rest. A good four to six hours is all your blog post needs before it is picked up again.
Come back refreshed and ready to cut out the fluff, trim the fat, remove unnecessary ingredients in your copy, and add a few more splashes of your brand’s unique voice where it seems suitable.
You’ve Followed the Recipe – Now What?
You’ve followed the recipe, but it is not quite time to plate it.
Before you plate your dish and send it out, you want to make sure you have social media posts and your email newsletter ready to fire off the second your blog goes public. Share across your favorite social media platforms with the same enthusiasm as you did in your piece!
Crafting great content is a lot like creating a great recipe. Not all of us are natural-born chefs, but we don’t have to be. While the future of blogging continually changes, one thing that will never change is the power of hiring talented people to craft your delicious content.
Are you curious about blogging for ROI in 2017? That’s what we covered in our latest round of #ContentWritingChat! And if you missed out, you’re in luck because we’ve created a recap for you and it’s filled with awesome tips. Keep reading to check it out!
Blogging for ROI in 2017: Where to Blog, SEO, and Writing Strategies with Julia McCoy
For this week’s chat, our very own CEO stepped in to guest host. Julia McCoy shared her expertise on blogging for ROI in 2017 and offered some amazing tips for writing, SEO, and where you should be blogging this year. We covered some of the key topics to help you succeed as a blogger this year, so make sure you read through them and start implementing this advice for yourself!
Q1: For those that aren’t convinced, why is blogging still so important for brands?
The reality is, many brands still aren’t convinced that blogging is worth their time. They don’t realize the value that it can provide to their audience and their brand overall. So, let’s convince them why they should be blogging! Here are just some reasons blogging is important for brands:
Julia knows that blogging is a must for brands! She even shared some pretty impressive data that backs it up. The graph above shows Express Writers outranking major competitors solely from blogging. She also shared some stats that are sure to convince you of the importance of starting your own blog this year.
A1: Blogging is a lead generation opportunity. It’s how you can build influence, which draws in an interested audience. #contentwritingchat
As Annaliese said, blogging is a lead generation opportunity. So many people will stumble upon your blog and want to do business with you because of the content you share. She also said blogging helps you build influence, which is key to drawing in your audience.
Jason knows that blogging is a powerful way to establish an authentic, authoritative voice. Your blog is your place to share your thoughts with your audience.
A1: Blogging is a great way to show your expertise to the industry. It also helps you connect with your audience. #contentwritingchat
Blogging is an opportunity to show off your expertise to your industry, but also to your audience. It’s a great way to connect with your audience and to start building a relationship with them.
A1: Blogging is important because it allows brands to expand their audience, share more information, and establish voice #ContentWritingChat
To put it simply, blogging is an opportunity to expand your audience, share quality information with readers, and can help you establish your voice as a brand.
A1. Social media is just rented properties while your blog is your real estate #contentwritingchat
Cheval’s advice is important to keep in mind. Social media is like rented property when you think about it. You don’t own the platform, nor can you count on it to always be around. If a social media platform shuts down, you’re going to lose your followers and everything you’ve worked so hard to build (unless you’ve successfully converted them to readers, subscribers, and customers). Your blog, however, is one place that you truly own and are in control of.
Q2: Where should you blog this year besides your own website? Discuss how to find the right platforms.
While blogging on your own website is great, blogging on other sites can provide major results. There are a lot of benefits to guest blogging, but it’s all about choosing the right places to post if you want to make it work for your brand. Keep these tips in mind:
Julia recommends creating a target persona for your audience so you know what they’re like. You can figure out their demographics and also what sites they’re reading on the web. That’s where you should be sharing your content! Check out the blog post she linked for more information on creating your own target persona.
A2: Guest blog on the websites YOUR audience is reading. Find out where they spend their time online and BE THERE. #ContentWritingChat
The key to choosing the sites to guest blog on is figuring out where your audience spends their time online. You want to post on the sites that your target audiences reads so they’ll discover you and head over to your website.
Jason also knows the importance of finding the popular blogs in your wheelhouse and guest posting there. It’s the best way for you to reach your target audience and hopefully make them a fan of your brand.
Varun recommends posting on forums that are specific to your industry, guest blogging on authority websites, and also using platforms like Quora, Reddit, and LinkedIn.
Another great option is to create content for Medium. Trying posting there a few times and see if you notice any results. Blogging for ROI is going to take some trial and error and you have to figure out what works for your brand.
Q3: What are a few SEO strategies all bloggers need to know if they want to get their content noticed?
