Lesson 2: Crafting Blog Content That Grows Traffic

If the blog is at the heart of growing traffic with SEO, then it naturally follows that you need to learn how to create an effective blogging strategy.

Effective blogging doesn't just require the content on the website; the content needs to support readers and get them interested enough to click on the headline on any platform, whether it be an unfurl on a WhatsApp chat or a link on a Google SERP. The following significant strategies can help many content campaigns, regardless of market or industry vertical.

Create Content Guided by Evergreen Topics

Short-term gains in traffic from covering breaking news or popular topics aren't worth the trouble. Instead, make posts about evergreen subjects that people will read no matter what else is happening. If you update these evergreen posts consistently, you will see an increase in visitors and inbound links.

Evergreen trees symbolize everlasting life because their leaves remain on the tree year-round. Like trees, different types of evergreen content are perennial favorites in search engine optimization.

Evergreen content on the internet will (ideally) continue to be relevant and functional well into the foreseeable future. Content written about, say, local elections will be out of date soon enough. To create content that will last, you should consider using one of the evergreen formats listed below:

- Comprehensive product reviews

- Entries akin to encyclopedia articles

- Instructional content

- Tips

- Lists

Though these forms of writing or content don't ensure your piece will remain relevant forever, they lend themselves to evergreen content. Videos are invaluable when demonstrating a process, such as icing a cake or grouting a tub. Without video, you may wish to use a gallery of images (photos, illustrations, diagrams, etc.).

Master Headline Writing

Considerable emphasis should be placed on the headlines of your works. Research has shown that attention-grabbing blog titles can increase website visits by as much as 500%.

Of course, you can have the most informative blog post in the world, but no one will read it if the headline is boring. So learn to write attention-grabbing headlines that draw readers in from search engine results from pages. Below are some additional tips to improve your headline writing efforts:

Using a number at the beginning of a headline is practical to draw attention to it. We are drawn to numbers next to text for the same reason we are drawn to contrasting colors. So, in addition to promising a quick, scannable read, a list provides readers with a clearer idea of what to expect from your post.

·   Spend most of your time on the headline; it's the first thing people will see. Then, schedule some time to think of various catchy headlines.

·   The topic of your blog post must be stated explicitly in the headline. An indistinct headline will attract no attention.

·   It would help if you convinced people that your article is worth their time.

·   The "how to" concept, sometimes with some embellishment, is used in many effective headlines.

·   It's up to you to pique the interest of your readers so they'll read your post. They need to feel like two excited kids at the gates of Disney World.

·   Best blog post titles aren't shy about doing some self-promotion. Embellish. Exaggerate. Entice.

·   You've got your finger on the pulse of your target demographic. You have compassion for their hopes and suffering. Use that information to craft more engaging titles for your online content.

·       Engaging titles get more attention than those that are merely informative. However, being a little offbeat is okay when writing a catchy headline. The best headlines find that sweet spot between being straightforward and standing out.

Host Guest Bloggers on Your Website

Having guest writers contribute to your site has many benefits, including expanding your pool of potential topics and points of view and potentially increasing your readership through social sharing and inbound links.

Only publish unique, high-quality content; never include irrelevant or spammy links (lest you get a Google penalty and lose traffic). This can be aided by establishing a standard set of guest posting guidelines to ensure all posts are on-brand.

Innovate in the Visual Realm

Create new graphs and illustrations for your brand using design software like Canva. If you allow other websites to use your images, they link to yours. As a bonus, Google is increasing including images in standard Search results, giving you more chances to rank and boost your result's attractiveness (and thus click-through rate).

Utilize Video

While written content certainly has its place, video has been shown to increase both site traffic and user retention. Increasing website traffic with video can be done in a few different ways:

Put videos in your blog posts so that they can be found in online video databases.

Boost your video's visibility in the YouTube search results by using search engine optimization techniques and by including clickable links to your website in the video's description.

Create video CTAs that link directly to your website.

Establish a Resource Center

For your audience's education and trust in you, don't limit yourself to just video content or blog posts. Additional resources, such as infographics, downloadable guides, templates, and webinars, are available. Build a resources page to store all the lead magnets you make and use elsewhere online. Visitors who enjoy your site's multimedia content are more likely to return for more.

There's a good reason why marketers hailed resource centers as the holy grail of SEO and lead gen.

If you provide valuable content to your audience, they will reward you with valuable information like their email address. This is especially true for a business-to-business audience. In addition, Google stresses the importance of providing practical, trustworthy content to attract organic visitors and boost search engine rankings with each algorithm update.