The How & Why Of Small Business Blogging

THE HOW & WHY OF SMALL BUSINESS BLOGGING

CLAIRE BROTHERTON @abrightclearweb

WORDCAMP LONDON, APRIL 2016

WHO AM I?

• Freelance web developer

• Edinburgh-based

WHY BLOG?

• get more traffic

• help SEO

• build loyalty

• build trust & credibility

• help & educate others

• help yourself (!)

• gain new business opportunities

HOW?

• establish a schedule

• use tools

• join accountability groups

• prioritize the time

• write posts the right way

MY INSPIRATION

HOW I STARTED…

IT ALL CHANGED WITH A TWEET…

WHICH LED TO A CONVERSATION

AND A 30 DAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE

• Run by Sarah & Kevin Arrow of Sark eMedia (www.sarkemedia.com)

• 1 email a day for 30 days with suggestions for posts

• Post 1 blog daily for 30 days

MENTORING & SUPPORT

AND REWARDS :)

AND MORE…

DISCOVERIES DURING THE CHALLENGE

• It’s time-consuming

• It definitely takes longer to write technical posts!

• But rewarding

• Need to be persistent

• Life can get in the way - it’s ok

• Designers/developers

• Students

• Lay people using WordPress or other online things

• People who have been to the same events

• Potential clients!

AUDIENCE

POSTING STRATEGY

• Research your posts

• Write long posts if you can

• Mark up your posts properly (title, headings, alt text, meta description)

• Only one <h1> per page - the post title

• Bullet points and images good to break up text

POSTING STRATEGY

• Write on a schedule you are comfortable with

• Needs to be regular to build traction

POSTING STRATEGY

• Call to action

• Leave plenty of time to publicise posts

• Email your list if you have one

• Reply to comments

• Comment on/share other people’s posts

WHAT TO WRITE ABOUT

FAQ

List post

Event report

Pricing+

How-To

Problem & solution

Review or comparison

BLOGGING ETHICS

• Copyright

• Outsourcing

WORDPRESS PLUGINS I USE

BETTER CLICK TO TWEET

BROKEN LINK CHECKER

COSCHEDULE BY TODAYMADE

JETPACK

SUMOME

YOAST SEO

TOOLS I USE

TOOLS I USE

TOOLS I USE

- Rachel McCollin, WordPress developer and writer

“A blog is an invaluable tool for driving new visitors to your site.

I've often found that people researching

something online have found one of my blog posts on the subject and after reading it, they've

hired me to do it for them instead of doing it themselves.”

- Jo Waltham, web developer, CalliaWeb

“Be helpful. Write posts which either help solve an issue or educate. Our best performing

posts are when we write how to solve some glitch that we ran into.”

“Blogging helped me get to know my future ideal customers. I learned a lot about their motivations,

goals, challenges and struggles.”

- Paige Poutiainen, Create Blog Love

QUESTIONS?

• www.abrightclearweb.com/blog/

• [email protected]

• @abrightclearweb

WHAT TO WRITE ABOUT1. Problem & solution

e.g. Four Plugins To Improve WordPress Accessibilityhttp://www.abrightclearweb.com/four-plugins-to-improve-wordpress-accessibility/

2. FAQse.g. ProBlogger FAQ: How Often Should I Post? http://www.problogger.net/archives/2015/04/21/problogger-faq-how-often-should-i-post/

3. How-to/Tutorial e.g. How to Set Up Yoast WordPress SEO Plugin [Updated] http://www.shoutmeloud.com/how-to-set-up-yoast-wordpress-seo-plugin-configuration.html

4. List post e.g. 25+ Free Responsive Corporate WordPress Themes for Business 2016http://www.codeinwp.com/blog/free-wordpress-business-themes/

WHAT TO WRITE ABOUT

5. Review or comparison e.g. Divi Theme Vs Thrive Themes vs X Theme - Pros and Cons http://madlemmings.com/2015/05/18/x-theme-vs-divi-vs-thrive-themes/

6. Event report e.g. My Take On WordCamp US In Photoshttps://serverpress.com/my-take-on-wordcamp-us-in-photos/

7. Pricing in your industry e.g. Why You Can’t Get The Best Website For £500 http://www.abrightclearweb.com/why-you-cant-get-the-best-website-for-500/

WORDPRESS PLUGINS I USE

• Better Click to Tweet https://wordpress.org/plugins/better-click-to-tweet/

• Broken Link Checker https://wordpress.org/plugins/broken-link-checker/

• Coschedule by Todaymadehttps://wordpress.org/plugins/coschedule-by-todaymade/

• Jetpackhttps://wordpress.org/plugins/jetpack/

• SumoMehttps://sumome.com

• Yoast SEO https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-seo/

TOOLS I USE• Coschedule Headline Analyzer

http://coschedule.com/headline-analyzer

• Google Analyticshttps://www.google.com/analytics/

• Long Tail Prohttp://www.longtailpro.com

• SEO Edge http://seoedgeapps.com

• Grammarlyhttps://www.grammarly.com

• Hemingway Editor http://www.hemingwayapp.com