Whether you’re an experienced blogger with years of blogging under your belt or you’re just starting your first blog, it’s vital to stay on top of the latest blogging trends and best practices. With the SEO landscape ever-changing, bloggers need to stay abreast of the latest Google algorithm updates to maximize their blog’s SEO value and write blog content that ranks, keep up with current social media trends and best practices to promote their content, and a whole lot more.
Needless to say, successful blogging isn’t a simple feat, especially if you have plans to monetize your blog. Building an audience and keeping your readers engaged is a serious undertaking that requires consistent effort and constant attention to changing trends. But with blog marketing trends and blogging best practices covering every facet of digital marketing, it’s not always easy to keep up with the ever-evolving landscape. To help you focus on the blogging trends that can help catapult your blog to success in 2020 and beyond, we reached out to a panel of blogging experts and asked them to answer this question:
“What are the most important blogging trends bloggers should be aware of?”
Meet Our Panel of Blogging Experts:
Read on to learn what our pros had to say about the biggest and most important blogging trends you need to know to succeed in 2020 and beyond.
Dale Johnson
Since 2016 Dale has been working remotely as a content marketer and publicist. He has been featured in the likes of Forbes, Washington Post, and WSJ, and has traveled to, or lived in, 29 countries and counting. He is also the Co-founder & Content Strategist at Nomad Paradise.
“Throughout 2020, there has been a gradual, but still noticeable shift, of Google placing less importance on quantity of backlinks, and putting more focus on topical relevance and quality backlinks. Google is slowly moving toward an algorithm that looks for backlinks that are from relevant websites (e.g., food and recipes websites linking to your recipe) and also drive traffic to your website.
As always, with any Google shift, this does not happen overnight. This is months, even years, of gradual progress. However, when building backlinks to your content, try not to go for sheer numbers or use link building services that are not disclosing where exactly they get their links from. Try to build links from sites within your niche or sites that have a high DA and could potentially drive a little traffic to your website. Also, try to content silo as much as you can. You are far more likely to rank a recipe article if you already have another 20-30 recipe articles within that area of your website.”
Oli Graham
Oli Graham is the Marketing Manager for the digital copywriting agency RightlyWritten.
“The biggest blogging trend that we recommend to our clients is to try and publish original data which supports a point that you are trying to make or offers an evidence-backed answer to a searcher’s question. So, let’s say you run a caravan blog and you are writing a post about the average depreciation for various types of caravans. The ultimate piece of content to answer this question would involve data on actual levels of depreciation on different makes of caravans. This data can be found by looking at prices of second-hand caravans online and compiling it into a table. Such a data piece offers a far better answer to a searcher’s question than just a simple estimate of depreciation based on experience.
Furthermore, an elegant presentation of the data, such as in a table or graph, can be used as a linkable asset to be cited by anyone else who is writing about this topic. Data can be gathered in a number of ways, including original research using surveys, compiled from various disparate sources (such as in the above example), or taken from published but unindexed sources, such as academic journals or The Freedom of Information Act.”
Carl Neumann
Carl Neumann is the Founder & CEO of Blu Dot Media.
“Google Web Stories are the most important trend in blogging at the moment. They have just been rolled out by the company, and we don’t know yet if they will take off. But if they are widely adopted, it could be a real game changer for bloggers. Essentially, Web Stories are short stories told in visual format and posted on websites (similar to Facebook or Instagram stories) that Google plans to show in their search results.
While it’s too early to tell at this stage, Web Stories could get a prominent place in Google search results, which would result in fewer views for traditional blog posts. Web Stories are another indication that internet media is getting increasingly more visual, and that online audiences prefer bite-sized visual content that can be quickly consumed. Bloggers definitely need to stay on top of this trend with their content strategy, or risk being left in the dust.”
Mark Hayes
Mark Hayes is the Head of Marketing at Kintell.
“For those looking to find success, it’s important to take a look at current trends to make sure content performs well instead of falling flat. Here are a few important 2020 blogging trends to make note of before taking the plunge.
- Long content produces strong results. It comes as quite a surprise, but bloggers creating content over 2,000 words report that their content performs three times better than average articles of around half the length. Of course, it’s not a secret formula. To be successful writing long-form articles, the content still has to be engaging, valuable, and search engine optimized. Be careful not to spam keywords, however, because search engines have learned to recognize and penalize this.
