Blogs are a great mechanism for generating lots of fresh content on a regular basis. This is good for SEO and for promoting your brand. However, just the act of having a blog doesn’t mean anybody will read it. You have to create interesting blog topics.
This is not as hard as it sounds. Check our our latest Gnome Tips video to learn how:
Video Transcription
Hello and welcome to Gnome Tips! Today we’re going to talk about how to create interesting blog topics.
But before we dive into that, let’s talk about why it’s good to have a blog in the first place:
- Search engines like websites that change frequently. A blog is an easy way to generate fresh content.
- A blog allows you to have an ongoing conversation with your audience to build fans and loyalty.
- A blog is a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your field.
- The comments on blogs provide a great way to get user-generated content – another hit for SEO.
A word of caution: Before you start a blog, make sure you have time to maintain it. You should post at least once per week.
You must keep your audience in mind when brainstorming interesting blog topics. Some guidelines include:
- Show your audience how to do something (like this video!)
- Don’t keep all your expert secrets to yourself. Share them freely!
- People like to be entertained. Include some humor in your posts (as appropriate for your audience).
- Figure out what problems your readers face. Perhaps they are distracted by email and social media at work. Provide tips for how to cut down on distractions and be more efficient.
You can read more about writing for your audience on our blog.
Sadly, blogging is not about you. Nobody wants to hear about your trip to the beach, unless you give them some valuable information like the best places to eat. OK – your mom, might care.
Once you have an interesting blog topic in mind, pay special attention to the headline. Here are some ideas for making your headline stand out:
- Offer something valuable like the “top ten study habits of successful students.”
- If it’s a how-to piece, clearly state this in the headline.
- Express some excitement about the topic like “Five amazing restaurants in Pensacola!”
- Include the benefit to the reader: “Eat less meat for better health”
The folks at copyblogger have written a lot on the topic of headlines. Check out their articles to learn more.
As always, thanks for watching this edition of Gnome Tips. To learn more about search engine optimization, visit our website at www.webgnomes.org.