It’s no secret that if you want to get your content noticed, SEO is very important. And we can’t talk blogging for ROI without mentioning some SEO tactics, can we? Of course not! So, in order to make sure your content gets noticed and attracts viewers, these are the optimization basics you need to know:
Julia knows how important it is to be able to conduct keyword research. She also said you need to know how to use H2s, H3s, alt tags, and how to write a meta description. It may sound overwhelming for beginners, but it’s all easy to figure out.
Sarah from ThinkSEM said you need to know your audience and what is going to resonate with them. Before you start thinking about SEO tactics, this is the first thing you need to consider.
A3: Use a keyword research tool to find out what keywords surrounding your topic are most relevant to your target.#contentwritingchat
Once you have the right keyword, you can plug that into your content. You’ll want to use your keyword in the title of your blog post, the URL, the meta description, and throughout the post itself. As Mallie said though, it’s important that you don’t go overboard. Keyword stuffing is a huge turn-off for your readers and Google doesn’t like it either. They should be incorporated in a way that feels natural.
Yoast is a great SEO plugin to use if your site is running on WordPress. It’s very simple to use and it makes optimization easy for beginners and those who are more experienced. We use it here at Express Writers and highly recommend it!
Jeff knows that Google Analytics is another great tool to use as part of your keyword strategy in order to optimize your content.
Q4: How can you figure out what content your audience most wants to see on your blog?
In order to attract people to your blog in the first place, you need to create the content they want to see. Once they know you’re a source of great information, they’re going to keep coming back for more. But how do you figure out what kind of content you need to create for your audience? Check out these tips:
Julia recommends figuring out what your audience’s biggest questions are and answering them. You can use tools like Answer the Public and others to figure out what they need help with.
Not sure what your audience wants? Ask them! It really is that simple. You can create a survey and share it for readers to leave their feedback and you’ll easily see what they’re interested in. You can also post on social media to get suggestions.
Jeff also agrees that asking your audience what they want is a pretty powerful strategy. Not only does it provide you with great feedback, but it gives your audience the chance to have their voice heard. They’ll appreciate that.
A4: See what they are talking about, liking, sharing, etc Listen > Talk #ContentWritingChat
Besides flat out asking them, you can also conduct a little research of your own. Figure out what they’re talking about, what they’re liking and sharing. Listening is key to understand your audience. Check out their conversations on social media and pay attention to the comments they leave and the emails they send.
It’s also worthwhile to see what your competitors are doing. Check out businesses that are similar to yours and find out what’s been working for them and what’s not. You obviously don’t want to copy their strategy, but it can give you plenty of ideas for what you can create.
A4: I send out a yearly survey and watch my analytics to see what they like.Those are measureable methods. #contentwritingchat
Sending out a yearly survey is a great way to question your audience about their interests. Getting into the habit of doing it every year ensures you’re always updated on what your audience is looking for. It’s also wise to check your analytics to see which posts are more popular since it gives you an idea of what to create more of.
A4. Watch your analytics + iterate on topics with the most views/long length on page. #contentwritingchat
Kristen also knows your analytics can be helpful when it comes to content creation. See which posts get the most traffic and which posts your readers spend the most time on to see what works best.
A4 – The content marketer who understands their audience the most wins. Every time. #contentwritingchat
And as James said, it all goes back to understanding your audience.
Q5: How important is it to include a call to action in your blog posts? Describe an effective CTA.
A call to action essentially tells your reader what the next step is. What do you want them to do after reading your blog post? Do you want them to leave your site without engaging with you, possibly to never return again? Definitely not! That’s where a call to action comes in. Check out these tips for crafting an effective CTA:
If you’re blogging for ROI, then it’s essential that you prompt your readers to take action. A clear CTA will tell them exactly what to do and will encourage them to follow through.
As Jeff pointed out, you also can’t assume your readers are just going to take the action you want them to take. You need to make it clear and empower them to follow through.
Your content should serve a purpose and it’s important to let your audience know what’s next. Sarah recommends that all CTAs should be visible, understandable, and well-placed and in order to be effective.
A5: Your CTA is crucial! It has to be well written, compelling, and concise or there was little point to your post #contentwritingchat
Without a CTA, there isn’t much of a purpose to your post, is there? Make sure it’s well-written, compelling, and concise in order to inspire action.
Q6: What are the secrets to making blog customers convert into real customers and clients?
