- By Admin
- July 17, 2015
- Digital Marketing
Early on this year, you may remember that we wrote an article about the benefits of blogging for your business. Since the term “blog” was coined way back in 1997, companies and individuals alike have received a wide array of positive attributes that come from a well constructed blog. But what is a well constructed blog, and what are the steps that you need to take to improve your blog’s structure?
We’ve all read blogs. Therefore, we are all experts in what we want to see in a blog. Some of the things that will catch our eye and compel us to read a blog article are:
- A catchy title.
- An informative, graphic header.
- Evidence of the article’s worth through likes, shares, and comments.
- Valuable information, relating to the subject matter of the overall website.
- An article which is broken down into easy to understand, bite size chunks.
Each of these five points are integral to the success of your content marketing, but there are a few, hidden aspects of a successful blog that you may not be aware of. Below, we’ve listed some important aspects that you may wish to consider for your own blog, which will also improve the overall SEO process of your website. All of these tips are easy to implement, and require only a little bit of spare time from you.
Dot points and sub-titles
It’s no surprise that Google is a huge fan of bulleted lists and sub-titles (also known as H2, H3 tags). Not only do they help to break down your articles into smaller parts, but they are a main indicator of what your article is about. Whilst it may seem tempting to write an essay for your blog, think about why people will be viewing your blog in the first place. Will they be reading your content just to pass the time, or have they come to seek reliable and accurate information?
This consideration of your audience is now more important than ever, especially with the recent news regarding the mobile market quickly taking over from desktop computers. People viewing your content on such devices will be turned off when confronted with a huge wall of text. By breaking down your article with bullet points and sub-titles, you will be making it easier for mobile users to both read your content and become engaged overall.
Images, images, and more images
If engaging content is the bread of your blogs, then images are the butter that goes on top. Well chosen imagery possesses the same online advertising integrity as that of a well written article. Not only do they aid your sub-titles and bullet points in breaking down content, but they can also provide extra information on the subject that you are discussing. We wrote an article on infographics, explaining the power that images with stats and flowcharts, for further reading.
You should choose your images very carefully, as an irrelevant image can often have the reverse effect that you’re seeking and drive people away. You should also avoid stuffing your article with images, as a severely fragmented article can also lower the readability of your content. Consider the length of your content, and insert your pictures where appropriate. Make your images predominant, but not too big, and remember: 90% of the brain’s input is visual!
The tone of your article
One aspect of the mysterious phantom update that Google unleashed recently was on content quality. When we refer to the quality of your content in this way, we are focusing on the bigger picture of what makes a good article. Aspects that you should consider regarding this are:
- The appropriate length of your article, determined by the subject you’re discussing.
- How easy your article is to read.
- Whether your article is providing a solution for potential readers.
- Accurate spelling and grammar.
- The overall tone of the article itself.
The last point is perhaps the most important when measuring the quality of any article. Whilst it may be tempting to either write in a very upbeat light, or in a more professional tone, you still need to adjust it to what the subject is actually about. Think about your overall brand marketing, and how you explain your services to customers and clients on a daily basis. Your blog articles should rarely differ from this approach.
Finding the right balance
There are essentially two trains of thought when it comes to composing a blog article: promotional and informative. Unfortunately, we’ve found that many people either seem to chose one over the other, or alternate between the two. In essence, you should be aiming to find the balance between both when writing your content. An easy way to go about this is to employ a traditional problem-solution format when composing your blogs.
By doing this, you will be showing your readers that you hold expertise in your industry. It will also show them that you are able and willing to provide solutions through your services that will help them overcome the problem you’ve illustrated. Many startup companies have achieved nearly instant success through this method. Doing this will also improve your shareability via social media, where people are looking to find a quick fix for any problems that they may have.
We’re here to help you!
At IT Consulting Company, we aim to provide compelling and informative blog articles for all of our clients. We look at what your individual message and vision is, and using this as our template, work to project your brand and voice into the greater, digital world. You can contact our digital media strategists at any time for any further enquiries as to how we can enhance the awareness of your business on the world wide web.
Got any questions about blogging? Have you started your own recently, and don’t know exactly where to start? Leave us a comment below, and we’ll be able to provide you with any information that you may need!
