Anyone who knows me knows I’m a huge advocate for content marketing. I write a lot, and I publish in a lot of different places – all of which have been critical to the growth of my businesses over the last few years.
But even though I’m pretty active as a content creator, I still love to check in with others in the space to see how their experiences compare with my own. That’s why I was so happy to be a part of Quuu’s recent #Qchat on “Where and how to publish your blog.” I’ve put together some of the best answers below, organized by the questions asked in our chat.
I hope you find it useful as you put together your own strategy for blog publishing in 2017.
Why should you use blogging in your marketing strategy?
I love this response from Ashley Faulkes, because I totally agree. Blogging has so many advantages that it deserves a place in every marketer’s toolbox.
A1. I can’t believe there is a reason NOT to blog (ok, maybe time) #qchat
— Ashley Faulkes ⭐? (@madlemmingz) February 28, 2017
Other participants included compelling benefits, such as:
A1: To position yourself as an expert in your industry #QChat https://t.co/U9O201M8zY
— Loredana Baranga (@LoredanaBaranga) February 28, 2017
@quuu_co Q1 It’s a great way to start a conversation with customers who don’t know you yet #Qchat
— LJ Sedgwick (@lj_sedgwick) February 28, 2017
. @quuu_co providing value, helping people solve their problems in other ways than just your product or service #qchat
— Hans van Gent (@jcvangent) February 28, 2017
These are all great responses, but I wanted to put some numbers behind them. Consider that:
- Websites with a blog tend to have 434% more indexed pages.
- B2B marketers who publish blogs get 67% more leads than those who don’t.
- 47% of buyers viewed 3-5 pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep.
Yes, blogging is more competitive than it’s ever been before. However, the numbers are still on your side – and the advantages described by #Qchat participants above are as powerful as they’ve ever been.
Is it better to blog natively on your website, or to use platforms like Medium for blog publishing?
I was actually really interested to hear the participants’ responses to this question, as it’s one that’s come up a lot in my conversations about content marketing strategy.
Clearly, I’m in favor of using both – of creating content for your own web properties, and publishing on external sites that can build your audience and expand your reach. That said, I’ve been doing this a long time, and I have the benefit of extensive content collections and established relationships to facilitate the process.
Would marketers who come from different backgrounds – either because they’re newer or have taken different approaches than me – share my opinions? It turns out, for the most part, yes.
Brittany Berger described this approach as a “hub and spoke” model, while David Hartshorne saw sites like Medium as potential boosters for these kinds of content hubs:
A2. I’ve always been a fan of the hub/spoke model – use your blog as your main “home” & use other platforms for sequels & spinoffs #qchat
— Brittany Berger ✨ (@thatbberg) February 28, 2017
A2 first and foremost on your own blog but Medium is a potential booster #qchat
— David Hartshorne (@davidhartshorne) February 28, 2017
Others, like Sam Cambridge and LJ Sedgwick, saw value in a balanced approach to blog publishing:
Both, primarily on your own domain first, but platforms such as medium help spread the word and give more exposure https://t.co/xzjSUj1M4W
— Sam Cambridge (@samcambridge) February 28, 2017
@quuu_co A2 I’d say use both but for different content #Qchat
— LJ Sedgwick (@lj_sedgwick) February 28, 2017
@quuu_co A2 So your blog can be indexable content but Medium could be more thoughtful time-sensitive posts #Qchat
— LJ Sedgwick (@lj_sedgwick) February 28, 2017
One situation where it may make sense to prioritize one platform or another is in the case of multi-contributor blogs, according to Kayne McGladrey:
@quuu_co #qchat Using a distributed strategy. Company blog is a masthead; individual contributors can write on LinkedIn.
— Kayne McGladrey (@kaynemcgladrey) February 28, 2017
Ashley Faulkes also recommended differentiating by content goal:
A2. although on the flip side if you just want to write and get an built in audience..Medium can work #qchat
— Ashley Faulkes ⭐? (@madlemmingz) February 28, 2017
Finally, John Walsh preferred a blog-centric approach, thanks to your website’s ability to drive engagement and conversions:
A2: Always thought it was better to blog on your own site. Once someone is on your site there is so much more they can do #qchat
— John J Walsh (@John_J_Walsh) February 28, 2017
What do you find the most difficult about SEO?
