Did you know that there are more than 570 million blogs on the internet? Staggering numbers, right? However, blogging is popular for a reason. It allows companies to establish themselves as experts within their niche, earn their audience’s trust, increase conversion rates, and boost their SEO efforts.
But here’s the thing:
Only 22% of bloggers report bringing solid results from their blogging efforts. In contrast, 55% consider that blogging only got some results. In other words, most companies fail to make the most out of their blogging strategy. So why is that?
Well, it might be down to these four major mistakes:
Not Knowing Your Audience
The golden rule of blogging: It’s not about you, but your audience. Many companies see blogging as another way to promote their products or services. Although there’s nothing wrong with that, promotion shouldn’t sit at the top of your list. People read blogs for a reason: they often want to find a solution to their problems.
That said, blogs centered solely on promoting products or services wouldn’t bring much value to the audience, making them ineffective and turning users away.
In other words, take some time to understand your audience’s needs, wants, and pain points and create content based on that.That doesn’t mean you should ditch promotional content altogether, though. Consider using the 80-20 rule. More specifically, 80% of your content should inform and educate your audience, whereas you can use the remaining 20% to highlight the benefits of your products or services.
This allows you to feed two birds with one seed. You’ll be able to provide value to your audience and create promotional content without appearing too salesy at the same time.
Not Having a Blog on Your Website
At first glance, posting blogs on other platforms outside your website, like on social media, might seem like a good idea.
After all, you don’t have to spend extra time and money creating new web pages, and people will still get to read them, right?
Think again! By not having a blog on your website, you’re missing out.
First off, social media is a fast-paced environment. People are often distracted by dozens of other posts, and the chances are that you might have a hard time grabbing your followers’ attention. Let alone get them to read through a fully-fledged article.
Secondly, growing a social media follower base requires a lot of thought and attention, meaning that you’ve got a limited number of users that will read your posts at any given time.
Lastly, traffic will come naturally if your website’s SEO is done right. In other words, you can attract more readers without much effort.
You can turn your website into a goldmine with tools like Google Analytics.
This tool reveals anything you need to know about your audience, including how much time people spend on your website, what pages they visit, where they come from, etc.
In other words, Google Analytics can help you determine whether users read your posts and give you an insight on how to make them better.
That said, adding a few extra pages to your website to accommodate your blog is worth the effort.
If you’re not tech-savvy, opting for custom web development will ensure that your blogs seamlessly integrate with the rest of your website.
Poor SEO Strategy
Your blog has a significant impact on your web page’s position in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
Google values user experience more than anything else. That said, if readers are happy with your content, so is Google.
Again, this is a matter of knowing your audience. The more relevant your content is to your readers, the more interested they will be.
Consequently, they’ll visit your website more frequently, spend more time on it, and ultimately increase your site’s rankings.
Also, try to aim for evergreen topics. This type of content will not lose relevancy as time goes by and manages to bring a healthy amount of traffic to your website consistently.
As a bonus, posting high-quality content will allow you to establish yourself as an authority within your niche.
Other content creators might use your blogs for research and link back to your website, earning you a few backlinks.
To put it differently, don’t write just for the sake of it!
That’s not everything, though.
The next thing you’ll need to do is to tackle keywords properly. Sure, ranking for high-traffic keywords might seem like common sense, as they are used frequently by searchers.
But that’s the problem. In most cases, high-traffic keywords are also highly competitive. The more websites target the same keywords, the more difficult it will be to reach the top spots of the SERPs.
That said, try to strike a balance between keyword traffic and competition. Tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush will help you do just that.
After finding the right keywords, make sure to integrate them naturally throughout your content, meta-titles, and meta-descriptions to make the most out of your strategy.
Not Marketing Your Posts
Although we previously said that posting fully-fledged posts on social media is generally not a good idea, social platforms still have their purpose.
Social media bolsters your marketing efforts.
Sure, SEO can bring plenty of traffic to your website, but your blog will still have plenty of untapped potential.
So make sure to share fascinating snippets of your posts on social media to invite users to visit your website and read the blog in its entirety.
Also, add social sharing buttons to your website blogs so readers can easily share your content with their friends.
This way, you’ll bring the best of both worlds. You’ll boost website traffic while growing your social media presence simultaneously.
Lastly, consider repurposing your content. For example, you could turn an existing blog post into a video and post it on YouTube, or perhaps into an infographic and show it on social media.
This allows you to widen your reach, attract new audiences, and make the most out of your existing content.
Takeaway
All in all, blogging can be a powerful marketing tool for your business. If done right, that is.
It’s pretty easy to make mistakes, as writing takes a lot of time, especially if you’re a small business owner that cannot afford to have a dedicated writer on board.
Figure out the needs and wants of your audience, create a blog on your website, focus on SEO and marketing your content, and blogging can bring you substantial results in the long run.
