Blogging can unlock a range of benefits for businesses and professionals alike, but how can you turn your blog into a revenue-generating resource?
In this #ContentChat, we’re joined by Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle), marketing consultancy founder and author of Blogging for Business and The Business of Branding You (both here on Amazon), to discuss how to earn money from your blog. Read the full recap below, where we discuss the do’s and don’ts of enabling automatic ads on your blog, why you need a lead magnet, ways to partner with guest bloggers, and more.
Q1: How can a blog drive revenue for a business or individual?
A blog can drive revenue through affiliate marketing (learn what that is here), sponsored guest posts, ad networks, and by raising awareness of your paid solutions and offerings like products or online courses.
A1: There are multiple ways a blog can drive revenue. Affiliate marketing, being paid as an influencer, sponsored guest posts, ad networks, selling digital products, online courses (just to name a few) #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
A1b: Your blog can drive direct revenue through advertising, sponsored content, affiliate links, and promoting direct sales of your digital assets such as e-books, templates, and courses. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 9, 2021
A1. While there are direct options to monetize blogs such as affiliate marketing, I use my blog as a revenue generating magnet by sharing valuable educational content to attract and convert prospects. #ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) August 9, 2021
Ditto for the consultancy website. Although affiliate marketing is an income generator for me on https://t.co/BCLbph1eUa #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 9, 2021
A1 As someone who’s working through the fine details to do just this, I know if you use a Google based blog you can link it to an adsense account
-Alyx #ContentChat https://t.co/iqIJQPSnvx— Charlie & Alyx – Charlie Appel Agency (@ColfaxInsurance) August 9, 2021
Consistency is key to drive a successful blog strategy. You need to provide a consistent flow of content that addresses the range of topics and priority keywords for your readers.
A1. A #blog can spread news about your services, brand and deliver helpful content to attract people to your solutions and offers. From a #SEO perspective pages with evergreen #content might be more helpful to drive traffic longterm.#ContentChat
— Christian Lipp 🌱 (@SEMgalore) August 9, 2021
A1: Long-form content such as blogs, drives traffic to your website and generates leads and sign-ups if valuable and relevant to your audience. #ContentChat
— Pavel Stepanov (@pavelStepanov77) August 9, 2021
A1: I think the biggest indirect benefit is how a blog can become “long-game” content marketing through providing useful tips and info as well as helping to establish credibility, expertise, etc. #ContentChat https://t.co/BCeBa2e6E7
— Sherry Holub – Wizard of Design (@jvmediadesign) August 9, 2021
A blog is definitely “long game”. That’s a great point to bring up. Beware the “gurus” offering courses that turn bloggers into overnight millionaires. True success comes through time and serious dedication. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
In this capacity, your blog showcases your expertise in your space and builds your reputation as a trusted expert for your community. This thought leadership status could unlock new opportunities for your team, like speaking engagements, awards opportunities, or access to exclusive business networks.
A1a: Blogs can drive either indirect or direct revenue for brands and individuals.
Indirect: builds your reputation as an industry thought leader which causes others to seek you out for work or speaking engagements. #ContentChat https://t.co/LqLhOmya8w
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 9, 2021
A1: From a #ContentMarketing standpoint, a blog can help sell your services or products by showcasing your expertise and building your brand’s reputation. #ContentChat
— Melanie Graham (@WriterGirlMel) August 9, 2021
A1. Blogs act as a key platform to engage relevant audience, nurture them and then of course convert using your content as the most powerful promotional medium – blogs have a lasting impact unlike paid advertising #contentchat
— Mahima Kini (@Mahi2weets) August 9, 2021
Just for starters, I feel it’s important to “demonstrate expertise in action.” Using the tenets of great storytelling, and also being smart about using social media in a way that’s aligned around the brand, using a blog is key to Customer Experience (CX) and business success. 🙂
— Roger Darnell (@RKDarnell) August 9, 2021
Regarding ads on your blog, be conscious of what you promote and how you present these ads. By promoting poor-quality content or presenting ads in a way that detracts from the reading experience, you can actively deter your readers from engaging with your content.
