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Welcome to podcast #67! Today is all about what is working in blogging – the online world changes so fast that what worked a couple of months ago has probably changed…
What did Andrew and Heather learn this week?
Heather did some work with a client in a green screen studio – this is very much worth it for producing a quality video! You can hire them by the hour and you just show up – they have all the equipment and assistance ready. Google ‘green screen video’ if you need to find one near you…
Heather has also been reading about the future of jobs – there is now a role called ‘simplicity expert’ who is tasked with going into businesses and finding ways to condense work down from 3 days to half an hour.
If you want to know about upcoming trends, Amazon is a good indicator – they now have a new section called ‘wearable technology’.
Andrew has been studying business-related topics this week. A couple of days ago he found that Skype is opening up it’s platform to video conferencing for more than two people for free. Seems to be their answer to Google Hangouts!
What is working in blogging?
Fundamentals that still work
- Ask people what they want to know then answer that for them!
- Find your own style – is it teaching? A video? Develop your own voice…
Headlines
- Make it about the person visiting your page – what are they going to learn from you? Avoid ‘artistic’ or vague titles – people are busy and will ignore these!
- If you get stuck for ideas, check out some magazine covers. Which headlines grab your attention?
Blog Length
- There’s no 100% air-tight rule! Mixing it up may actually be a good thing. For example, Upworthy is highly trafficked but only has short, micro-blogs.
- From a search engine perspective, research at the moment is saying 600 – 1500 words is a sweet spot. This is to provide a balance between giving enough information and holding reader attention.
- Key thing is to write for your readers, not search engines!
- Videos – still good for keeping people on your website for longer.
Images
- Images are everywhere – it is important to use these well to emphasise your point and break up your post more.
- Name your images appropriately – rename with something related to your keyword phrase. Also include in the alternate text.
Calls to action
- If someone got to the bottom of your blog post, the chances are they found value in it – get them to opt-in by having a box pop up at the bottom.
- Interlinking – refer to other pages and posts on your website (e.g. “if you want to know how to… check out my…”).
- Use banners for related products in your posts. (for example your course that is related to the topic).
- A series is a great way to take people through your site.
Site Navigation
- Make sure your site is set up for people to easily navigate if they have never seen you before and hit your website first on a blog post.
We’d love to hear your thoughts! Please share with us below…