The majority of all Content Management Systems come with some type of ability to “blog”. Blogging used to be the “in” thing a few years ago and everyone was doing it because “Google loves to see fresh content”. So content was thrown online (sloppy, people paying for cheap articles, etc.) and there was nothing but a sea of noise, i.e. “content”. Google leveled the playing field with a few algorithm changes, and some of the noise disappeared. And, because writing content was no longer a slam-dunk method of ranking, many business owners just went back to work.
Does that mean “blogging” doesn’t work? Absolutely not! It does. The secret is that you need to write quality content… that people love and want to engage with. Today we’re going to cover a few important steps before you step up to the keyboard and start writing.
What is “Blogging”
A Google search will give you the techno-definition. We’ll keep it simple… It’s articles you write on information that your target audience finds useful. And, it can be more than writing. “Vlogging” is video blogging… if you’re into video.
Google loves to see good and useful content and, with some strategy, each article that you write will work to increase your visibility online.
If you’re more interested in video blogging, the tips we’re sharing still apply. But, instead of posting the “article” to your website, you’ll be uploading it to YouTube (YT is Google!), and then embedding it into your site.
Have a Plan
Start by thinking about all the questions you get asked by clients on a daily basis. Or, if not questions, what are those things that you educate clients on day after day? Write these down. And, once written down, can these topics be grouped together in any way?
These topics should be put into a spreadsheet — we call ours a “Marketing Calendar”.
Next, how often can you commit to writing? If you’re not sure, start with once a month. It’s better to start small and expand, then jump in with too much, run out of steam and quit.
Last in this step is doing some keyword research.
Keyword Research — A Basic Intro
Why is keyword research an important step? It gives you the words that your audience uses when they are talking about the topic. You may have a clue about this since you’re talking with customers and potential clients, but it still doesn’t hurt to expand the list a bit.
If you do some digging on how to do keyword research, you’ll come across the term “Long Tail Keywords”. These are simply longer phrases that are more specific. And, when people use them, they are closer to making a decision than shorter phrases. And, generally, there isn’t as much competition with these longer phrases.
Example: “Digital Camera” vs. “Nikon Digital Camera” vs. “Compact point and shoot Nikon digital camera”.
The 1st phrase is very general, but the 3rd phrase narrows the field to the point that I want a Nikon point and shoot. Now it’s just a matter of which one in a more narrow field.
There are a ton of resources out there that walk you through the steps on how to do Keyword research. And our Friends at Yoast SEO have a how-to as a part of their free Getting Started SEO course. We’re not going to try and repeat the detail… but encourage you to check out their resources!
Ready, Set… Write!
Now that you’ve done your homework, you’re ready to rock your writing! We’ve got you covered on how to structure your content, use the right images, word your links for the best conversion, and the small stuff like writing your meta description.
Last, if you’re writing articles, share them — in an email to your contact list or on Facebook! Google will eventually pick them up, but get them out into circulation sooner so people can benefit from what you wrote.
