Is blogging still relevant in 2022? According to HubSpot’s blog research for 2021, 56% of marketers that utilise blogging say it’s effective, and 10% say it generates the biggest return on investment.
Of course, coming up with content can be difficult, especially when thousands of blog posts come out every day on virtually any and every possible topic. Thankfully, we’ve put together a shortlist of the types of blog posts that will yield you the highest results and traffic for your website.
1. Review Blogs
There’s nothing revolutionary about a blog post featuring a product review. And yet 89% of customers say that they read reviews before making a purchase. The best way that you can leverage review posts, then, is by reviewing popular products within your industry.
The best way to go about this is to head on over to Google and do a search like, “Best smartphones 2022” or “best project management software”. You’ll notice that popular tech websites are covering this topic a lot. Pay attention to how long these articles are, how many products they compare, and what headings they use. Afterwards, go and write a much more comprehensive and thorough blog post compared to these. The more value you’re able to offer, the more likely you are to slide into that top spot on Google.
2. Frequently Asked Questions Blog Post
Have you ever noticed that when you type in a Google search like, “What is SEO?” oftentimes the top result already shows you the answer to your question? This is what is called a featured snippet, and is practically the Holy Grail of SEO.
That’s where FAQ posts come in. A lot of searches on Google are usually written in the form of a question. And it’s this question and answer format that makes FAQ posts rank potentially higher on results pages.
How to find out what frequently asked questions to write about:
- Use a keyword research tool like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or Ubersuggest.
- Start typing in a search on Google and look at the questions that populate the “People Also Asked” section.
- Do the same over on YouTube and look at what suggestions dropdown from the search bar.
- Head over to the question-and-answer website, Quora to find common and related questions.
3. Expert Interviews
When you’re just starting out, one of the fastest ways to grow your network and reach is to leverage another person’s audience and influence. One way to do that is to invite them for an interview. Interviews continue to remain a popular form of content, especially in podcasts.
Ask questions that your readers are interested in finding out and learning about and compile it all into a post that provides value and insight.
4. Step-by-Step Tutorials
A lot of users searching for answers online do so because they’re trying to learn something new and unfamiliar. Creating step-by-step tutorials for beginners is a good way to leverage off of that interest. In fact, calling your post a “Beginner’s guide to…” can go a long way in enticing readers to visit your website.
Break down a complicated topic like investing in stocks, or coding and programming into simple and basic steps that could help readers get a jumpstart in their educational journey. Remember, it’s a beginner’s guide! So there’s no need to cover everything. Add simple step-by-step instructions, some background information and definition of terms, and then just link to more detail and comprehensive information.
5. Ultimate Guide Posts
The more comprehensive and complex version of the step-by-step tutorial is the Ultimate Guide. Where a step-by-step tutorial usually only covers the basics, Ultimate Guides are exhaustive in the way that they tackle every necessary step in a complicated process.
Ultimate Guides also tend to do really well, as it was uncovered that in 2021 the average blog post was 1,400 words long. And what’s more that same study also found that blog posts over 3,000 words tended to perform better. When creating an Ultimate Guide, make sure that you cover every single step. You want to make sure that a reader comes out of that complete with everything they need to accomplish the task.
6. Case Studies
When it comes to building authority, nothing beats a good case study. Case studies are also a very good way of generating backlinks, particularly because they’re real-life examples of what worked and what didn’t work. When creating a case study, it’s always good to talk through the process of how you went about creating your results, whether that’s losing 10 pounds in 1 month or earning $100,000 in one week with Facebook Ads.
7. Learn from My Mistakes Blog
For those willing to be vulnerable enough in front of their audiences, one type of case study that works well is a “Learn from My Mistakes” blog. This type of case study focuses on the storytelling, whether that tells the journey of how you got rid of a debt of $1 million, or what adjustments you made to your Google Ad campaigns once you started to lose a lot of money.
These types of posts can be powerful in building connections with your audience. Once you’ve earned their trust and respect, they’re more likely to do business with you, and follow you as you continue to make progress towards your success.
8. Industry News
A lot of blogs (41% of them, in fact), particularly in the tech and digital marketing space, tend to cover news surrounding their industries. And for good reason! These types of blog posts have a very loyal following, particularly if the industry is ever-changing and fast-paced.
These types of posts also cover the latest trends. So whether you’re in the tech, fashion, or entertainment industries, covering what’s new and what’s happening is always a good way to generate traffic.
9. “Best of” Blogs
“Best of” blog posts are usually roundups surrounding a specific niche or topic. The great thing about this type of post is that it can work for virtually any industry, whether you’re covering the “Best Netflix shows in 2021”, the “Best online cooking courses” or the “Best hotels in Queensland”. These can also be a roundup of your own content such as “February’s Top Writing Articles” or “Best Case Studies of 2021”.
10. List Articles (listicles)
Last but certainly not least are list articles, more commonly known as listicles. These remain very popular types of content that users consume. In fact, according to 57% of bloggers, they’re the 2nd most popular type of content. This very article is a good example of it.
Coming up with blog post ideas can be easy once you know what types of content you want to focus on. And if ever you’re not sure what topics you should cover, it’s always a good idea to ask your audience directly what questions they have about your industry, or what are the things that they’d like to learn.
And if you’re looking to optimise your already-existing content for search engines, our Search Marketing Experts are more than ready to lend a hand and guide you towards online success!