Once you have people visiting your blog, you want them to take that next step with your brand. You want them to ultimately become customers and clients. How do you make that happen? We’ve got some great advice for you:
A6 Targeted reader topics, writing the most thorough answers to their biggest questions, SEO optimization, great CTAs #ContentWritingChat
Focus on solving the common problems your audience is facing. They’ll appreciate you for it and you’ll be able to establish yourself as an authority in the process.
Taking pen to paper is always so satisfying! Sometimes it’s just a lot nicer to do things the old school way as opposed to typing or punching out laters on our phone’s keyboard.
Q8: Which blogs do you read on a consistent basis? Tag them and let them know!
To wrap up our chat on blogging for ROI, we wanted to know which blogs our audience loves to read. Here’s what some of them had to say:
Don’t get so caught up in consuming content that you forget to embrace the world around you. As Shannon said, you need to pay attention and you’ll surely find some ideas for your content.
We look forward to seeing you at the next #ContentWritingChat! Mark your calendars weekly for Tuesday at 10 AM Central Time for great chats centered around content writing and marketing. Follow @ExpWriters to stay updated on our new topics and guests!
Did you miss #ContentWritingChat this week? There’s no need to worry! We have you covered with a recap of Tuesday’s chat, which was filled with great tips to help you come up with your next blog topic.
Let’s dive into the tweets!
#ContentWritingChat June 7 2016 Recap: How to Consistently Find Fresh Blog Topics
This week, Monika Jansen joined us as our guest host. Monika is the founder of Jansen Communications, as well as an experienced online copywriter. She shared key tips on creating “fresh” content for your blog.
Q1: What are ways to come up with new topics for your blog?
The truth is, sometimes it’s hard to come up with interesting topics to write about on your blog. Instead of stressing as you try to come up with ideas, check out these tips:
A1: I always start with FAQs. What are your clients asking you about? #contentwritingchat
Monika suggested starting with your FAQ. Odds are, you’re getting a lot of questions from clients or readers of your blog. Address those questions in a blog post. It’s so simple, but it’s effective because you’re giving your audience exactly what they want.
If you’re still stuck, just ask your audience what they’d like to see from you. They’re the best people to tell you what they’d like to read.
A1) I like to cover topics relevant to a service/product that haven’t been covered yet or not in depth. #contentwritingchat
Kyle knows it’s important to keep your content relevant to your product or service. His tip is to choose topics that haven’t been covered yet or haven’t yet been covered in depth. Ask yourself what could use more coverage in your field and start writing.
Jenn likes to use Google Alerts and also tracks hashtags to see what other people are talking about. This is a great way to alert you to trending topics or questions people in your field may have. Asking your colleagues for ideas is another great tip!
A1 I always start w/ brainstorming sessions the @Affinio content team! Then look at what is resonating w/ our audience #ContentWritingChat
For Hannah, coming up with blog topics starts with a brainstorming session with the team at her job. If you have multiple people on your team, get everyone together to talk about ideas. They just might have some amazing tips you can use.
A1 Brainstorm internally- teamwork can garner best ideas! Tools ie @Buzzsumo to research competitors & get inspiration #ContentWritingChat
Don’t forget to read! You want to stay updated with everything that’s going on in your industry. Reading will help you come up with ideas, plus give you amazing content to share with your audience.
Erika said social listening is a great way to come up with content ideas. If you join a few Twitter chats, you’re sure to find people asking questions. Use those ideas to spark new content for your blog.
Monika’s advice is pretty clear: read more often! Find books, articles, etc. in your industry and start diving in.
A2 Google Keyword Planner, checking trends & hashtags, or old-fashioned brainstorming w/ a pen & a notebook #contentwritingchat
— Brittany-dot-Social (@BrittanySocial) June 7, 2016
Brittany likes to use Google Keyword Planner and she also likes to check trends and hashtags. While they’re all helpful, she also knows sometimes you just need to brainstorm with a pen and notebook.
We’re also fans of BuzzSumo here at Express Writers, so we highly recommend it. Check out Feedly to see what other websites are posting about and it might spark some ideas of your own.
Sarah from ThinkSEM knows Twitter is a great place to find ideas. She also turns to articles from industry experts and uses Google Analytics. Don’t forget to check out your analytics to see what people are searching to get to your site and what they’re searing while on your site. It’s the perfect way to discover new ideas!
A2: Brainstorm w/ Google Docs. See what other bloggers in your field are writing & add your creative twist #ContentWritingChat@writingchat
Google Docs is a great place to brainstorm your ideas. TimeTap suggested taking a look at what other bloggers in your field are doing. You don’t want to copy them, but you can still draw inspiration from their content and put your own spin on things.
