How to Write a Blog that People Will Actually Read

Published on November 11, 2013

We are often approached by clients that have heard about how blogging has been shown to increase website traffic over time.

We hear: "Sure, that's all well and good, but in my industry I don't have enough sustainable information to blog about!"

Luckily, we haven't yet found a case where this was true.

Myth #1. There aren't enough "things" to blog about.

We recommend our clients blog 8-9 times a month (that is to say, 2x a week). It can seem a little daunting for industries where there seems to not be a lot of consistent "output" to write about.

This brings us to point number 1:

If you consider yourself experienced in your industry, then you have experiences to blog about - just pick your angle wisely.

Say you're a dentist. Dentists aren't typical bloggers. (But they could be.)

The first step is thinking about who you want to be reading your articles. You could cater it to other professionals in your industry (i.e. writing blogs that only other dentists would understand) or you could cater it to your client base. We typically recommend the later half, as clients are usually your best bet in getting new referrals.

So, what would clients like to read about? While you may have experience in performing root canals, clients probably don't need to read a "how to perform a root canal" tutorial (in fact, that sounds rather horrible). Maybe instead, you can post a "What you need to know before going in for a root canal."

One of these post ideas may be useful to a client, and one is not. Both use the same information.

See what I'm getting at?

Myth #2: No one will read my articles.

This could be true, but it shouldn't be the case if you follow these steps:

The first step is picking content that is informative and useful.

a) If you're writing about information that will be, in some way, helpful to your audience, you're on the right track.

If you're able to guide someone through a process or let them in on an industry secret, this is much MUCH preferred to blogging about "a day in the life" or how your company recently got a new dishwasher or something.

b) Your writing has to make the content interesting and readable.

Writing is a persuasive and communicative art form. If your articles are steeped with run-on sentences and grammatical errors, you're going to turn readership away. If they are inaccessible because you're using too much stuffy language, you're going to turn readership away.

Striking a happy medium isn't always easy, but with a little practice, and a meaningful review process, it should come together. A good first step is to read other blogs from professionals in your industry. It is good to recognize both what they are doing well and what they are NOT doing well, so you can formulate your own strategy.

Prospective readers don't magically find your blog. Simply posting and waiting just isn't going to cut it.

a) Make sure your articles and website are SEO-tastic.

What is Search Engine Optimization? If you don't know, make sure you take a read before you continue.

Having good, readable content is a great start. To build on that, optimize your searches by identifying keywords that you think readers will search for. Write your articles as if you are answering a question that someone will need to have answered.

The bottom line is that SEO is fueled by activity and relevancy on the scene. And how to you build page activity?

b) Own your social media presence.

If you haven't yet ventured into the social media scene, here is our guide for building your presence from the ground up.

If you've well-established your brand name across social media avenues, it's time to get active on them. You're generating all of this awesome content now with your blog that is PERFECT for generating social media activity.

More social media activity = more website/blog hits = more customers

Don't be shy about sharing your content, either. It's virtually impossible to reach everyone you want to reach by only posting your blog post once. Link it a few times during the week with different descriptions, and make sure you're hitting all of the big social media sites. (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+)

Myth #3. If I'm not an internet sensation from day 1, I'll never gain readership.

Developing a blog takes time. As we have statistically found, the more blog posts you have the more hits you will have.

Google views website relevancy in a number of different ways, but one of them is based on the number of pages that exist within your website. 10 blogs are fine, but 100 blogs are better.

The simple truth is, you're not going to build it overnight, but if you build it they will come.

Keep on keepin' on. You will gain readership. Don't believe me? Check out these inspiring graphs.

The hard truth?

Blogs do wonders for your website and company relevancy, but we get it. Not everyone is a writer, nor does everyone have the hours in the day to put in the work that a blog needs.

That is why companies like ours specialize in this process. If you point your marketing efforts towards content generation, (whether you do it yourself or hire someone to do it), you won't regret it.

Send us an e-mail or give us a call if you want to learn more. We truly believe everyone has the ability to blog, and we'll be happy to help steer you in the right direction.