Everything You Need to Know About Starting a Blog
It’s almost impossible to gauge how many active blogs there are online at any given time. A rough guess might be around 160 million, given that there were estimated to be something like 152 million back in 2013. That may seem like a huge number, but of course the vast majority go pretty much unread. A select few, however, enjoy massive success, with hundreds, if not thousands, of daily readers. So how to make sure that your new business blog joins the ranks of the chosen ones? Here’s some solid gold advice on starting a blog and making your blog a hit.
Mobile optimisation
This ranks first because today, smartphones are the most popular way to browse the web. People like to read while they’re on the commute, waiting in line, or just killing time, and often, they read blogs. Some hosting providers such as UK2 Hosting provide website builder software as part of their package that can automatically optimise your blog for mobile devices.
Who is your audience?
Relevancy is of course critical. You need to know who you are writing for – potential customers in most cases, and what they’re likely to be looking for from a blog. What problems do they have, that you can solve for them? Remember that even if you work in what’s perceived as a dull industry – plumbing supplies, for instance – that’s no reason your blog shouldn’t be interesting for readers.
You might not want to talk about the peculiarities of different types of u-bend, but you can discuss broad topics such as home makeovers with mentions of how good plumbing supplies should be used. You can provide advice on what to do in case of a major leak, video how-to guides on anything from how to change a washer to how to bleed a radiator, top 10 lists, or funny pictures of bad plumbing. Remember your blog shouldn’t be aiming to sell directly, it’s more about showcasing your expertise and knowledge so readers will remember your brand when they do need something.
Guest posts
With that in mind, another excellent way to make your business appear more trustworthy is by having a range of authors, rather than just the one. Now, the trick with guest authors is to make sure they add credibility to your blog. Don’t invite contributions just for the sake of it, or because they offer to pay, but because they have something to offer that would be of interest to your readers.
Finding inspiration
For a lot of businesses, it can be difficult to come up with new topics on a regular basis. You should be aiming for a minimum of one post a week, more if possible. So where to find ideas? Competitor blogs, news items, interviews with thought leaders in your industry, product reviews – these all offer rich potential. And ensure you read every comment left on your blog, as questions from readers can often lead to future topics.
Sharing
A lot of your blog’s influence will come from being shared over social media, especially if it’s being read on mobile devices, so you need to make it as easy as possible for people to do that. Add social buttons to the bottom of every article so it can be spread over Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn with a minimum of effort. Punchy titles and original, engaging content will obviously go a long way too! Don’t be tempted to stuff articles with keywords. You should be aiming for readable content first and foremost.
Collect email addresses
You want to build as large a subscriber list as possible, which you will then alert every time a new blog article is published. To do that, and create organic growth, you need to collect as many email addresses as you can at every opportunity. Run competitions, use pop-ups, use any trick you can, but keep pulling them in!
Analytics
You can use analytic software to learn what types of content, and what topics, are generating the most interest online, or being shared most, and then aim to produce more in the same vein. You can also use it to track which of your subscribers are actually engaging with your content, such as by monitoring who clicks through to the blog from links in your email newsletter. If someone is clearly not interested, you can remove them from your subscriber list so that you’re not bothering them. You never know, they may be so shocked not to get their regular newsletter that they rush to re-subscribe and take more of an interest next time.