Q3: How can you ensure you consistently provide great content for your audience?
You want to make sure all of your content is amazing, right? These tips will ensure you’re always publishing your best content:
A3: My number one rule is to write like you talk it’ll keep people engaged and help create a connection. #contentwritingchat
Monika’s advice is to write like you talk. Conversational writing will keep your audience engaged and help them to develop a connection with you. It’s much more personable.
Debi knows it’s important to address the pain points of your customers. What problems are they struggling with and how can you help? Address their biggest issues and answer their questions. It’s the best way to provide value to them.
Make sure you’re paying attention to your analytics. As Erika and Maggie said, you need to know what your audience is actually reading and engaging with. Provide them with the content that resonates with them to keep them coming back for more.
Varun suggested looking at your content through the eyes of your audience. Ask yourself if what you’ve written adds value. You can also ask for feedback, but make sure you actually implement what you’ve learned.
A3: Ask yourself, “Would you find this interesting?” Sometimes that helps. You need content that engages and entertains. #ContentWritingChat
Great advice from Hannah: test, learn, optimize. You need to make sure your audience is actually responding to your content, which means testing is very important.
Just give them what they love! It really is as simple as that. Get to know your audience and figure out what kind of content they enjoy so you can create more of that.
Q4: What makes a blog topic “fresh”?
So, what exactly is a “fresh” blog topic? Here’s what our #ContentWritingChat friends had to say:
A4: Your perspective, your experience, your approach, your tips – YOU keep topics fresh. #contentwritingchat
Monika said it’s all about providing your perspective, your experience, your approach, and your tips. It’s your knowledge and personality that keep content fresh.
A4) It could be covering a current event, a new piece of technology, or have a new POV on an already covered topic. #contentwritingchat
Kyle said a fresh blog topic could cover a current event or a new piece of technology. It could even mean providing a new point of view on a topic that’s already been covered.
As Monika said, you can write about trending topics, but only if it’s relevant to your audience and your brand. Keep that in mind when choosing which ones you write about on your website.
A5: Trending topics are good for your blog content if appropriate to your industry, company, products or services. #contentwritingchat
It seems Ray agrees. If there’s a trending topic you want to write about, ask yourself if it’s the right fit for you. Is it appropriate for your industry or your company? Does it fit with your products or services?
A5) If it’s relevant to your niche, go for it. But don’t jump on the bandwagon w/out considering the impression it gives #ContentWritingChat
When it comes to writing about trending topics, Kyle said to make sure you contribute to it in a meaningful way. You should be able to add value to your audience.
Michael suggested seeing if you can spin trending topics into evergreen content ideas. Evergreen content is always great for your blog and can help bring regular traffic to your site.
Q6: What are some tips for being consistent when it comes to blogging?
How important is consistency as a blogger? It’s pretty important! Here are some tips to help you stay on top of your game:
A6: Use an editorial calendar and focus on a handful of topics – the ones your audience cares about. #contentwritingchat
Fantastic advice from Christoph: never stop blogging. You need to make the time to commit to blogging on a regular basis. Scheduling your posts in advance is definitely helpful for this.
Sarah recommended having an editorial calendar. It’s a great way to keep you organized and you’ll never have to wonder what you should post. She also said to have a few posts ready to go for those slow weeks and months.
A6 Prepare as much evergreen content as possible for slow news days & when writers block strikes #contentwritingchat
— Brittany-dot-Social (@BrittanySocial) June 7, 2016
Like Sarah, Brittany also recommended having evergreen content ready to go for those times when writer’s block strikes.
A6: A schedule! Hold all of your content writers to the schedule. #contentwritingchat
Jenn suggested checking your analytics to see if there are better days to post. If you notice one day is more popular than another, take advantage of it.
Here are some ideas from Julia: create quote visuals for posting on social media, make a SlideShare with great tidbits, or turn your written content into video content.
A7: Turn your blog posts into podcast topics/interviews. Do a blog carnival once a quarter. Do roundups in email news. #contentwritingchat
Kelli knows link building within your site is important. Make sure you’re adding links to your newer posts in those old posts to keep people on your site.
If anyone is still left at #ContentWritingChat, an idea for Q7 is pick a favorite blog post of yours and link to it in your pinned tweet.
Zachary was still sharing ideas even after the chat! He recommended choosing a favorite blog post and saving it as your pinned tweet on Twitter to drive more traffic to it.
Q8: What metrics can you measure to see how effective your blogging is?
