Whether or not your business operates online, you need a website.
Let me repeat that, with one addition:
You need a GREAT business website.
Why?
It’s not just for looks. It’s not just for digital marketing, either.
This year, having a great website is no longer a want… it’s a must.
Last year, over March when the lockdown happened from the COVID-19 pandemic, Google search traffic went from 3.6 billion searches/day to 6 billion searches/day. The amount of people using Google to search answers to their questions has never been greater. (Worldometers)
That’s double the amount of search volume in one week – which has impacted 2020 in a heavy way, creating a wide pathway for 2021 and our next years to have heavy digital foot traffic. More than the world has ever experienced.
When you add to that these facts:
92.96% of global traffic comes from Google: Google search, Google Images, and Google Maps. (Sparktoro)
SEO drives 1000%+ more traffic than organic social media. (BrightEdge)
And 60% of marketers say that inbound (SEO, blog content, etc.) is their highest quality source of leads. (HubSpot)
…You need that website.
Building your own great brand website is all about giving your prospects all the tools, information, and trust they need in order to connect with you and, ultimately, to become your customer.
You do want more customers, I’m guessing?
And you want to keep the ones you have, right?
If your answer to both questions is a big YES, you certainly should double-down on your business website this year.
In this guide, I’m laying it all on the table – everything you need to know on how to build a truly great business website, including:
All the deets on domain buying and hosting
Why you should use WordPress to build and manage your site
What and who you need to design and launch your site
When to expect results
Ready? Dive in with me.
New Year, New Site: Why You Need One & How to Build (or Rebuild) a Great Business Website
How to Build a Great Business Website: 5-Step List to Get Started
1. Choose a Domain Name
2. Purchase Your Domain
3. Find a Website Host
4. Understand Hosting Types & Costs
5. Connect Your Domain to Your Web Host
Why Should You Use WordPress?
1. You Don’t Need Tech or HTML Knowledge
2. WordPress Sites Do Well in Search
3. WordPress Has Great Documentation, Plugins, Support, & Themes
How to Design and Launch Your Business Website (What & Who You Need)
1. Case Study: Content Hacker Launch
2. Who You Need to Design and Launch Your Site
3. What You Need to Make It Successful
Get Rockin’ – When Will Those Results Roll In?
1. Case Study: Content Hacker Launch ROI
2. Looking at the Income Sources a Business Website Brings In
How to Build a Great Business Website: Start with Basic Domain Buying and Hosting
If by now you’ve said to yourself, “Yep, I want a website for my business,” you’re in the right place.
But, before you get too excited, we need to make sure some pesky tasks are out of the way. ☑
First things, first. You need to buy a domain name and determine where you’ll host your home on the web.
1. Choose a Domain Name
If you’re approaching building a business website with an already-established brand, this part is easy. Keep these basic tips in mind and quickly check it off your list:
Basic Tips for Choosing a Domain Name
1. Simply use your brand name (or an easily recognizable variation of it) as your domain name.
2. Your domain name will not make or break your website’s success, so don’t spend days or weeks agonizing over this part. (For example, sites like Buffer and Basecamp settled on variations of their brand names with no negative consequences.)
3. As a general rule, keep it as simple as possible. Great examples of simple, to-the-point domain names:
contentmarketinginstitute.com
tarzankay.com
grammarly.com
contenthacker.com
You don’t want to over-complicate your domain name, make it difficult to spell, and too long or too hard to type.
Not sure what it should be? Or if you have the right one?
Go back to your content strategy and the core of your message.
And just for you…
Here’s a quick mini-guide on picking the perfect brand name:
First, You should know YOUR area of expertise, and how to branch out into topics your audience wants to hear about. Finding your topic area is a fundamental first step here.
Know your CDF – your Content Differentiation Factor. What makes you different — what makes YOU someone to trust and follow — rather than all the other content voices out there?
Hand-in-hand with this, you need to consider what your place of authority online should be.
Building your authority online can have a few different meanings.
It can mean:
Building your brand as a trusted source of information
Building your brand as an authority website by Google’s standards
Both are valuable to your content strategy, and you should do things that help boost your authority in both scenarios.
Just one way to build your domain as an authority in Google’s eyes is to focus on publishing content on YOUR platform, i.e. a domain that YOU own – not proprietary ones like Facebook, Instagram, or Huffington Post (which sadly discontinued their guest blogging platform a few years ago – I, along with many others, lost my content profile and log in). That’s why we’re here today with a guide on how to build your own website. ?
I call building authority online a content house. If you’re a real estate writer, you might want to own realestatewriter.com (your house, your position of authority, and your brand). If you’re a content marketing consultant for SaaS, you might want to own contentmarketingforsaas.com.
So, your domain should be a blend of the interest of your audience and your position of authority to build over time.
2. Purchase Your Domain
Once you’ve settled on a domain name, it’s time to purchase it and claim it as your own.
Yes, technically you can create a business website for free, but I don’t recommend it. You can’t own a free website – you’ll be subject to the whims of the provider in exchange for the service, and they’ll probably plaster their name all over your site, too. For the best ROI, you need complete control of your domain, your website, and your content. The focus needs to be on your business.
This is an investment, but it will pay off later if you launch strategically. (Pinky promise. ?)
Most services will have a feature to check this for you. If your name is taken, they’ll also provide a list of variations on that name that are available.
3. When you find an available, satisfactory domain name, purchase from your chosen service.
Some services will have special deals or coupons you can apply to save on your domain registration. Check for these before hitting that “purchase” button! (Just Google the name of the service + “coupon” or “promo code.”)
Namecheap will show you variations of your domain name if the one you want is taken. Most services have this feature.
Once your domain name is purchased, don’t be surprised if you feel excited and a bit giddy. You’re on your way to the big time.
3. Find a Website Host
Now that you own your domain name, you need a place to host your site.
Think of hosting as renting a piece of internet real estate. You need somewhere all your files, pictures, web pages, blog posts, etc. will live.
All the data that encompasses your website must be stored on a secure server where your visitors’ browsers can access it. Luckily, you can get hosting based on your business website needs.
Here’s how to determine the right hosting fit for your site:
The 3 Essentials of Hosting for Your Business Website
1. Determine the type of support you’ll need.
Will you need lots of hand-holding and customer service support? Or will basic customer service suffice?
The more functions your site carries out, the more specialized support you may need.
2. Determine how much traffic you expect monthly + the size of your site.
Most hosting services charge based on bandwidth (basically, the capacity of your server to transmit data to users) and storage. The bigger the site with more pages and features, the more storage you’ll need.