A1b: Just be careful what products you promote, the types of ads you accepted, or how you present sponsored posts. You can lose trust from your audience or get hit by search engines if you do it the wrong way. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
This is so true! If you accept payment to add sketchy links or host poor-quality content, you can easily read your community’s trust. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 9, 2021
So true! I’ve seen many cringeworthy ads on blogs where I’m sure they have no idea what ads are really being displayed. #ContentChat
— Sherry Holub – Wizard of Design (@jvmediadesign) August 9, 2021
Q2: What should a blog content plan include?
Per Anthony, approach your blog like a business if you really want it to grow.
A2: Your blog plan should take into consideration much of what you’d put in your business plan. Approach your blog like a business if you really want it to grow. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
Your blog plan should include your blog goals (which should tie to your business goals), relevant topics for your audience personas, budget considerations, and requirements for success (tools and resources). Your blog plan should link to your brand style guide.
A2: First and foremost, your goals for the blog. The rest of the plan should build out from those goals. #ContentChat
— Melanie Graham (@WriterGirlMel) August 9, 2021
A2. A blog content plan should include the goal for your blog + the type of content including voice, approach, and format. #ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) August 9, 2021
A2. The same things that a business plan needs – the why (purpose), who (target market), how (video blogs, micro blogs, tips, long-form?), when (frequency) and where (blogs need to be advertised too)! #contentchat
— Mahima Kini (@Mahi2weets) August 9, 2021
A2 Your blog should have it’s own detailed strategy like any of your other SM platforms – purpose, content types, engagement plan, advertising/awareness, etc etc
-Alyx #ContentChat https://t.co/kzRUpA79na— Charlie & Alyx – Charlie Appel Agency (@ColfaxInsurance) August 9, 2021
It’s essential to include audience personas in your blog plan. This way your team can understand who you are writing for and the unique pain points that this audience faces.
A2b: Your blog plan should include: audience personas, info about your market and niche, action plans for growth (with KPIs), budget considerations, personnel and tech you’ll need. Really just details about everything you’ll need to make your blog run! #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
So important to include reader profiles, it determines the pain points you’ll solve and the language you’ll use to create audience-relevant content. #ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) August 9, 2021
Otherwise, you are writing for everyone which means you are writing content that’s unlikely to connect with anyone in particular. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 9, 2021
Christian sums up the main blog plan elements to include:
A2. Content plan includes:
🎯 Goal + goals per content piece
📚 Topics + approach/intent
🖥 Format
📊 Graphic info
🔗 Internal/External links
💰 Costs for #content production
📢 Distribution channels
🗓 Time plan#ContentChat #contentmarketing #blogging— Christian Lipp 🌱 (@SEMgalore) August 9, 2021
And you can check out Anthony’s book Blogging for Business to learn more!
A2c: I actually wrote a book, Blogging for Business, that lays out a blue print essentially for growing your blog. It serves as a base for creating your blog plan and growing your blog. #ContentChat https://t.co/6RtDVjU379
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
Q3: What is a ‘lead magnet’ and where do they fit in a blog?
A lead magnet is something of value that you provide to your blog visitors in exchange for their information (usually name and email) to get them into your pipeline.
A3: A lead magnet is something of value that you give away to entice your blog visitors to give you their contact info so you can move them into email lists and into your pipeline. An eBook, white paper, discount code, template…you get the point. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
A3. A lead magnet is a gated piece of content that encourages people to get it by sharing their info so you can add them to your content marketing funnel. #ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) August 9, 2021
A3: A lead magnet is a related something extra related to your blog content that you give away to visitors in exchange for them joining your mailing list, or providing you with some sort of data that is valuable to your business. #ContentChat https://t.co/PopAO9XJSC
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 9, 2021
A3 The lead magnet is what you get out of the blog
In a lot of cases, it’s trading the value you’re giving for email info, and can also be traffic to another site, or even sales
-Alyx #ContentChat https://t.co/sNV7UkdIoG— Charlie & Alyx – Charlie Appel Agency (@ColfaxInsurance) August 9, 2021
The lead magnet can be anything that provides legitimate value to your audience, including a whitepaper, eBook, infographic, discount code, guide, checklist, template, video, or course (but don’t let that list limit your potential).