- Stay active and stay consistent. Social Media Examiner went on record stating that blogs posting daily get five times as much traffic as those that don’t. Now, I know that’s a fairly mind-blowing statistic, but this doesn’t mean you need to be churning out 2,000-word articles for your blog every day of the week. Consider creating infographics and video content that can accompany your blog. This adds a separate dimension of value and improves readability, especially if you struggle to keep it concise and want to keep your reader interested. If this kind of commitment becomes too time-consuming, your blog can still become rich with content. Consider hosting other content writers’ articles, and link frequently to relevant third parties on reputable sites to add more value to your blog. Doing so alleviates some of the workload, helps you network with others in the field, and contributes towards building stronger domain authority.”
Ahmed Mir
Ahmed Mir is the founder and editor of Sip Coffee House, a blog to help you learn how to brew incredible coffee at home.
“The key trend I’m seeing is that most of the answers to a bloggers’ questions about content are on page one of Google. What do I mean? Well, when you’re brainstorming a new content idea and wondering how to structure it, how many words you should write, and if it’s even worthwhile writing about given the authority of your site with search engines, the answer is always on page one of Google. Looking at what search engines are rewarding here and now is your best proxy for analyzing what you should write and if it’s worth your time.
For example, if the top results are primarily YouTube videos for a query, then writing a blog post covering A-Z of the topic likely won’t cut it, and you won’t rank for that query. On the other hand, if you created a YouTube video covering the topic and optimized for that query, you have a higher likelihood of ranking for it.
Similarly, if all you see for a query are large authority sites like The New York Times, WSJ, and so on, then unless you have a similar level of authority with search engines, it’s pointless trying to rank for that search term. All in all, SEO tools are great, but they are all assumption-based, but what’s ranking on Google right now is fact and current. By assessing the search engine results pages, you can learn a hell of a lot without paying for it!”
Jason VanDevere
Jason VanDevere is the CEO & Owner at Goal Crazy Planners.
“One blogging trend is creating a vlog and embedding it in your blog post. The blog itself doesn’t need to contain heavy text, just a paragraph describing the contents of the video. The short written snippet is also where you optimize the content with your keywords. Why is vlogging effective? Four in 10 people watch at least one vlog post every month, according to a Global Web Index study. Think about it: do you spend more time watching videos or reading blogs? For most people, it’s watching videos. Watching/listening also takes less effort than reading. People can listen or semi-watch your video while multitasking; they can’t really multitask while reading. Make it as effortless as possible for your followers to absorb your content.”
Noman Nalkhande
Noman is the founder of WP Adventure, a social media marketing company in Mumbai, India. He likes to write about business and helps companies grow their online presence.
“One of the seismic shifts that bloggers need to be aware of now and going forward is the need for specific, drilled-down topics. The reason why people blog is to educate others. However, when your readers are educated, well-read themselves and have grazed through multiple content pieces already, you don’t want to feed and bore them with just another generalized blog post. Readers today are highly engaged and they want specific answers. So, instead of writing ‘How to earn money,’ try narrowing your audience by offering a topic such as ‘How stay at home moms can earn money during the pandemic.’ This approach has a targeted audience (mothers managing households), has a specific need (to add to the household income), and the topic is current and relevant (during the ongoing pandemic). Such a topic has a greater chance of striking a chord with the relevant subset of the larger audience, as well as getting shared across social media channels in various parenting groups. Couple this with some basic research using Google Trends and Exploding Topics to find trending topics that can be broken down for specific set of audiences, and you’ll have a far better experience and results as a blogger.”
Alejandro Rioja
Alejandro Rioja is a growth-minded marketer who loves all things digital marketing. He is an Entrepreneur, Product Marketer, and Computer Scientist from Bolivia with a Computer Science degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA ’17). He is the chairman of Flux Ventures. He has been fortunate to be featured in over more than 70 well-known sites and publications.
“It’s great to see experts and enthusiasts increasingly sharing their expertise through blogging and inspiring fans, but there are several trends that the bloggers have to religiously follow to stay ahead of the competition and reach a larger audience.
