What would you say if I told you that 95% of blogs fail?4
Yeah, that’s a high number. And even scarier is that it’s an accurate number.
So why are so many small business owners and online marketers missing out on a crucial way to attract organic leads to their website?
*cough, cough* they don’t have a blog! Or… they’re not utilizing it to its fullest potential.
Many people have lost sight of the importance of establishing a consistent and updated blog on their websites, and their traffic (or lack thereof) is showing it.
But the good news is that you can be among the 5% whose blog provides consistent leads to your website, improves your SEO, and even has the chance to make you money (through avenues like affiliate marketing).
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a small business owner, freelancer, creative entrepreneur, or a word fairy that loves sharing stories.
Whatever your official title, you’re taking on every role in your company (okay, besides the word fairies out there, y’all just keep sharing your magical stories with us).
Back to the biz owners — you wear all the hats:
Content creator
Website developer
Copywriter
Human resources
Bookkeeping/accounting
Maker
Continued into infinity...
As you’ve probably experienced (I know I have) it can feel freaky and overwhelming trying to make sure all of the aspects of your business get the attention they deserve. One of these roles may not seem as important, and for that reason it sits lower on your priority list.
Which role am I referring to? The one about writing highly-engaging and relevant blog posts…
The role of content creator.
In this article, we’re going over the ways that you can improve your blog’s chances of showing up in search results, and how blogging will help you win the long-term game of inbound marketing.
Blogging is an easy & effective way to utilize Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is how Google and other search engines find websites and promote specific pieces of content for specific keywords that are searched — keywords being the words your potential reader is typing into the search bar.
No one is 100% sure how SEO works, and it’s always changing, but getting on board with SEO has proven timeless in gaining momentum and traffic to your website.1
Simply put: better SEO strategies = better chances of your website showing up on page 1 of Google.
Creating consistent blog content positions you as an expert in your industry
Do you work in a very specific niche? Are you a yoga studio owner? Or a conscious jewelry designer? Are you an energy healer? Or an essential oil connoisseur?
You probably get a lot of questions from your community — maybe they’re asking the same thing a few times?
The more specific and unique your product is, the better opportunity you have to create content that directly answers all of the common questions you’re being asked.
Things like:
What is it?
How is it made?
Is it ethically sourced?
How will it benefit me?
Establishing a blog on your website is the perfect place to regularly answer these common questions. And, the best part, you get to do it in a way that’s fun for your customer to read and feels included in the experience.
And, the more you’re reporting accurate, relevant information, the more likely Google is to view your website as an authoritative voice on the subject.
Ways to improve your blog’s chances of being noticed by Google and your ideal customers
Write longer pieces of content
Gone are the days of a 500-word blog post going viral. Well, no not really. It’s still possible. But highly unlikely.
The research aside, when your content is above 1,000 words it increases its shareability dramatically.2 A lot of experts in the SEO world are stating that pieces of 2,000-3,000 word content stand a much higher chance of being shared. This is with the thinking that it’ll likely contain all of the information the reader is looking for with a higher word count.
More effective headlines (aka spend MORE TIME on them)
Are you the type of writer that throws together a headline in just a few seconds? Trying to think of something quirky and relatable, to get people to actually click on your post and read it?
While I’m all for working smarter not harder, spending less time on your headlines will actually create more head-aches for you in the long run.
Marketing expert David Olgilvy once said: “On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent 80 cents out of your dollar.”
Plain and simple: it doesn’t matter how great the body of your blog is if the headline doesn’t pique enough interest for the reader to even click on it.
Keywords, keywords, and uh, oh yeah, keywords
SEO is gonna be your best friend when it comes to writing ridiculously captivating blog posts.
When writing a blog, pick a word or phrase that sums up the essence of what the article is about.
This is your main keyword.
Then, brainstorm different sentences or common questions that you think potential readers/customers would search to find the information that they’re looking for.
These are called longtail keywords.
Here’s an example of what I mean:
Main keyword: massage therapy
Potential longtail keywords: massage therapy near me, massage therapy for pregnant women, what type of massage therapy is right for me, or how much should I tip my massage therapist?
And the longer your article, the more opportunities you have to infuse these keywords into your copy — in a way that’s natural and actually makes sense. NO KEYWORD STUFFING. Google doesn’t like that very much — and neither do your readers.
Promote your blog across multiple platforms(2)
It’s 2021 as I write this, and guys, there are tons of social media platforms being used every single day by billions of people. Billions.
You could promote your blog posts on:
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn (if your audiences are hanging out there)
And many other channels.
It’s a free way to tell the world and your direct following about your business and offerings. Promoting your blog posts across social media platforms also helps to put your content in front of someone who may not have otherwise seen it.
A great way to figure out which social platforms you should be posting on is to ask yourself where your ideal audience is hanging out.
Depending on factors such as age, gender, geographic location, and profession, everyone has a platform they prefer. For instance, if you’re looking to help women in their 70’s with their digestive help, chances are you won’t find many of them on Instagram.
That doesn't mean you shouldn’t use certain platforms — but take a deeper look in researching where you’ll have the best luck reaching the most people.
Add guest writers and posts
Search engines tend to favor websites that are consistently putting out new and relevant content. And, while it can feel impossible to keep up with those writing demands, the pressure doesn’t have to fall entirely on you.
You could reach out to other small business owners and offer a trade of guest post for guest post.
When someone writes a post for your website, the post will include a link to their website. This is called a backlink.
Guest posting not only increases the amount of content generated and displayed on your website, it also establishes your authority to include backlinks to different websites relating to your article.
When you include backlinks on your website to reliable sources, this also increases your SEO efforts. Just like having other sites backlink to your website also helps!
And wrap it up…
In today’s digital world, the amount of content being created is only going to increase exponentially.
You and your business can stay ahead of the curve by creating consistent and up-to-date blog posts that captivate your readers, offer valuable information, and have them waiting at their laptops for your next post update!
So, I’d love to know…
Are you prioritizing your blog copy like you prioritize other things?
If you’re feeling swamped with to-dos and writing blogs keeps getting put on the back burner, I’m here to help! Schedule a call or send me an email to start taking control of your business’s inbound marketing.
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