If you don’t already have a blog associated with your site, there is no better time than now to get one up and going. We have seen hundreds of companies who have not yet delved into the benefits that blogs bring, and this is the first thing that is recommended when companies embark on their digital marketing strategy.
A blog is useful for two reasons. First, it helps heighten the SEO on your site. When you start writing about elements around your products and services and including associated keywords, Google will pick up on that. Remember, Google regularly scrapes your site to see where to place you and how high. So, the more relevant keywords, the better. Secondly, it establishes you as an authority in your industry. The more knowledge you share, the more people will learn from you.
So, where do you start when building your blog? Well, we took a look, keeping in mind what some of the most successful brands are doing globally.
Keep Long-Term Success in Mind
When you start your blog, keep long-term gains in mind. You won’t rank first on Google instantly. You won’t draw in thousands of followers and traffic with your first few posts. This is all something that you will need to work on consistently. So, when creating your blog, get the foundations right to build up a successful blog.
By this we mean; don’t skimp on the platform that you are using. Also, make sure that you register the domain correctly. If you want to sell your blog at a later stage, having the right domain name and a well-formatted blog will ensure that you can do so easily.
Decide from the outset how you want to create your blog. There are some great platforms like WordPress that are simple, efficient, and simple to use. It provides you with a bunch of themes and integrations that you can use and is adaptable to your needs. While some brands code their websites from scratch, others use these kinds of tools to set up the site.
Pick the Right Plug-Ins and Online Tools
The next thing you will want to look at is the various tools available to you to successfully manage your blog. There are numerous out there, and each has an important role to play in ensuring your blog is a success. Some can be directly integrated with a platform like WordPress while others are online tools that streamline blog writing.
One of the tools you can’t go without is a plagiarism checker. It is free and fast and ensures that the content posted on your site has not been pulled from another source. Not only does that look bad for your brand, but Google will pick it up and penalize you for a duplicate copy. Additionally, you might expose yourself to an intellectual property legal case. So, ensure you bookmark that tool.
Look at plugins like Yoast for strengthening your SEO. It is easily integrated and even easier to use. It will show you what is needed on your blog to heighten your score and rank your posts higher. Our third favorite tool is a keyword research tool. SEMRush is a useful tool to find out what keywords need to appear in your articles for them to rank higher.
Great Content Will Get You Further
Don’t just do a blog for the sake of doing it. Better content will get you further. We mentioned earlier that content works for both SEO and for establishing yourself as a trusted source. So, put the content to good use.
Say, you provide B2B services in the tech industry. Plan and structure content around useful topics that people will want to know about your services.
Useful how-tos, guides and guidelines, and basic information that people will be searching for should appear on your blog. This might be really resource-intensive for you if you are running a full business, so look into hiring a content writer to create these regular posts. If you can hire someone who knows something about the industry, even better.
Maintain Consistent and Interesting Content
While you want your blog to be uniform and have a certain tone and uniform messaging, you also want to alternate between content. Find unique, creative ways to change the content every now and then. You need a mix of short, bite-size blogs which feature breaking news or focus on the latest trends. Then consider publishing longer guidelines like “5 Ways How to Optimize Your Blog”, for example.
Think about including videos on the blog, and make sure that you have images ready for each piece. Not only do these help make the blog look more appealing but it also helps with the SEO rankings.
You can also bring in content pieces from other thought leaders and various partners to really keep your content fresh and interesting. Keep in mind at all times that you will be posting all of this across your various social platforms and to your emails.
Bottom Line
As time goes on with your blog, you will start seeing that it will be the source of a lot of your organic traffic. So, don’t skimp on the quality or quantity of content. However, you must always stay current on the latest trends if you truly want your blog to succeed.