How to Decide What to Blog About
In a digital world where visibility is everything, content-rich blogs have become more important than ever for maintaining a great online brand. However, deciding on a topic to blog about can sometimes be as time-consuming and intensive as producing the blog itself. Luckily, we have put together an easy-to-follow guide to help you generate blog topics and take reader engagement to the next level. Take a look at the information and pointers below, and you are sure to find some inspiration for upping your blog content and presence.
The Importance of Blogging
Before choosing a topic, it is fundamental to understand why you are blogging in the first place. Blogs have become a common tool in any brand’s marketing mix and there are several reasons why.
Blogs Increase Organic Traffic
The information you share on your blog can have a significant impact on your website’s search engine traffic. When you produce strong content, your SEO rankings improve, driving more organic traffic your way.
Blogs Can Capture Top-of-the-Funnel Traffic
The top of the marketing funnel is all about awareness. Your blog can be an incredibly useful tool to get a potential customer’s attention, spread information or create a buzz – all of which will help you generate leads, better target who your ideal consumers are, and discover what motivates them.
Blogs Provide Value to Readers
This might seem like a no-brainer, but it can never be overstated: customers read blogs that provide them with useful information that appeals to them. They are coming to your blog for a reason. The better your content resonates with them, the more positive a reader’s brand experience will be, establishing you as a trustworthy resource and helping to foster a relationship.
Blogs Can Help Nurture Your Current Customers
Loyal customers are the backbone of any business, and your blog can be a great resource to grow and maintain relationships with current customers. Creating content that appeals to them will provide additional value, improving your brand image. Plus, consistent and timely blog posts will keep your company top-of-mind.
Blogs Can Make You a Thought Leader In Your Industry
A well-maintained, content-rich blog has the potential to transform you into an influencer within your industry. When a reader is getting consistent value from a blog, it builds consumer trust, turning you into a credible authority on topics at hand.
So What Should I Blog About?
Once you understand the importance of what your blog can accomplish and the influence it can have on your audience, you are ready to start brainstorming topics. Below are some key strategies to jump-start the process and help guide you in developing valuable blog experiences for your readers.
Understand Who Your Audience Is
The most critical step in beginning to choose any blog topic is determining who your audience is and how you can appeal to them. Ask what demographic(s) you are trying to attract, what they are interested in, what they might be looking for that you can provide, what writing tone they might be most receptive to, and so forth. Who is your ideal reader? What makes them tick? The better you can answer these questions and cater to your audience, the more likely you are to make trusting connections that can lead to lasting relationships and repeat visits. After all, there is no better customer than a loyal one – and the more engaged your reader is, the more time they will spend on your website and your brand in general.
Utilize the Content Cluster Strategy
Put simply, create a cluster of content around a single topic that is relevant to your audience. Think of an overarching topic then brainstorm what subjects you can blog about that relate back to it. Think about what questions potential readers might have about the topic that you can provide answers to. Having a wealth of engaging information related to a particular topic can boost your SEO value while allowing you to become an expert authority on the subject matter.
There is no limit on how many pieces you can include in a content cluster – the more, the better! However, we recommend five or more similar topics for this strategy to be effective. Be sure to always keep quality in mind, as strong content leads to the best search rankings and audience engagement.
Use Google’s “People Also Ask” Box
If you’re a regular Google user, you have probably noticed the “People Also Ask” box that appears below your search queries. It shows you similar topics that people have been interested in knowing about, based off of popular related searches. It’s helpful when you’re looking for information, but did you know it can also be an amazing tool for coming up with blog topics? It is particularly beneficial when using the Content Cluster strategy mentioned above. Simply type the topic in the Google search box and take a look at “People Also Ask” for an instant set of high-demand questions you can answer using your blog content! This is a great (and admittedly kind of fun) way to find yourself with dozens of things to write about.
Write About What’s Relevant
In our high-tech modern world, things evolve constantly. Luckily, these changes come with lots of opportunity for any blogger. For example, no matter what industry you are in, there is some technology involved that is transforming the way things are done. And every technology comes with updates, new versions, and competing products or services that impact the end user. These are each a perfect chance for you to become an authority on the change, and the go-to source for new and significant information that will keep your audience in the loop.
It is also wise to keep an eye on industry news and hot topics that your audience may be interested in. Timeliness is everything, so be sure to keep your readers in on what is happening now. It will not only get their attention but will make you a trusted resource while continuously providing you with new ideas for content.
Write Content That Will Be Evergreen
While it’s a great idea to keep up with trends to maintain audience interest, extremely timely content can also become outdated quickly, with shorter-lived traffic boosts for your site. To address this, it is smart to also create evergreen content for your blog, or material that is likely to last for years to come. Evergreen content not only makes your blog post (and in turn, your website) relevant for a longer period of time, but it improves your search rankings, resulting in more leads and web traffic.
So how do you come up with evergreen blog content? The key is pinpointing a need the audience has, then providing them with something of value to address it. Become the expert by offering readers advice, solutions or tips, and it can serve as a guide for months or even years to come. Again, understanding your audience is crucial in coming up with pertinent, truly evergreen content that they will want to engage with.
Keep an Eye on Your Competition
A smart blogger is an aware blogger, and an aware blogger is an inspired one! Don’t be afraid to look at what your competitors are writing for a little inspiration. Are certain topics on their blogs resonating well with readers? If so, write about them too! You should never duplicate the competition’s work, but there is always an opportunity to approach the same subject from a different angle or find a way to improve on the information that was offered. Look for gaps in the content and take advantage of them.
Was there something significant the competitor didn’t explain? What questions might the audience have about the topic that you can provide expertise on? What might they want to know more about? What are readers commenting on that they find particularly interesting? This is a great way to fuel ideas and provide readers with what they want, all while one-upping the competition at the same time.
Wrapping Up
Although deciding what to blog about can seem like a daunting task at first, ideas are closer and more abundant than you might have thought. At the heart, the quality of content you are producing and knowing who your audience is are critical for any successful blog. And the tips we have outlined here should serve as a great place to start coming up with strong topics and effective, rich posts. Use this guide to get your gears moving and you can look forward to growth for yourself as a blogger as well as growth in your audience, search rankings, engagement and more.
