6 Blogging Basics That Will Keep Viewers Coming Back for More When done effectively, blogging is one of the most powerful tools an entrepreneur can use to get organic traffic to a website.
By Elizabeth Rider Edited by Amanda Breen
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
In today's world, it can be hard to get your content seen online. Social algorithms change on a daily basis, and it's become harder than ever to get organic reach.
If you focus on establishing your own corner of the internet with a blog, you can bypass social algorithms, which are primarily based on timing and popularity, and build an audience organically using search algorithms, which primarily factor in relevance and user experience.
While some might think it's not as shiny and fun as getting that dopamine hit off a "like" in an app, having a solid blogging strategy is one of the best ways to find the right audience for what you have to offer without being a slave to search algorithms and posting every day. In fact, blogging sent over 3 million people to my website last year — without paid ads or social media.
Related: Why Your Small Business Must Start a Blog
No matter where you are in your business journey, these 6 blogging basics will help you get seen online:
Start now if you haven't already
First up, yes, you should definitely have a blog on your website. A blog shows your potential clients and customers that your business is active. Plus, the search algorithms love a site that is frequently updated, and once your initial site is established, a blog is the best way to do this. "Blogging is dead" is some of the worst advice on the internet — don't listen to it! it's never too late to start a blog.
Blogging is the single most powerful way to establish you and your company as an expert in your space. It's the only platform you own as an entrepreneur (no, you don't own access to your social-media audiences, and one change in the algorithm can doom your business if it's your primary source of leads).
Don't assume people know your world
Remember that what is commonplace for you is most likely brand new to your potential clients and customers.
For example, if you're a therapist, you might speak about trauma or shame so often that you think everyone knows how to identify it. Your readers may not even know the correct definition of terms that you use in daily life. Or perhaps you're launching an app. Don't assume that people know why they need this app or even how to install an app on their device. You can blog about it all. "The Definition of [xyz]," "3 Ways to Identify [xyz]," or "Why [xyz] No Longer Matters" are all examples of posts you can write to help convey the right message to your readers and help them along in your customer lifecycle.
Come up with three to five categories that you can blog in, then further break down each topic into bite-sized pieces (more on that below), which will allow you to come up with at least a year's worth of content in a 30-minute brainstorm. Blogging doesn't have to be hard; you can make it quite easy if you take some time to plan ahead.
Related: 4 Ways to Use Your Blog to Market Your Business on Social Media
Keep posts bite-sized
Provide simple, bite-sized pieces of information and keep each post to one topic. Do not fall into the trap of writing a dissertation. The biggest mistake people make when they first start blogging is cramming way too much information into an individual post. You are not blogging to prove that you know a lot about a topic to your competition. You're blogging because you want to help potential customers learn how you can help them. Stop and think, "Am I blogging to a peer right now, or am I blogging to a potential customer?" Blogging to peers isn't going to get you anywhere, but blogging to potential customers can bring endless leads to your site.
Remember that people connect with people, not businesses
Write like you're talking to a friend, and always identify a real person as the author of the post. Never write a blog post by "The Company Team" or even worse, company name. People identify with people and will check out mentally if they don't feel a sense that a person is talking directly to them. You are the expert in your business. Even if you have staff writers, use the founder or another expert in your business as the author of your posts.
Be consistent
Establish a general schedule and keep your blog updated to show people that your business has energy in it. Once a week is ideal, but once or twice a month is perfectly fine for most business blogs. You don't have to be perfect or post at the exact same time every week or month, you just have to be consistent so people know that your proverbial lights are on. If someone comes to your site and your blog hasn't been updated in six months, it will look like your business is struggling. However, if someone navigates to your blog and sees a consistent flow of posts, he or she will know the energy is flowing in your business.
Related: How to Start a Blog and Make Money Online
Don't leave your readers hanging
Always end with a call-to-action. What should someone do once they finish their article? Read another post? Sign up for your email list? Click to view a certain product? Whatever it is, give readers clear direction about what they should do next and don't leave them hanging.
