Member Article

Writing an Effective Blog

Some hints & tips on how you can write a successful blog for your business

Starting a blog seemed like a great idea at the time – you were full of ideas and couldn’t wait to create content. But a few months have passed, the inspiration has dried up and your blog is gathering dust.

Never fear! There are plenty of ways to get that blog up and running again. Here’s a few tips to get you started.

Get inspired.

Start by reading other people’s blogs to see what works. Take a look at Linkedin Pulse, or some of your favourite blogs (maybe of a particular Newcastle web design agency?). Look at how they’re written, and the kind of topics they focus on. What makes it interesting? What style of writing keeps you reading? You only have to read a few before you start wanting to pick up a pen and join in! And for those of you who are a bit strapped for time – download pocket. It’s an app that you can quickly store articles to for offline reading later, and they also recommend articles based on your interests. Keep your pocket topped up, so that you always have a little bit of inspiration ready and waiting.

Don’t push yourself too hard.

The average time spent on a website is terribly short (less than 15 seconds, if you’d like to know). So why force yourself to write a 1000 word blog post? Get to the point, quickly and succinctly, and if it only amounts to 300 words…well, who’s counting?

It can be tempting to write about a topic purely because everyone else is. But if it doesn’t interest you, why bother? Pushing yourself into writing about subjects that bore you is a fast track way to make blog writing a chore – it should be fun! Write about things that excite and interest you – you’ll find that the reader will be able to sense your enjoyment, making it as fun for them to read as it was for you to write.

Questions make great titles.

If you’re struggling for something to write about, pick a topic, and frame a question around it. Let’s say the topic is web design – you could ask ‘Why is web design important?’, ‘What is the future of web design?’ ‘Where is web design going?’. You could go on making titles for quite a while! Not only are these titles easy to write, but they really grab a reader’s attention.

Make it worth your while.

If your last blog post didn’t get any attention, you’re going to struggle to find the motivation to write another. The lack of traffic doesn’t mean that your post wasn’t any good – but it might mean that nobody can find it. Are you sharing your blog posts on your social media channels? Is your blog easy to find on the website? Is it time to take a look at your SEO strategy?

Keyword rich content can help increase your rankings on Google, and here at Urban River we are the SEO experts! We can provide a site audit, which will drill into why parts of your website aren’t performing as successfully as they should be. A solid SEO strategy might be the difference between a blog everyone is talking about, and a one nobody has ever heard of. Get in touch to find out more, or check out our portfolio to see how we’ve utilised SEO to transform businesses.

Give yourself time.

Whilst a blog is a brilliant tool for your brand – it isn’t vital to your day-to-day business. Creative ideas don’t come from stress or sleepless nights, so give yourself as much time as you need to let your fantastic content ideas become reality. If you can only manage one post a week, or a month, or one every two months, that’s ok! Your audience will appreciate regular posting, and to know when there’s likely to be an update – in other words, don’t post three in one week then go silent for six months! Dedicate to whatever you can manage. If you do go mad and write four blogs in one go, keep them as a backup if work gets on top of you and your blog is at risk of being neglected.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

If you’ve read the above, and still feel like writing content for your blog is completely impossible, maybe it’s time to get in some extra help. At Urban River, we have spent over a decade developing fantastic content for our clients. We can look after your blog for you, fill it with content and keep it updated. Your website shouldn’t be another weight on your shoulders, and we’re here to keep your website ticking over and looking fantastic, whilst you can get out there and do what you’re best at. Drop us a line to find out more.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Carl Buckley .