Blogs are the backbone of digital marketing. They’re an opportunity for you to connect with your audience and boost your brand reputation.  

You may feel intimidated by the idea of creating blog posts that amaze readers. But you don’t have to be. All you have to do is find ways to inject your expertise in a concise and engaging format, and you’ll increase your site visitors over time.  

Learn how to create the perfect blog for your target audience in this article.  

Before We Begin: A Little SEO Refresher 

When creating your blog, it’s important to keep SEO in mind. 

To recap, SEO — or search engine optimisation — is a set of best practices that focuses on increasing traffic by moving your website’s ranking up in search engines like Google.  

Google determines rankings based on several factors, including:  

  • Site organisation  
  • Site performance  
  • Backlinks and off-page SEO 
  • Quality of content  

The first two aspects of SEO are technical and are best managed through a top-quality web host. Backlinks and off-page SEO are two external areas that can be hard to control.  

The area where you have the most power is the quality of your content.  

Google and other search engines always have user needs in mind — and one of those is fresh, informed, and engaging content. If your website has that, you’ll earn SEO brownie points. 

This is where your blog comes into the picture.  

Simple SEO

How to Create a Good Post for Your Blog Audience 

So, how do you create a blog that delights your audience and boosts your SEO? Follow these three steps. 

Demonstrate your expertise  

Whether you’re a business consultant, a tradesperson, or a service-driven business, there are things you know as an expert that people are curious about.  

The popular Australian business blog, BlueWire Media, is an excellent example of this. Site owner Adam Franklin took his expertise in <ahref=”/online-marketing/”>web marketing and wrote insightful tips on email marketing, keyword research, and other topics.  

You may be thinking, why’s he giving this information away for free?  

That’s because all these tips drive users to his site and to avail of his offerings, like his online courses and consultancy work. By sharing his expertise, he has built a loyal following that not only buys his services but also hires him to speak for public events.  

This also applies to other kinds of businesses.  

Even if you teach someone exactly how to do something, there’s a difference between knowing how to do something and actually doing it. Most people will opt to skip the DIY headache and go with the pro instead.  

That’s why the popular plumbing blog, Green Planet Plumbing AU, has a vast database of DIY tips.  

They know many users will prefer to have the experts do the job for them. But by sharing their knowledge, they’ve distinguished themselves from competitors while driving traffic to their site. It’s the ultimate win-win.  

Keep a regular posting schedule  

Keep a regular posting schedule

With so much going on in the life of a small business owner, maintaining a blog may seem low on your priorities. The problem is that even if you do have a fantastic blog, it’s not going to help you if you post to it only a few times per year.  

Google and your users are looking for fresh content. If they see your last post was from 2019, then they’re going to wonder if you’re even still in business.  

When it comes to blogging, the more you do, the better.  

Set a minimum goal of one new blog post per week. Consistency is key. Check your website’s analytics to see what time of day you get the most traffic, and then use that time to publish your posts.  

Your blog posts don’t have to be perfect. They don’t need to be the definitive guide to anything. What matters is they‘re clear and informative. In the end, it’s better than not posting at all.  

Here are other things to keep in mind:   

  • Aim for 500-900 words. Make it as comprehensive as possible, but don’t drag it either. Include only information you think is relevant to your readers.  
  • Include images to break down your text and make it easier to digest. 
  • Add video if necessary. 87% of marketers say that video increases site traffic. 
  • Link to other parts of your site. This improves your site organisation, and in turn, your SEO.  
  • Vary your topics. Arrange your expert knowledge into categories and talk about a different category in each article.  
  • Use attention-getting headlines. The headline is what your readers see first — if they don’t find it enticing, they won’t read your post at all. 

To keep your schedule in one place, use a content calendar. This gives you a bird’s eye view of your blog content and helps you stay on schedule. Use our free content calendar template!

Promote your posts  

Promote your posts  

You may have written an incredible blog post, but it won’t matter if people don’t see it.  

There are countless ways to promote your post — and most are free. This will help you build traffic over time.   

  • Share your posts across your platforms, especially on social media. Encourage your users to share your post to increase your reach exponentially. 
  • Use LinkedIn Groups, Facebook Community pages, and other industry channels to promote your post among your peers and colleagues.  
  • Connect with an influencer, especially on LinkedIn and Instagram. Influencer marketing is massive right now and connects your business to the huge audiences who follow influencers.  
  • Consider paid promotion on Facebook, Twitter, Google, and other platforms. Paid ads will enable you to choose your target audience from those who’ll likely read your posts. This increases your chances to earn more traffic and conversions. 

Don’t forget to encourage engagement in the blog. Allow users to leave comments and ask questions. This will help create an active environment for an exchange to occur.  

Create an Effective Blog for Your Business Today 

Your blog matters. It may not grow to be as popular as HuffPost or Mashable, but that’s not the point. Your blog is your avenue for cultivating good relationships with new and existing customers.  

Start small and be patient. Over time, your audience will grow, and so will your business.  

Learn more marketing tips for your business here. Â