How to Start a Blog for an E-Commerce Website | Guest Blog Post
Today's post is a guest blog post written by Kaitlyn Holeman of Hummingbird Media.
With over 95% of all consumers shopping online these days, search engine optimization (SEO) is more important than ever before.
Whether you are a shop owner who’s been selling products online for several years, or you’re just starting to dive into the e-commerce side of your business, you’ll need to make sure your SEO is up to par in order to compete with other shops in the digital world.
SEO for E-Commerce Business Owners
If you aren’t entirely sure what SEO is, here’s a brief explanation: it’s a process that helps your website rank more highly on search engines like Google.
Although optimizing your web pages and product listings is also extremely important, creating an online blog can be one of the best ways to increase your ranking in an organic (free!) way.
Here’s how it works. When search engines scan the web for answers to questions people are typing in on Google, they look for the ones with the most relevant and engaging information. The algorithm ranks websites that offer high-quality content more highly, which means that if you are blogging on a regular basis and providing information your ideal customers are looking for, you will begin to rank higher in search results.
It’s not a one-and- done task, nor will it happen overnight, but it is worth it! Not sure how to begin? Here are a few key steps to take when starting a blog for your e- commerce website:
Add a Blog Section Onto Your Current Website
This is a vitally important factor that many business owners overlook or don’t fully understand. The mistake others often make about creating a new blog for their business is that they begin publishing content on a free blogging platform that is totally separate from their current website.
In order to help your website’s SEO, you’ll need to make sure your blog falls under the same domain you use for your main website. This is because search engines look at the amount, quality and consistency of content being published under each domain.
If you publish a free blog on another platform, the traffic generated to those blog posts will not automatically begin helping your e-commerce website rank more highly.
You can easily add on a blog section to your website if you are using the free WordPress.org platform, or a website builder like Squarespace.
Create a Blog Strategy
Before you begin publishing whatever content ideas you come up with, you should start by defining your strategy first.
Ask yourself these key questions:
- Who is my ideal audience? What are their lifestyles like, where do they live, and what information might they find most useful in relation to my expertise or products?
- What might my ideal customers be searching for on Google? What are their frequently asked questions?
- What problems or challenges are my ideal customers dealing with that I can provide solutions and answers to?
Use your answers to these questions to help you in finding key topics to write about. For example, if your e-commerce storefront is an apparel company with unique t-shirt designs made for creative female entrepreneurs, you may write on topics such as:
- What to Wear to Your Next Networking Event
- Daily Habits of Successful Entrepreneurs
- How to Stay Motivated as a Solopreneur
Utilize Influencers: Guest Authors
Have a hard time generating content on a regular basis? Looking for new ways to get the word out about your products?
Inviting others to write blog posts on your website can be a fantastic option!
Not only will guest authors provide an additional voice to break up the typical “sound” of your blog posts, but it’s also a smart strategy from an SEO perspective. If they have their own website or social media handles, you can link to them within the post.
And if they have a strong following of their own, they can reach a wider range of potential customers for you when sharing to their social media profiles!
Final Words of Wisdom
Remember that SEO takes time. Some of the most highly ranked websites out there have been publishing content for several years! The more often you post and the longer you stick with it, the more results you’ll see in the long-run.
Don’t be afraid to ask for a helping hand! There are many business owners who struggle to strategize, research, write and publish blogs on a regular basis. That’s why there are companies (like mine!) who can help you in this arena.
Think outside of the box. In the early stages, be willing to try out fun and unique ideas. You might be unsure about whether a topic or an experience you have had would make for great blog content, but if you try, you might be able to see that it can turn out to generate a lot of potential customers for you!
Kaitlyn Holeman is the owner and marketing consultant of Hummingbird Media, a digital
marketing firm that primarily helps women-owned businesses with web design, content
creation, SEO, photography and Google Analytics.