If you write a blog for a business, then you have probably heard umpteen suggestions from clients who are looking for a bit more razzmatazz to boost their online profile.
Of course, just like in real life, some suggestions are worth listening to and some are not. Sorting the good from the bad isn’t always easy though, especially in the ever-changing, dynamic world of online content.
Without further ado, here are six pieces of feedback you’ll definitely get while writing a blog for a business. Some of them are golden nuggets of wisdom, while others are about as useful as an out-of-date chicken nugget!
“We Need To Post Regularly” – Good Advice
This sage piece of advice can be a tad tedious, especially if your workload is already pretty heavy.
Nonetheless, it is important that you heed it, as very often, keeping to a set schedule can help you build a readership.
If this readership knows to expect a certain type of blog on a certain day, they may check in to see that post.
That audience was built off keeping to a set schedule and ensuring consistency in the quality of the content.
“Focus On SEO More Than Anything Else” – Bad advice
If your content is search engine optimized, but boring as boring can be, then you are not creating a blog anybody will want to visit more than once.
The truth of the matter is, that top-quality content can be complemented by SEO, while great SEO in bad content is like putting a welcome mat at the front door of a house that is about to fall down… sure, it might entice people in, but they aren’t staying and they’re not returning either.
“Write More Evergreen Blogs” – Good Advice
It’s always a good idea to mix up your news content with timeless blogs. This sort of content very often takes the form of guides, or informational content, which adds value to your site.
If your audience views your blog as an authority on a given subject, that gives them a reason to return when their next query arises.
The shelf life of these blogs will ensure that you can promote them several times over an extended timeframe.
“Write Viral Posts” – Bad Advice
This suggestion is about as useful as being told to “be good at sport” while in high school… of course, we all would do this if it was that simple!
Posts that reach a large audience is an obvious goal for blog writers, however, “go viral” is put forward as a suggestion isn’t much use to anyone.
It is different if the advice includes some details on how to achieve this objective, but as a piece of feedback to a blogger, it’s essentially useless.
“Always ‘Proof’ Read Your Content” – Good Advice
Just for the record, the above is clearly a bad joke (and just for insurance, any other typos in this article are an extension of that joke!).
The odd spelling mistake or grammatical error should not be stressed over, but if you are constantly making mistakes in your blogs, it will be assumed that you cannot provide a level of professionalism necessary in a business.
This assumption will extend to any good or service your business is providing and your blog will become an element of your website that costs you business, rather than one that turns readers into customers.
“Keep It Broad” – Bad Advice
Broad topics don’t say anything about your company, they don’t have a clear message and they certainly don’t encourage readers to engage with a call to action.
You might have heard the above feedback from someone who thinks that the broader the topic, the more of an audience you will reach.
Unfortunately, that is a formula that may work in Hollywood, but it doesn’t in business blogging.
Readers are on your site to find out about a specific subject and that is the subject that your content should be engaging with!
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