5 running a blog traits to reap the benefits of this yr
It's no secret that blogs can be very profitable in the world of content marketing.
According to Demand Metric, companies that use a blogging strategy get 97 percent more links to their website and are 13 times more likely to generate positive returns. Additionally, blogging results in a 434 percent increase in indexed pages and a 93 percent increase in indexed links.
This means more inbound traffic and more repeat customers for your brand.
However, there are over 31 million active bloggers in the US once a month, and that talent pool is only growing. To keep up with the pace and stay competitive, you need to keep abreast of the latest blogging trends and seek out the best blogging talent.
Here are some of the biggest blogging trends to watch out for this year, as well as quick and easy ways to implement them into your blogging strategy.
Blogging trend # 1: very visual content
No blogging trending list would be complete without reminding you of the importance of visual content.
There is no doubt about that. visual content is on the rise. Studies have shown that even three days later, readers can remember 65 percent of the visual content they saw.
This is a huge boost to your brand visibility and retention. The longer and more detailed blogs get, the more important design and interactivity become. Visual content allows readers to scan content without reading it through completely.
HubSpot found that only 16 percent of online readers take in content word for word. The rest are scanning and looking for quick and efficient information.
If you want readers to stay with you, get involved, and promote your content on other platforms, you can easily scan your information using graphics.
How to incorporate visual content into your blog
Adding pictures and videos to your content will break up large blocks of text and allow your audience to interact with your content in new, responsive ways.
It is always preferable to use original content on your blogs, but artwork can still be useful in creating a great blog. For example, an infographic provides a way for readers to easily consume your information without searching through the entire post.
Here's a great example infographic from Oberlo.
Likewise, video content is another of the hottest blogging trends this year, offering readers a more engaging way to interact with your posts.
Wyzowl surveys show that users watch an average of 2.5 hours of video content per day. So, incorporating video content on your blog is a great way to reduce the amount of time spent on your pages.
Blogging Trend # 2: More Affiliate Marketing
Another important factor in today's blogging trends is the implementation of affiliate marketing links in your blog content.
Affiliate marketing allows you to create an ongoing sales funnel outside of your website.
For example, if you run a B2C business, you can hire a blogger to write a review about your product. From there, you can offer a discount to your followers when they buy it from this post.
This not only improves your sales reach, but also introduces you to new target groups.
Blogs make up more than 40 percent of all affiliate commissions in the US. Of the same group, 35 percent generate up to 20,000 revenue from their affiliate links.
No wonder affiliate marketing is one of the hottest blogging trends of the year. How can you use this technique?
How to Integrate Affiliate Marketing into Your Blog
When creating a blog, think about affiliate marketing techniques that you can use.
If you mention a product or service, contact that company and see if they have affiliate programs to join. You can do this with a simple Google search for: product + "affiliate program".
It's always best to choose a product that you know and love, as your results will depend on how well you sell it.
That said, nobody wants to read a sales pitch. A successful affiliate blog should be educational, informative, and use other blogging techniques such as SEO and visual content.
It's also important to note that the FTC requires that you disclose all affiliate programs, which you can do with a simple line in your post.
Blogging Trend # 3: More Critical Readers
One of the more relevant blogging trends today is adding critical readers to your audience pool.
The public perception of online content is changing.
With terms like "fake news" and increasing competition for content, readers are less willing to trust content that is not legitimate.
Today's reader needs reassurance that your content is accurate and fair. They expect quotes, sources, and statistics to support your claims. Likewise, you need to consider the amount of content that is available online.
More people and more brands are entering the blog scene every year.
To stay competitive and take advantage of your SEO, you need to write content that is verified and well-sourced.
Writing for critical readers
It is important to write logical, truthful, and high quality content that uses authoritative sources and consistent citations.
Baseless, unverified claims are a great way to lose your readers. Not only that, bad sources can have a negative impact on your SEO and overall page authority as well.
Here are some simple tips to follow when writing for critical readers:
- Write honest content that is endorsed by reputable sources.
- Use backlinks to cite sources or include as footnotes.
- Don't make claims that you can't prove.
- Don't make promises that you can't deliver.
The greatest benefit is to avoid writing something that is not true or that cannot be verified with accurate sources.
