What good is a blog full of interesting articles if no one reads it? If you’ve checked your web analytics and noticed that your web traffic hasn’t increased one bit since you started posting, you may feel tempted to throw in the towel. In fact, you’re probably wondering why we’re always talking up blogs so much. Well, if you’re not getting more web traffic, leads, or jobs as a result of your content, I’ll tell you right now what the problem is. You’re not marketing your content or at least, not marketing it well enough to make a difference.
The first question you have to ask yourself is if your blog is optimized for search engines. The title and body of each article should contain important keywords that homeowners in your area will be searching for. Do not feel that you need to cram five or ten keywords into each post. Pick the two or three most important and focus on those. The search engines will be able to lock on tighter to your webpage and display it higher in rankings as relevant content. If you’re all over the place and confusing to the reader, there is no question that you will confuse the search engines as well.
Here are a few examples of keywords that home improvement contractors can use in their blogs:
- bathroom designs, bathroom ideas, bathroom remodeling
- emergency plumbing in [city], toilet repair, clogged drain, sump pump
- commercial painting, house painter, paint colors
The next thing to figure out is if there is more you could be doing on social media to market your blog. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are just a few of the places you can share your content online. There’s also Google+, Pinterest, and StumbleUpon. You can also consider turning your articles into small tutorials on SlideShare, especially if you’re providing tips for homeowners. One of the largest online communities for sharing presentations and professional content, SlideShare boasts an average of 60 million unique visitors per month and is among the top 120 most visited websites in the world.
You’ll also want to post frequently and consistently. Posting one blog a month isn’t going to do much for your business. Your visitors will never know when to look for something new and could be turned off by seeing that the last time you updated anything on the blog was several weeks ago. They may wonder: If you don’t have time to update your blog, will you have time for them? Moreover, search engines love fresh, new content. If you’re looking to show up in results over your competitors, a regularly updated blog is a great tool to have in your arsenal.
Come up with creative topics that people will be likely to share or, at the very least, talk about. Lists are always popular because people are intrigued by and want to know the Top 7 mistakes they want to avoid or the Top 10 remodeling ideas for their home. Another great way to encourage sharing is to pick the right days and right time of day to post your articles to get the most traffic. Mondays and Thursdays have been known to be great days for uploading new content, but experiment and see what works best for you and your community.