Do you use images in blog posts?

I always thought it was a no-brainer, and yet I keep bumping into incredibly offputting text-only articles. 

At the same time, chucking a bunch of random images without resizing them nor following a strategy isn’t going to benefit your company blog either.

So, let’s look into how to do it properly. 

Should blog posts have images?

Yes, blog posts should DEFINITELY have images… unless you want to scare your readers away with a huge blog of text, that is!

No wonder articles with pictures get 94% more views than those without them.

Adding images to blog posts comes with quite a few benefits:

• They complement your written content, helping readers visualise certain concepts, find visual summaries, or make the most of infographics

• They break meaty sections of text, making it easier to read long articles

• They offer SEO opportunities through their alt-text tags (more on that later)

• In some cases, images in blog posts can even help you reinforce your brand

What type of images should I use in my blog posts?

You have several options when it comes to looking for and using images in your blog posts, and they mainly depend on your time and budget.

So, don’t worry:

if you’re just starting out or have already invested a lot of money in something else, you DON’T necessarily need to pay hundreds of pounds every month for custom images. I promise!

I’m gonna give you different options on how to create or find images for blog articles… for all kinds of needs and budgets (including £0).

Stock images

Stock photos are a fantastic way to start adding images to blog posts, and I’ll be honest: in many cases, they might be all you need.

You just have to make sure that you’re not using someone else’s pictures illegally.

Some terms are confusing—which doesn’t help—so let’s clarify them once and for all:

• Royalty-free images aren’t necessarily free: they just mean that you don’t have to pay an on-going fee to use them, but you might have to buy the images in the first place. For example, you can find royalty-free images for which you only pay a one-off fee on Shutterstock

• Copyright-free images can be used without limitations. While there might be fewer and less specific options compared to paid royalty-free platforms, you can still find a ton of free images that you can use legally without getting in trouble. For real. Some of my favourite websites for high-quality free images for blog posts are Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay 

If you want to take your stock images to the next level to maintain a cohesive feel that’s on brand, you could also: 

• Look for photos including your brand colours

• Use pictures with a similar palette (e.g. all with a white background or pastel colours)

• Stick to a specific vibe, such as minimalist pictures with a single element or two

Shoot your own

If you have the resources for it, you can stand out even more by shooting your own pictures. 

For example, you could use photos of your own restaurant or food items even if you’re tackling wider culinary topics.

In many cases, it’ll even make sense to include your actual product pictures. Maybe you’ve written an article on “the benefits of linen bedding” and you actually sell linen bedding yourself… it’d be crazy not to include a picture of it and a link to its product page, right?

Include screenshots in tutorials

Sometimes, screenshots might be relevant for your blog posts, and that’s especially the case for online tutorials.

If you’re explaining to your readers how to edit a picture on Photoshop, it’d be much easier and more effective to add a screenshot with arrows and circles that highlight the next step… rather than trying to explain everything with words.

Use editing software or platforms 

If you have enough time to dedicate to them but not a great budget, you can create your own images using either free or paid graphic tools.

These are especially useful for infographics—an excellent type of highly shareable  images for blog posts!—as well as graphs and images that summarise key concepts.

Although you can pay for premium features, Canva is the most popular free option. Other alternatives to create your own images for blog posts are Visme, Adobe Creative Cloud Express (formerly Adobe Spark), Design Wizard, and Easil. 

Commission them to a graphic designer

Would you rather save time than money? Then the best and most professional option is obviously to get a professional to create images for your blog posts, and especially to keep them on brand.

This could be an in-house graphic designer, a freelancer with whom you only collaborate when you actually need some new images, or platforms to which you pay a monthly retainer (like Design Pickle). 

Best practices when using images in blog posts on your business website

So, we’ve established why you should totally use images in your blog posts and understood where to find them. 

Is that enough to use them successfully?

Nope.

Here are some steps that you just can’t afford to ignore.

1. Only upload high-quality images

Some badly cropped or pixelated pictures aren’t going to do you any favours!

Remember: you’re not using images in blog posts just for the sake of including them. You’re using them to add value to your readers.

Would Coca Cola or IKEA use crappy images on their website?

No, and neither should you.

Stick to high-quality options that help you look professional.