Losing credibility can be a huge success for your company. Stay up to date and improve your brand integrity.
Blogging trend # 4: mobile-first format
Blogging trends often come and go, but the mobile-first formatting remains. Today everyone uses their phone to read online.
From news articles on your Facebook feed to blogs on Instagram, your customers are constantly browsing the web from their phones.
It is important that your website, blog, and any other digital content you create are mobile-friendly. Nobody wants to click on an article to get pixelated or clipped on their screen.
If you haven't set up mobile optimization, there is a risk that readers will sign out before they can read your content. Studies by Google show that 40 percent of mobile consumers accessed a competitor's website after a negative mobile web experience.
How to write in a mobile-first format
When creating mobile content, it is important to consider how your content will look on a mobile screen.
A sentence on a desktop screen may look like a paragraph on mobile devices.
Hence, it is very important that you break up your paragraphs, use short sentences, and make sure that your website is mobile optimized.
Here are a few other points to keep in mind:
- Make navigation as easy as possible.
- Make your content easy to scan.
- Make sure the page load time is fast.
- Use a mobile responsive web theme.
- Do not use text wrapping for images.
As always, writing content that is simple, accurate, and concise can improve your overall mobile accessibility.
Blogging Trend # 5: Estimated Reading Time
Another recurring theme in modern blogging trends is the estimated reading times.
Estimated reading time can improve reader engagement by setting their expectations from the start.
If you know a blog will take 15 minutes to read, but you only have 10 minutes before your next meeting, you can save that blog for another day. If reading a blog takes two minutes, you can also appreciate the convenient length of the article and open it right away.
Tempesta found that readers were 40 percent more engaged in blogs that included an estimated reading time. In addition, search engines take estimated reading times into account when determining your rank. The longer your users stay on your page, the better your chances of ranking with search engines.
How to integrate estimated reading times into your blog
The average reading speed for most adults is 200-250 words per minute.
Divide the number of words in your article by 200 or 250 to estimate your blog reading time.
Always round up your number as you estimate reading times. For example, if your blog takes 1.7 minutes to read, estimate 2 minutes. This ensures that your readers' expectations are met and increases the likelihood that they will read your entire blog.
You can also use online calculators such as Read-O-Meter or Decimal to Time Calculator to help you. Some web hosting services like WordPress have plugins that allow you to estimate the reading time for you.
Blogging Trend # 6: TL; DR summary
One of the latest blogging trends that you shouldn't miss is "Too Long; Didn't Read the Executive Summary."
These summaries are commonly referred to as TL; DR refers to and serve as the summary of your blog. They give readers the most important information without having to skim, scan, or read the entire piece.
This point is important for blogging trends as global attention spans continue to decline.
A study by Microsoft found that global attention spans have decreased since 2000, and the average attention span for a person is now just eight seconds.
By adding a TL at the beginning of your blog; Inserting a DR summary, you can appeal to the new generation of online readers.
TL; DR summaries can also have a positive impact on your SEO as they clearly answer questions for readers. For example, if a customer is looking for advice services, they might not want to read an entire post to get to the recommendations below.
When you have your TL; Include DR at the top of your post, search engines can also use it as a summary in search results (but there is no guarantee that it will).
By answering user questions instantly, you can improve your ranking and get more clicks.
How to integrate TL; DR in your blog
Your TL; DR should be the first thing your users see.
You can include this as a bulleted list or a paragraph summary at the top of your blog post. Always have a catchy headline in your TL; DR to motivate your reader and draw attention to your piece.
Likewise, your points should be short, clear and concise. Don't write an entire essay in this area.
If you have a TL; Find the DR formula that works for you, keep using it. A standardized format in your blogs will make your content consistent and reliable.
There are also tools online that are now TL; Offer DR services. Example: TLDR This is to help you summarize an article with one click. You can use TL; Use DR-ify for similar services too.
Conclusion
Now that you know some of the latest and greatest blogging trends, how are you going to implement them?
If you are looking to develop a better content marketing strategy, consider most, if not all, of these blogging trends.
If your goal is to improve your SEO, you may want to focus on mobile-first formats or visual content.
Tapping into any of these blogging trends can ultimately open up opportunities for new success.
Which blogging trend would you most like to leverage for your business?
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