How can you determine if your blogging efforts have been successful? Keep an eye on these metrics:
A8: The only metrics that matter are the ones connected to your goals. #contentwritingchat
Are people reading your post, sharing it, and talking about it? What does your bounce rate look like? You want to get people to stay on your site once they land there.
A8: Increasing traffic is important, but ultimately, time on page & bounce rate best show if your audience found value. #contentwritingchat
Molly also knows checking your bounce rate and the amount of time spend on the page are important to measure. This will give you an idea of whether or not your audience found value in your content.
.@ExpWriters#ContentWritingChat A8. Social engagement, time spent on article, clicks on in-post CTA (if any) and comments on post.
— Pratik Mohapatra (@mohapatrapratik) June 7, 2016
Don’t forget to include a call to action (CTA) within your post. Then, track your results to see if people are responding.
— GhostBloggerForHire (@GhostBlogr4Hire) June 7, 2016
Are you getting return visits to your site? You want to make sure people keep coming back for more. You should also track that important length of time on page, social media shares, CTA results, and email newsletter sign-ups.
A8b) I also like to paste my URL into twitter search to see if it’s being shared. A fun tip that I think I learned at #ContentWritingChat.
Great tip, Jenn! Remember that not everyone will tag you when sharing your content on social media, which means you’ll miss some shares. Search your URL on Twitter to see all the shares from your site.
We look forward to seeing you at the next #ContentWritingChat! Mark your calendars weekly for Tuesday at 10 AM CDT for great chats centered around content writing and marketing. Follow @ExpWriters to stay updated on our new topics and guests!
You launch a blog and create great content and then you wait anxiously, obsessively checking your blog stats and waiting to see a drastic boom in readers.
This process can get tiresome.
Your scenario could vary: maybe you’re dreaming of overnight fame or a life as a professional blogger. Maybe you just want someone, anyone really, to read the post you just spent four hours writing.
Whatever your reasoning may be, you’re not alone if your blog traffic is less than what you hoped it would be.
Many bloggers who start new sites expect a boom and get a trickle of traffic instead and, if you’re not careful, this drastic difference between expectation and reality can easily cause bloggers to become frustrated and disillusioned.
Most new bloggers struggle with this issue and, fortunately, there are many effective ways to boost your blog’s traffic.
Read on to learn more.
What Really Brings In Blog Traffic?
Blogs exist for different reasons, including but not limited to conveyance of information, building of community, encouragement of conversations and production of revenue. If your blog is getting a good deal of traffic, it’s a safe bet that your site is meeting the needs of the readers you’re targeting.
The 3 Pillars of Blog Traffic
People who read blogs often want the following things:
1. Interest
If you want people to visit your blog, you have to provide them with something interesting, thought provoking, helpful or exciting. Nobody is going to keep coming back to a site that features dull, dry, poorly written posts. Because of this, interest is one of the primary driving factors in creating blog traffic. It doesn’t matter at all who your target readers are as long as you seek to provide them with interesting content they can relate to.
2. Value
Does your content provide something of value to your readers? If not, this may be one of the reasons you’re not getting much blog traffic. Value can mean a variety of things depending upon who your readers are and what they want, but one of the easiest ways to increase blog traffic is to provide value in your content. How-to articles are valuable, VIP updates are valuable, coupons and promotions are valuable and high-quality, niche-related content is valuable. Readers who get something from a blog are far more likely to keep reading and to tell their friends about the page.
3. Consistency
Would you continue to visit a page that featured the same, boring post for six weeks? Most likely, the answer is “no” and you can bet your readers feel the same way. One of the best ways to boost your readership is to maintain a consistent web presence. Aim to add a new blog post at least once a week and consider sending out automated emails to your subscriber list when you do. Striving for fresh content is a great way to keep readers interested and expand your fan base quickly.
Ready? Get your pencils sharpened…
And Here Are 7 Key Steps to Boosting Your Blog Traffic
1) Create Great Content: Audit What You Have, & Ask Yourself Is it Great?
Although running a successful blog is about much more than simply writing well, crafting great content is by far the most effective way to expand your reader base and garner more blog traffic.
Crafting great content means using proper grammar, writing well and knowing who your audience is, but it also requires a mind for strategy. Being strategic in your blog-building efforts means that you’re seeking to meet a specific need for readers. Blogs are used by readers primarily for education and entertainment purposes and, either way, it’s important to give readers what they want.
If your blog is an educational platform, check out websites like Quora to see what readers like yours are curious about and then write posts that answer their questions. If your blog is an entertainment blog, watch the social and political climate for current events worth writing about or seek to provide humorous, relatable commentary about your niche-topic, like Brittany Gibbons does on her smash-hit parenting blog, Brittany Herself. By being hilarious and empathetic, Gibbons creates content people want to share and, as such, she’s made a name for herself in the blogging world.
