4 Quick Blogging Tips

What is blogging?

So many sites have blogs attached now that it's tough to discern them from anything else. When they first started popping up, blogs were long-form written content with a comment section. The entire site was a blog filled with articles about a specific topic. There was a time when people with even a drop of knowledge about a topic would start a blog for it hoping for fame and big paydays. Some were successful... the ones who were truly passionate about the topic.

Why are blogs necessary for my business?

There is one key reason blogs are great and it has to do with your top customer. In our Marketing for Spiritworkers Level 1 course, we learn that your top customer is Google. A blog helps train Google in what content you have. If Google knows, it will serve your website when people search for your product or service.

Tip #1: Answer questions

See what I did up there? People search Google with questions. If your blog can answer those questions, you'll be in the running as a search result people may click on. This is far from a guarantee but it helps train Google in the content you have. Specifically, you will want your questions to be bold headers.

Tip #2: Keep Going

You may find that blogging is tedious and takes lots of time. It certainly can. Those pro bloggers I mentioned above would post 10 - 15 times each day of the week. They developed teams of people to help though. One site I love for affordable writers is TextBroker. This site harnesses a huge team of people looking to make extra money through writing content. You can even submit an ongoing order for them to write consistently about a specific topic. You may want to do some minor editing and add your style to the finished product but it's a huge leap forward.

Ongoing posts will also tell Google that you're still updating your site. That is important but remember, you don't have to write massive posts (I'm looking at you, recipe sites! Just tell me how to make the brownies!). Even a single paragraph will be helpful.

Tip #3: Always include an image

This seems simple but it is helpful for many reasons. Of course, it can make your site look pretty but there are other ways it can help Google. When you add images to your blog, make sure the file name is relevant to the article (instead of 183719_cat.jpg). Once it's loaded, there will be an option in your website editor for an "Alt tag." It may also be called description. This is a hidden bit of copy in the code of your site that also tells Google what the image is about.

Make sure you only post images you own or have rights to share! You can find many free images online (like in google image search!) and it's often nice to share a link to the content creator (you'd want them to do the same for you right?).

Tip #4: Let people leave comments

Most blog platforms (like Wordpress and Squarespace) allow readers to post comments. You will definitely get spam comments! This is ok, just delete them. Reading and more importantly, responding to comments will help build a connection with your audience. Personalize the experience and bring them closer to your world. This is also a great place to get feedback about your readers and customers which you can use to further develop your personas (another concept from the Marketing for Spiritworkers Level 1 course).

Bonus tip: Be authentic

This may seem obvious but be yourself. Find your voice. Share your knowledge, skill, and magic. Even using a ghostwriter you can still convey your purpose for your site and why you want to share this information with the world.

Have fun and good luck! Feel free to ask questions in the comments or, if you're a member, there's a blogging section in our community: Spiritworkers Central.

Image courtesy of Despair.com