From large corporations to mom-and-pop e-comm, certain blogging mistakes can hinder all of the efforts put into writing the content. To avoid these common blogging mistakes, we asked the pros at Clearbridge Branding Agency for their help in identifying where many bloggers, writers, and brands go wrong.
Here are five common blogging mistakes to avoid in your next post.
5 Blogging Mistakes to Avoid
#1: Not optimizing for SERPs
Whether you’re a growing business or a personal brand, the purpose for publishing content is for it to be seen, shared, and to increase conversions. Optimizing your blog posts with keywords or phrases helps them get picked up by SERPs, which will help increase organic reach and drive more traffic to your post or website. SEO optimization builds a bridge between your content and a much larger audience than those who already follow your brand or visit your website. Creating searchable keywords or phrases are critical factors in getting discovered, says Clearbridge.
How about an analogy?
Say you buy a new car. It’s shiny, it’s sharp, it’s the fruit of hard work. But without any fuel, it will stay parked, and only your neighbors will see. SEO is fuel for your blog. It’s what puts those word wheels in motion and makes them go miles so more than a small group can see what content you’re driving!
#2: Not linking to other content
Once you get people on your blog, you want to keep them there as long as you can. Linking to other content on your blog or website creates opportunities for readers to discover more about your brand. Hyperlink words or phrases that are relative to specific content on other pages of your website and create rabbit holes for your audience to jump through.
#3: Forgetting the importance of formatting
As attention spans continue to plummet, the importance of organization for your blog is paramount. From font choice to formatting, the overall appearance and navigability of your blog may heavily influence whether or not readers stay on the page.
According to experts at Clearbridge Branding Agency, these kinds of blogging mistakes may risk higher bounce rates on certain long-form copy that isn’t divided into sections or organized properly. With the exception of anecdotal posts and stories, informative content is well-received with clear structure and organization. Write in sections and use headlines and bullets to make extracting value quick and easy.
#4: Neglecting the next action
After reading your blog, what action should your audience take? Is there a part two to your post? Is there a trial they can test out? A newsletter they can sign up for? Having a strong call to action in place opens the door to take readers further down the funnel and take a desired action, such as purchasing a product or downloading a whitepaper.
#5: Placing priority on quantity over quality
Content marketing is at an all-time high with no signs of slowing down. And with an ever-increasing demand for content, it can be easy for brands to place priority on quantity, while unfortunately sacrificing quality. If you have a small team or you’re writing for yourself, informative, emotional, or valuable content is what your readers are looking for. Clearbridge suggests focusing on generating value and perfecting your posts over pushing out half-baked blogs just to keep up.
Are you looking to get the most out of e-commerce, SEO, blog writing, or social media? Clearbridge Branding Agency’s award-winning strategists, writers, and designers are ready to take your online efforts to the next level. Contact them today to learn how they can help!
