How to Choose a Good Topic for a Business Blog
Business blogs can be excellent ways to promote what it is that you have to offer and increase conversion rates. However, choosing business blog topics that rank can be difficult. And it’s not as simple as just picking a theme; there’s a number of considerations to be taken into account.
How to Make a Business Blog Stand Out
You’ll find plenty of marketing articles that emphasise the power of tactics such as viral videos, infographics and mobile-friendly website designs. Although these are all effective tools, you need to bear in mind that engaging and well-written texts are still preferred over white papers, e-books and email advertising.
Blogs can help to highlight the products and services that you have to offer, heighten brand authority and – ultimately – build solid relationships with your visitors. Similar to books, blogs are often judged by their covers. This is why “hooking” a visitor from the very beginning is crucial if you actually want the material to be read.
1. Get SEO out of the way
Search engine optimisation (SEO) plays an important role in blogging, but it’s more than just the content you need to consider. There are metrics directly associated with the titles themselves that should always be consulted during your planning stages. For instance, were you aware that titles of between six and 13 words receive the highest amount of inbound traffic? And did you know that location-specific (GEO) phrases are preferred by major search engines such as Google and Bing?
The bottom line is that the title itself is not enough if you hope to generate interest; SEO plays an equally important role. So when creating a title for your next blog post, make sure to do the following:
- Always reflect the content in the title.
- Include relevant keyword/s.
- Keep it simple (readers are unlikely to be impressed by complicated phrasing).
- Include the appropriate HTML tags.
Once you’ve got your general SEO considerations covered for the title, the next step is to decide on the focus of the content itself.
2. Know your reader
You may have come across the term “buyer persona”, but what about “reader persona”? A reader persona is simply another way of describing the type of person you intend to write for. Are they interested in technical information? Do they require a problem to be solved? Might how-to blogs resonate the most? Selecting a topic without knowing your audience is like trying to market a product to an unknown target; it simply won’t work.
So, how can you determine the reader persona? In many ways, it will be reflected in your most popular products and services. If they’re already buying it, they’ll be interested in reading about it. But if you’re struggling a little with inspiration, you could also take a look at other informative pieces which have been written by your competitors. Assuming that you share the same niche market, the chances are high that the topics will also correlate with your goals.
Once you know who your reader is, you need to decide what they’re most likely to want to read.
3. Examine past blog posts
Using insightful tools such as Google Analytics, determine which ones were the most popular with your readers. These can be re-purposed to create similarly engaging material. But don’t simply copy and paste a previous blog while changing only a handful of sentences; you should put a different “spin” on the subject matter to ensure that the information is updated and remains relevant.
This strategy is also another way to capitalise upon evergreen content. In some ways, such an approach can be compared to using the same bait while fishing if you always get a bite. If the bait works, don’t change it. Basing new blogs upon the appeal of previous topics is a great way to keep readers interested and increase conversions.
4. Become a Thought Leader
What if you have no previous blog posts to leverage or if your past efforts garnered little attention? In either of these cases, you will need to develop a sense of authority. Some of the most effective business-related topics are those which enable your brand to rise above and beyond the competition. But how can this be accomplished?
One effective strategy is to select trending subjects within your niche community. You can then relate these to the services provided by your business. It is also prudent to include authoritative links within the subject matter itself. Linking to respected portals will provide two benefits. Firstly, it establishes that your company cares about providing readers with timely information that has already been proven by experts. Secondly, search engines love authoritative linking, and this will help to boost your rankings, leading to even more inbound traffic.
5. Employ a bit of textual magic
No matter what your blog is about, the title should “jump” off of the digital shelf and immediately pique the interest of the reader. While this will obviously involve the subject, there are some additional tricks that can be used to draw attention to the content being offered. Consider these two generic titles:
- 10 Sure-Fire Tips to Start Your Own Business
- How to Start an Online Business
Research has shown that certain keywords tend to generate a great deal of initial interest. Examples include “secrets”, “tips”, “tricks”, “expert”, and “how to”. After all, the majority of those who read blogs are seeking advice or information that points them in the right direction. In addition, giving a “numbered” title draws a reader in with the promise of easy-to-digest (and apply) steps to success.
