There was once a time blogging meant putting out as much content as possible, stuffed with grammatically incorrect keywords. It’s moved on a lot since then.
There are many who say blogging is dead, but really, it’s just dead in the way you know it. You need to boost your efforts if you really want to make content marketing work for your business. Here are three ways blogging has completely changed.
Quality Over Quantity
Not getting a post a day out there isn’t going to do you any harm. In fact, not having something up for a month won’t be too bad.
While Google wants fresh content, it also wants high quality content. It wants something that your readers will love and won’t click back on. If you’re able to offer that, you’ll find your site ranks much higher in the search results.
How can you do that? By putting focus on your readers. Think about what they really want to hear from you, and the way they want your words written.
Move Away from Keyword Stuffing
Remember those grammatically incorrect keywords that I told you about? It’s time to step away from them and focus on high quality, long-tail keywords.
Short phrases, stuffed into a piece of writing tells your readers and Google one thing: you’ve written for the robots. Long-tail keywords are the phrases that people will actually search for (they want specifics!) and limiting the use helps your words flow.
Have a few keyword phrases in mind, sure, but don’t overpower your content. Keyword stuffed blogging is dead and will remain that way for the foreseeable.
Videos Are Your Friend
Are you one of those bloggers who focused more on the words? At one point in time, only blogging was perfectly fine, but that isn’t the case anymore. People want videos. They want to be able to see your face and hear your voice.
Videos mean they can interact and get the content (often) in a shorter space of time. Think about it: are you more likely to chose a video over a long blog post? Of course you are!
If you’re not confident enough to put your face on the screen, there are plenty of whiteboard style video programs out there to purchase. Video Scribing will share all about how you can use it to your advantage.
It’s time to stop thinking of blogging as just a way to build links and get more page views. Blogging is dead in that sense. You’ll need to use it productively to build your business and impress your customers.
Do you need help with your blogging? Please let me. Get in touch today and we can discuss your project and budget needs.
Great tips. Thanks so much! I wish I had more time to blog but mostly I wish more people would comment on my blogs. I would love that interaction.
You`re right, things change so we also must change. You have inspired me.
I’m trying to get up the nerve to do videos, but I usually “freeze” in front of the camera.
It is possible to build the confidence up. My hubby was the exact same.
I don’t do videos. I only enjoy watching the ones without sound. As I have hearing issues. I normally go about the internet with sound off. Unless I am listening to music.
This is why I like to have a video and the content written on a page. That way people have a choice.
I disagree with you. I would choose the long blog post to read over watching a video anytime. I’m a quick reader and I know how to skim to what I want to get my information quickly. It takes me longer to listen to a video, and most of the time I just won’t do it. I realize that’s just me. I do try to include videos on my blog posts for those who do prefer them. I think the younger people are the ones who most respond to the videos.
Definitely in the minority 😉 There are times that I prefer reading, like when I’m working and listening to music, but a video is often much easier to follow. We have to work with what our audience wants 🙂
I’m in the minority who (1) usually can’t play videos, often see a hole where a video is plugged in, and (2) don’t have the patience to do more than smile at a mindless half-minute cartoon video if it does play. I’m adding images to one blog, procrastinating on getting the image-free version up at the other site…
This can be a problem but when writing online, it’s one of those cases of you go with the majority. Or you can offer two versions of the site–image free and normal–like you’re doing.
This is such great advice, especially about emphasizing the quality of a blog post over quantity or even keywords. I wish I could get more of my blogging friends to pay attention to messages like this one!
It’s a difficult one. There’s still the mentality of more is better…but less is more 🙂