A3.
A lead magnet – when done right –
🧲attracts the right audience
🧲 provides value like a whitepaper, infographic, guide, checklist, template, video, course…as a download
🧲…in ‘free’ exchange for lead data, mostly an email address for nuturing#ContentChat pic.twitter.com/QSz42G5MYw— Christian Lipp 🌱 (@SEMgalore) August 9, 2021
To reinforce: Your lead magnet needs to provide actual value to your audience. Create quality, useful assets that help your community overcome its challenges. If you provide lackluster lead magnets or ask for too many personal details (do you really need their phone number at this stage?), your audience may provide fake information in your form or actively avoid your gated content.
*Value* is key here. It should be an even exchange. If the info they’re providing to you is valuable for your business, you should give them something worthwhile. #ContentChat https://t.co/B6flQTp4JJ
— Melanie Graham (@WriterGirlMel) August 9, 2021
A3: I look at lead magnets as a “trade” – you trade some quality, useful piece of content for someone’s authorization for you to add them to your mailing list/otherwise contact them in the future. They can fit if that piece of content is complementary to a blog. #ContentChat https://t.co/gOXxhkEJXV
— Sherry Holub – Wizard of Design (@jvmediadesign) August 9, 2021
YES! That’s why it’s so important to make sure they are something that’s incredibly relevant and useful to your ideal customer. Otherwise, all you are doing is adding a bunch of disengaged people to your email list. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 9, 2021
Totally! Also side note… you always run the risk of people giving throw-away or bad email addresses, but people who are honestly interested will most likely give you their actual info. #ContactChat
— Sherry Holub – Wizard of Design (@jvmediadesign) August 9, 2021
And if you add enough value, people will easily part with their email address. It also offers a hint at the quality of the content that will follow through email, or by becoming a customer. Here’s a piece on this from my blog. https://t.co/gsX38Eztxj
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
Each lead magnet should have a landing page that clearly explains the value of the asset, plus a strong call to action.
A3b: You’ll want to set up landing pages with a clear call to action on each and an explanation of the value the visitor would receive if they exchange their contact info for the lead magnet. A powerful CTA is critical in ensuring your lead magnets get results. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
Excellent points 🙌 #Landingpage optimization is a must for lead magnets and to convert the traffic at low costs.#ContentChat
— Christian Lipp 🌱 (@SEMgalore) August 9, 2021
There are some really bad landing pages out there. It takes a solid copywriting who knows what triggers people to react to write quality landing page content. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
Clear CTA are so key and so often people will muddy the waters, so to speak, by wanting to get across too many things at once. #ContentChat
— Sherry Holub – Wizard of Design (@jvmediadesign) August 9, 2021
I’ve worked with a lot of people who just wanted to cram in all kinds of product specs, etc. That’s a great way to bury the message and seriously reduce conversions! #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
Keep in mind that you need to build trust with your community for them to become more willing to engage with your gated content, and you should limit how much content you gate. We explain how to know if you should gate long-form content in this past #ContentChat recap.
Agree lead magnets can help with conversion goals but it only happens when bloggers invest in building trust and nurture their audience over a period…you put a “gate” only when their are visitors lined up to see you! #contentchat
— Mahima Kini (@Mahi2weets) August 9, 2021
For sure. You don’t want to gate content right away. And you want to limit the amount of gated content once you do put up the gates. Most of your content should be free and in the open to build trust and relationships. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
Q4: What is the best way to welcome guest bloggers to your site? What foundational elements should content marketers create to ensure a seamless process?
First, ensure that your blog has a smooth user experience, which includes fast load times, easy navigation, and consistently valuable content. Clearly define what your blog is about, and provide opportunities for your readers to engage with your content and reach your team as needed. This will increase the likelihood that guest bloggers will want to contribute to your blog.