The first trend bloggers should be aware of is the need to have a pillar content and a topic cluster to market their content. Developing blog posts without a set plan won’t just cut anymore. The idea is that all the content on your blog should lie within the main topic. This is the most important trend that will help you improve your blog the most.
Secondly, bloggers are increasingly repurposing their content into videos or infographics. As our attention spans become shorter, these are some creative ways to grab audience engagement. In fact, this has been one of the most consistent blogging trends for the past few years.
Another trend that’s booming is featuring guest writers on your blog. You can either have in-house or freelance writers, but most successful blogs have a mix of both. This is the trend that has worked great for many blogs because it allows your content to be enriched by different styles and voices while focusing on the pillar content strategy.”
Kamil Drazkiewicz
Kamil Drazkiewicz is the CEO at LiveSession, an analytical software that allows you to easily search, segmentize, and replay high-quality customer session replays.
“One of the most important blogging trends that all writers should be aware of is the increasing desire to read original content. The Internet is flooded with new content pieces every day, most of which are a copy of previously written articles. Readers are hungry for fresh insights – insights that shed new light on a topic, even if it’s a frequently discussed one!
At LiveSession, we are strong advocates of producing original content by asking 10 experts to share their opinions on a certain topic. Not only do we receive fresh, original insights that our readers long for, but we also get support in terms of content distribution. The experts are more than happy to share the articles they’re featured in via their social media channels. Creating expert content is a great way to build brand authority and ensure that your readers keep coming back to your blog for more!”
Polly Kay
Polly Kay is the Senior Marketing Manager at English Blinds.
“Guest posting, cross-posting, and collaborative blogging are some of the hottest trends of the moment, but the area that bloggers who want to stay ahead of the game really need to focus on is the intersection between blogging and voice search. As voice search becomes ever more popular and mainstream, people use their smart home devices and in-car devices to search for content to entertain themselves with, and savvy bloggers are optimizing keywords in their content to rank in voice search results and to reflect different local and regional search terms and language choices accordingly.
Blogging and other forms of content still do and always will stand or fall on the quality of their content and how well-suited it is to its target audience, but bloggers who lead the pack are already preempting and fine-tuning their content to meet the changing needs of modern audiences who are beginning to rely ever-more heavily on the use of audio commands.”
Samuel David
Samuel David is a content strategist and founder of Attrat. Attrat is a premier destination for freelancers, solopreneurs, and startup founders who want to create and scale likable and profitable brands.
“One of the most interesting trends I’m seeing lately is the rise of paid newsletters. I first learned of this through Brian Clark’s 7-Figure Small course. A paid newsletter allows writers to take success into their own hands, cut out the intermediary, and make money directly from their readers. Building an audience remains a challenge, however. Also, early adopters of this model seem to have some privileges (writing/blogging/journalism or marketing background) that helped position them for success. A few examples of bloggers using the paid newsletter model include Ben Thompson (Stratechery), Bill Bishop (Sinocism), Ryan O’Hanlon (No Grass in the Clouds), and Heather Havrilesky (Ask Molly).”
Tory Gray
Tory Gray is the CEO & Digital Marketing Strategist at The Gray Dot Company.
“Here are the 2 biggest trends we’re seeing in ’20 (they’ll continue into ’21).
1. There’s less Google search traffic. People are making fewer Google searches for the second year in a row. So, if you’re counting on SEO to help your blogs get traction, you’ve got your work cut out for you. Getting those precious clicks and content reads requires better research, better writing, and better promotion. The good news is that the people who are clicking tend to read more attentively. The shallow readers who only want to get a factoid or quote often get filtered out by Google’s advanced autosuggest feature. Do: invest more time in keyword research and make outstanding content. Don’t: release sub-par content to fit an intense editorial calendar.
2. Design your post for Google Snippets – Google Snippets is the feature that shows you a box with highly relevant information at the top of your search page. Incidentally, Snippets is the reason fewer people are clicking Google Search links: it often has the exact information they need. In my experience, the Snippets SERP result gets as much traffic as search results numbers 2 and 3. If you can learn to get your content to feature in Snippets consistently, you’ll get lots of reads and traffic – and you don’t need 20, 40, or 60 backlinks to get there. Do: Read this guide (or another one like it) and learn to make Snippet-optimized content. Note: Snippets aren’t new. They’re just a perfect fit for the direction Google is going today, and there’s never been a better time to use them than now.”
