7 tips for how to blog effectively: the essentials

Running a blog is a great way to grow your brand and introduce new, engaged customers to your product. It keeps your audience informed about new developments in a detailed, interesting way, and, with the right plan and careful execution, can greatly boost your website’s search engine ranking and social media visibility. This blog is all about how to blog effectively – making sure it’s relevant and interesting for your audience while also driving traffic to your website.

After you post a blog, the Google spiderbots are going to be crawling your page, looking for keywords and relevant content so you can be properly listed on their search engine. You need to be aware of this process, and keep it in mind when thinking about how to blog effectively.

Google’s search algorithm doesn’t emphasise keywords as exclusively as it used to – but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a strong keyword strategy. If you want to get your blog to the top of Google search results, you need to think about what your potential audience will be searching for. Consider keyword phrases that are three or four words long, because those shorter searches are already going to be swamped.

Remember: don’t saturate your post with your chosen keyword phrase! Not only does it make it unpleasant for your readers, but Google might dismiss your website as spam – nobody wants that. Make sure it’s present for the bots, but don’t compromise your readers.

The Google search algorithm is now all about semantic search, which focuses more on the actual, meaningful content of your blog than the keywords themselves. This is a huge shakeup to traditional wisdom on how to blog effectively – but don’t worry! As long as you’ve got worthwhile, interesting content, both your readers and Google will be happy.

Embrace this change by thinking about what your audience will actually want to read. Give them interesting, timely and substantial content – a quick, keyword-heavy 300-word post won’t cut it. Don’t think of this as a setback. It’s an opportunity to enhance your online brand and make real connections with your customer base.

Think about it: how can you talk about your product in a way that goes beyond a short sales pitch? What is it about your brand that your audience finds interesting? These are questions you need to ask if you’re serious about great content.

A great blog is like a symphony: it needs planning and structure to really hit those high notes. Make sure you’ve planned out a strong structure for your blog post before you embark. When considering how to blog effective, a simple plan for what you’re going to talk about will make your posts punchy and to the point – exactly what you want in a successful blog.

Before you start writing, make sure you know your chosen keyword phrase and the points you’re going to cover. That way, you’ll know exactly what you’re going to write, and how you’re going to structure it around your keyword. It’s especially important with longer, content-rich posts, where you might have a few big, great ideas. You’ll need to structure it in a way that’s engaging and will keep your audience’s interest to the last word.

Your blog and your social media platforms should always be in constant communication. You’ll want to syndicate all your posts via Facebook and Twitter, as well as any other platforms your brand is present on. Conversely, you should also have easily accessible links to your social media pages on your blog. Social media is the perfect way to bring your audience to your blog, where your real content is.

Think about how you’re going to get your audience from social media to your blog. What hashtags can you use on Twitter to communicate with the right communities? Which photo works best with your link on Facebook? Think about your audience and what kind of branded content interests them.

Email might be a little old school, but its still one of the best ways to connect with your audience. Include a registration form for email updates, so your audience can receive targeted brand messages and blog updates right into their inbox.

Similarly, you should also have an active RSS feed for your site that savvy users can subscribe to. RSS is still relevant, and you should be taking advantage of it. Most blogging platforms (WordPress, Blogger, etc) automatically provide a feed for your audience.

Links, when properly and strategically placed, are an essential part of building a great audience for your blog. Think about inserting links to other blogs and websites in order to build a community. Not only does this help with your search engine ranking, it’s also useful for getting attention – there isn’t a blog administrator around who won’t take notice when another site is linking to them!

Consider well-placed links that your audience is likely to follow. There’s no need to spam unnecessary links, as it affects the readability of your page and your readers probably won’t click on them. Think of links as gateways to great content – things your readers might want to read in order to get a better grasp of the context and definitions surrounding the things you’re telling them about.

Another great idea is to link to past blog posts and other sections of your website, to guide new readers through your backlog of content.

Blogging is a form that begs for collaboration. Part of the draw and interest of operating a blog for your brand is connecting with other bloggers and writers online. Other bloggers should be a core part of your distribution plan – they’re the ones who like, share and link to your bloggers with their own dedicated audience.

Connect with other bloggers via social media, and be willing to share content and resources. Showcase reviews and encourage discussion of both your blogs and your brand. When considering how to blog effectively, engaging with some of the bigger blogging players should be one of your primary considerations.

We’ve talked a lot about words, but running an effective blog is just as much about great visual content and interesting branded images. A blog without pictures is boring – audiences need something to look at to keep them interested.

One of the most important parts of how to blog effectively is making sure you’re conveying a cohesive brand image. Blogs can be a great way to show off your visual content in a way that is informative and interesting. Stick to your style guide and give your audience something clearly designed, interesting and – most importantly – shareable.

Think about images that you can easily share on social media to bring more attention to your posts. Keep in mind Facebook’s rule that sponsored images must not contain more than 20% text. Images are the perfect way to ensure an easy flow between your blog and your brand’s various social media channels.

A startling statistic: 17.6% of
global web traffic comes through mobile devices. It’s no longer feasible to only think about desktop users when designing your blog. There are a few things you’ll need to keep in mind:

Do you have a proper mobile layout? Platforms like WordPress have a default mobile layout, but it’s bland – you’ll want something that reflects your brand image as strongly as your desktop layout.

Think about the images you’re posting. Will they look good on an iPhone or Android screen? If you’re posting screenshots, they may not be legible.

Make sure your social media links are just as accessible and legible on your mobile layout as your desktop one. You don’t wan to miss out on any clicks and shares!

Remember: mobile is only going to become more popular. Many blogging sites like Squarespace are designed from the ground up for mobile browsers. Embrace this change by making your brand mobile-friendly!

The most important thing for a burgeoning brand blog is to be consistent. Your audience should expect your posts at regular times, and the content should be so good that they’re more than willing to read it.

When you’re thinking about how to blog effectively, it’s all about staying on brand message, having a strong plan and – most importantly – produce some great, engaging content.