Also, auditing what you have is a really good way your blog has what it takes to bring in traffic. It might be time to delete some fluff that may be too low quality, and could even be pushing people away.
While it’s great to have a high-quality blog, a blog that isn’t shared across social media is going to have a very difficult time gaining readers simply because it’s not hanging out the same place the readers are. Although people do many different things online, 28% of most people’s daily online time is spent on social networking sites, which means you better get thee to Facebook.
In order to better promote your content across social media platforms, it’s wise to take simple steps such as adding a “share” button to your blog, doing some analytics research in order to share content when your audience is most active online or adding an image to a blog post and sharing it on Twitter.
Additionally, it is important to be active on a few different social media sites, such as Facebook, Google+ and Twitter. This allows your readers to find you on their favorite social media site and interact with your content in the way that is easiest for them. Additionally, once you’ve begun to garner shares on social media sites, it’s important to keep up with and participate in the conversation in order to further increase your presence and reach. You can do this by commenting on other blogger’s comments, answering questions on Quora, joining niche-related forums, asking for comments or emails from readers and taking surveys.
3) Pay Attention to Your Design
Even if you have the best blog content is the world, nobody is going to read it if they can’t navigate your site. For this reason, it’s important to pay attention to blog design and ensure that your site is laid out in a way that offers a user-friendly experience.
Readers should be able to locate content quickly and easily (installing a search bar is a great way to facilitate this) and navigate their way around your page without stress. For individual blog posts, links should be a different color than the rest of the text and headlines should be offset using bolding and header fonts while big blocks of text should be broken into lists or small sub header sections.
The secret to building a beautiful blog site is that the template should be clean and simple, the layout should be uncluttered and easy to navigate, the home page should be one column and the overall feel should be unique and warm.
4) Optimize Your Blog for SEO
If you want to drive more traffic to your blog, this is one of the most important steps. Unfortunately, it’s also the step that most bloggers skip because it seems too difficult. Trust us, though, it’s not and skipping out on SEO only hinders your blog.
Currently, Google processes 3.5 billion search inquiries every day and that number is only rising. This immense amount of traffic can be a serious advantage to bloggers who properly optimize their blog content. Although SEO may seem scary on the surface, there are plenty of great guides to optimizing your content for SEO.
According to SEO-giant, Moz, “20% of the effort and tactics to make your content optimized for search engines will yield 80% of the value possible.” That said, go forth and don’t be afraid of SEO. Proper utilization can have a profound effect on the success of your blog.
5) Be Really Cool About Your Images
Images are a highly shareable form of visual content. Visual graphics, be they images, infographics or memes, resonate with the human brain much quicker than text-based content, evoking quicker response time and a greater connection. That said, blogs that feature images are much more likely to garner shares and attention than those that do not.
To increase the readership of your blog, begin including high-quality images in your posts. Be cool about it – don’t be the average joe.
This will instantly boost your blog’s shareability.
There are plenty of great images available through stock image sites like istockphoto.com and pairing this with the awesome Canva can get you some really amazing imagery for your blog.
6) Use Links
Everyone appreciates links – including but not limited to search engines, readers and other bloggers. When you’re writing a post, make an effort to include links back to your other blog posts as well as to external sources that have a high domain authority ranking.
These links work in several different ways: first of all, they make your text more visually interesting and help readers interact with and learn more about unfamiliar concepts or external sources. Secondly, links provide a shout-out to other high-quality blog sites, which builds kinship and provides you with valuable contacts for further blogging endeavors.
Other site owners can see your links to their sites via Google Alerts or a simple look at their blog site’s top referrers. When your links are high quality and you’re using great anchor text, links are a great way to earn points in the blogging community and inspire other bloggers to link to your site, as well, which provides both sites with more readers and a larger reach.
7) Embrace Guest Blogging
When it comes to increasing your blog’s traffic, guest blogging is a tactic that can’t be overlooked. Writing guest posts for other sites and accepting guest posts onto your site is a great way to build community, provide value to a new set of followers and build relationships with fellow bloggers.
When you’re just starting out, it can be tough to position yourself for guest blogs but, many times, it is as simple as reaching out to a blogger you admire and pitching a guest post. The worst that can happen is that the blogger will say no and, if this happens to be the case, don’t get discouraged.
