Part 2 of my article on how and why you should be Blogging for your business, in this article we are going to look at 20 essential Blogging tips to help you get the most out of your time and efforts when it comes to blogging. If you haven`t read Part 1 yet you can do so right here.
Right, let`s not mess about and let`s dive straight in!
Tip 1: Google loves to see 1,000+ words in your Blog but in my experience anything between 350-600 words is ok, if you can write 1,000 words then great, experiment, test and measure and see what works for you. (Tweet this)
Tip 2: Ideally you need to Blog at least once a week, every day if you can. But don`t just Blog for the sake of it, only Blog when you have something of value to write about but use the once a week rule as your yardstick.(Share this on Twitter)
Tip 3: Try to write as though you are talking to someone face to face, use the words `you` and `your` often. (Tweet this to your friends)
Tip 4: Avoid `weeing` all over your Blog! Do not use the word `we` too much, “we do this…”, “we do that…” will be very off-putting to many readers and feels like you are talking at them rather than with them. (Tweet this tip)
Tip 5: Make good use of images or video to break the text up (Tweet this tip to your followers)
Tip 6: Much like tip 5, make the most of the `white space` and break the text up using H2 or H3 tags as sub-headlines, this will make it much easier to read and be good for your SEO too by placing keywords in the H2 and H3 tags. (Tweet this tip)
Tip 7: Keep the post consistent to your brand and industry, keep it on subject and not wander off in to the distance! (Go on you know you want to Tweet it!)
Tip 8: Try to write helpful and interesting content, `How To`, `Best of`, Top Tips` always seem to work and get the best engagement rates (Tweet this tip)
Tip 9: By all means boast about an award or something major happening within your business but do not write about a staff day out for example, yes it will be interesting to you and your staff but not to many others (Tweet or not to Tweet?)
Tip 10: Think about your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) as you write your Blog, plan your Page Titles, your Meta Description, your H1, H2 & H3 tags, your Alt Tags for images and so on. (Your Twitter followers will love this one!)
Tip 11: Use the Google Keyword Planner to search for highly searched for terms or phrases and use these as possible Blog posts to help attract more traffic, relevant traffic.(Guess what? You can Tweet this one too)
Tip 12: Use 2 or 3 outbound links to other sites, as long as they are relevant to the Blog post. Try linking to Wikipedia or another authorative site to explain a technical term or industry jargon.(Just as I have in the last tip) (Tweet me!)
Tip 13: Don`t be afraid of giving away industry related information or tips, if it is going to put you forward as the authority or the `go to` place in your industry then that is great, guess who they will go to when the time is right to buy? (Tweet this tip)
Tip 14: Guest Blogging, is it worth it? For the SEO value…not really. However guest blogging can expose you to an established, engaged audience you may never have otherwise reached, so give it some thought and consider writing Blog posts for others within your industry. (Oh yes, you have to Tweet this one!)
Tip 15: Ensure you have Social Share buttons either at the beginning or the end of your Blog post, even both! Make it as easy as you can for readers to share across social media with their friends or business contacts. (Tweet this)
Tip 16: Always have a strong Call To Action (CTA) at the end of your Blog, even if it is just `Follow Us on…` or `Call Us today` (Tweet this tip)
Tip 17: Use your Blog posts as the core for your Social Media content and strategy. Break it up in to bite size chunks for Twitter, use paragraphs for Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+, always add a link back to your Blog post. (Go on, you know you want to!)
Tip 18: Skip the out and out promotion of your products and services. If you write good informative, helpful and interesting content that in itself will be your sales pitch. (Tweet me to your friends)
Tip 19: Don`t panic if you never got a degree in English Literature! Your Blog does not have to be a best seller, be yourself, write informally. Just make sure your check for those typo`s as these can dilute your credibility. (Please don`t tell me I have a spelling mistake!) (Tweet this to your followers)
Tip 20: Finally…I started off with the first tip about word count. I will emphasise this because Google`s latest algorithm update can penalise `thin content` so I would make sure that you have at the very least 350 words in your Blog post. (Tweet this & impress your followers)
Bonus Tip: Here`s one for luck…do not just copy another Blog and try to rearrange the wording, one it is morally wrong and two you could get penalised for duplicate content if Google deems it is very similar. Be genuine, be original.
I hope you find these helpful and good luck with your Blogging.
By all means let me know what works for you or if you have any other tips as I would love to know how you are getting on.
Until next time
Martin
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