5 lesser-known blogging tips to grow your blog

Looking for blogging tips beyond the generic ones (e.g. write like you talk, write shorter sentences)? This blog post is for you.

In this article, I’ll tell you the 5 lesser-known blogging tips, so that you:

- Attract more blog traffic.
- Avoid beginner mistakes.
- Get ahead of your competition.

Let’s begin!

1. Nail your blog positioning

There are hundreds of blogs on the same topic. Take SEO for example. Famous publications like Backlinko, Search Engine Journal, Ahrefs, and countless others blog on the topic.

If you’re going to start yet another SEO blog, how will you compete with these publications? How will you differentiate yourself? Why will readers read your blog against these industry experts? Answer these questions before you start your blog.

Brian Dean, the founder of Backlinko, explains why. “The first thing I’d focus on when launching a blog is positioning. If you jump into the tactics without nailing this part, it’s going to be a huge struggle going forward. Look at your blog like a product or a brand. What’s going to make your blog different from what’s already out there?”

“If you’re launching a fitness blog, why would someone read your fitness blog? Maybe you teach moms. Maybe you teach SaaS founders. Maybe you teach people that are built, how to get more built. Or maybe you teach people that used to be strong, how to get back into shape again. The point is, you want to have a positioning that’s unique and helps you stand out. Then you can create content that’s amazing and backs it up.”

2. Build a resource page

This is a genius trick for beginners to direct traffic to their blog. When you’re just starting, you don’t have an existing audience. It’s difficult to get your blogs to read. Social media promotion can only do so much. And SEO takes at least a few months to work.

The Solution? David Perell recommends curating the best resources in your industry. Collect links to the best articles/resources on your topic.

Example: If you’re in the marketing industry, curate articles that will help readers understand marketing.

There are two ways you can do this:

a) The Thought Leader Strategy: create a summary of an expert’s best work in your niche.

Example: If you’re in the Digital Marketing niche, you’ll know Neil Patel is the go-to source. Collect his best work (article/videos/podcast) and store it on your website.

b) The Idea Strategy: Pick a topic in your industry and curate the best articles/resources on it.

Example: Suppose you pick the topic SEO. Find articles/videos/podcasts that teach everything on SEO. Your curation on SEO should be the best source to understand SEO in detail.

Benefits of curating links:

- You'll become the go-to source for anyone looking to learn something.
- Improve blog awareness.
- Boost SEO visibility.
- Get quality backlinks

3. Create a content strategy

You might think creating a content strategy isn’t a lesser-known tip. But, 56% of marketers still don’t have a content strategy. That’s your edge.

A content strategy helps you to write content your readers will love, publish consistently, and attract consistent traffic. Here’s how to create one:

a) Know your audience inside-out. Survey them on social media platforms. Get to know their interests, likes/dislikes, and pressing problems. Ask what content they like to read and what topic they want to read on. Blog around those topics.

b) Do keyword research.

c) Build a content calendar. It should have:

- At least 15 days of blog topic in advance.
- The author’s name (who’ll write?).
- The publishing date.
- The content-type (how-to post/list-based post/case study/opinion posts).
- The blog’s objective (whether you want to educate or sell).

Store this information on a Google Sheet (or Notion). Share it with your content team.

d) Write your content and optimize it for SEO.

e) Promote your blog post on social media and online forums (Hacker News/Indie Hackers/Slack channels).

f) Track and analyze your blog performance.

Rinse and repeat.

4. Create content for every stage of the buyer’s journey

No two readers are the same. One may want to read the solution to their problem. The other may want to know how your product will help them. If you’ll create the same content to persuade both of them, you’ll lose both.

You can’t kill two birds with one stone. Blogs don’t work like that. Every reader needs content tailored to their needs. For this, you need to understand what stage of the buyer’s journey they are at. Here are the 3 stages:

a) Awareness stage

These readers are seeking solutions to their problems. Highlight the problem in your blogs. Blog about the importance of the problem and how to solve it.

Example: Groove is a customer service software. The main problem its customers face is how to handle customer service. So it blogs around that topic.

It also has a separate blog on the basics of customer service.

Research your audience: Survey them. Or engage with them on social media. Identify their key problems. Blog around those topics.

b) Consideration stage

These readers are comparing different products to solve their problems. Your product is one of them. Create content on how your product is helping peer customers. Write case studies. Plus, explain what makes your product the ideal fit and how to use it.

Example:

Groove blogs on how it’s helping customers to 10X their customer service.

It even has a comparison page - where it highlights what differentiates it from others.

Groove also has a help center. It educates readers on how to get started with the software. And how to use its features to get the most of it.

c) Decision stage

These readers need the last push to become paying customers. Blog about the objections and frequent doubts. Plus, why they should choose you.

Example: Groove has a ‘Why Groove’ page with customer testimonials to persuade buyers. It also addresses the frequent doubts on its pricing page.

5. Have a 'Start Here' page

Your blog should have a “Start Here” page. Think of it like this: A random visitor lands on your blog. They know nothing about you and have never visited your site before. So they want to read your blog before hitting ‘subscribe.’

Wouldn’t it be better to serve them with your best blog posts instead of letting them read any random blog? This will help them:

- Taste your best content.

- Get to know you.

- Understand what to expect in the future.

That’s where a “Start Here” page helps. A “Start Here” page is a guide for anyone who wants to know more about you. It educates readers about what the next steps should be. The goal is to provide the best possible experience for a new site visitor.

Example: CheeseWeb’s Start Here page.

First, the page tells about what CheeseWeb is and what do they do.

It then directs readers to read the best blog posts one-by-one. By making it easy for the readers to start reading the blog content, CheeseWeb persuades them to stick longer.

After knowing CheeseWeb and reading a few of their blog posts, the visitor is 10X more likely to subscribe to their blog.

How to make a good “Start Here” page:

Let the readers know:

a) Who you are

b) What do you do and who is this website/blog for

c) The links to your best content

d) How to contact you

e) How to subscribe to your blog

Skyrocket your blogging efforts

You now know what you need to do. The next step is to apply these tips. Don’t apply all 5 tips all at once. Experiment with every tip. See what works for you. Stick on with the one that does.

If you do it correctly, the benefits - more website traffic, increased blog engagement, and a loyal audience - will compound for years.