The Three Crucial Rules Modern Bloggers Must Play By in 2017
News flash: the blogosphere is evolving.
Yes, you can still build a money-making blog in 2017; however, you need to understand exactly what it makes modern readers tick to make it happen.
Consistent blogging is a tried-and-tested means of driving more traffic, generating more leads and beefing up any business’ search engine presence. That being said, the rules of blogging have changed drastically in the face of the following:
- More and more mobile readers who are viewing our blogs on their smart phones and tablets versus traditional desktops
- The tendency for our readers to spend more time on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter versus viewing our blogs on site
- The lower attention span of any given reader: conventional wisdom tells us that our blog posts need to really pack a punch with every post as we become more economical with our words
photo by photoSteve101 via Flickr
The question remains: what can we do to ensure that our content is making an impression of readers and while also making a dent in the SERPs?
Thankfully, there are actionable steps you can take in regard to your business’ blog to ensure that you’re breaking through the noise. By following the rules of modern blogging, you can take your site to the next level in 2017 and for years to come.
Have a Consistent Content Schedule and Plan Accordingly
While an “off-the-cuff” approach to blogging may have worked for brands in the past, it’s becoming increasingly clear that a straightforward, defined schedule is crucial to building a blog that generates revenue and traffic versus sitting stagnant in the search rankings.
For starters, you need to have the following in order before you hit “publish,” without fail:
- Which keywords are you trying to rank for, including long-tail keywords which are prime to budding blogs with little to no traffic
- What is your CTA: you shouldn’t publish anything without having clear intent, whether that’s getting someone to subscribe, buy or simply engage with your brand via the comment section
- How are you going to promote your posts: given the saturation of the social media, you may find that you gain more traction off-site than on-site
Understanding the aforementioned questions are paramount to making sure you’re getting enough bang for your buck content-wise.
Become an Authority Instead of a Face in the Crowd
Stop posting for the sake of posting: just as your blog posts should have a specific goal in mind, you should strive to use your blog as a place to boost your brand’s authority. Today’s busy readers simply don’t have time for noise: they want to engage with how-tos and listicles that are quick to read, straight to the point and work to solve their problems. Instead of focusing on fluff, try to ensure that your posts put your knowledge on a pedestal.
Stop Ignoring SEO and Start Optimizing Your Posts
Think of it this way: if you aren’t taking the steps to properly tick the boxes in terms of SEO with your blog, it’s likely that your competition is. For example, your title tags, images (which are absolutely crucial to today’s readers), and meta descriptions need to be on point in terms of keywords, length and readability for your users. Thankfully, plugin-ins such as Yoast for WordPress can provide rough SEO guidelines for your blog posts; however, it’s up to you to do the legwork.
Don’t be led to believe that blogging is dead in the face of video marketing and social media: in fact, this couldn’t be much further than the truth. By focusing on quality posts coupled with an authoritative voice that pays attention to SEO, you’ll be well on your way to building a worthwhile blog in 2017.
Author: Carmelo Hannity