Consider scalability, which is the ability to size up your site as your brand name grows, your traffic increases, and your needs change.
3. Determine the basic security needs of your business website.
This depends on the type of site you’re building – online shop, member platform, blog, directory, etc.
Will you need secure payment processing? Will you store confidential data on your site (like customer information)?
Purely informational business sites with a blog won’t have the security needs of an online shop, for instance.
Verizon offers a clear, simple definition of bandwidth. This refers to mobile networks, but the same principles apply.
It’s a good idea to think about the potential of your business when considering hosting essentials, too. How big do you want to take your brand?
If you intend to stay pretty local, you can keep things smaller and cheaper. If, however, you want to be a recognizable brand with national or international customers, you may need more room and options for growth.
This brings us to the topic of hosting costs. What will you pay for different levels of hosting services?
4. Understand Hosting Types & Costs
Once you figure out what you need from hosting, it’s time to compare costs and settle on a service.
A wide variety of website hosts are available to choose from, all with prices ranging from cheap (a few dollars per month) to executive-level (hundreds of dollars per month). The differences are outlined in detail below.
3 Types of Website Hosting and Pricing
1. Shared Hosting – This is the cheapest option for beginner-level website owners. Generally, one server (and its resources) will be shared between you and multiple websites. However, that means slower load times in general.
Who should get it: Small websites; newly-built business websites that need to build brand awareness; businesses flexible enough to know when/how to upgrade
Cost: Anywhere from $2-15/month
2. VPS (Virtual Private Server) Hosting – One step up from shared hosting, VPS gives you slightly more resources and control over your website. You’re still sharing physical hardware with other sites, but you’ll have your own dedicated virtual space on that server. As a result, you’ll get much faster speeds and more storage.
Who should get it: Website owners needing more control; larger sites that need more storage space; website owners who want a dedicated server/faster speeds without the expense
Cost: Varies widely; anywhere from $15-90/month
3. Dedicated Hosting – You pay for the usage of your own physical server located at your provider’s data center. No one else shares the space with you – it’s all yours. Naturally, dedicated hosting is the highest-cost option out of the three hosting types. Some providers offer managed hosting along with your server, which costs more. You’ll also pay extra if you want an extra-powerful server.
Who should get it: Top-level businesses that need a robust website. Anyone who wants total control over their site and the fastest speeds.
To choose your best website hosting type and plan, refer to the hosting essentials we discussed in section 3. Weigh your needs and options carefully, then choose the type that covers all your bases.
(Remember: Cheaper isn’t always better. Consider your business’s potential for growth in a few months to a few years down the road. Factor that into which hosting type you choose.)
5. Connect Your Domain to Your Web Host
If your website host is also where you bought your domain, you can safely skip this step.
If, however, you purchased your domain name separately from your hosting service, you’ll need to physically link them.
This can get technical very quickly. The process looks different depending on which registrar you bought your domain from and which web host you signed up with.
For more specific instructions, check customer support or the help guides on your web host’s site.
Once you’ve completed this step, that’s it.
You’re ready to get into the fun stuff: Setting up WordPress, choosing a website theme and/or hiring a WordPress designer, and creating the nuts and bolts of your website!
But first, why WordPress?
Why You Should Use WordPress to Build a Great Business Website
With your domain name and hosting service in hand, we’re inching closer to getting your website up and running.
For now, it’s time to consider how you’ll build out your website, including the design, pages, and other elements.
That’s why, no matter your niche, whether you need a small business website builder or something more powerful, I always recommend using WordPress. The possibilities are endless – it’s a free, open-source CMS, a blogging platform, and user-friendly website-building software.
According to W3Techs, approximately 39.8% of websites use WordPress.
Along with that, WP has a whopping 64.1% of the market share among all CMS providers. (The runner-up, Shopify, has only 5.2%!)
Some of the most well-known websites in the world run on WordPress, like The New York Times, eBay, Forbes, and Mashable.
Pretty impressive, right? But those aren’t the only reasons you should use WordPress to build a great business website. Here are a few more to consider:
1. You Don’t Need Tech or HTML Knowledge
Whether you use WordPress.com or WordPress.org, your entire website is manageable from the WordPress platform. That means you won’t have to mess with coding or FTP (file transfer protocol, a manual method of uploading files to your domain) if you don’t have the skills or knowledge. And, if you DO have those skills, WordPress is for you, too – the beauty is it caters to every type of user.
Most web hosting services include a one-click install feature for WordPress, too, so even setting it up is easy-breezy.
Once you’re in, the WP Dashboard is super-easy to navigate and use, even if you’re new to it. Clicking around, you’ll quickly get the gist of how to manage and create content.
The Content Hacker WordPress dashboard
2. WordPress Sites Do Well in Search
WordPress websites dominate search rankings. Among the top 1 million websites worldwide, 32.5% run on WordPress.
WP websites probably do well in search because SEO is built-in by default. Along with that, there are SEO plugins you can install that will help your pages and content rank well.
3. WordPress Has Great Documentation, Plugins, Support, and Themes
Finally, one of the best reasons to use WordPress as your CMS: The sheer number of plugins, themes, help guides, and support you’ll find for building a great website.
Support, documentation, and help guides – WP is so ubiquitous across the web, there are mountains of guides, tutorials, videos, and how-to’s out there if you need them. Even if you’re a newbie, you can learn everything you need to know with a quick search on the topic that’s stumping you.
Plugins – One of the major reasons WP has so many devotees is due to its massive plugin library. There are over 55,000 official WordPress plugins that do everything from managing your backups and security to helping you nail SEO to building contact forms, creating image libraries, monitoring spam in your comments, and even turning your website into an ecommerce machine.
Themes – WordPress comes packed with an extensive library of fully customizable, free and paid themes. These are site templates you can tweak and play with to create a unique site design without touching a line of HTML, CSS, or PHP code.
Convinced yet? Then it’s time to move on to the next steps: what to do after you install WordPress on your site.
How to Design and Launch Your Business Website (What & Who You Need)
A great website gives you a strong foundation for rankings, so it’s MEGA important to get it right.
That said, creating a website for your business for free just isn’t feasible. A successful website launch is going to require some investment up-front no matter how you slice it. However, if you launch the right way, you’ll more than earn back what you put into it.
1. Who You Need to Design and Launch Your Site
Can you learn how to build a business website and execute it, start to finish, by yourself?
Sure.
Should you?
Well… No.