Leverage your friends, family and personal connection for guest blogs and keep offering your writing skills to blogs you admire. At some point, you’ll land a few guest blogging opportunities and your traffic will most likely increase.
Building Blog Traffic: It’s Possible and You Can Do it!
Building blog traffic can seem like a difficult task but, truly, it comes down to a few simple skills that anyone can master. By ensuring you’re offering great content that is interesting, valuable and consistent, optimizing your blog content for social sharing and SEO, providing a great layout, adding images to your post, utilizing high-quality links and making an effort to give and receive guest blogging, you can be sure that your blog will see an uptick in traffic.
Although it may be a slow progression, it pays to avoid becoming discouraged. Blogging is not a get-rich-quick scheme and, as long as you’re creating great, reader-focused content, you’ll achieve blogging success.
Blogging is such an incredible tool within content marketing—one of the most powerful ones, too. It gives you a unique ability to reach out to a wider audience and gives you the chance to write on a variety of things from why people need your product to what colors a dress might be.
Most importantly, it also gives you the ability to grow your traffic and bring in new visitors, giving you the possibility of increasing revenue. Let’s look at just how you can do this with a few excellent blogging practices.
18 Incredible Ways to Increase Traffic With Great Blogging Practices
Just how can you grow your traffic through your blog? Let me walk you through some great points that can help you improve your overall content marketing campaign! Be sure to let me know which of these practices reach out to you in the comments.
Blogging Can Increase Rankings and Bring in More Organic Search Traffic. A great reason why blogging can be great to grow your traffic is because it helps you rank higher on the search engines. Organic traffic is great, and the more you blog, the more likely you are to increase that. Remember that each blog you write is just one more landing page that gives readers and visitors a chance to see your web page and products. The more you write, the more landing pages you create, which helps you create more opportunities for your site to rank and be found.
Write Different Content Types to Drive Traffic. A good idea to help create blog posts that help drive traffic is to follow some of the findings from Newscred’s social media study. Researchers found that things such as “how-to” posts and lists brought in more social media traffic, as did blogs with evergreen topics. One thing the study also noted is that content types tended to be shared differently at different times throughout the year. This is a good reason as to why you should always research your audience and pay attention to your analytics. You can figure out which blog topics will do best at which times, giving you the chance to create great blog posts that increase traffic.
Share Your Blogs on Social Media to Increase Traffic Even More. Increasing traffic to your blog isn’t going to happen as soon as you write and publish. In fact, you are going to need to do a little more work to drive traffic through blogging. A great place to start with is social media. Social media is an incredible way to help boost blog traffic to your site, and you can do so in many different ways. Just work with your social channels and research your analytics to see what things you need to tweak and which things are working well for you.
Never Ever Forget About Email Newsletters. Another way to bring in more traffic with and to your blog is to send out information about your blogs in your email newsletters. You can promote a wide variety of things in your newsletters, and your blogs should be one of those items. Encourage readers to click and read your blog postings, and encourage new visitors to your site to sign up for a newsletter to know when you’ve posted a new blog.
Write On the Latest, Trendiest Things to Bring in Viewers. Something that can really help drive traffic with your blogs is when you blog about the latest, trendiest items out there. You can blog about new films and how they can inspire people in your industry, use memes that have gone viral, or any other currently trending item to help bring in visitors. Remember, you shouldn’t only focus on viral, trendy content. But it is a great idea to boost traffic.
Always Make Sure Your Blogs Have Epic, Impactful Headlines. According to Lindsay Kolowich over at HubSpot, headlines are a vital part of every single content marketing strategy. A headline is what convinces someone to click on your link, which then helps to improve traffic. If you want to boost your traffic through blogging, then always make sure you are creating powerful headlines that encourage people to click. This could be your only chance to bring in new viewers.
Utilize Different Keywords, Especially Long-Tail, In Your Blogs. Neil Patel points out that keywords, especially long-tail keywords, are vital to your blogging campaign. You need to make sure you are using excellent keywords that can drive traffic, and you should also make sure you use a variety to bring in a wider audience. Patel shows that you can increase your traffic and clicks by 78 percent when you use long-tail keywords, which is truly remarkable! Use your keywords, and bring in more traffic.
Make Sure Your Posts are Perfect for Your Audience. In the article I shared above, Neil Patel also points out how important it is to know your audience and have posts that are specifically for them. Research your demographic and the clients you already have to gather information on what your audience will like and want to see. You can also send out questionnaires and ask your social media followers what type of posts they’d like to see. The more you write posts that are perfect for your audience, the better your chances are of increasing your overall site traffic.
