One of the many factors that Internet search engines use to rank your website is with the presence of fresh, original content. One of the places they look for that is on your blog. For SEO purposes, as well as to gain traffic, and keep prospective customers engaged, you’ll want your blogs to be high quality, interesting, and compelling.

Yet coming up with new and original blog content week after week can be difficult. That’s why 101 Management Inc. wants to offer you some ideas on how to keep your readers coming back.

 

  1. Start with a great headline

By great headline, we mean something that will make them want to read your blog. “How to (solve a problem)” always works. So do listicles: “15 Ways to (do something they’ll want to accomplish).” You need to pique your readers’ interest, so think of the famous “One weird trick” ad. It was intriguing, and caught people’s attention. Others include: “Shocking News About (something they’re interested in); “What You Should Know About (things that matter to them); “The Danger in (something they may have thought was benign).

 

  1. Answer questions

Do your customers email, call, or text you with questions about your product or service? Do questions pop up in your social media feed? If more than one person has asked the same question, turn it into a blog. Chances are, if one person had that question, others will, too, and will come to your website to find the answer. If many people have that question, the search engines will direct them to your site.

 

  1. Make it useful

Again, you have two audiences for your blog: your readers and the search engines. If your readers find the information you provide in your blog useful, they’ll keep coming back for more. If the search engines find that your blog provides useful information, they’ll rank you higher. So don’t just provide information, offer solutions or advice whenever possible. For instance, if you’ve told your readers about tax scams, list ways they can avoid them.

 

  1. Research equals quality

There’s nothing wrong with writing a blog off the top of your head if you’re an expert on the topic you’re writing about, and you can make your writing sound authoritative. But some solid research can not only add substance and believability to your blog, but increase its quality ranking in the search engines. Cite (or even link to) respected news outlets, research studies, or government statistics.

 

  1. Keep abreast of your industry

Breaking news that relates to the product or service you sell makes an ideal “hook” for your blog. For example, if you sell pet products and hear that Canine Corp.’s dog treats have been implicated in 27 dog deaths, this is something your readers should know. If you can provide recipes for homemade dog treats as an alternative to the deadly commercial morsels, even better.

 

  1. “Steal” ideas

Numerous idea generators are available to bloggers. Try hubspot.com or app.buzzsumo.com, for example. With these, you can enter keywords and let the generator do the work. Or check out blogs by your competitors for topics, then research and write your own take on what they’ve written.

 

  1. Revise, rewrite, edit

Grammatical and typographical errors detract from all the hard work you’ve put into your blog. Good writing and editing add to your credibility.

One secret of good writing is to leave it alone for as long as you can. Hours or even days later, you can come back to it with a fresh eye, and it will be easier to notice awkward phrasing, questions you haven’t fully answered, paragraphs that should be rearranged, etc. It’s also easier to spot grammatical errors, typos, and punctuation mistakes.

 

  1. Turn to 101 Marketing

One of the services we offer is content creation. If you don’t have the time or the interest to create your own content, we’re available to generate terrific, SEO-friendly content for you!