Think of it this way:
Do you have the professional skills to design a killer website that keeps people engaged?
Do you have the time to learn?
Probably not, unless you never sleep.
Outsourcing this aspect of building and launching your website will set you apart. Even if you simply hire someone to customize your WordPress theme, you’ll immediately look more professional than those who use stock images and the same theme as everyone else.
Of course, who you can hire depends on your investment capabilities. Don’t worry, though – even if your budget is low, you can still find quality designers and developers.
Freelance WordPress Designer
Whether you’re on a budget or prefer to work closely with one person to develop your WordPress website, a freelancer is a good option.
Finding a solid freelance WordPress designer/web developer is as simple as checking out marketplaces like Upwork or Fiverr.
Cost: A good freelancer will charge at least $50/hour for their services. The total amount you pay will depend on the depth and complexity of the design work needed.
Agencies or Established Website Builders
Maybe you need multiple aspects of your website taken care of, like design, social media marketing, SEO, or ecommerce design. In this case, it would make more sense to hire an agency or a professional who handles multiple services.
Examples:
Bruce Thede is a small business website designer and developer. He is a great resource for your business.
For high-level websites, Jill Lynn is a web design professional who offers multiple packages for clients across industries, including WordPress development, design, maintenance, ecommerce design, and marketing tools.
Thrive is a full-service digital marketing agency, which means they can handle your website design as well as SEO and marketing.
Chiroplanet is a niche digital marketing agency for chiropractors and their practices. Finding an agency that specializes in your niche ensures your site is as effective as possible.
Cost: Services from an agency or professional with multiple hats usually runs upwards of $5,000.
Just some of Thrive’s services
2. What You Need to Make It Successful
Now that the “who” is out of the way, let’s move on to the “what.”
What do you specifically need to make building your business website successful?
Here’s my shortlist:
Domain Name + Web Hosting
Having your own domain is essential for success. You can’t rely on other platforms to have your best interests at heart, because their own gain will always be #1. (Think about Instagram and Facebook showing you ads and posts they think you want to see versus a chronological feed – it’s all about boosting their bottom line.)
Plus, when you own your domain, you have full control over the content that appears – when, where, and how. In contrast, proprietary platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and the like ultimately have the final say about your content, not you.
Content
If you expect your website to do well in traffic and leads using the power of SEO, you need content. Not any content will do, though – you need user-focused, high-quality content targeting smart keywords.
A List-Building Strategy + Lead Magnet
Before you launch your website, you need to lay out how you’ll build your audience and reel in leads. List-building is a relatively simple way to accomplish both.
One of the most common list-building strategies includes offering a high-value lead magnet to prospects.
Social Media Accounts for Promotion
Finally, you need a platform to let the world know about your new website and the content you’re offering. Social media gives you a way to reach people, build an audience, and get the word out.
Create at least one social media account for your business that goes hand-in-hand with your website. Build relationships there, and your site will grow by extension.
Get Rockin’ – When Will Those Results Roll In?
If you launch your business website both strategically and intelligently, the results shouldn’t take long to roll in at all.
1. Possible Income Sources from a Business Website
For your website ROI, there are plenty of ways to make it happen. The most common are listed below:
Selling Your Services
This is one of the most obvious ways to make money on your business website. If you operate online, this will be your main way of making money. Your website serves as a hub for connecting you to leads and nurturing them to become customers.
A great example of this is Jessica Campos’ site, Marketing for Greatness. It’s a hub for everything she does and sells – agency services, coaching, consulting, courses, speaking engagements, and more!
Selling Digital/Physical Products
If you sell products as part of your business, a great website is essential to boost sales and keep them flowing in.
Products can be digital, like ebooks and courses, or physical items that must be shipped to the customer.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a great way to share products you’re excited about with your audience while making a little extra money at the same time.
To keep it more genuine, focus on products that you personally use and love.
Selling Ad Space
Another way to monetize your business website is to sell ad space. The most common way to do this is through Google AdSense.
Once you sign up, you add a piece of code to your site. Google will use this to serve relevant ads to your site visitors, optimized for desktop or mobile. If they click the ad on your site, you get paid.
Here’s an example of such ads on Search Engine Journal:
I don’t personally sell ad space on my websites, but some people do in a way that flows with their content and is non-intrusive – the only way ads should ever appear is if you use them.
As you can see, the possibilities for making money on your business website are endless. The key, however, is making sure the website itself is as strong as possible. Only then will it be a solid jumping-off point for everything you sell.
How to Build a Great Business Website: Strategize!
To build a truly amazing business website – whether you’re starting fresh or rebuilding a lackluster site – you must strategize.
Take the time to brainstorm, plan, implement, and execute. After all, this is your business’s digital presence on the web. It’s like your headquarters, your storefront, your portfolio, and your publication center, all rolled into one.
Don’t cut corners. Invest what you can. Then, watch the ROI roll in.
I started Express Writers with nothing but $75, a dream, and my passion for writing.
It all began in 2010. I was in college, trying to get a degree I didn’t even want. One morning I woke up and thought: Why not do what I love?
That day, I decided to figure out online writing. At first, I was only doing work for cheap clients. But that was how I learned — and it motivated me to keep striving for more. I pushed on, honing my writing, SEO, and content marketing skills writing hundreds of articles.
Within three months, I reached a point where I had more work than I could handle.
What did I do?
I found and hired smart people.
That was my very first step towards smart content managing. Instead of writing everything myself, I hired skilled writers who shared my passion for creating powerful online content. It was one of the best moves I’ve ever made. I’ve since learned that this is how top leaders in the content marketing space do it.
They don’t write. They ideate. Then, top writers ghostwrite.
This is how to get your afternoons back, entrepreneurs. Instead of writing in the den all dang day, this is how to have a life of creative freedom.
Delegate.
You just need to learn how to delegate to the right people with smart content management.
And like us, your business can save $58,000+ a month (while getting the same results) — this is the figure my brand, Express Writers, saves by not having to spend on a PPC campaign to bring in our monthly traffic and focusing on organic content marketing instead.
(Crazy, right?)
We’ve never done a single PPC ad, by the way. Not even once.
Yet our website earns 90,000-100,000 visitors a month.
How?
The secret is through successful content marketing and smart delegation.
In this post, I’ll teach you how to do both, after we define what kind of content you should be writing.
Today’s blog contains my top secrets to avoiding content burnout while writing five books, 1,500 blogs, and countless email/social campaigns.
Read on for the keys to the content castle. ?