A4: Your visitors should be met with a smooth user experience, fast load times, and easy navigation. This is first and foremost, in line with the importance of actually having useful, valuable content on your blog. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
A4b: They should also be met with access to connect with you if the need arises. Offer ample opportunities to drop comments on posts or otherwise submit an inquiry. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
A4c: It’s also important to clearly define what your site is about. If your visitors land on your home page and the copy they find is super confusing, they’ll leave. Make sure you concisely convey what you offer and the value you bring. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
Provide prospective guest bloggers with your style guide, information about your audience, and preferred content topics. Also detail what they need to know about working with you, including how guest bloggers should submit content, the typical timeline for reviews/approvals
A4: Once you’ve got a great guest blogger lined up, having a kind of “welcome packet” is probably a good idea – guidelines, audience info, etc. etc. #ContentChat https://t.co/bI1q81vsWW
— Sherry Holub – Wizard of Design (@jvmediadesign) August 9, 2021
A4: Provide the essentials to make sure the content flows well with your existing blog – style guide, audience personas, brand guide, etc. Give them a clear outline of your process from first draft to publishing. #ContentChat
— Melanie Graham (@WriterGirlMel) August 9, 2021
A4: I usually create a “write for us” blogger submission guidelines post that includes what topics we accept guest submissions on, blog content specs, and a link to a submissions form to pitch a post. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 9, 2021
A4. Having a contributor’s guidelines doc helps. It should cover things like your audience, your style guide, best performing guest post examples on your site and do on. #ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) August 9, 2021
When working with guest bloggers, allow their unique style to show through. It helps to have a new voice on your blog, and as long as that voice is speaking about someone relevant to your audience, you should only copyedit for grammar issues or spelling errors.
One other thing – although consistent, on-topic content is crucial, it’s important that you don’t squash the guest writer’s unique style. Having different voices on your blog give it real value, you just want to make sure those voices are on key 😉 #ContentChat
— Melanie Graham (@WriterGirlMel) August 9, 2021
I’ve had to have that conversation with brands a few times in the past. Having a new voice is a good thing! You should never copyedit guest submissions to make them sound “more on brand”. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 9, 2021
That’s a great point. Copyediting should be reserve for grammar issues or uncovering spelling errors. Just make sure the post is high-quality. Never change the voice of the author. It comes across inauthentic. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
Q5: How can content marketers successfully build and nurture relationships with their community of readers?
The best way to build relationships with your community is to actively invest in them as individuals across their preferred channels. Engage with your readers. Seek to understand their challenges. Present solutions to these challenges. Show that you care.
A5: As @martinlieberman would say if he were here, talk to them!
Engage with them on social, reply to their blog post comments, and use readership surveys to understand what they expect from you and where you can improve your content offering. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 9, 2021
A5: Just off the top of my head, I’d say really getting to know them and engaging with them … ask for input/suggestions on content they want to see … make them feel heard and valued. #ContentChat https://t.co/LfBF3PMB25
— Sherry Holub – Wizard of Design (@jvmediadesign) August 9, 2021
Stay active on social media to nurture your community. Engage with their content, share high-value content that meets their needs, and show that you are an expert they can trust.
A5: Social media is really important in building and nurturing relationships. By being active on social media and engaging with your readers, you show them you are listening and you’re real. People want to know they’re heard. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
Oh yess! Social is a great way to keep in touch with your readers as well as attract new ones. #ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) August 9, 2021
Twitter chats are a great way to have regular conversations about current topics. #ContentChat
— Irina Graf (@themiceblog) August 9, 2021
Enable comments on your blog, and respond to any comments that are shared.
A5b: I also recommend keeping your comments open on your blog posts and responding to all comments that come through. This is another great way to open up communication with your readers and learn more about them. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
Segment your community for ongoing email communications, including a consistent monthly newsletter and targeted emails to segmented lists.
A5c: You’ll also want to build email lists. Then send targeted communications to your subscribers. I recommend a monthly newsletter as well as more targeted emails to segments lists based on interests and other factors. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
Survey your readers to understand their challenges, topics they’re interested in, and ways you can better meet their needs with content.