If you feel like SEO has been getting more difficult, you aren’t alone – and you aren’t wrong. 2016 data from Search Engine Watch and Merkle found that:
“Total Organic search visits fell 7% Y/Y in Q2, down from 11% Y/Y growth a year earlier, as organic listings face increased competition from paid search ads, particularly on mobile.”
There are some suggestions that content – especially high-value content, deployed strategically – may improve SEO performance. Brian Dean of Backlinko found that “the average first page result on Google contains 1,890 words,” while Moz and Buzzfeed “analyzed the shares and links of over 1 million articles and found that long form content of over 1,000 words consistently receives more shares and links than shorter form content.”
In light of these challenging circumstances, I was curious to hear what #Qchat participants thought about SEO and blog publishing in 2017.
Rolton Edwards echoed a sentiment I hear all the time:
@quuu_co A3 SEO seems like a mystery for those just starting out. You’re supposed to do it, but what is it really? #Qchat
— Rolton Edwards (@Rolton_E) February 28, 2017
Participant Ashley Faulkes had noticed this disconnect as well:
A4. From what I see from clients/students – keyword research and using them in content is rarely done #qchat
— Ashley Faulkes ⭐? (@madlemmingz) February 28, 2017
As a suggestion, he offers advice that works doubly well for SEO and for engaging website visitors by creating the kind of content they actually want to read:
A4. If you have an awesome site, great content, killer writers but do no research, you are just using a machine gun! #qchat
— Ashley Faulkes ⭐? (@madlemmingz) February 28, 2017
A4. you might hit the target, but where is it? #qchat
— Ashley Faulkes ⭐?
(@madlemmingz) February 28, 2017
Ludo De Angelis gave another tip for common-sense content marketing:
Q3 isn’t the whole point of the algo’s to make content more natural/human? ie write for humans and the rest will follow. #qchat
— Ludo De Angelis ? (@ludop0lis) February 28, 2017
What are your top tips for the design and layout of a blog?
This is a subject that I feel doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. And I get it. Content creators like me spend so much time talking about the “hows” and “whys” of writing great content that we don’t always emphasize how important it is for that content to look good.
You can probably recall seeing both good and bad content. But there are solid statistics backing up the fact that good design isn’t just visually appealing – it has powerful blog publishing benefits.
- Studies show that new visitors develop an opinion of your website within 50 milliseconds.
- Blog articles with images get 94% more views.
- According to studies cited by usability.gov, having a credible-looking website scored a 4 out of 5 on the relative importance scale.
Good design matters. But what does it look like in a practical context? #Qchat participants gave their best suggestions on blog design and layout:
A6. So much to do, but to start: Mobile focused, fast loading, simple design with easy navigation #qchat
— Ashley Faulkes ⭐? (@madlemmingz) February 28, 2017
@AlmostPractical @propsforgeorgia A6. depends on the site, but sliders on the homepage are DEAD (have one, remove it, add CTA) #qchat
— Ashley Faulkes ⭐? (@madlemmingz) February 28, 2017
@quuu_co #qchat A6 Clean fonts. Wide margins. No advertising. Make sure it’s mobile-friendly and probably <1k words per article.
— Kayne McGladrey (@kaynemcgladrey) February 28, 2017
While I disagree with Kayne’s recommended word count (my posts are often 2,000-3,000 words or more, and I’m seeing great results from them), the rest of his advice – and the advice of the others included above – is spot-on.
Ultimately, when it comes to blog publishing – whether that’s the way your blog looks, where you should publish or what kind of content you should create – focus on the needs of your users. Think about what they need to know and what kind of content will delight them.
That’s the recipe for blog publishing success in 2017 and beyond.
How would you answer the questions above? Leave me your responses in the comments.