Content Marketing Planning Success: 6 Types of Profitable Content and How Often to Post Them
1. Social Media
2. Blogs
3. Emails
4. Website Pages
5. News/Ads/Sales Content
6. Creative Content
Your Ultimate Guide to Smart Content Marketing Planning
The Who, What, and When of Smart Content Marketing Planning
Who to Delegate To What to Delegate When to Delegate
[bctt tweet=”Are you managing it all, or doing it all, in your content creation for your business? There’s a MASSIVE difference in content marketing success if you have the correct mindset. ?Learn more:” username=”ExpWriters”]
6 Types of Profitable Content and How Often to Post Them for Content Marketing Planning Success
There are 6 types of content you should be posting regularly if you want to succeed online. What are they? And how often should you post them? Let’s discuss!
1. Social Media
With more than 3.5 billion users, social media is a huge opportunity for marketing. But it isn’t enough to have a Facebook page and post when you feel like it. You need to be active daily with relevant, intriguing, helpful content.
How often to post: Daily.
Speaking of social media, make sure to follow us on Facebook for daily tips, updates, and more!
2. Blogs
Posting long-form blogs (1,500 words up) impresses both your readers and Google. Blogs can:
Establish you as an expert.
Gain your site an increase in organic rankings on Google.
How often to post: 1 time a week minimum. For better results, go for 2-3 or even 4x a week.
Learn how to write a long-form blog and gain up to 125% more organic rankings on Google here.
3. Emails
Email marketing promises you constant engagement with leads and huge ROI (return on investment).
Source: Lyfe Marketing
How often to send: Weekly.
4. Website Pages
What good is the traffic you get from organic search if visitors are unimpressed by your website? What you need to keep their attention is a concise, impactful copy for all your site’s pages.
How often: As needed.
5. News/Ads/Sales Content
Press releases and ads that solve your prospects’ problems and long-form sales copy are all necessary to keep leads informed about your products.
Creative content helps you stay relevant and fresh in your prospects’ minds. These include videos, fun emails, poems, short stories, and more.
How often: As needed.
Your Ultimate Guide to Smart Content Marketing Planning
Right now, you might be shaking your head and wondering how you can create all of that content consistently.
How do you write 3 long-form blogs, daily social media updates, web copy, ads, emails, and video scripts… and still stay sane?
The secret is to stop doing, and start managing.
Chances are if you’re thinking of ‘doing it all’ yourself, you’ll end up completely burnt out, missing deadlines, and the content itself will lack quality because it had no space to breathe. Rushed content is never good content.
Switch to “managing,” and you’ll see so much more success. (See a story about my timeline in content, and how getting strategic in 2016 and getting out of the hamster wheel actually brought in more profits from our content. Managed content is successful content!)
The Who, What, and When of Smart Content Marketing Planning
When you switch to managing instead of doing, you need to be sure you get three things:
Quality
Quantity
Consistency
Let’s dive in more on each.
1. Who to Delegate To
If you’re a content marketer, quality should be your #1 goal. Without this strong foundation, your content house will fall apart.
Take a look at these two examples:
Today’s world is definitely full of people who are unhealthy, people who eat a lot of fatty food and therefore gain unnecessary weight. If you are like these people, you might be concerned about your overall health. It is a fact that being overweight can cause a number of debilitating health problems. What you must do, then, is to seek to lose weight in a healthy and safe way. There are definitely a lot of benefits which can be achieved when you experience weight loss.
Blogs that are between 400 and 699 words (the conventional number for blog word count) see a lot of quick readers come to the site, read what they came for and move on to the next site. Blogs that have 1,500 words or more give the reader substance and encourage them to stick around on the site, increasing metrics and clicks on the site.
As you can see, the first example is generic and uninteresting. Most readers already know the facts stated. Also, the paragraph’s length will scare even the most daring away.
The second paragraph? It’s clear, concise, and full of helpful facts that convert. With quality content like that, your reader will stay on your site and keep reading.
To get quality content, you need to hire the right people. It doesn’t matter where they’re from. What matters is what they can do.
Hire people who are experts in their field. Yes, online writers can always do Google research on topics you assign to them. But to write in-depth content and copy with authority? Only an expert with significant experience can do that.
Hire people with writing skills that make content pop. You don’t want your online content to look like a legal document. So instead of hiring just any lawyer for expertise, hire a lawyer who has a passion for and talent with words. This will make your online content jump from the page.
2. What to Delegate
We’ve already looked at the six types of content you need to boost your online presence and brand. Now, let’s look at what you should delegate to members of the staff you’ve hired.
Here’s a quick birds-eye view of that:
Social media posts and updates should be handled by a skilled social media manager. Here are things to look for if you’re hiring one.
Ability to recognize leads.
Experience with branding and marketing.
A healthy sense of humor.
Blogs and email copy require a content strategist, expert writers, and yourself (sounds like a lot, but definitely worth it!). For our own blog, The Write Blog, we have over 5 content creators and a full-time designer!
Lastly, web pages, copy, and creative content should be delegated to trained copywriters and strategists. Make sure your copy:
Isn’t salesy.
Follows the correct templates for successful marketing copy.
Is concise, clear, and compelling.
3. When to Delegate
When planning your content, the when is as important as the what.
So instead of coming up with blogs and emails a week before they’re posted, create a calendar and make a plan for 3 to 6 months, or even a year of content!
Here’s why this is so important:
You don’t get caught off-guard with seasonal or overarching topics. You want to be able to see the bigger picture. When you plan ahead, you’ll know how to stay current all the time with your content.
You can do enough research. Nothing says amateur louder than the lack of information. When you’re behind on the latest trends and the hottest topics of the day, you’ll lose your relevance and credibility.
You can grab attention by matching dates with topics. For example, the release of a much-awaited movie is a great way to spark reader interest. With a far-reaching calendar, you can plan blog topics for holidays, elections, special events, and more.
You can strategize more. First drafts should never be final drafts. The same is true with planning content. If you have enough time to plan what to write about and when, it’ll lead to better content all around.
You won’t duplicate content you already posted. Surprisingly, this can happen more than you think. Staying organized with a far-reaching calendar, however, will prevent it.
So get started with your content calendar as soon as you can, and make your plans as far-reaching as possible.
As an example, here’s what our content calendar looks like.
We plan content for months in advance!
Get Ready for the Future with Smart Content Marketing Planning
Six types of content, posted consistently, is a huge deal if you plan to do it yourself.
But, with smart content marketing planning, things become simpler, clearer, and more enjoyable. Content quality increases. Best of all, you can sit back, sip your favorite drink, and watch your company explode in growth.
