Kelly Shepsko
If you’re reading this post, you’re most likely becoming savvy with your online marketing to some degree and have likely heard about the importance of business blogging. You might have heard that blogging helps establish yourself as an expert in your field; it helps drive traffic to your website and improves your website’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts by adding keywords and new pages to your website.
You can be a thought leader on your topic who has a lot of helpful knowledge to offer your reader, but if you don’t include a few critical elements into your post, you may not get the exposure you had hoped for. Before you put blood, sweat and tears into cooking up your next blog post, follow these critical blogging tips and tricks:
1) Use an effective, eye-catching title
See what I did with mine? I don’t know if you’re a fan of the classic AMC show, Breaking Bad, but I’m assuming there’s a good chance that you are. After all, the show entered the Guinness World Records as the highest rated show of all time in 2013. My title is a bit provocative and draws attention to the content while effectively communicating what the article is about. Keep your title simple, but creative.
2) Perform keyword research on your topic
Anyone who is familiar with the importance of business blogging is aware of the exceptional SEO potential that blogs present. However, it’s not likely that your blog will truly have good ranking potential without thinking about and choosing keywords to focus on beforehand. I personally use HubSpot’s keyword suggestion tool, where I type in my general topic and then get guidance on what specific terms I have an opportunity for ranking with. Then, I include those terms throughout the copy where relevant, so my blog can be indexed on search engines for relevant search terms, making it easier for readers and potential prospects to find my content.
3) Include photos and keyword-rich alt tags
When you were little, you might have sometimes preferred the books with the pictures rather than those with solely text. This is because photos help guide the eye and help break up a sea of text to appear more desirable for a user to read. Not only do photos make your posts more aesthetically pleasing, but they also bring SEO/keyword opportunities known as alt tags. An alt tag is a text description for an image that is read by search engines. Learn more about the benefits of adding photos to your blog posts and using alt tags here.
4) Make it easy for the reader to skim through posts
When most people read online, they quickly scan the page for headings, bullet points and other visual cues to quickly get an idea of the content before diving in. If they are interested in the gist of the article, they will dive in and read the rest. This is why list-type blog formats are extremely popular and tend to be the preferred type of blog writing formats you see today. Looking for an example? See any Buzzfeed post, ever.
Remember: to really experience the benefits that blogging contributes to your online presence, you must follow a strategic approach with a consistent blog posting schedule. If you’re looking for more information about business blogging or would like to read more blogging tips and tricks, click below to visit our archive!
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