Posted by This article was written by Alex Sixt, an Entrepreneur NEXT powered by Assemble expert. If you are looking to take the NEXT step in your business then we encourage you to check out Entrepreneur NEXT powered by Assemble.
Let’s face it: these days, blogging is everywhere. From DIY home improvement to street fashion, there’s a blog for every topic you could ever dream of. If you’ve got an idea, there are people out there willing to read about it! As the world adjusts to the new normal of social distancing and WFH, many will turn to bloggers as a source of entertainment and inspiration. So this begs the question: how does your businesses’ blog stand out? Unfortunately, the answer is not simply to publish good articles – that’s true, but not enough. We live in the age of information overload; for every question, there’s bound to be five people with an answer. Crafting blog posts that will gather the attention of viewers and draw more traffic is going to require a bit more work. But don’t be afraid! It won’t involve staring for hours at your laptop screen in your pajamas (or your WFH quarantine outfit of the day). To enhance your blogs, it’s going to require some added thought beyond posting, that doesn’t mean you need to adopt the life of a full-time influencer. As you implement techniques to enhance traffic, you’ll find they do a lot of the work for you – meaning less time on your part. I’ve compiled a list of my favorite pro tips and ideas from other experienced bloggers to help you propel your blog above the rest. Grab your cup of Dalgona coffee, sit back, and let’s talk blogs!
1. Re-evaluate your niche
Remember when I said there’s an audience for every topic? It’s still true, but the popularity of (or lack of) your topic can actually hurt your blog traffic. To explain, let’s quickly visit your childhood and the story of Goldilocks and the three bears; the porridge was either too hot, too cold, or just right. Just like the porridge, your topic has to be just right in terms of the size of its audience. Choose a topic too large and you may have a difficult time standing out. If you choose one too specific, you could have a difficult time attracting a following. So here’s my advice: if your audience isn’t as large or reachable as you’d like, reconsider your blog’s focus, and adjust it’s specificity accordingly.
Related: Get One-on-One Expert Help From Entrepreneur NEXT powered by Assemble
2. Adjust posting frequency
Much like posting on social media, determining your post frequency for your blog is just as crucial. Post too much and your viewers may feel overwhelmed; post too little and they may forget about your blog altogether. There is no universally correct amount of posts that will drive your traffic up – as fantastic as that would be. Don’t feel as if you need to suddenly churn out five blogs a week! Start slowly, adding an extra post, or even experimenting with one less post. Watch closely how your traffic reacts, and you’ll slowly determine the frequency that will bring in a steady stream of viewers!
3. Feature your most popular posts
Most blog platforms will have a feature that allows users to showcase their most popular posts on the main page; my advice is to use this to your advantage. By showing off some of your most successful posts, this will impress any viewer first arriving at your page, and increase the likelihood that they’ll visit your other posts, as well. Take some time to look through your past blogs and notice which ones received the most engagement and views. By showing off these specific posts, visitors to your blog site will be more likely to return to see similar content!
Related: How to Start a Blog and Make Money Online
4. Post about your blog
Sometimes less is more, but not in this case. Promoting your blog shouldn’t stop once it’s published. Now is the time to tap into your influencer side, and post, post, post! I’ve worked with blog sites at a variety of companies, and if I’ve learned anything it’s that promoting blogs on social media is a surefire way to increase traffic. Provide clickable links to your latest blogs on Facebook and Twitter, and post the website link to your blog in your Instagram bio. Increasing the visibility of your blogs across social media will surely benefit your blog traffic, and demonstrate to your followers that you have more to offer outside of these platforms.
5. Add keywords
Have you heard of SEO? If not, let’s take a quick crash course. SEO means “Search Engine Optimization”, or optimizing your content so that it ranks higher in search results. One of the easiest ways to dip your toes into SEO is by adding keywords to your content that are currently popular in your niche. For example, if I wanted to write a blog about pop culture, I’d sprinkle in keywords such as “Gigi Hadid”, “Charli D’Amelio”, or “Tiger King” (all currently trending topics in the celebrity realm). Adding keywords will increase your blog’s chances of becoming more visible in searches on the web, therefore bringing more traffic to your site!
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6. Follow related blogs for inspiration
The good news is, you’re not alone. Where there’s one blog about an industry, there’s bound to be plenty more, and that’s not always a bad thing! In fact, there’s no better inspiration than existing content from other businesses and leaders related to your topic. If you’re feeling stuck, or even need somewhere to simply begin your blog, look to others for inspiration. Connect with them. Learn how they became successful with blogging and mold their success tips into creating your own popular blog site. And stay connected! I can guarantee, after years of experience in writing blogs, there are still moments of feeling stuck despite having a good amount of experience under my belt. When these times come, I turn to the blogs of other established people within the industry. Soon enough, the creative juices flow once again, and they will for you, too.
7. Guest blog posts
Here’s a tip that will give your tired fingers a rest from typing: invite someone else to write a blog on your site. I don’t mean someone random that you meet on the street (but who am I to judge your strategy?), rather someone who is within your industry. In #6, I spoke about how there are many blogs for almost every topic- which means there is also a good bunch of people who are like-minded to you. Tap into this network. Although partnering with your competition can be an intimidating idea, there’s no need to be afraid. Guest blogging can be a friendly way to help one another gain new blog traffic, and introduce your brand’s content to an entirely new audience. By hosting another industry professional’s content on your site, you’ll be able to offer a fresh perspective for your readers – and keep them coming back for more.
Creating and maintaining a successful blog is no easy feat, and certainly isn’t accomplished overnight. But don’t let those initial feelings overwhelm you; it does get easier over time with a little practice and fine-tuning. Take the time to determine the best plan for your blog, and stick to it as much as possible. The more you put into promoting your blog posts and standing out amongst the sea of competitors, the more views you’ll receive!