Have a Stunning, Professional Blog Layout and Design. Written content isn’t the only thing you should consider when trying to use your blog to drive traffic. You should also consider making sure you have a great and professional blog design with an easy-to-follow layout. This can help encourage your readers to come back and read future blog posts, and can even encourage them to read your past pieces. If your blog looks like it is thrown together, your readers aren’t likely to stick around for very long.
Utilize Images, Videos, and Infographics in Your Blog Posts. Along with a great design, you should also focus on visual content on your blog, as well. You can share videos with your clients, create an infographic out of a longer post, and attach images to your written content. This can help get more attention from a wider audience. People enjoy having multiple content formats to consume, and each of us consumes content differently. Give you readers and visitors options to help drive continual traffic.
Create Evergreen Content to Drive Traffic Constantly. Trendy topics are a great way to drive traffic, but those will only last for a few weeks or even a few days. Once the trend goes away, the traffic will dwindle; so how can you keep it going, as well as increasing it? You can write evergreen content that focuses on topics that don’t go stale. A great way to know if you’re writing evergreen topics is to pay attention to your topic and how you write. If you write something without focusing on trends or current pop culture references, chances are it is evergreen. If you’re writing or referencing something that is popular right now, then it isn’t.
Always Craft Excellent, High-Quality Articles. Increasing and maintaining traffic are two sides of the same coin, meaning you need to focus on both when creating your blog content. One of the best ways to make sure you are working on both is to write amazing, high-quality content. If you aren’t sure if you are writing high quality, you can always hire a copyeditor to look over it or simply hire a copywriter with training in high-quality web content.
Consider Covering News Topics on Your Blog. Writing on fun trends can make your blog pop and bring people in, but sometimes you should focus on writing something a bit more serious and informative. A great way to increase traffic through blogging is to write blogs on news pieces. If you’re in the social media world, then writing on what new thing Facebook is doing or a new social media channel will be great for news content. News content can be amazingly captivating for your audience while providing them with top information from the latest news sources.
Write and Publish Blogs Consistently. A consistent blogging schedule can also help increase your traffic. People like to know when to expect blogs from their favorite sites and companies, and if you set a schedule, they are likely to keep an eye out for your new blog. Set a schedule and play with it for a bit to see how often and which days work the best for you. Make sure you keep your schedule the same for a few months to get the best measure of what days work and also so that you aren’t constantly changing things around on your readers.
Engage With Your Audience to Promote Further Clicks and Engagement. Another great way to increase traffic with your blogs is to engage with your readers when they comment. Always be sure that you reply to a comment and consider doing more than the cursory, “Thank you for reading” response. You can ask your reader a specific question in reply to their comment or answer a specific question they asked. Engaging and conversing with them can help encourage them to come back and read your newer blogs, and can eventually convince them to become clients instead of just readers.
Don’t Hesitate to Pay to Promote Your Blog. Organic traffic is great, but sometimes you need that extra push to help increase website traffic with your blog. You can promote your blog through various ways such as pay-per-click ads or utilizing social media ads on channels like Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. This can help drive some traffic, and when people find your blog and see that you’ve spent a good portion of time and energy on it, they’ll stay. Once this happens, then you can be well on your way to getting organic traffic.
Comment on Industry Blogs and Link to Your Blog. You can also encourage people to visit your blog by commenting on industry blogs with a link back to yours. This doesn’t mean to promote your blog and get all spam-like. Write something that provides value to the writer of the blog, and if you have a similar blog you can mention it. In addition, many comment forms allow for people to share a website along with their name, which is a great way to help link people to your page without even mentioning it in the comment.
Allow Readers to Share Your Blogs Easily on Social Media. As I mentioned earlier, social media is a great way to increase your traffic through blogging. You can post your blogs to social media, but you can also allow your readers to share your blog easily through social share buttons. Putting up social share buttons on each post can help you reach a wider audience because, if a reader likes one of your posts, he or she can then click the social button and share to their channel quickly and easily. This can help bring in more viewers, and end up converting those visitors into clients. Never underestimate the power of a social share button on each and every blog post.
Remember, Patience Truly is a Blogging Virtue
When it comes to increasing your traffic through blogging, remember that it might take some time. Even though a lot of viral content can make it seem like things happen in a snap on the Internet, the reality is that it takes time to build your presence. You want to be a trusted source, so follow these tips with your blogs to create a great presence and drive traffic. If you need help with creating blog posts that are engaging, then contact Express Writers. Our blogging services provide you with excellent, high-quality material that you and your readers will enjoy.