2. Resize & compress your blog post pictures

Super high-quality images are a must… but they can actually backfire if you don’t upload them correctly!

This is because they’re heavy, so they’ll end up slowing down your page loading time. And nobody has got time to wait an additional three seconds online in the 21st century.

So, here’s what to do before uploading these images:

• Resize them: no point in using a huge and heavy 4000-pixel image when the average screen width is 1920 pixels. And your images might not need to be that big either: maybe your blog page is actually a little smaller? Maybe you’re adding text around them so they’ll only need to be 700 pixels or so in width?

• Compress them: even after being resized, pictures are heavier than they should be because they carry additional information that you don’t actually need. Websites like TinyJPG allow you to get rid of them without compromising on quality

• Use plugins: this might be more or less relevant depending on what platform you’re using to host your business website. For example, when you add photos to WordPress blogs, it’d be handy to use plugins like EWWW Image Optimizer or Imagify

• Consider using a CDN. This isn’t just useful for images: it simply helps you reach users worldwide with the fastest loading speed possible, but it’s even more relevant if you’ll be using lots of images on your website since they all add up. Some of the most popular providers are Cloudflare and CloudFront

3. Understand where to use images in blog posts

Here are my main tips on how to place images in blog posts strategically:

• Include a blog post header image: this will be the main picture for a specific blog post, and it’ll appear above the fold (before your users scroll down)

• Use your images to break up your body of text

• If your platform doesn’t automatically use your header image on socials, include a social sharing image, too: that way, when you or your readers share your blog post on social media, it’ll appear with a relevant picture rather than your logo

4. Include relevant alt-text

Remember when I mentioned that images are good for SEO?

This is because they offer you yet another chance to include relevant keywords through their alt-text tag.

This doesn’t mean that you should just repeat your keyword over and over again!

Only when it actually describes the picture.

For example, if your main keyword is ‘styling vegan dresses’ and you’re including a picture of someone showcasing one, your alt-text could be ‘model styling a vegan dress with a denim jacket’.

Basically, when you do it properly, using images in blog posts will benefit your SEO, readers, and overall content strategy!

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I keep seeing company blogs without any kind of external links, not even when they mention percentages and statistics. Are you guilty of that, too?

Perhaps you’re worried about directing your readers away from your business website?

More than one of my clients had your same concern, so I thought I’d tackle external links and SEO once and for all.

Here’s a jargon-free overview of what these links are, how they affect SEO, and whether or not you should link to other websites in your blog posts.

Understanding external links 

It’s actually way easier than you think. Pinky promise!

External link meaning

The meaning of external links is really simple, and you’ve definitely seen them (and used them) countless times:

External links are the opposite of internal or inbound links, which also send them to a different page but within your own website (for example, if you’re writing a blog post on social media marketing and link to your ‘social media management’ service page).

What is an example of an external link?

Here’s a simple example of an external link:

‘Find more information in this SEO glossary of terms.’

The highlighted part in a different colour is called ‘anchor text’.

Again, a fancy-sounding term, but it simply means “the words that your readers need to click in order to navigate to the page that you’ve linked”. 

Easy, right?

In HTML, a hyperlink will lool like this:

<a href=“https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo/seo-glossary”>SEO glossary of terms</a>

While this might change depending on your business model and industry, it’s fairly rare that you’ll need to use external links on your main website pages. 

For example, I mainly include them in my portfolio to showcase some of my writing samples on other websites.

When it comes to your company blog, on the other hand, external hyperlinks are way more likely to be relevant.

For example, here are some of the instances in which you might notice them on blog posts:

• To back up some stats and data

• To direct your readers to stuff that you’ve recommended (e.g. in a listicle)

• To help them find more information on a subject that you haven’t/aren’t planning on tackling on your own website

‘But if I link to external websites, I’ll lose readers and customers!’

I’ve heard this concern from more than one client, so let me just say one word (and then a few more):

RELAX.

You know what could actually backfire? 

Using stats without sources or making false claims that you can’t back up with facts. 

Now, that is counterproductive and could compromise your audience’s trust in your brand!

If you say that companies with a blog on their business website receive 97% more links than those without one, you must have gotten that piece of information from somewhere, right? 

