Well most of us know it’s important to have a blog on our website, with new and unique content posted on a regular schedule. But the question is what is the best content to put on the blog, as ideally you want to develop content that will engage your readers but also be looked upon fondly by search engines to help with your rankings.
What not to do
We’ve all been to websites where blog posts seem to have articles developed to focus on keywords rather than saying something interesting and unique. These blogs generally have very low levels of engagement, and in turn are not looked fondly upon by Google. Additionally if you subscribe to a service who provides your blog content, it’s important to know whether your content is unique, or if that same article has been posted verbatim on multiple other sites. If the latter is true, then Google will look at your blog is having duplicate content, rather than unique content, which is not something you want to do.
Think of something unique or specific to your target audience
Some of the best blog content can be answering questions that your customers ask you on a regular basis. Content that answers questions of the audiences you want to reach, and serves as a useful resource, is more likely to be read and engaged with. And it will benefit your content, to be more specific, focusing specific niches, which in our industry you can think of as the ‘long tail’ search.
For example, some of our dental clients look to target sleep apnea patients. So on their blog, rather than writing on topics such as,’what is sleep apnea?’, we delve into more specific topics such as, can children suffer from sleep apnea, or understanding the connection between migraines and obstructive sleep apnea. By being more specific, generally there will be less competition for that search traffic, and you’re more likely to engage readers who are looking for those specific answers.
And from a search engine standpoint, one important factor Google looks at is how long people spend on your website. And if visitors stay in to read your entire article on your blog, that is a lot of time being spent, and a very positive signal to Google that your website is giving people what they’re looking for, and therefore should be shown higher in search results for those related terms.
Not all blog content needs to be directly related to your services or products
For some of our clients, it’s been important to position themselves as engaged in, and an active member of, their community and as a resource for local goings-on. For example if you are a real estate agent, perhaps you don’t always want to blog about the pricing of homes, trends in the buying and selling of homes, and so forth. Most real estate agents are locally focused on specific neighborhoods or areas, so talk about local events, feature local businesses, review local restaurants or discuss certain aspects of neighborhoods and why they are well-suited for families or singles or seniors.
By positioning yourself as a ‘go to’ person for information on a specific neighborhood, you have the opportunity to attract search traffic that you would not have otherwise, and you increase the opportunities for referrals and for attracting potential real estate clients down the road. In terms of search opportunity, and in this example, for every one search for a real estate agent in a specific area, there are probably hundreds if not thousands of other searches related to those neighborhoods, that real estate agent target for their business. And the good thing is that most people eventually will need a real estate agent, or will know somebody who will, so staying in front of them is a good idea.
So expand your blogging horizons, and from time to time take off your business hat, and blog about other local stories of interest, as you’d be surprised how much you know and how much you could share.
Here is a good resource if you need help coming up with blog topics
Thinking of questions to focus on for your blog content is not always easy. We all hit creative walls every so often. Fortunately there are online resources where you can put in core phrases, and they will provide some related questions that are being searched online. One resource we like to use in which we recommend you checking out, is Answer the Public. Very insightful tool and easy to use, so check it out.
So when looking to develop content ideas for your blog, remember:
- Don’t write for search engines, write for your readers.
- Take the time to think of unique or niche topics that your competitors probably are not writing about.
- Think outside your direct business, and leverage your knowledge and engagement of neighborhoods, your communities and local goings-on.
- Use tools to help your creative process, and find those questions that can give you inspiration for your blog.
By following the steps, your efforts to provide more engaging content, and position your website better in the eyes of Google, will likely be rewarded in time.
Good luck and happy blogging.
