What makes a great blog? There are numerous factors to consider outside of just examining a single blog post. For example, what is the user experience like? How is the blog being promoted? Is the design visually appealing and does it represent a certain type of brand? Now is the time to really contemplate what goes into making a great blog, especially when websites with a blog tend to have 434% more indexed pages and B2B marketers that use blogs get 67% more leads that those that do not. Check out my top four tips on how to execute a great blog:
- Content Quality
Content quality is key to executing a great blog. First, take a look at length of content. The average word count of top-ranking content (in Google) is between 1,140-1,285 words. Next time you’re thinking about publishing a short form blog post, think about ways to build it out to be longer, whether it’s including more supporting research and stats or expanding upon the copy with more insightful thoughts. And let’s not forget about the importance of SEO. Investing in SEO is more important than ever. Research ways to enhance your SEO strategy and include top keywords throughout your blog copy to ensure it’s hitting the right audience. Word count and SEO are important pieces of content development, but ultimately it’s the author who has to ensure the write-ups are well-written, easy to read, and has the right tone when delivering a message.
- Design
We live in a visual world. Readers want to look at content that is engaging and visually-appealing. For blog posts, consider adding banners to each to capture a reader’s attention. Also, by adding short copy within the banner that summarizes what the blog post is all about helps readers quickly determine if the topic is of interest or not. One example of a blog banner is below:
Created by DarkSquare
Aside from adding fun imagery, think about the overall layout of your blog. Is the user experience strong? Or can it be improved? Ensure the design not only looks great but helps visitors navigate your blog easier.
- Promotion
Now that your blog is published, what do you do to get the word out there? A simple, quick solution is social media. Blogs and social media marry each other. Ensure your social media presence is prominently showcased on your blog in case readers want to follow you on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or any other existing social channels of yours. And then make sure your blog posts are frequently promoted on each social media channel with the appropriate social messaging copy for each channel. Again, visuals are always a plus so attach a fun social tile to your social posts. A fun example below:
Created by DarkSquare
There are numerous ways to promote your blog outside of social media. Below are some quick ideas:
- Include your content in your external weekly newsletters
- Try paid online advertisements.
- Collaborate with other blog sites with relevant audiences to cross-promote
- Send out an internal email to your employees asking them to share your content with their social networks to increase reach
- Make sure you’re updating subscribers on your blog’s latest and greatest
- Measurement
Measure, measure, measure. I am a strong believer in building strategy off of data. You don’t know what your audience likes until you get the data to prove it. Set up your blog on your preferred analytics platform (whether it’s Google Analytics, Omniture, or another platform) and start collecting data. From there, you can start analyzing metrics and discovering which type of content is top performing and which topics don’t resonate well with your audience. On top of that, you can get a closer look at your traffic reports, demographics, bounce rates, and so much more. Look for trends within the data and find ways to leverage your newfound insight to influence your current and future blog strategy.
There is a reason why 45% of marketers say blogging is the #1 most important piece of their content strategy. Don’t fall short and try to execute a great blog with these top four tips.
Do you want to chat more about blog best practices? Connect with me on LinkedIn.
Kellie Wong
Senior Editorial & Social Media Manager for Achievers
Kellie Wong is the Senior Editorial & Social Media Manager for Achievers. She is the Editor of the The Engage Blog and manages Achievers’ social media presence. In addition to writing and editing blog content for The Engage Blog, she also manages and maintains relationships with 40+ writing contributors. Connect with Kellie on LinkedIn or visit her website.