Ruggero Loda
Ruggero Loda is the Founder of Running Shoes Guru.
“Here are 3 must-know blogging trends:
1. Tighter niching. When I started my business 10-odd years ago, I chose running shoes as my niche. There were no specialist running shoe websites like mine to compete with, so I knew I could find an audience easily. This is no longer the case. There are literally dozens of competitors out there for most broad niches, and I would not choose running shoes as my concept today. I would go with something more specific, like outdoor running shoes or professional running shoes. The same applies across the board. If you’re thinking of making a pet food blog, why not do one about food for small dogs or food for iguanas? If you want to write about bikes, why not do outdoor bikes? The tighter your niche, the more likely you are to succeed.
2. People want quality content across different media types. As of 2020, most blogs will feature some images and/or videos. This isn’t new in and of itself. What is new is how much Instagram, YouTube, and modern smartphones have made quality visual content a must-have in most blogging spaces. For example, 4 years ago I could release blog posts without making my own high-quality images. Today, this is no longer good enough. Most of the images we use come from our own testers and photographers. The takeaway here is to find ways to create your own photo and video content sooner rather than later. My advice is to create SMM photos and post them on Instagram et al. – then use the best and most popular ones in your blog post(s).
3. Blogging is still super-profitable. A lot of people are saying that blogging is dying. What they really mean is that Google is making SEO harder; that Amazon is paying affiliates less; that it’s harder to find a way to blog profitably in many niches. But the truth is, the money’s still there. You just have to evolve, get with the times, and do what works today – not what worked yesterday. My blogging business is doing well, and I see no reason that should change anytime soon.”
Brett Downes
Brett is the Founder of Haro Helpers.
“Content Gaps are trends that subject matter bloggers, particularly freelance ones, should be aware of. Editors and owners of websites get hundreds, if not thousand guest blog pitches per year – frustratingly, for the same content they have. The key is to pitch content that other sites in their niche have, but they don’t. Having this content on their site will allow them to start ranking for new and competitive keywords, making them more likely to accept bloggers’ pitches. Using software such as Ahrefs will allow you to put in competing websites, and it shows you what content/articles some sites have that other sites don’t. This gives you good topic ideas, saves on research, and provides you with ammunition to reach out to different sites.”
Ryan Lally
Ryan Lally founded Lally Media in 2020 on the belief that marketing is all about storytelling. Just like a magic show, brands must present their audience with an engaging narrative that promotes their unique values. Ryan Lally is a magician in Boston, MA with over a decade of experience. He also holds a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts Boston.
“Here are the most important blogging trends bloggers should be aware of:
- Behind-the-scenes: These types of blog posts showcase the casual, not-so-flashy life behind the blog or business. What’s so important about this is that it gives the blogger the opportunity to subtly showcase his or her brand vision without the flairs of advertising. Behind-the-scenes posts are authentic, and authenticity is what connects with people.
- Niche blogs: There is no niche too small, and many bloggers are using this to their advantage. They write posts carefully tailored to a specific niche and promote them using the help of influencers. This is such an important trend because although niche posts may not get as many views as other posts, the readers will be much more likely to take action.
- Using Instagram Reels: TikTok may be in hot water, but companies can still use the new Reels feature on Instagram! It’s as much of a ripoff of TikTok as Stories is of Snapchat, but the value for showcasing a brand and connecting with younger people is all the same. Many blogs are jumping on the opportunity to tell their readers how they can use Reels to promote their businesses.”
Dylan Houlihan
Dylan Houlihan has been blogging at Swift Salary for nearly three years now.
“The most important trend for bloggers to be aware of right now is that Google is changing. SEO is changing. More and more, search engines are wanting to deliver content that will satisfy a user’s every need. That means that if you’re trying to rank for a particular search term, you better create a piece of content that covers every aspect of that topic.
Does this mean every piece of content you create needs to be thousands and thousands of words long? Nope. The key is making comprehensive content. This usually results in longer content, but that’s not really the point. The point is, the content you create should supply users with everything they need to know about the particular topic you’re covering. If you’re able to do this and give users the best experience possible, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to rank in the search engines and get a ton of free traffic. Best of all, you most likely won’t be as affected by big Google algorithm updates down the line.”