A5: I’m always a fan of sending out surveys to your readers once or twice a year to hear about the pain points they’re going through, trends they’re seeing, topics they’d like to hear more about, etc. Survey responses can also be a great resource for blog content! #ContentChat
— Melanie Graham (@WriterGirlMel) August 9, 2021
Surveys are a great vehicle for enabling people to see themselves reflected – and to see other perspectives on familiar issues #ContentChat
— Dan Goldberg (@Jonas419) August 9, 2021
Yes! I’ve created some fantastic content from readership surveys in the past. A favorite example is this piece: https://t.co/Q9ZdWtUVIN which we created when I headed up content @Achievers #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 9, 2021
And stay consistent with your activities.
A5. By consistently posting new content + keeping in touch and surveying your readers using a newsletter community. #ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) August 9, 2021
Once again, Christian provides a quick list of the main areas to cover.
A5.
🤝 Have interactive elements,
🤝 Be open for feedback with surveys + comments
🤝 Listen to the needs and create helpful content
🤝 Keep the blog clean with fast loading times
🤝 Don’t gon the nerves with ad + popups
🤝 Watch your grammar 😉#ContentChat— Christian Lipp 🌱 (@SEMgalore) August 9, 2021
Q6: What are the main SEO considerations for content marketers when creating blog posts?
Quick disclaimer: SEO can significantly affect the success of your content, but SEO will not fix bad content. Your focus should always be to provide value for your readers.
A6. Focusing on quality and value will ensure all your SEO practices are in place – conversational writing, using relevant keywords organically & interlinking to relevant posts for better engagement! Investing in your audience is key #ContentChat
— Mahima Kini (@Mahi2weets) August 9, 2021
Use a tool like SEMrush, Moz, or Ahrefs to conduct an SEO audit.
A6c: Conduct an SEO Audit. You can use a tool like SEMrush, Moz or Ahrefs to uncover areas for improvement as well as link building opportunities. Here’s a link to find out more about how SEMrush can help. #ContentChat https://t.co/mMhdvUtBHA
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
Keywords are a major SEO consideration for teams.
A6: SEO goes far beyond keywords these days. While keywords are important, there are over 200 factors in Google’s ranking decisions, so you need to go far beyond that. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
A6. Targeting keywords that can help them rank but making sure they’re used naturally in the blog content. #ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) August 9, 2021
A6: Quality and relevance are more important than ever. Does your post answer the user’s question thoroughly? Is it useful and shareable? It’s not just about keyword placement anymore. #ContentChat
— Melanie Graham (@WriterGirlMel) August 9, 2021
Support link building by linking to high-quality content within your content, and create high-quality content that other sites will link to.
A6b: One of the most important SEO considerations is link building. As you create content, create pieces that go far beyond what’s already out there. This will help you more easily earn backlinks which can boost your SEO. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
Address your H1, H2, and other structural elements.
A6.
✔ Clear topic with #content that fits search intent
✔ Main keyword + side keywords
✔ Using 1 H1 + H2/3 tags, paragraphs, for structure
✔ External + internal link map
💡I’d rather recommend to go for pages rather than the blog/diary format for many #SEO reasons— Christian Lipp 🌱 (@SEMgalore) August 9, 2021
If you’re looking to learn more about SEO and content marketing, check out this SEO basics post to learn about keywords, headlines, content structure, backlinks, and meta descriptions, and read this post for a deeper dive on the ideal content structure to boost your content SEO.
Q7: What simple changes can content marketers make to their blog to increase its speed?
Upgrade your hosting provider if your site has slow load times or other issues.
A7: Stepping up your hosting provider is a great first step. Blog owners often try to save money with cheap hosting, but the problem is that it can lead to slow load times and other issues. Pay for quality hosting. You can cut costs elsewhere. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
Hosting is super important and not always something content-focused folks consider when looking at load times/speed. #ContentChat https://t.co/IElMASOS6B
— Melanie Graham (@WriterGirlMel) August 9, 2021
Agreed. That’s why I use @SiteGround and have recommended it for so many clients over the years. LOVE it! Lots of solid web optimization tools.
Check them out here, w/my affiliate code: https://t.co/fs5ax0cjJE#ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 9, 2021
They’ve been especially helpful in moving sites over from other hosts and platforms. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 9, 2021
Optimize visuals to increase your load times, and consider hosting video files on channels like YouTube.
