Blog With User Intent
Do you blog with user intent? Blogging with user intent is wise, especially if business blogging is part of your content marketing strategy.
But I digress. This blog’s original title was Don’t Blog for the Sake of Blogging, written in 2011. I struggled with creativity at the time, wrestling with relevant and worthwhile topics to write about. In other words, what topic or subject should I blog about?
Returning to my version of the Wayback Machine, I wrote, “If you’re a regular reader of the Writing Web Words blog, you may have noticed that there was no new post last week. It wasn’t a coincidence. I didn’t have a particularly important point, so I held off rather than just blogging about nothing.
Ironically, this brought to mind a point worth noting: Having a point or subject when sitting down to blog.
Are you still following me? While it’s essential to keep your site relevant with up-to-date and topical content, you must be careful not to blog for the sake of blogging. If you don’t have an organized message or point of view to share, you may devalue your site’s user engagement and risk turning readers off.
So, how do you ensure you’re blogging about something noteworthy versus blogging for the sake of it?
1. Use the inverted pyramid structure:
First, ensure that you have a worthwhile topic and, once done, tease out a hint of it in the first two paragraphs or blog summary. As you probably know, most journalists adhere to this standard (except when writing in-depth features that tell chronological stories). Bloggers should hold themselves to the same standard. Assume your users don’t have much time and want to get the gist of your post quickly. At the risk of dating myself, the use of TL;DR was minimal at best in 2011.
2. Have a clear and fresh message:
Don’t repeat yourself. Ensure your blog post provides visitors with fresh and relevant information. It could be about a new service offering, product launch, etc. Consider what brings your target audience to your blog first, then rinse and repeat. And, speaking of target audiences…
3. Make sure your site addresses your target audience:
Sticking with the word relevant is insufficient to have an important message. It must be a message that matters to your target audience. I have plenty to say about the Toronto Maple Leafs, but that doesn’t mean I should write about them on this blog, which focuses on web content development and online copywriting. It’s our core service offering, so we best blog about topics under that umbrella!
4. Don’t forget about the call to action:
Technically, you’re not making a sales pitch in your blog post, but if you have a message, you want your readers to do something with it. Sending them off to go forth and prosper is a great way to end a post. I’ll do it now:
The next time you blog, take a good, hard look at this list. It’s a significant step toward ensuring that your target audience consumes quality content and establishes you as an authority in your endeavour.
Need a Professional Blogging Service?
As the Senior SEO Copywriter and Creative Web Content Writer at Writing Web Words Inc., Ray Litvak understands the art and science of Search Engine Optimized (SEO Content) development. He uses the right words in the right way to increase your rankings while appealing to your reader. Whether writing SEO copy, web content, or blogging for businesses, he starts with the end in mind, considering your target audience’s expectations and goals, crafting text for a blog with user intent and people-first content. Discover how greater exposure on Google can drive more traffic, increase leads and grow your business. Many of Ray’s clients consistently rank on Google’s first page and, as a result, have grown their business. You can do it too – and it doesn’t have to be expensive.
Call Ray locally at (647) 707-2672 or email him for a FREE Quote and assessment of your specific needs today. You’ll be glad you did!