Antti Alatalo
Antti Alatalo is the CEO & Founder of Smart Watches 4 U.
“One blogging trend is creating both a long-form and short-form version of some of your blog posts. Readers can be finicky. Sometimes they want detailed and in-depth information; other times they want a quick read that they can easily scan. Create a long-form post of 1,500-plus words and multiple images and/or videos. Follow this up with a Cliffs Notes version of 300-500 words with one or two photos. Have both posts link to each other. You can also vary the keywords slightly between the two posts for maximum SEO benefits. By writing both long- and short-form versions, you’re catering to the preferences of different readers.”
Bruce Harpham
Bruce Harpham is a marketing consultant who specializes in working with technology companies. He mainly consults with B2B software firms and technical consultants. You can read exclusive interviews with marketing leaders at companies like Uploadcare and ClickFunnels on BruceHarpham.com.
“I think AI and machine learning tools for content marketing are a big new trend. This week, I started to use Frase to craft blog content. The AI engine makes it far easier and faster to create content likely to succeed in the search engines and maintain high quality. Bloggers need to take a close look at tools like this in order to stay competitive. There are also tools on the market like MarketMuse that also accomplish similar ends.”
Kimberly Smith
Kimberly Smith is the Marketing Manager at Clarify Capital.
“The most important trend bloggers should be aware of is multimodal video content and multiple modality content. The use of video content to optimize consumer engagement is a trend that’s likely here to stay, which makes sense because blog posts with video content get about 3x more inbound links than those without.
Take that a step further, and we are seeing an increase in multimodal video content. Video content that incorporates more than one medium, like text and infographics, has higher engagement than those that do not. When bloggers use multiple modalities in a single post, they’re able to appeal to the learning style and preference of a wider audience.
Use interactive content to boost engagement and target consumers. Static content can’t compete with interactive content when it comes to boosted engagement. Interactive content not only draws active attention from consumers, but it also provides insightful information to bloggers about their audience. This information can then be leveraged to guide content creation that is highly relevant and valuable to targeted consumers.”
Bianca Palumbo
Bianca is the Senior Social Media & Creative Specialist at Solomon McCown & Cence. She designs and implements strategic social media programs and content for clients in addition to maintaining her own lifestyle blog, Bianca Blogs, and a food & beverage industry blog and podcast, The Uncorked Corner.
“The blog industry has changed drastically in recent years. Moving from a focus on written word to short-form social media posts and the ‘influencer’ landscape, we have adjusted our expectations based on advances in social media capabilities. And, with 2020 being a record year for change, the industry has once again had to shift to meet users’ preferences.
The most important blogging trend is speaking and sharing authentically. Social media users and blog readers want to relate to the writers and influencers whose content they are consuming. The more authentic a user’s content, the more likely readers will return. Similarly, users have been jumping at content that feels relatable to them. If a blogger’s piece helps readers to solve a problem or is impactful in a way that changes their perspective, audiences remain engaged and optimistic for future posts.
A very recent and crucial blogging trend is the move toward social responsibility. Is the blogger someone who shows genuine regard for their community? Do they stand by what they are covering in their articles? We have held businesses to this standard for a long time, but more recently I’ve seen a shift in the content we request from bloggers. If bloggers are meeting a need while also showing care and concern for their communities, their content is likely to stand out in a unique way.
From a social media standpoint, video is reigning right now. Users see hundreds of posts a day that promote blog posts, so what is it that helps bloggers stand out? Taking advantage of Instagram Reels, IGTV, Facebook Live, etc. are examples of different ways to connect with audiences that not many have taken advantage of. Additionally, the captions should refer to blog post content and be thoughtful. Give some insight as to what the reader can expect and leave them with that feeling of wanting to read more.”
Rebekah Edwards
Rebekah Edwards is the co-founder of Content Creators Agency, LLC. She has been working in the content marketing space since 2011 and has worked with major brands such as Ancient Nutrition, Ask the Dentist, and Clean Plates, specializing in copywriting and editing SEO blog content.
“If your blog is primarily focused on building organic search traffic, the way you built content even one year ago is just not going to cut it. The major trends bloggers need to understand right now are Google’s NLP and Core Web Vitals metrics.
