How to improve your next blog post (5 effective strategies)

Do you want to drive more traffic to your website? Are you interested in keeping visitors engaged with your brand, even if they're not ready to make a purchase?

You're in the right place if you answered yes to either of these questions.

Content marketing is a powerful way to skyrocket organic traffic and turn first-time visitors into lifelong customers. Experts around the world regard blogging as the best type of content for consistent, organic growth. When you look at the statistics, it's not hard to see why many of the top experts feel this way.

Over 60% of marketers agree that blogging helped significantly boost their lead-generation efforts and sales. People are more likely to engage with a brand if interesting, helpful, and engaging content is available and plentiful. It's also worth mentioning that close to 50% of online shoppers read at least 3 blog posts before shopping with a new business.

If you're already publishing blog posts and not seeing the results you want, it's time to fix that problem. There are plenty of ways to tweak your existing content marketing strategy and dramatically improve future blog posts.

Today, I will show you a few strategies that have worked for me through the years.

Write Eye-Catching and Accurate Headlines

You've probably heard the phrase, "never judge a book by its cover." When it comes to things like blog posts, users don't have a choice but to make a judgment based on the cover or, in this case, the headline.

This behavior is understandable when you consider the sheer number of articles on the internet. The average person doesn't have the time or patience to read every blog post they find interesting. Instead, most people will judge the article headline to determine if clicking through is worth their time.

The key to creating powerful headlines is to combine brevity and direct benefits. In other words, users need to understand how clicking your post will benefit them in as few words as possible. We found that headlines that contain 6 to 8 words see 21% more clicks than those with more or less.

While your posts should promise value, you must follow through and meet user expectations. To do this, avoid using clickbait titles. If you invite people to read a blog post and the headline doesn't match the content within the post, they will leave and probably won't return.

Optimize for Search

Did you know that about 90% of all web pages get zero organic traffic from Google? What makes this statistic particularly mind-boggling is that over 8.5 billion search queries are sent to Google daily.

As a business owner and market, these stats can appear alarming. None of us want to be a part of the 90%, but many are. The good news is it doesn't have to be that way.

If you optimize your blog for searchability, you'll have a better chance of connecting with your intended audience through Google. Organic traffic translates to leads, which will eventually translate to customers.

Here are a few ways to get your site ranked on the search engine results pages (SERPs)

• Identify keywords - use Google's Keyword Planner to identify relevant keywords with a medium-high search volume and low-medium competition.

• Use long-tail keywords and conversational language - One way to achieve this task is to create an FAQ page at the bottom of pillar content and product landing pages.

• Include keywords in your title and subheadings.

• Improve page loading times and performance.

• Submit your sitemap to Google.

Add Video Content

Video content has grown in popularity over the last several years, largely due to the rise of smartphone users and video-centric platforms like YouTube and Instagram.

An impressive 88% of marketers say that implementing video content resulted in a positive return on investment. Aside from sharing videos on traditional social media platforms, you can see equally impressive results by adding video content to your blog.

My preferred strategy is to include a video version of the original article on each page. For example, if we have an article titled "10 best email marketing tips for 2023," we would include an accompanying video where one of our creators discusses the tips in more detail and shows examples.

This technique works well because it doesn't require us to create a script from scratch for our videos. We review our blog post, pull out key points, and add transitions and talking points around the article.

Adding videos allows users to consume content however they want. If someone is on their way to work, they can listen to your article while driving. Similarly, if someone is in a quiet library and doesn't have headphones, they can read the post and get the same value from your content.

Make Posts Easy to Share

If you want to improve brand awareness, it's important to ensure your new blog posts are shareable on social media. Across all social platforms, there are nearly 5 billion active users. You can connect with people who may have never heard of your brand. Impress these people with top-notch content, and there's a good chance they will begin interacting with your website.

One easy way to make sharing your content easy is to add social share buttons at the top and bottom of the page. When visitors finish reading your post, they can quickly share it directly from your website with their friends and co-workers.

Another major part of creating sharable articles is to add tangible value. Include statistics, worksheets, eBook downloads, and more within your content. Readers are far more likely to show your blog posts if something in there helps them reach their goals.

Users may be so thankful that they want to share what they found with their friends and co-workers. After a few shares, your posts could spread throughout sites like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, allowing you to connect with a new batch of engaged prospects.

Gather Feedback from Your Audience

Finally, you can improve future content by gathering feedback from existing readers. The people who frequent your website know what they want. If you ask them to share their thoughts via feedback surveys, you're bound to learn more about which type of content they want to see in the future.

For example, imagine if a marketing firm found out that 60% of their readers requested more content on email marketing. In this case, the marketing team would start brainstorming ideas for new, relevant posts that match this need.

Aside from traditional surveys, you should also examine Google Analytics on your website. Understanding which posts get traffic and how people find your content can also help you develop creative new ideas.

Once you understand who is visiting your site, you can identify audience segments and tie relevant content to each group. This seemingly small change can have a tremendous impact on engagement and conversions. Over 80% of shoppers say they are more likely to engage with a website if its content is relevant to their needs, goals, and pain points.

Final Thoughts

It takes time and effort to improve your content marketing strategy. I've been heavily invested in the industry for over a decade and still learn new things every day. The tips presented today have served us well over the years, and I think they'll do the same for you.