In 2020, 90 percent of businesses out there are blogging because it’s the single biggest thing you can do to improve your visibility in the search engine. In fact, if you don’t have a blog on your site, you’re all but invisible online.
However, as a medical professional, you can’t just fill your blog with all manner of random pieces of content and expect to win at content marketing.
You need medical blog content from an expert medical writer who actually knows what they’re talking about.
Finding good medical blog writers can be tricky, so here are a few insights on what goes into writing medical blogs and what are the best practices around writing a medical blog.
By the time you’re through, you’ll know exactly what to do – and what skills to look for in a candidate when you go to hire a writer.
Let’s go!
[bctt tweet=”Doctor by day… blogger by night? ⚕️ You bet. Learn what goes into writing medical blogs, best practices, and how to find good medical blog writers via @juliaemccoy” username=”ExpWriters”]
Why Medical Professionals Need to Blog
If you’ve started a medical practice, a blog probably isn’t at the top of your list. Yet, it’s a powerful tool to grow your practice and reputation. Starting a medical blog helps you:
Increase visibility. According to SEO Tribunal, companies and brands with a blog generate 97 percent more traffic than those without one. More eyeballs mean more potential patients.
Answer common questions. Are there questions your patients seem to consistently ask? Save everyone’s time by crafting thoughtful content that answers these questions.
Connect with your current (and potential) patients. Blogs offer one more way for you to connect with your community. Whether you’re discussing relevant events or talking about health issues that impact your patient base, your readers can connect with you by interacting with your blog.
Become a reputable source of credible information. Way back in 2013, Pew Research found that some 77 percent of people started their search for health information online. That’s still true today, as the rush to correct pandemic misinformation in 2020 has shown. Writing a medical blog allows you to meet patients where they are – online and looking for information you can provide.
Clear, Concise, Credible: The Medical Blog Writer’s Eternal Struggle
Medical blog writing is a skill in its own right.
Unlike other industries, you aren’t simply writing to entertain. People turn to medical blogs for information that will have a direct impact on their lives. That raises the bar quite a bit regarding the quality of what you publish.
No matter what your specialty, medical blog content must be:
1. Clear: Because There’s Enough Confusion Out There
Do you know what sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia is? (Try saying that five times fast, heh.)
It’s characterized by the acute onset of cephalgia resulting from referred pain when the trigeminal nerve is triggered.
Ouch!
I’ll bet you a whole penny you’ve never heard of that condition … and another penny that you’ve experienced it.
With medical blog writing, it’s super easy to get carried away with technical jargon or complex explanations, especially when you’re a professional who already knows what these words mean. However, doing this reduces the clarity of your writing. That’s a problem because unclear content:
Inspires panic. Which sounds more frightening: sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia or brain freeze?
May prevent or delay someone from seeking medical attention. Good medical blog writers know when to make it clear that readers should seek prompt medical attention.
Undermines your professional authority. Through your blog, you’ll demonstrate that you know what you’re talking about – so make sure you’re clear!
Bad advice abounds. Medical blog writers must be a light in the dark. Source: XKCD
[bctt tweet=”Medical blog writers need to take care ❤: Unclear content or technical jargon can 1️⃣ Inspire panic 2️⃣ May prevent or delay someone from seeking medical attention 3️⃣ Undermine your professional authority. Learn more:” username=”ExpWriters”]
2. Concise: Because People Want Answers, Not Science Lectures
How many times have you gone searching for answers, only to spend several minutes scrolling three-quarters of the way down a page for a simple answer to a question that you still couldn’t find because it was buried in a wall of text?
(If you’ve done that more than once or twice, you’re a rarity. Most people spend 15 seconds or less on a page before they bounce.)
Think about how much more annoying that is when you’re looking for answers to a potentially serious medical problem.
Be concise. Answer the question upfront, then go into detail further down the page.
3. Credible: Because It’s Your Money or Your Life
2020 superbly illustrated the prevalence of confusing and inaccurate information. From misinformation about how to wear masks to reports of deaths from people following bad advice, unclear or confusing advice isn’t just unhelpful … it’s dangerous.
That’s why credibility matters, and why Google has special quality requirements for medical blogs, legal advice, financial articles, and similar topics that may impact a person’s health, happiness, or financial stability.
In Google’s Guidelines, Section 2.3 talks about “Your Money or Your Life Pages” and the very high quality score they must achieve to rank well in the search engine. In Section 3, you can read about exactly the metrics Google’s evaluators use to rank the quality of sites. They are:
High E-A-T. E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness. Those are three major metrics that Google uses to determine the overall quality of a site.
Positive site reputation. Evaluators are trained to look through your – or your practice’s – reputation online. They’ll use things like Yelp reviews, industry news, and more.
The amount of “MC.” MC stands for main content, and they expect it to be satisfying to the reader – I.E., comprehensive enough that questions and curiosity are answered.
An example from the Evaluator Guidelines showing high-quality YMYL pages.
How to Write Medical Blog Articles That Engage Readers
Feeling like the bar has been set high for you? Good, because it has. Good medical blog writers who understand all of these tightropes can be hard to find, but they’re well worth seeking out.
If you’ve decided to take the plunge and write your own medical blog articles, here are a few tips. We’ve rounded them up from our expert medical blog writers to give you the inside scoop.
1. Speak to Your Readers… in Plain English
As a medical professional, you’re probably used to the lingo. BUT…
How would you feel if you went to the mechanic to get something fixed on your car and, while he did a great job, explained exactly what he did in technical terms that went waaaay over your head?
You’d feel overwhelmed at best.
Pay attention to your target audience when you craft your medical blog articles and write to their reading level. DO:
Use technical terms if it can’t be avoided. Make sure you define these terms, however. A link to a reputable definition will do.
Break paragraphs into bite-sized nuggets. See how I’ve broken every paragraph in this article into two or three lines? That improves clarity and readability.
Feel free to get conversational. Addressing the reader (using “you” instead of “one”) creates a friendlier vibe that can help readers connect with you.
Bonus tip: Pictures are worth 1,000 words. Visuals often help break down complex topics much more easily.
Need help breaking your stuffy writing habit? Learn engaging writing that’s still informative and helpful in my Unlearn Essay Writing Course.
2. Pay Special Attention to Citations for Medical Blogs
Make absolutely sure you’re only citing from the best and most reputable sources because Google will absolutely check to see if you are.