A7b: It’s also important to optimize your images and other visual content. Instead of actually uploading video files into your site, try loading them to channels like YouTube and elsewhere and then embedding them on your site so they are hosted somewhere else. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
A7c: Large image and video files can really bog down your website and crush it’s performance. Take time to compress images and take steps to reduce file sizes so you aren’t slowing things down too much. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
A7. Optimize the visuals you use. Helps improve page load speed drastically. #ContentChat
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) August 9, 2021
I review sites all the time for speed optimization and 9x out of 10 the biggest slow-loader are unoptimized images. #ContentChat
— Sherry Holub – Wizard of Design (@jvmediadesign) August 9, 2021
A7: Check your image sizes (we aim for under 100KB) and the number of images throughout the post. Also, videos “above the fold” can affect load time, too. Consider placing them down the page. #ContentChat
— Melanie Graham (@WriterGirlMel) August 9, 2021
Assess whether automated ads enrich your reading experience. In many cases, these ads slow down your load time and can detract readers from staying on your site.
A7: Kill the automated ads. I think very few blogs actually make $ from those and they will make your page load slow. If you must have ads, do an internal ad system w/hand selected ones. Also, invest in quality web hosting. #ContentChat https://t.co/uBBQIop1BY
— Sherry Holub – Wizard of Design (@jvmediadesign) August 9, 2021
I don’t think bloggers realize how often spammy ads that slow down their site cause visitors to bounce without even reading what they came there for. While that may make you ad revenue in the short term, it will decrease return visitors and time on page over time. #ContentChat https://t.co/usHhDSPVyi
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 9, 2021
Q8: What KPIs are the best to use to track blog content success?
Your blog goals should ladder back to your overarching business goals, so there is no one-size-fits-all approach. However, metrics like total traffic, bounce rate, link clicks, scroll depth, and conversions are all options. Check out the community ideas below to help determine your KPIs.
A8: The metrics you choose to track for your blog really depend on the objectives of your specific blog. There’s no one size fits all, but some general things to track include: traffic, bounce rate, sources, and campaign performance. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
A8b: You can track things like newsletter subscriptions, content downloads, actually business (for consulting businesses or if you sell products on your site), etc. You need to understand what you want to achieve with your blog and then plan your KPIs accordingly. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
A8: 3 buckets of content performance measurement…
Consumption (visits, visitors, scroll %, bounce, earned media)
Conversion (next step/CTA; Did the intended audience do whatever your content intended for them to do?)
Business KPIs (subjective to org objectives)#ContentChat
— Rich Schwerin 🚵♂️ (@Greencognito) August 9, 2021
A8. KPIs for #blog #content
🚦Traffic
📢 Channels/sources/medium
🖱 Scroll depth
🦘 Bounce Rate
💰 Conversions
📉 Organic rankings + CTR#ContentChat #contentmarketing #digitalmarketing— Christian Lipp 🌱 (@SEMgalore) August 9, 2021
A8: I’ll add to this great list things like assisted conversions and page path for your conversions. Does your blog contribute to the $$ you make? #ContentChat
— Melanie Graham (@WriterGirlMel) August 9, 2021
Yes! All so important, and often bloggers just look at the super high-level things like traffic. Conversions (both macro and micro) are crucial. And knowing how a visitor got there is so important. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
And defining a conversion: click, form fill, engagement? Import to understand what you are trying to achieve #ContentChat
— Dan Goldberg (@Jonas419) August 9, 2021
It’s important to have a whole range of these goals in your analytics platform so you can start to understand how these different points in a customer journey actually factor into lifetime customer value. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Founder @ErikaHeald Consulting (@SFerika) August 9, 2021
Traffic can get confusing because older blogs have more lifetime pageviews. How do you see everything apples to apples? #ContentChat
— Dan Goldberg (@Jonas419) August 9, 2021
Important not to just focus on overall, lifetime traffic. Dig in and look at the performance of specific pages and track campaigns, events, etc. Get a deeper picture into how things are working. #ContentChat
— Anthony Gaenzle (@AnthonyGaenzle) August 9, 2021
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