Last year saw the creation of the Your AJency blog. Since then we have published over 25 business blogs and worked with 10 other small business owners to create guest posts for Your AJency. Whether we’re casting a spotlight on our favourite women-led businesses in our “Moments to Motivate” series or by sharing insights of behind the scenes at Your AJency, the goal of our business blog has always been to help and inspire other female business owners and entrepreneurs. Alongside this, the Your AJency blog has been a key component in our strategy to become more visible as we look to grow the business.

But are blogs “still a thing”?

Yes! Despite what many would have you believe, blogs are not dead!

Whilst social media continues to be where a lot of our audience sits, by developing a successful business blog and publishing new posts each week, we have been able to add further value to our clients by offering them expert advice, showcasing their talents and by introducing them to a larger network. The long-form nature of a blog also means that you are creating content that can easily be re-purposed and as we spoke about here on the blog, repurposing content really can save you hours of time and effort as a small business owner. Not to mention, blogs drive traffic to your website which in turn helps your website ranking, so whilst “Social SEO” has definitely become a trend this year, posting useful blogs that people want to read means more people will be able to find the rest of your website content too!

So what’s next to create a successful business blog?

For me, when it came to creating the Your AJency blog, I decided that I wanted to make sure I did it right and so I hired an expert to help.

As a business owner, one of the hardest decisions is who you work with and inevitably trust with your business reputation. There’s definitely a fear that working with others means you can’t always ensure the same high standards that you have created for yourself.

But, I knew this wouldn’t be a problem when I asked Danni, from Creative Copy Co, to start working with me. Danni and I met whilst living in Chicago and at the time she was writing as a lifestyle and travel blogger. I had read plenty of Danni’s work and so when she launched her own copywriting and content business last year, I knew that she would be a great fit for the content I wanted to produce for Your AJency. Danni and I have now worked on various projects together and as Your AJency continues to grow, Danni has started working with several of my clients as an associate of Your AJency helping them with their blogs, newsletters and websites.

If you’re thinking about creating your own business blog, or perhaps you want to write a guest post on another blog, here are 7 things to check when writing a successful business blog, compiled by Danni Blackburn.

5 Things to consider When Writing a successful Business Blog post

1. Write for your customers

Just as with your website, your blog is there to help your customers so put yourself in their shoes. What advice do they need to hear? Are their industry insights that only you can provide them with? Are there external products or services that you know your clients would love and need to know about? Think about the pain points you are trying to help them with and plan your content accordingly.

2. Plan your content

Whilst it’s true that “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”, planning content is the best way to ensure that you know where and how you are going to add value to your customers. It doesn’t have to be a fixed plan but by knowing how often and when you are going to post, and roughly what you are going to post, you are setting yourself up for success too.

Consistency is key when it comes to how often you should post but do bear in mind that Google loves fresh content! In fact, the more frequently you update your blog (which actually means your website is updating too), the more likely your website is to climb up any search engine rankings and gain more visibility for your target customers. Finding spare time doesn’t come easily to small business owners so make sure you build in time to write your content, or hire an expert to help you.

3. Collaborate with other small business

Whatever industry you’re in, collaboration is an excellent tool whichever way you look at it. With regards to your business blog, why not invite other small business to write for you or be interviewed on your blog? Try to research businesses that you think your clients will love or be interested to hear from. The benefits for other small businesses are that they get exposure to your audience and potential new clients, and for you, it means that you don’t have to think constantly be thinking of new ideas to write about.

4. Make sure you are thinking about SEO

You don’t have to be an expert but considering Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) when you’re writing can make all the difference. Other than writing a well-planned and well-structured post, things to think about for good SEO practice are:

→ using keywords that are unique to your business and that can be found by Google (you could use Google Keyword Planner for free or a paid-service like RankIQ). Use these in the title of your blog but also use it and other related keywords through your blog - make sure it sounds natural though and not just for the sake of it!

→ include links to other pages on your website where relevant to keep customers on your site longer. If you’ve written a blog post on a similar topic that may be useful, show your reader how to get there! It will prove your authority on the topic and help your reader out!

→ link to other websites that may be useful but make sure these open in a new tab or window in the settings (again this keeps customers on your site too)

→ if you include photos, make sure they are high-quality and that you write an “alt text” for them in the settings so that they are accessible for all readers.

You can do lots of research on the best ways to make sure you have great SEO on your website and blogs but this post from Yoast is a great starting point.

5. Analyse your blog performance

Just as with any other part of your business, make sure you are checking in and seeing what works and what could be improved. Is there a certain type of content that performs time and time again? Are your readers sharing a particular post on their social media? Are there certain keywords that people keep finding you from? Use Google Analytics (free to install) or a similar insights tool to track who is reading your blog, when they are reading it and how they found it.

We hope Danni’s tips prove helpful for all of you who are thinking about starting your own business blog, or even writing a guest post for other businesses. Ultimately, a blog remains an excellent tool to be included in your marketing strategy if done right. Certainly, it can help drive visibility amongst new customers and send traffic to your website. If you’re wondering what your next steps are or how to get the best out of your marketing, why not book a chat with us at Your AJency? Our goal is help make sure our clients are prepared and ready to take their brand to the next level whether we’re working with them as a mentor, business strategist or social media manager. Read more about our services here.

Danni Blackburn is the founder of Creative Copy Co and a successful blogger and influencer through her website and Instagram channel - Danni Meets World. Having completed a coding course, she now works with small businesses to help take the stress out of content creation and website development so that business owners can spend time doing the parts they really enjoy.

www.dannimeetsworld.com

Instagram: @dannimeetsworld