Google’s Natural Language Processing (NLP): NLP is how Google’s algorithms read your content. Every blog post you publish is run through NLP to determine the exact topic(s) it’s about, extract key information that users are searching for, and to find out if you answer search queries in an easy-to-understand way. Writing for NLP is actually more straightforward than it might sound – although you might find yourself a little disappointed in having to write with less pizzazz. If a user searches a question like ‘How many words should my blog post be?,’ Google’s NLP is looking for answers that are to the point and answer the question using the words in the query. If you have an answer to a question that requires a lot of explanation, try answering it as simply as possible first, then going into great detail as needed. Bad NLP answer: When you write a blog post, there’s no great way to explain how long it should be. It should be long enough to answer the query, but that’s going to vary wildly between keywords. Good NLP answer: Your blog post should be at least 300 words and be long enough to answer the query. One report found that most blog posts should be around 2,500 words because that word count most often ranks well on Google search.
NLP writing also means writing very scannable content. Before you start writing, check out the top 3-10 posts for the keyword or topic you’re writing about. By looking at the headings (H2s, H3s, and H4s) that consistently show up in the top-ranking articles, you can figure out the best way to order your content in a way that someone can quickly scroll through to find their answer. If I find myself struggling to understand what Google wants to see in a piece of content I’m writing, I try putting myself in the shoes of the end user. Where is the person when they search for the keyword? Cooking? At work? Studying for a final? At the car dealership? If I was that person, what would be the most important parts of this topic I want to be able to find within a few seconds? How can I highlight those pieces of information for the person I think is doing the searching?
I also use a service called Clearscope to automate this process. Clearscope’s reports pull a list of relevant keywords to include in your article, and they mark the keywords that show up most often in heading text. (I am in no way affiliated with Clearscope; I’ve just been using it for over a year and it’s a great product!)
Core Web Vitals: These Google signals have been monitored for some time, but Google is going to start using Core Web Vitals in 2021 as a major factor in their algorithm. You can see how you fare in the Google Search Console with detailed reporting on what factors and which pages need improvement. Three major metrics may determine a great deal of how well your site ranks in organic search queries:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Google expects the first LCP to appear 2.5 or less from when a user gets to a page. The easiest way to describe LCP is how long it takes for your website to not look like it’s still loading (with an empty screen or unformatted content).
- First Input Delay (FID): FID is the time it takes for a user to be able to click on a button or link on the page (essentially, the time for a user to interact with the content). This metric should be 100 milliseconds or fewer.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): CLS is a distance measurement less than a measurement of time, but it’s technically defined as time to website stability. Sites with a lot of content that lazy load, like advertisements, may struggle with this one a lot. Basically, if a user loads your page and tries to click a link on that page, shifting images, advertisements, plugins, etc. will tank your CLS score.
Fixing Core Web Vitals is about your web development, not the quality of your content. The most optimized blog content ever written may rank lower than other pieces based solely on how easy it is for users to interact quickly with your mobile pages. This factor is also measured for desktop sites, but your mobile site is what Google is most concerned about in terms of SEO. If you want to rank on search, you must correct any issues Google Search Console identifies with your site’s Core Web Vitals. Work with a web developer now, before they play a major part in Google’s ranking algorithm, so that you can stay ahead of the curve.”
Emily Gant
Emily Gant worked in six different countries before finding herself at The Loop Marketing in Chicago as the Digital Content Editor. After working on government development projects abroad, she brings with her a globally-minded editing background in addition to her analytical marketing skillset.
“Just like everything online, blogging is changing every day. In order to keep up with the latest trends, you need to be able to access the data behind the topics you’re focusing on. Going off of a gut feeling or mirroring what a large-scale publication is publishing will only work against you, as the likelihood of you having a stronger DA than that publication is minimal.
By accessing the data behind the topics, you can provide your audience with exactly what they’re looking for – down to the search term or keyword. Using free tools like Google Analytics or Google Search Console provides this type of insight into how your audience is searching for information or what terms they’re using. Are they using a different keyword to describe a product you’re focused on? Try writing a blog with that keyword instead and see how your traffic changes.”
Karl Armstrong
Karl Armstrong is the founder of Epic Win Applications, one of the fastest-growing websites in the SAAS market.