In fact, links and citations are one of the biggest ways that Google determines the quality of a page. The practice of linking to (and receiving links from – called backlinking) is known as linkbuilding. It can be a great way to build your status in the SERPs but linking to poor quality sites can easily destroy your ranking as well.
Do:
Use pages that rank highly. At Express Writers, we use the Alexa Page Rank tool to identify sites that rank 100,000 or lower. The lower the number, the more established (and credible) the site.
Link to major medical institutions. Link to prominent organizations in your specialty to show that you’re up to speed with the current science.
Healthline links to PubMed Central, a repository of peer-reviewed studies available online.
3. Make Your Advice Actionable
Want engagement? Make it actionable.
To many content writers, actionable blogs mean including a CTA. While you should definitely do that (CTAs increase conversions by 62 percent), medical blog content needs to take it a step further.
After all, people have questions and they’re coming to you for answers. Make sure to give them what they expect – in a format they can use.
Do:
Use the inverted pyramid. Put the immediate answer first, followed by data and details, followed by sub-questions and finally the CTA. This helps set your entire page up for your readers to act.
Make steps super clear. Use headings to visually highlight steps. Break down steps as simply as possible to avoid overwhelming readers.
Include relevant contact information. Whether it’s yours or another organization’s, make sure your readers have everything they need at their fingertips to act.
Actionable medical content provides answers in a way that allows readers to act on them. Source: Moz.
[bctt tweet=”How do you write medical blog articles that engage readers? ✔Speak to your readers in plain English ✔Pay special attention to quality citations ✔Share actionable advice ✔Emphasize your authority” username=”ExpWriters”]
4. Emphasize Your Medical Authority
You’re an expert in the medical world, so make sure your blog reflects it. Remember that Google will look at your reputation, but they’ll also look at your specific credentials.
When it comes to YMYL content, they want to know that actual experts are producing it.
There are a few ways you can demonstrate authority both to the search engine and your readers:
Include your author bio. You can have a simple blurb with your name and credentials at the bottom of each medical blog that links to a more in-depth bio.
Set up your LinkedIn or other professional social media. This will help boost your authority by proving to Google you’re an actual professional, not just someone with a site.
Check if your business or site has a Google Panel. Setting your business up in Google My Business helps prove to Google that your practice really exists.
Bottom Line: Get the Right Writers for Your Medical Blog
Writing medical blogs isn’t something that just anyone can do – and not just anyone should.
With medical blog content, you need an authoritative writer at the helm who knows how to use terms correctly, break down complex topics into a readable format, and satisfy Google’s special quality requirements.
We’ve rounded up some of our best tips to help you get started writing medical blog articles, plus the special considerations that go into writing on this topic.
If you’re pressed for time or would prefer a qualified writer, check out our content shop. We’re thrilled to provide you with authoritative medical copywriting. Or, talk to us about finding an expert copywriter in your unique niche.
90% of businesses are blogging in 2020. By the time you’re done reading this article, tens of thousands of posts will have been finished and pushed live. With 77% of all internet users reading blogs now, and blogs considered one of the top five most trustworthy sources of information, there’s no bones about it — your finance business needs a blog.
But there’s a lot of content already out there, which means you’re facing stiff competition.
And if you’re in a popular niche like finance, the competition is even fiercer. You need expert financial blog writers on your side.
However, competition for eyeballs isn’t all talented financial blog writers have to worry about. From special quality requirements by Google to features of the industry itself, here’s why it pays to invest in a writer who knows that they’re doing in this field (plus plenty of actionable tips for you to get started writing your finance blog!).
Let’s dive in!
[bctt tweet=”Financial blog articles are hard to do well and easy to mess up. Why? You need financial know-how AND engaging writing. ✍?? @JuliaEMcCoy discusses the expertise you need and how to write for this tough industry.” username=”ExpWriters”]
First Things First: Offering Financial Advice Is Tricky Business Even Under Normal Circumstances
Have you ever received well-meaning but inaccurate financial advice from a friend or family member?
They probably thought they knew what they were talking about. It probably sounded good. Maybe you even acted upon it. But surprise!
Things didn’t go so great. ?
Let me be the first to warn you: Google is well aware of people like your friend or family member, and they don’t have time for crappy financial content in their search engine.
You may already be an expert on finance, but if you’re thinking about starting a finance blog, make sure you do your homework. ?
Specifically, make sure you know how to convey to Google the fact that you do, in fact, know what you’re talking about.
Here’s how.
Your Money or Your Life
Unlike writers in other industries, financial blog writers need to be aware of a small but uber-critical quality requirement: YMYL.
It stands for Your Money or Your Life.
According to Google, YMYL topics are those that can impact a person’s future happiness, health, safety, or financial stability. The Official Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines require a Very High-Quality rating for all pages that fall under YMYL. That’s because if someone follows the advice and it turns out to be poor or inaccurate, it can have serious negative consequences on their life, happiness, health, or finances.
How do you demonstrate quality under YMYL?
You make sure your readers are E-A-Ting the best content! Demonstrate:
Identify authors and their credentials. Showcase your company’s accomplishments and dedicate yourself to never publishing low-quality content. Ever.
Develop your brand’s authority by consistently publishing high-quality, well-researched, and cited content on specific topics.
Be transparent about who you are and what your company is about. Have your contact information clearly listed, and make sure all other important info is easy to find.
But! Make sure you’re actually demonstrating that authority to back it up, even if you’ve got the most interesting blog in the world. 😉
[bctt tweet=”‼HOT TIP: Financial blog writers need to be aware of a small but uber-critical quality requirement for ranking: YMYL (Your Money or Your Life). Learn more ➡” username=”ExpWriters”]
How to Write Financial Blog Articles That Win Audiences (and Conversions!)
It’s easy to fall into the trap of dry, uninspired writing, but the best finance blog writers know just how to spice up the copy to win audiences and conversions.
Here’s a quick guide for financial bloggers and a few tips when writing a finance blog.
1. Analyze Your Target Audience, Then Speak Directly to Them
Nobody likes being talked at – on the internet, talking at your audience is a great way to scare them off.
With financial blog articles, it can be easy to sink into that. However, you should be cultivating your unique voice in a way that creates a conversation with your readers.
The best way to speak to your readers? Understand their language, their needs, goals, and desires.
You can identify those things with a target persona. You can think of a target persona as a case study of your readers. It can shed insight into what topics you should discuss, what you should avoid, and how to approach conversations for the best possible reception.