Then link to it so that your readers don’t feel like you’re making up your own data.

You’re basically giving them the option to find out more about something if they want to.

But the truth? It’s unlikely that they’ll feel the need to read a massive report and forget about your initial blog post altogether.

That blue colour and underline underneath a stat, on the other hand, can be reassuring on their own.

And if they forget about your blog post, then I’m sorry but it means that it wasn’t interesting and compelling enough.

It’s not that external link’s fault.

Take some responsibility, my friend.

External links and SEO

Now that I’ve—hopefully—addressed your main concern on external links on your blog and website, let’s move on to the top reason why these outbound links are talked about in the magical online world: SEO.

Because external links are also linked (excuse the repetition) to search engine optimisation.

Disclaimer: the main discussion around them concerns external links from other websites to yours. That’s a whoooooole new topic. Since we’re talking about whether or not you should link to other websites on your own blog, we’re gonna keep focusing on this subtopic alone before you bang your head against the keyboard.

Do External Links Hurt SEO?

No, external links per se don’t hurt SEO, so don’t stop yourself from including them when they can be helpful and relevant to your readers. They only penalise your Google rankings when done wrong.

Here are some situations in which external links could actually hurt your website’s SEO:

• If you link to spammy sites: not only isn’t this a great practice for search engines, but you’ll annoy your readers too. Why would you want to do that?

• If you use too many, since this can be distracting for your readers. If your page puts them off, they’ll leave it way too soon, and this sends a message to Google that your page isn’t worth sticking around on

• If you include too many links to pages that aren’t relevant and have got nothing to do with your industry. This can penalise your SEO because it confuses Google and other search engines: what is your website actually about? Mate, they thought you had something to do with marketing, but now they see you linking to Wikipedia pages of raccoons, and hard rock, and articles on how to make bread?!

• If you’re linking to pages that are targeting your same keyword: this is because, if a page receives many external links from other websites, Google thinks that it’s the coolest kid on the blog because it must have lots of useful info, so it’ll help its users find it. Basically, if you’re sending SEO juice to a page that’s competing against you for the same keyword, you’re shooting yourself in the foot. It would be as if I had linked to other blog posts on ‘external links’ in this article

Do external links help with SEO?

Yes, external links can actually help with SEO because they show Google and other search engines that your website isn’t a dead end and offers plenty of useful information to your readers, including backed-up stats and links to more in-depth articles whenever you tackle wider topics.

Here are the benefits of external links and SEO:

• They show Google that you care about your readers (=Google’s users) finding the best info

• It shows that you’re a team player and happy to be part of a larger community by linking to other relevant websites

• When linking to other websites within your same industry, you’re helping search engines truly understand what your own website is about

• If you keep creating excellent content and backing up your sources with relevant external links, you’re more likely to receive external links yourself. If many websites link back to yours, that gives you more SEO juice. It’s actually one of the main SEO benefits of blogging 

So, should I use external links on my business website and blog?

Yes, you should definitely use external links (without worrying about losing your audience), but not just for the sake of including them: only when they’re relevant and can bring value to your readers.

How to use external hyperlinks in your favour: best practices

• To back up your sources and stats

• Whenever possible, link to relevant websites in your same industry

• Link to good domains and websites with a high authority, not someone’s unreliable sitename.wordpress.com URL (psst: you can check a website’s domain authority with many free DA checkers like this one)

• Link to reliable sources and to stats that have been published as recently as possible. A 2005 source for an article on social media isn’t gonna get you far

• Use relevant keywords and descriptive text for your anchor whenever you can (e.g. “as shown in this social media report” rather than “as shown here”)

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Hey, fellow female entrepreneur: do NOT think of your company blog and social media marketing as two completely separate channels that never meet! They’re not parallel lines.

Social media and blogging should actively complement each other.

So, if you’ve been posting occasional articles on the blog on your business website and working on your social media plan separately… think again!

First things first: not that kind of company blog!

The strategy that I’m about to explain to you is only relevant if your blog has a content marketing strategy behind it.

You know, if it consists of audience-oriented articles that entertain and/or educate your dream customers by tackling topics that are relevant to your industry.

Is your blog filled with company news instead? Articles like “Check out our new office” or “We’re delighted to announce that”?

Then don’t bother.