“For me, I consider blogging as my bread and butter. Thus, I always keep myself well-informed about any blogging trends in the digital space. Here’s one great example: Establish momentum and regularize posting. It is reasonable for bloggers and writers to be spontaneous like waiting for the muse to strike. However, in my experience in the blogging industry, it is very critical to establish a plan as to when you should publish your blog. I believe that every blogger should be aware that momentum and regularizing your posting contributes to higher traffic, meaning that a larger audience will be likely to visit and read your blogs. Due to your consistency and regular posts, they will be anticipating and looking forward to your blogs and content, helping you gain loyal readers.
Besides making a scheduled post, I also invest my time and effort on anything which makes me active in the blogging sphere. For example, every day I allot 30-45 minutes of my time to updating or changing my layout, commenting on other blogs to establish connections and interactions, or just reading a specific article that can help or drive my creative ideas for the next blog. These simple activities can establish your momentum by cultivating habits that make you commit to your work and blogging sphere.”
Glen Wilde
Glen Wilde is the CEO & Founder of Diet to Success, a personal training and nutrition coaching company.
“Increase social proof and reader engagement by encouraging comments. Close the post by asking an open-ended question. If the article is a listicle, ask them to add to the list. You can even be the first commenter on your own blog. Seeing another comment, even if it’s from the author, encourages others to chime in. When you get a conversation going in the comments section with the author an active part of the discussion, it raises brand authority. It’s not unlike a trending tweet or Instagram post. It also shows readers that the blog post has some meat to it if people are taking their time to share their opinion.”
Kristen Bolig
Kristen Bolig is the founder of SecurityNerd, a home security advice website that’s been featured on U.S. World & News Report, Reader’s Digest, and NBC Better. She currently resides in North Carolina with her husband.
“There are a few important blogging trends bloggers should be aware of:
1. Long-form is king. It’s no secret that the blog space is overcrowded. Standing out has never been more difficult, as there’s always an army of bloggers nipping at our heels. So, how can you capture those elusive eyeballs? By expanding your word count. A Searchmetrics study found that the average blog post word count was up to almost 1,700 words in 2019. Users are seeking long-form content that thoroughly explains their subject, and it’s up to us to deliver.
2. Listicles still win. Don’t believe the hype – listicles are still very much a viable blog post option. The rumors that users would be turned off by too many listicles proved to be unfounded. Just look at BuzzFeed’s 40% year over year traffic increase for proof. Those numbers in your headline may just make those readers click.
3. COVID topics are effective…to an extent. Many blogs are quick to offer up COVID-related sentiments. While it’s always nice to offer sentiments, it’s not enough to engage your readers. The best performing COVID blog posts are those that actually deliver value. Everyone feels bad about COVID, but not everyone can offer up COVID-related advice. Think about how COVID may be affecting your readers and what you can do to leverage it with your blog.”
Ian Kelly
Ian Kelly is the VP of Operations at NuLeaf Naturals.
“Skimmable content is the biggest blogging trend this year. Website visitors rarely read the whole blog post. People visit websites to find specific information most of the time. The ideal way to cater to blog readers these days is to make blog posts super in-depth and make the content very easy to skim through. Having a table of contents section at the beginning of the article and loads of subheadings makes it easy for people to skim.
Skimming has become the rule of the game so much so that even YouTube now has the option to create skimmable videos. The main reason for this trend is that it improves user experience by a huge margin. Skimmable content makes people stay on a page for a longer time. This increase in dwell time is a good metric for articles to improve their rankings in the Google SERPs. In a way, creating skimmable content is a great SEO hack that can drive more visitors your way.”
Jacob Pinkham
Jacob Pinkham is the CEO of In Smooth Waters.
“An important blogging trend to be aware of these days is how bloggers post more extensive product review roundups and also product comparison guides. With so much shopping now done online, people are constantly seeking out product reviews to determine which items are the best possible ones to purchase, and bloggers have picked up on that. Bloggers are now posting more extensive product reviews and comparison guides than they ever have to help people make more educated online purchasing decisions.”
One blogging trend has consistently stood the test of time: You can no longer simply write blog posts and expect a relevant audience to come flocking to your website; blog promotion is a must. One of the easiest and most effortless ways to start building your audience is to install our social media share buttons, making it easy for your readers to share your best blog content with their friends and connections with a single click. They’re simple to install in just minutes, and they’re totally free to use!
