Blogging 101

Have you been thinking about starting a blog for your business but aren’t sure where to start? Do you have a blog but aren’t seeing the results that you want? In this article we will break down the basic things you want to consider when starting a blog for your business.

What is a Blog?

A blog is the main hub for updates, content and announcements that is typically connected to your website although they are sometime separate. One of the key benefits of a blog is that it’s the one channel where you have complete control over the content and functionality. Unlike social platforms like Facebook and Instagram, you have no control over when they make updates.If one of your goals is for your website to rank higher in search engines blogging can be a great strategy to help you achieve this. It’s also one of the best ways that you can establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry by sharing new, tips, advice and more.

What Should you Write About?

One of the biggest challenges we hear from clients when it comes to writing a blog is “what should I write about?”. Take a step back. When you have a question about anything, what do you do? You probably Google it. Just like you, many of your potential clients do the same thing.

One of the main strategies we focus on is using content creation (blog posts) to help attract your ideal audience through keyword search. We do this by focusing on the top questions and problems your ideal audience is likely searching for in terms of your product or industry.

There is likely a list of 10-15 questions that you typically get asked by potential clients every time you meet with them. Every time you are asked a question, write a blog post about that question and answer it.

Selecting Keywords for your Blog

Keywords are the words or phrases that your target audience would use to search for information and articles in search engines like Google. Here are 6 steps to using keyword in your blog articles:

  1. Choose your targeted keyword: Identify one main keyword or phrase for each article. You can use tools like Google Keyword Tool to help you identify specific keywords.
  2. Keyword(s) in the Title: Include that keyword or phrase in the title of your blog post. This is one of the most important elements so ensure that your targeted keyword is written exactly as you want, little changes can make a difference.  
  3. Keyword(s) in the URL: When possible you should also include your keyword in the URL of your blog post.
  4. Keyword(s) in the Content: Ideally your posts should be no less than 500 words. Articles that are 1,000 to 2,000 words long are even better. Try to use the exact keyword at the beginning, end and 1-3 times throughout your article. Avoid over stuffing your content with the keyword because it can harm the ranking of your post.
  5. Keyword(s) in the Meta Description: The meta description is no longer as important to help you rank in search results, but it’s extremely important from a user’s experience. The meta description is the short description that shows up under the title in Google search results. Putting your keyword phrase in this the meta description can help confirm that your article is about the keyword your reader searched for.

Blogging Best Practices

You will realize that every blogger has their own unique style. Play around with different ideas and strategies to find out what works best for your target audience. Here are a couple of tips and best practices that we suggest you think about as you write:

  • Write from your reader’s perspective. What attracts them to your blog?
  • Include images and video in your blog posts. Many people tend to scan blogs, visuals help to breakup the written content.
  • Ensure all external links open in a new tab so the reader stays on your website.
  • Remember your call to action. What do you want them to do after reading the article — share, go-to another page on your website or leave a comment?
  • Share your blog on your social platforms and in emails.
  • Write in the first person to create a stronger relationship with your reader.
  • Use inclusive words like “you, your, us, we” to help engage your reader and make them feel like you’re talking directly to them.
  • Include a strong main image for your blog to help pull your reader in.
  • Respond to any comments made on blog posts.
  • Address any negative feedback and comments (do not delete them).
  • Track your key metrics: # of posts written, # of views, and comments and shares.

Blogs are becoming more and more common for businesses as a way to help show your expertise, be seen as a thought leader and just generally help to educate your audience. If you are ready to start exploring blogging make a goal to write a new blog post 2-4 times per month (once every week or two) and keep up with it for 6 months to a year. It can take some time to see the benefits of blogging but once you do you’ll be glad you put in the effort.