Did you know that businesses that blog receive 97 percent more links to their website than those that don’t? If you’re looking to increase website traffic and grow your business, it’s time to start blogging.
Remember, though, that it’s not enough just to have a blog. It’s also important to ensure you’re putting out high-quality content, the kind of stuff that your target audience actually wants to read.
Not sure where to begin when it comes to smart blogging for business? Listed below are some of the most important blogging mistakes you ought to avoid making with your company blog.
Not Having a Regular Posting Schedule
This is one of the most important mistakes to avoid if you want your business blog to be a help to your company rather than a hindrance. Consistent posting helps people to know what they can expect from you, and it keeps them coming back on a regular basis.
When you post often, it also makes it easier for people to find your website through organic online searches. If you’re inconsistent, your website won’t show up on search engine results pages as often and internet users will be less likely to find your brand.
Aim to publish a blog post at least once per week. Over time, you can increase this number, but once a week is a good starting point.
Not Making Blog Posts Skimmable
The average person spends a mere 37 seconds reading a blog post. That’s right. They’re not even giving you a full minute of their time.
If you want your readers to get anything out of the posts you’re publishing online, you need to make them skimmable. This means writing short sentences and paragraphs and using headings to break up content into smaller chunks. Headings allow readers to find the information that’s most relevant to them without having to sift through a wall of text.
Aim to simplify your language, too. Don’t use a lot of complex words or long sentences. This makes it harder for people to understand and retain information from your posts.
Not Being Specific
Some businesses make the mistake of being too general with their blog posts. It’s understandable that companies want to cast a wide net and try to attract as many people as possible. If the content is too broad, though, no one’s going to be interested in it.
To overcome this obstacle, it’s helpful if businesses start their blog with a clear idea of whom they’re trying to reach with it. Who is their target reader? What kinds of blog topics are most likely to interest them?
When you take the time to identify your target audience, it’s easier to come up with post ideas that are unique and specific. This, in turn, can lead to more readers and more website traffic.
Not Writing Enough
Because people don’t spend a lot of time reading blog posts, it might make sense at first to keep them short and avoid writing too much. If your posts aren’t long enough, though, people might actually have a hard time finding them.
These days, search engines prioritize long-form content over shorter blog posts. If you don’t write enough, your posts also likely won’t contain a lot of value and won’t provide much (or any) useful information to the reader.
Aim to write at least 500-600 words per post in the beginning. Over time, you can work your way up to longer and more informative posts (2,000 words and beyond).
Not Including a Call-to-Action
Chances are you aren’t creating a business blog just for fun. No, you want people to do something after they read your posts.
It doesn’t matter if you want them to sign up for your email list, contact you for a consultation, or read another blog post on your site. In any case, you need to be clear about your end-goal.
Include a call-to-action at the end of each post that tells the reader what to do next. Remember, if you don’t spell it out for them, you can’t get upset when they don’t do what you want.
Not Focusing on SEO
SEO is short for search engine optimization. It involves a variety of practices that help your website to show up toward the top of people’s search engine results pages.
Some common SEO practices you ought to implement include the following:
- Including keywords that your target audience is most likely to use when searching for businesses like yours
- Breaking up blog posts so they’re easy-to-skim
- Focusing on the functionality of your site so it loads quickly
- Making sure your site works just as well on mobile devices as on desktops
You may want to consider working with an SEO agency, too. They can audit your site and help you identify specific issues that you need to change to boost your rankings.
Not Proofreading Posts
Always proofread your blog posts before hitting the “Publish” button. If you don’t trust your editing skills, ask someone else to do it for you. If you publish blog posts that are full of typos and grammatical errors, you’re going to have a hard time building credibility and getting people to trust your business.
Not Promoting Posts
Don’t forget to promote your blog posts, too. Blogging is a great marketing tool, but it’s only effective if people know where they can read your blog.
Be sure to share the blog posts you write on your business’s social media profiles. You might want to share them on your own profiles and feature them in your company’s email newsletter, too.
Level Up Your Company Blog Today
As you can see, there are a lot of potential mistakes you can make when working on your company blog. If you keep this list in mind, though, you’ll have an easier time avoiding common mistakes and becoming a smart blogger.
Do you want to learn more about running a business blog? Do you need help creating professional, mistake-free content? If so, contact us today to learn more about our blogging services.
Comments are closed.