Save yourself time by only creating content that WORKS
It’s well-established that one of the best ways to position yourself as the expert in your niche is to write regular blog posts – every week if possible.
How do you come up with great blog post ideas?
Well, that’s what this article is about. Sumo.com recently conducted a survey of 175,000,000 visitors to their client websites to determine the most popular blog posts by type.
Posting these types of blog postswillgive you the numbers, always a good thing when you want to get your name out to the publicand drive traffic to your site.
However, I only have one quibble – raw numbers aren’t everything. You might not get hundreds of thousands of readers for your blog posts on your vision and values, it’s true. However, a small, but very important, subset of readers will be drawn to these posts.
The people who share your goals and values are most likely to go on to become your loyal customers.
They will not only support you in reachingout to them; they will become your most profitable customer segment.
So, don’t lose heart running after clicks and shares. Look over these article types and think about how they apply to your customers, in your business. The name of the game is still adding value to your customers’ lives.
Top 10 blog post ideas that get results
Without further ado, here are the types of blog posts that get the most views. These types of posts accounted for 83% of the hits surveyed.
1. ‘How to’ blog posts
This is a perennial favourite, accounting for 23% of total traffic. You use your knowledge and expertise to help readers. Furthermore, readers searching for ‘how to’ do something in your niche are quite likely to be interested in more of your content, so it’s not too difficult to get them to sign up for your newsletter.
If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas you could check out a question-and-answer site such as Quora.com to see what questions people have been asking lately that you might write an article on.
2. List posts
There’s something very attractive about content in a list format. It promises the maximum entertainment for the minimum effort. Depending on your target audience a simple shallow list might not be the best type of post for you, but consider how you can incorporate it into your blog (especially if you can find some attractive pictures or videos to add to it). For instance, if you have a grocery store you could have an article on ‘10 fruits in season’.
3. Posts that explain complex concepts in your niche
This post goes in depth to answer questions your readers might have. If well-done it can continue to gain shares for as long as it’s up, driving traffic to your site and attracting views and potential customers.
For instance, I wrote an article a few months ago on building brand ambassadors that explained what they are and why they’re so important to marketing your company.
4. Posts warning your readers about something dangerous
Remember the Wannacry ransomware attack in May 2017? It could penetrate the defences of major institutions such as FedEx and the UK National Health Service.
I wrote an article warning my readers of the threat and telling them what they could do to protect themselves.People are hard-wired to respond to threat, so these types of articles make for a lot of shares.
5. Posts ‘revealing’ something about a celebrity
Many people are interested in the lives and activities of celebrities, so adding their names to your headlines are sure to get clicks. Just choose a celebrity who’s popular in your niche. For instance, if you have a health food store, something like ‘How Teresa Cutter Shops for Healthy Food’ might make a good blog post.
6. ‘Breaking news’ posts
Keeping your ear to the ground in your niche and coming out with a blog post within 24 hours of a new story – while it’s still trending – is a great way to drive traffic to your site.
You can set a Google Alert that will send you an email when your keywords are mentioned. Before writing your article make sure to check Twitter and Facebook for the right terms to use so people can find you when they search for this topic.
7. ‘In-depth’ lists posts
These are lists with more information; ideally actions your readers can take for their benefit. For instance, for the ‘Fruits in season’ blog post idea, a short form list would just have a picture of luscious apricots saying, ‘In season from November to February’.
An in-depth list would give you nutrition information and tell you how to choose the best, ripest apricots and how to store them properly, maybe give you a few recipe ideas.
Answer your customer’s questions and they’ll keep coming back for more.
8. Posts on controversial topics
This is a delicate area, since you will offend some people (that’s why it’s controversial). I wouldn’t advise posting anything too divisive unless you really believe in it.
For instance, if you have a health food store a blog post like, ‘Why Vegan Diets Are Bad for You’ might drive traffic, but would also offend a large section of your customer base.
On the other hand, if you believe in it, go ahead and write it. You might attract a cadre of loyal meat-eating customers who like your anti-vegan stance.
9. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
This type of article is great for driving search engine results, since these search terms tend to have many people searching for them but relatively low competition. Answer the Public is a good website to use for ideas.
I entered ‘herbal tea’ in the search field and came back with a ton of good blog post ideas based on search results, such as:
- What herbal tea is good for back pain, acid reflux, anxiety etc.
- Why is herbal tea healthy?
- How to make herbal tea at home
- What are herbal tea benefits?
- Will herbal tea stain my teeth?
- Can herbal tea cause kidney stones, diarrhoea, dehydration etc.
- Which herbal tea has the most caffeine?
10. ‘Ultimate guide’ posts
These posts are long, in-depth ‘how to’ posts that cover all the bases. They take a fair bit of work and research, but it’s worth it because you’re creating content that will continue to add value (and be shared) for a long time. Once you have your idea, check your preferred keyword research tool to see how much keyword competition you have. ‘Herbal tea’ is probably very competitive, but what about ‘Australian herbal tea’ for teas that are grown in Australia?
These ten types of posts should give you enough ideas for the next several months at least. If you’d have any questions or comments, drop me a line or come check out my website. I’d love to hear from you!
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