{"id":2665,"date":"2017-10-15T11:00:53","date_gmt":"2017-10-15T18:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fastwebhost.com\/blog\/?p=2665"},"modified":"2017-12-03T15:37:23","modified_gmt":"2017-12-03T23:37:23","slug":"how-to-create-better-blog-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fastwebhost.com\/blog\/how-to-create-better-blog-content\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create Better Blog Content"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the fourth part of a series of guides on how to succeed with blogging. This guide was written by the team at FastWebHost.com who have helped thousands of blogs setup and achieve success over the last 10 years.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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So far we\u2019ve shown you <\/span>how to build your blog<\/span><\/a>, how to <\/span>grow your blog\u2019s followers<\/span><\/a>, and how to <\/span>\u00a0make money from your blog<\/span><\/a>. By now you\u2019ve realized it all comes down to how well you create your content – whether it\u2019s writing words or taking photos or singing songs. That\u2019s what we\u2019re here for today.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

To have great content on your website you need to do 2 things on a regular basis:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Create stellar content<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Measure results and do a content audit<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Creating Content<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    1. Understand your readers <\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

    You need to understand who your readers are and what they want in life. All good blogs are focused on certain topics or areas of life. That\u2019s why travel blogs may talk about the foods of different localities, but won\u2019t really talk about cooking or foods as a standalone subject. <\/span><\/p>\n

    More importantly, there are probably plenty of blogs on the subject you choose to work with, but your readers come to you for a specific reason. You need to understand that reason, the emotions behind it, and target your content towards those emotions. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Not sure where to start? Ask your readers what general topics they\u2019d like to see more of. Then plug the topics and keywords into google trends and buzzsumo to see what\u2019s trending. <\/span><\/p>\n

    2. Work through lists <\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

    Jot down ideas on your phone when inspiration strikes and keep a list of topics you can work on. Don\u2019t worry about how you\u2019ll flesh them out, that\u2019s for later. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Once those ideas have a chance to marinate, you can start working on them. You should always try to take a unique stance on the topic – say something different, or try to say it in a different way. <\/span><\/p>\n

    If you ever run out of ideas, remember that most ideas work well with multiple types of content. Expand on a part of something you\u2019ve written about before, or turn your list article into an infographic.<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. Be consistent <\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

    Once you\u2019ve figured out what your audience likes you need to be consistent with it. Deliver what they want on a regular basis, but don\u2019t rush. Remember, there\u2019 at least 10 other people who are doing what you\u2019re doing. Your audience comes to you for your style and quality. It\u2019s perfectly fine if you publish only once every month. <\/span><\/p>\n

    The trick is to stay engaged with your readers in the meantime. Show them sneak peaks or work in progress on social media. You can even let them have a little control over the production process by asking for feedback on Facebook or twitter.<\/span><\/p>\n

    4. Team Up<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

    Invite guest bloggers to contribute to your blog. They can write a complete piece which you can publish. They can collaborate on a piece with you by joining you for an interview or discussion. Or they can simply contribute a few thoughts to a piece you\u2019re working on.<\/span><\/p>\n

    This helps bring more fresh perspectives and unique angles to a post. You can also use this to argue multiple sides of an idea for your readers.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Auditing Content <\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Once you start, there\u2019s an impulse to just keep moving forward and create new content. But you need to stop once in awhile and go over what\u2019s been done. You should do an audit at least once a year, or more depending on how often you publish. <\/span><\/p>\n

    An audit will show you what worked best, what didn\u2019t and what can be re-purposed. You can also identify old content people are still reading, and update them. <\/span><\/p>\n

    1. Make a List of Your Content <\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

    Start by making a list of everything you\u2019ve published. Get them all onto a spreadsheet and categorize them by what they are, what they\u2019re about, and what they\u2019re meant to achieve. <\/span><\/p>\n

    2. Decide on Metrics <\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

    Next you decide on what you want to measure. Each of your pieces of content would have a different objective, and so you would probably want to measure a different metric for each. In general though, some metrics tend to be useful for all kinds of content. Things like page views, time on page, bounce rate, goal conversion, and social shares are always useful metrics to have.<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. Review Analytics <\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

    We love <\/span>Google Analytics<\/span><\/a>. It\u2019s free to use and can be used to get both an overview and in-depth look at your content\u2019s performance. You might also want to look at analytics from your social media. If you\u2019re using any other 3rd party analytics, you should record their results in your spreadsheet too. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Once that\u2019s done, you need to divide your content into 3 lists – ones that are doing well, ones that are doing ok and can be improved, and ones that have never done very well.<\/span><\/p>\n

    4. Decide What to Do<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

    For content that\u2019s <\/b>doing well<\/i><\/b>: <\/b>See what they have in common. There must be a reason they do better than the others. These audits are a great way to figure out your formula for success. Then figure out how you can make it better either by improving the content itself or finding new ways to reach more people with it. Or example, turn your best videos into info graphics so you can share them on Pinterest. See if there are ideas or points within the content pieces that can be fleshed out into their own posts. <\/span><\/p>\n

    For content that has <\/b>potential<\/i><\/b>: <\/b>Figure out why they\u2019re not doing better. Low click rate on social media could mean a poor title or feature image. High bounce rate could mean the opening paragraphs aren\u2019t entertaining enough. Or it just might not be the right fit for your audience. Once you figure it out you can improve them. <\/span><\/p>\n

    For content <\/b>that\u2019s no good<\/i><\/b>: <\/b>You\u2019ve got two choices here. You can try improving them, or you could just remove them altogether. It might feel wasteful to remove content you worked hard on, but in some cases it\u2019s the best choice. Maybe the post is no longer accurate, or your views have changed and you no longer support this idea. Let it go and move on.<\/span><\/p>\n

    5. Create a Plan for Future Content<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

    All of this should help you figure out what works better and what doesn\u2019t. It should help you figure out your formula for creating better content. At this final stage of the audit you reflect on what you\u2019ve seen and condense it into a clear plan and guidelines for future content, so that next year\u2019s audit goes smoothly. <\/span><\/p>\n

    So that\u2019s that. Now you know how to write better content, and that means you\u2019ll be able to get more readers and more revenue from those readers. If you don\u2019t have a blog yet, there\u2019s no time like the present to start. Get over to our <\/span>WordPress <\/span><\/a>page and pick a domain name and you\u2019re good to go. <\/span><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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