Dazzling your readers when blogging for your company site doesn’t come naturally to most business owners. It’s actually harder than it sounds. Sure, anyone can jot down some opinions, facts or pieces of advice, throw in some links, and post it online. But it takes a lot of thought, preparation and skill to create and share meaningful content that’s not only accurate and factual but compelling as well.

This is where content marketing comes in. Check out these five tips for content optimization and generating more traffic.

1.    Clean Up Your Website

Get back to basics and take a look at your existing website. There’s no point in creating awesome content if it will just get lost in a bunch of clutter. Rework your tagline, create an ideal reader profile, develop a basic editorial calendar and schedule regular backups. But the most important thing to do is de-clutter your web design. Include professional photos, limit dense text and add catchy headlines.

The only elements you should keep are those that serve a distinct purpose, says Website Magazine. Eliminate superfluous design elements so the reader doesn’t get overwhelmed.

2.     Establish Trust

Establishing trust starts with becoming a subject matter expert in your field. Whether you’re a roofer, doctor, lawyer or real estate agent, it’s important to show you’re a leader in your field, and the best way to do that is through your content. This is where you can really shine, show off your expertise, and get readers to trust you. If you need help polishing that content, a professional writer is the way to go. Often times, you may be an expert in a particular field, but don’t necessarily know how to convey it in the best way. Hire a pro!

3.     Create Clear Calls to Action

The layout and design of your blog and website will definitely impact conversion rates. So to ensure your compelling offers are visible, it’s important to come up with a call-to-action that is not only clear and clean, but succinct and direct. This is all a part of content marketing optimization. You don’t want cluttered sidebars and 15 widgets sprinkled everywhere. Instead, you want a focused, clean design featuring succinct text that’s to the point, professional, and perfect in terms of spelling and grammar. Make sure people know what action to take when they’re finished reading your copy.

4.     Incorporate SEO

Start your content off with an irresistible introduction, while showing off your personality and expertise. But you also should create it in an SEO-friendly way. Incorporate keywords that are relevant to your industry, but don’t stuff them in there. Google will penalize you for it. Freelance content writers are especially good at this because they can take your chosen keywords and weave them throughout your copy in professional ways that don’t look forced. SEO will get you recognized by the search engines, and shouldn’t be ignored.

Quality content is the best way to make sure that you are strategically using your keywords, helping you compete with other brands from your industry, says Social Media Today.

5.     Boost Blog Traffic

Hubspot says marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to enjoy a positive return on investment. However, if no one visits your blog, how can you hope to generate those links, or even more sales or traffic? Here are some takeaways for boosting blog traffic:

  • Write great headlines
  • Create viral content
  • Understand your audience
  • Generate ideas for customer comments and reviews

Getting more eyes on your blog starts with content that dazzles!

Contact Content Runner

Ready to start dazzling your readers this year? It starts with amazing content. We can help. Contact us or check out one of our niche writers today.