Hopefully you’re already blogging regularly for your business. Posting blogs regularly and often will definitely improve your website traffic and sales leads. Statistics show that businesses that blog receive 55% more web traffic, and over 65% more sales leads over those companies who do not blog. However, you will not achieve those kinds of numbers for your own business and website if you do not optimize your blog and blog posts.
Optimization is all about making your blog as attractive and interesting as possible to both website visitors and search engines. Your blogs should also help drive visitors into your sales process by introducing offers or services which they can take advantage of. We’ll review a number of ways in which you can optimize your blog both from an SEO perspective and a lead generation perspective.
1. Social Media Sharing Buttons
It is essential that every blog post include buttons so that your readers can easily share your post on their social networks. You want it to be easy for them so they’re more apt to do it, and the buttons will also exist as a reminder to share your content. If you’re using WordPress, I strongly recommend Social Warfare.
2. Interesting Images
Every blog post should include a great image that conveys what the post is about. Images also make the post more attractive and can be used to break up text. If your topic is complex, use images for graphs or charts to help explain your comments.
3. Optimized and Attention-Grabbing Titles
Your blog post title is one of the most important elements of your post, as this is often all a potential reader will see before they determine whether or not they’re going to read further. Some Title ideas:
- Be Clear and Direct
- How To
- How Not To
- Be Sensational
- Be Controversial
- Use Numbers
- Newsworthy
- Be Simple
- Create Urgency
- Use Keywords
4. Use Good Formatting
It’s important that you take the time to format your post so that it is easily readable by visitors. This includes breaking up large pieces of text into smaller paragraphs, turning lists into bullets, and avoiding too much use of bold or color or other font changes.
5. Include Calls to Action within the Content
As you grow a readership and a good library of content, you should include links to other resources in new blog posts. These can include links to previous blog posts or downloadable content like an eBook, particularly when paired with a newsletter signup.
6. Include Calls to Action within the Sidebar
Your sidebar can include great CTA material like banners or buttons, highlighting some of your best products and services. Test and rotate different graphics, particularly with different blog posts and topics.
7. Provide Actionable Content
Many of your visitors will have visited your blog or a specific post for a reason, perhaps to solve an issue. The more often you can present specific solutions to specific problems, the more popular your posts will be. Giving clear takeaways and actionable steps will make your content more likely to be shared.
8. Use Metaphors
Comparing two seemingly different things and drawing connections between them will make your points both easier to understand and more interesting to read.
9. Make It Fun
Even if your business and industry is relatively boring, that doesn’t mean your blog posts have to be. Look for ways to present material in an entertaining way, and try to interject some of your own personality and humor into posts. This will also make your posts seem more genuine and give readers a greater feeling of connection to you and your business.
10. Be Definitive
Do not be wishy washy in your blog posts. Your blog should serve as a tool to communicate that you are an expert in your industry, and therefore when you are communicating ideas or information it should be definitive.
Review these suggestions with your team and do everything you can to implement them. Your website and sales will reap the rewards. Ann Handley also offers several recommendations on writing tools that might give your content a much-needed boost.
RELATED: How To Start A Blog: The Ultimate Guide
A blog is much easier to promote if it has been optimized for success. <tweet this!>
101 Blogging Tips for Successful Business Blogs