I also recommend that you:
Define your target audience as narrowly as possible. Finance is such a big topic that it’s better for you to define the scope of your blog as narrowly as you can. That also allows you to develop your content differentiation factor.
Identify your audience’s reading level. A finance blog written for investment specialists will sound very different from one intended for the general public.
Embrace the human element. Finances can be a touchy, emotional subject. So, don’t be afraid to address the human element of the conversation to get in touch with your audience.
When your target audience is well-defined, it will show! Compare the Financial Samurai to the Penny Hoarder (below). Who is the target audience of each?
2. Give Your Financial Blog Readers a Reason to Read
We like to know that we’re going to get something for our efforts. So, with every financially-centric blog you post, get in the habit of putting yourself in your target audience’s shoes and asking yourself: what’s in it for me?
People (usually) don’t go looking through financial blog content unless they’re enthusiasts on the topic. If they’ve landed on one of your articles, chances are they’re looking for advice. Therefore, pay special attention to the value that you’re providing by highlighting the clear benefits of each article. Do:
Make tips and advice as actionable as possible
Break down concepts and leave your readers feeling more knowledgeable than they were
Lay out the key points and benefits early (the introduction is a great place) so readers know what they’re getting and why reading this blog is worth their time
3. Use Your Blog as an Opportunity to Build Relationships
According to Bankrate, the average adult in the U.S. stays with their bank for some 16 years – five years longer than the average marriage lasts.
The best financial writers know that the industry is used to thinking in terms of (and emphasizing) relationships, so they take care to demonstrate this in the content they create.
If you’re treating each blog as a conversation with your readers, you’ve already taken the first step toward building a relationship with them.
Now, take it a step further.
In 2020, readers want to know that you’re there to provide value, and to be of service beyond simply doing what it takes to win a sale. Readers convert to customers when they not only feel good about the product, but also the company providing it.
Why? Focusing on building relationships sends the message that you care about the experience your customers have with you. According to PwC, 73 percent of customers will stay loyal if that experience is a good one.
So, take the opportunity to show your readers you care. Always remember to:
Showcase your transparency with author bios and credentials clearly listed (remember: YMYL!)
Use compelling CTAs to invite your readers to interact with your brand further
Invite feedback via blog comments or other forms
Create content that makes your readers part of your story
4. Get Catchy with Financial Headlines
Mastering the art of headline writing matters for all content writers, but it’s especially important for financial blog writers. Why?
Because when 73 percent of people are skimming your blogs, what are their eyes going to catch?
The headlines. And let’s be honest, which would you rather read…
IRS Advice for the Self-Employed
Self-Employed? Lower Your Tax Burden With These Lesser-Known Credits
When it comes to financial blog content, use catchy headlines that emphasize what’s in it for the reader. Consider headlines that indicate an article will:
Which headlines stand out to you, and what do they all say about who the Penny Hoarder’s target audience is?
5. Avoid Finance Jargon Jungles
Last but not least, financial articles can run on the long side. (Neil Patel once found that the average length of a finance blog article was around 2,500 words.)
That’s plenty of space to stray waaaaaay into the weeds. ??
On its own, that’s not a bad thing. There are lots of gems of wisdom to be found in the weeds. But you also run the risk of getting trapped in jargon jungles, using terminology that might prove confusing to your readers.
Remember: the average adult reads at a ninth-grade reading level. Unless you’re writing specifically for a crowd who you know will understand the terms, it’s better for your readers (and SEO) to use plain English as much as possible.
[bctt tweet=”? Newsflash: The average adult reads at a 9th grade reading level. Unless you’re writing for a crowd you know will understand the terms, it’s better for your readers (and SEO) to use plain English as much as possible. ?” username=”ExpWriters”]
Need Expert Financial Blog Writers? We Got ‘Em!
TL;DR: finance blog writing is its own kettle of fish bait.
From satisfying Google’s special quality requirements to crafting engaging, accessible copy, you’ve got a lot on your hands. I’ve provided a bunch of tips for you to get started writing a finance blog, but an expert financial blog writer can also help.
Check out our content shop to learn more about the finance blog content we offer, or talk to us about finding an expert copywriter in your unique niche.
Happy creating!
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Marketers love them – especially when they’re making a project or campaign look good on paper. After all, who doesn’t want glowing numbers to present to their client at the end of the week?
But savvy marketers know a secret: not all metrics equal growth. Some of them are even pure vanity.
Yep, I’m talking about vanity metrics.
What’s the definition of vanity metrics?
Well, imagine this: you’re an Instagram influencer with over two million followers – a success any way you measure it.
You decide to launch a clothing line to capitalize on your audience of millions.
You spend months planning, preparing, networking with photographers, and making everything perfect.
At long last, the day comes to launch your line!
You’re full of zeal and excitement – your promo posts get thousands of likes! Surely you’ll have hundreds of sales.
But two weeks later, you’ve sold a grand total of twenty (20) units, falling way below your goal of 500+.
Ouch! What happened?
You were tracking numbers that looked good — but told you nothing about what was actually going on. You couldn’t equate it to real growth. That’s the textbook definition of vanity metrics.
Learn more about the truth behind vanity metrics — with a real story based on what I just described above — in today’s blog.
[bctt tweet=”Learn the truth about vanity metrics – numbers that look good but tell you nothing about what’s going on in terms of real business growth – plus a real ‘reader beware’ story, now on the Write Blog via @juliaemccoy” username=”ExpWriters”]
“Data … and analytics that are satisfying on paper, but don’t move the needle for your business goals. They offer positive reporting, but no context for future marketing decisions.”
We could break that down if we wanted. A simpler definition of vanity metrics from Tim Ferris:
“Good for feeling awesome; bad for action.”
Vanity metrics are data and numbers that might be interesting, fun, or look good, but they don’t actually help you accomplish anything in your business.
[bctt tweet=”Vanity metrics are data and numbers that might be interesting, fun, or look good, but they don’t actually help you accomplish anything in your business. They’re the fool’s gold at the end of the rainbow. ” username=”ExpWriters”]
They are fool’s gold – if you’re chasing them, you’re going to get a pile of dirt at the end of the rainbow. Why?
At the end of the day, they’re not telling you the whole story. In fact, as we see in the case above with Instagram, vanity metrics don’t tell you anything at all. (It’s a real story, by the way.)
Can you spot the vanity metrics she used to make her decisions? Sadly, many Instagram influencers fall victim. Source: Flawless and Brown
How to Identify Whether You’re Using Vanity Metrics
Vanity metrics are all over the place. They’re the marketing equivalent of those factoid listicles. Neat, possibly inspiring. Utterly useless in most cases.