6. Narrow down the subject matter
More is not necessarily better in terms of business blogs. While addressing broad topics may very well lead to robust online exposure, how many of these readers will subsequently decide to take further action (such as confirming a subscription or purchasing a product)? If you want to make the most out of your efforts, it is wise to select a niche topic and explain it in greater detail. Once again, two generic examples can help to cement this point:
- Five Marketing Trends to Watch Out for in 2022
- Five Online Marketing Trends Within the London Restaurant Sector
Although the first title may offer valuable information, its broad nature signals that stiff competition will be encountered. The second topic addresses a much more targeted audience base. As a result, readers who choose to access the blog should be keen to appreciate what you have to say.
7. Take advantage of blogging content tools
Are you new to the business world and don’t really follow trending subject matter? Have you run out of ideas and need some inspiration? Then look at industry-specific topics that already have live articles. The internet is vast and the options endless, so use content blogging tools to narrow down the selection.
Thankfully, there are many tools to choose from and BuzzSumo happens to be one of the most popular, primarily due to its user-friendly design. For instance, let’s imagine that you wish to discuss the latest tools for content marketing. You would simply enter the term “content marketing tools” into the BuzzSumo search field. You will then be provided with a host of trending articles.
BuzzSumo can also be used to actively track the most popular articles associated with a specific website. This is great news if you want to follow the actions of your competitors. You can then analyse these articles in order to determine why they are enjoying such clout.
8. Use personal curiosity to your advantage
Have you become interested in a certain topic that is related to your business? If so, the chances are high that your readers are also curious to learn more. This approach will illustrate that you are not afraid to delve into new areas, providing your business with a more flexible brand identity. However, there is another hidden benefit …
Researching new topics will add to your overall knowledge base. It may even introduce you to new (and trending) subject matter that you didn’t know existed. Quite simply, you should never be afraid to think outside of the proverbial box if your mental well of ideas has begun to run dry.
9. Undertake in-depth research
One of the challenges associated with business blogs is that the readers tend to be highly knowledgeable. This means they will quickly sniff out any “fluff” and regurgitated facts. Always remember: the main point of any topic is to provide new, innovative and valuable information.
Try to remember that last blog that grabbed your attention and provided a fresh perspective; it likely contained advice and information that were previously unfamiliar to you. This strategy can work wonders when choosing a new direction for your business blog, which is why performing in-depth research should always be built-in to your blog creation process.
10. Avoid complexity
While the blog topics themselves do not have to be simple in nature, they should always be explained in a clear and concise manner. After all, you are not in a competition to see who can display their knowledge of technical jargon to the greatest degree.
If you find that explaining a certain subject is challenging in written format, supplement the text with infographics or an embedded video. You can still highlight the main points and those who wish to learn more are free to interact with visual media.
How to Know the Difference Between a Good Topic and a Great Topic
So, how do you separate mediocre subject matter from that which will leave a positive impression upon the reader? The easiest way is to look out for ideas that have the following qualities:
- Topics addressing a niche market.
- Subject matter that coincides with the reader persona.
- Blogs intended to solve problems.
- Concise titles containing relevant and actionable keywords.
- Trending industry topics.
- Material that provides your business with an air of authority.
Above all, remember that business blog topics will naturally change from time to time. As explained here, this is simply a part of evolution within the digital domain. This is why coming up with new ideas on a regular basis will allow your venture to achieve the exposure that it deserves.
About our author
Ron is a prolific author who regularly contributes to on-site blog posts. His passion for creativity combined with a client-centred approach has brought him a significant amount of success within this competitive marketplace. Writing for Textbroker since 2012, his hobbies include martial arts and bodybuilding.
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