You probably haven’t thought about it, but there are many things you can do to improve your blog content. SEO or content marketing is a full-time job when done correctly.
But, it can be one of the best converting marketing channels, if you take the time. Yes, it is hard to write that many words and even turn it into a full-time income.
I am forever looking at content and always improving it. And these reasons are usually for SEO and conversions. Even informational blog post can be a moneymaker when written correctly.
Looking Over Content Regularly
Content is so important, but most business websites never take the time to update their posts. I highly recommend doing a content audit monthly at a bare minimum.
Many times when you look over your content you may not catch something until the next time you see it. And this can mean all the difference for rankings and conversions.
And there are many ways to audit content. You could be looking at rankings and see where certain pages rank on page two of Google. Or you could write better headlines and meta descriptions. You could also be interlinking much better as you add new content.
A content audit can include:
- Write more quality headlines
- Looking for duplicate pages
- Checking spelling and grammar
- Re-writing poorly written pages
- Making content more helpful
- Looking at time on page and bounce rate
- And the list goes on and on
Content marketing has also been called inbound marketing which I believe was created by Hub Spot. In fact they have a 7 step plan you should download if you get the chance.
Internal Linking
Many people thin of internal linking as just an SEO practice. And while it can help greatly with search optimization it can also help keep visitors on your pages longer. And it’s one of the top ways to make your content more helpful.
You do this by adding in citations to helpful authority sites so people can learn more about what you have written.
Do not overlook internal links they can help in many ways.
If you use WordPress checkout Yoast’s post about site structure. By the way breadcrumbs are very important as well.
Adding Media
Adding media is another important way to improve blog content. However, some do not use it because it slows down their site. In general you want to add very helpful images, illustrations or videos when you can.
According to Venngage 50.5% of individuals surveyed said visual content is very important to them.
Add Video
If you can make sure and add video to your content. If you don’t have any of your own videos you can use someone else’s for the time being. But the best thing to do is make your own.
Video is huge and it can really help with keeping people on your page.
According to rocketium.com in 2019 1 in 4 shoppers use video to search a product they are considering.
So, make sure you don’t overlook video on your site.
Making Your Content Interesting
One component I see many make is adding real substance to their content. If you truly do have experience in what you are writing about then make sure it shows. Tell stories or anything about your experience you can.
Readers want to see what real people have been through and how they learned to deal with problems and overcame them.
If all your do is use AI to write your content it’s not going to have any human touch to it.
Keeping content updated
Keeping your content updated is important for Google’s quality freshness algorithm. Not only that but you want to keep it updated for visitors mostly. If you have an article from 2012 and it’s now 2023, then you need to revisit that post and make sure it’s current.
Also, if the content is completely outdated then, you may want to go through and perform content pruning.
There are many reasons why your content may need pruning. Check and see with siteliner if you have duplicate content issues or content that is too close in relation to another. Bloggers make this mistake all the time, writing about the same thing.
Checking Grammar
Back about ten years ago Google really didn’t care as much about your contents grammar and spelling. But since their algorithms have evolved they care more about content quality.
But, who has always cared about spelling and grammar is your website visitors. If you have bad spelling on your pages people will notice and most likely not convert how you want them to.
It’s easy these days to check content with Grammarly and Pro writing aid.
Learning How To Write Better
When you started writing on your blog or even for your job, you may have noticed if you wrote for a while. That your content seems better overtime. Always take the time to go back and check on your content even if you wrote it years ago.
We usually don’t start out a great writer. It takes time and sometimes years to develop good writing skills. And blogging is no different. But if you love to write you will improve the more you practice it.
There are many books on writing and how to get good at it. And, start using aps like The Hemingway app. It will teach you to shorten your writing and get straight to the point without so many adverbs.
Use Proper White Space
I see this all the time. Many people let paragraphs run together like they are a wall of paint. You want to always break up your paragraphs, usually into a couple of sentences. This way, it’s much easier to read.
CXL states readability is crucial for your blog.
Show Data and Research
If you’ve done the research and have data to show then show it. Blogs that show actual real data get shared more often and gain more traffic.
Real research and data can be used in blogs and then shared in press releases and more. People and reporters love to share data that no one has ever thought about.