But still wickedly irresistible.
Don’t get me wrong: tracking vanity metrics alone isn’t a bad thing. At the end of the day, knowledge is power.
However, tracking vanity metrics at the exclusion of actionable metrics can lead you to disaster. The glowing halo they can create around your idea or plans can blind you to the very real red flags or problems that exist – as our Instagram influencer discovered.
So, how do we identify which KPI is a vanity metric in the many that we’re tracking? Simple…
Ask Yourself: What Business Decisions Can You Make With This Metric?
Metrics are meant to do more than tell you about your business. They’re supposed to give you insights on what actions you can take next.
By definition, vanity metrics don’t because they don’t tell you anything really useful.
Let’s circle back to the Instagram influencer above to illustrate that.
On what metrics did the influencer base her business decisions? She used several vanity metrics:
Followers
Likes
Feedback from friends
Lots of followers and lots of likes seem like a good thing, right? Sure! And her friends were super jazzed about her new clothing line!
But what those metrics didn’t tell us? On closer inspection, a lot. For example, she probably never learned:
Who her audience was. Some suggested that her clothing line was off-market for her mostly male audience. (She needed demographics instead of likes and followers.)
Her true level of follower engagement. Some marketers commented that her engagement ratio was low for the number of followers she had. (That’s looking at likes per thousand followers.)
Anything about the product itself. According to her post, people she sent out promos to didn’t even share her or promote her new line. (The promos to share ratio alone tell us something was wrong with the product.)
Anything about the campaign itself. More than a few marketers pointed out that it was badly composed and executed. (Three posts don’t provide enough market data at all.)
There were other red flags with the product and campaign that got missed because she was focused on vanity metrics. Source: Jack Appleby.
5 Vanity Metrics in Content and How to Use Them to Your Advantage
The Instagram influencer’s experience provides a salient warning against the dangers of vanity KPIs and metrics. Marketers of all stripes can take a lesson or three from it – especially those of us in content creation and marketing.
However, figuring out which KPI is a vanity metric is arguably easier when it comes to social media than other forms of content creation or marketing. Part of that is because social media is much more straightforward in many ways.
Here are five metrics that are most likely to be a vanity metric when it comes to content, and what you can do instead to capture the most accurate view of your brand’s growth.
1. Page/Post Views
Ah, views. We like knowing when something we’ve published is landing in front of lots of eyeballs. Yet, when we think about it, what do views actually tell us? Perhaps that we got our keywords right, or that we published at the right time of day. Pageviews tell us nothing about actual interest or engagement.
When It Matters: Content creators should track page or post views. An abnormally high or low number may indicate that something’s off with the keywords or targeting – but not always.
A More Actionable Alternative: Track conversions instead to get a better sense of how interested people actually are.
2. Likes & Shares
You know that warm, fuzzy feeling when someone validates what you have to say with a reaction, like, or a share? It feels good. I like it, too. However, likes and shares don’t indicate a commitment to convert – how many neat things did you heart on Instagram last week that you’ll never buy?
When It Matters: Shares can amplify organic reach. Likes or reactions can give you an immediate sense of your content’s performance.
A More Actionable Alternative: Consider tracking referrals, even if it’s as simple as how many users are tagging friends in the comments.
25 likes from a well-targeted readership are better than 25k likes from an uninterested public. Source: RootisTabootus.
3. Time on Page
We want people to do more than just click on our page in the SERPs – we also want them to stick around and read what we’ve got to say. That’s why we spend so much time on crafting exceptional quality content. But what does it mean when people are spending long periods of time on our page? It’s a good thing. Right?
That depends. People might be staying on the page because they’re engaged. They might be staying on the page because you embedded a video there and they’re watching it. Still, that doesn’t tell you anything about their actual interest.
When It Matters: When time on page is more than a couple of minutes – and combined with conversions – then you know it’s a high-performing page.
A More Actionable Alternative: Track engagement to get the most out of time on page – that means subscriptions, signups, or other lead conversions.
4. Keyword Volume
Keyword volume refers to the number of searches for a keyword within a given period – in short, how many people are searching that keyword in Google.
If you’re sitting down to do keyword research for your content strategy, then a keyword with a large volume – a super popular one – must be a great choice, right?
Wrong. Volume doesn’t equal clicks – it also doesn’t guarantee that every click you’ll receive from that super-popular keyword will bring a qualified lead. It’s better to have less but more relevant traffic than it is to have lots of traffic from randos on the web.
When It Matters: Pay attention to volume with longtail keywords and super specific terms. A presence of relevant searches means a market opportunity for you.
A More Actionable Alternative: Lead generation and conversion. Your keywords can have low volumes, but if they’re returning qualified leads, then they’re more successful than popular keywords that aren’t.
Volume is often not the full story with keywords. The longtail keyword “best buy portable air conditioner” has the highest volume – the greatest popularity – of similar keywords. But, from November to March, almost no one searches for it. Source: WordTracker
5. Follower Count or Subscriptions
So, you set up your social media. You link your blog posts. You’ve even got an email newsletter for interested people to sign up if they want. And guess what!
You’re getting followers and subscriptions.
What’s the problem here? They’re consuming your social media and your newsletter – not your actual product or service.
When It Matters: If your email newsletter has high signups but low conversions (or vice versa), then it may indicate that something’s broken. You can also track subscriptions in a given time period to get a sense of how well your message resonated.
A More Actionable Alternative: Track active users instead. People may be happy to consume your freebies, but your product’s success is only measured in terms of sales.
[bctt tweet=”5 vanity metrics in content you should beware: ❌Page/post views, ❌likes & shares, ❌time on page, ❌keyword volume, & ❌follower count/subs.” username=”ExpWriters”]
Bottom Line: Actionable Metrics Create Results
A lot of marketers will tell you to avoid vanity metrics like the plague. As I’ve shown here, they can and do frequently prove dangerous – if not deadly – when used to make business decisions. From the definition of vanity metrics, we can glean that these numbers are fascinating and fun, but they aren’t meant to be helpful. Instead, they’re meant to make you feel good about what you’re doing.
That all said, you can use vanity metrics to gain a deeper insight into the success of your business, content, or campaign. But you need to be smart and look beyond the surface of the shiny metrics to learn what’s really there.
[bctt tweet=”‼HOT TIP: Financial blog writers need to be aware of a small but uber-critical quality requirement for ranking: YMYL (Your Money or Your Life). Learn more ➡” username=”ExpWriters”]