Because nobody is reading them anyway.

Ouch.

Sorry, but there’s no point in you wasting even more time by using these social media and blog posts together if these are the kind of articles you publish.

So, if that’s the case, start by rethinking your blog altogether and focusing on articles that bring value to your customers rather than stroking your ego.

Here’s how to create a successful company blog.

Once you’ve done that (or if you were already blogging with that strategy), keep reading.

How can blogging complement social media marketing?

Blogging can complement your social media marketing by giving you more long-form content to post and share with your audience, providing your followers with more variety and in-depth topics.

But that’s not all!

Let’s look into how social media and blogging can work together.

1. Blogging provides you with more in-depth content

Social media is about playing to the platform, so I’m sure you’re already posting snappy tweets, showstopping Instagram images and videos, or even some funny TikToks.

However, some of your followers are the exact same people googling the topics around which you’ve built those blog posts!

Sure, some of them will still find them on Google if you’ve optimised them for SEO correctly, but sharing them on social media will allow you to reach more people.

And you’ll keep your followers interested by giving them even more valuable content.

Just be sure to keep an audience-oriented approach when sharing links to your blog posts, though.

None of those “Be sure to check out our new article.”

What’s in it for them? 

For example, if you wrote an article on rayon fabric, you could write something like this when you share it on your social media: “Smooth as silk… but a lot more ethical! Discover how switching to rayon can make a difference for both your wardrobe and the planet.”

2. You can repurpose it, too

As well as sharing and linking to your blog post on social media, you can use snippets of it for future posts and pictures.

From quotes to data and pieces of information, an article will provide much more in-depth knowledge on a specific topic: use it for different bite-sized posts, too!

3. You can also post some images and videos that you created for that blog post

If you’ve created an infographic or a video to go with your article, don’t you dare waste it by using it only once!

Just like you’d post pull quotes from it or turn them into shareable pictures, you can add visual content from your blog to your social media, too.

4. Start a conversation on a specific subject

Here’s the thing with company blogs: people read them, bookmark them, fall in love with the brand behind them, subscribe to the newsletter that’s linked at the bottom… but they rarely comment.

I still recommend having a comment section at the bottom of your posts. After all, you don’t want them to feel like a one-way lecture.

But yeah, people don’t comment on them as much as they do on social media.

By sharing the same article on socials, though, you’ll get to start a conversation on that subject!

And you probably already know this but the more comments you receive on socials, the more your engagement levels will grow, and the more you’ll reach new users (the algorithm is fussy like that). 

5. Encourage people to share your blog on social media themselves

If you’re blogging the right way and offering actual value, it won’t just be you sharing your own articles on socials: some of your readers will want to do the same!

And that’s basically free marketing for you, as they’ll help you reach people who had probably never heard about you in the first place.

That’s why you should always have some social sharing buttons on your blog.

6. If your blog and social media are consistent, you can reinforce your brand

It goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway because waaaaay too many things are (erroneously) taken for granted when talking about blogs and social media: they should always be on brand.

From fonts to voice and visuals, someone who has been following you on socials should immediately be able to tell that a blog post is yours as soon as they land on it, and vice versa.

So, if you keep blogging and using social media in a consistent way, cohesively, and with a strategy behind them, you’ll appear as even more of a thought-leading expert in your industry.

Your brand will look legit and trustworthy, unlike those companies that are clearly winging both strategies.

And a strong, cohesive brand is much easier to remember, of course.

7. Social media marketing will help your blog, too

It’s not just blogs that can complement social media: it’s the other way around as well.

The more clicks it receives, the more Google will think that it’s worth showing it to more people.

So, even though they’re not a direct ranking factor themselves, social media shares and engagement will help you with SEO, too.

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As we’ve already established, none of this matters if you haven’t got a blogging strategy and aren’t covering topics that are relevant to your target audience.

• Struggling to stick to a consistent schedule? 

• Not generating any organic traffic from Google because you don’t know how to optimise your articles for SEO?

I can help! I specialise in turning ambitious female entrepreneurs into THE go-to solution in their audience’s eyes.

Put your blog on auto-pilot, and start receiving words that’ll work wonders on your blog and social media platforms alike. 

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A networking conversation or even a quick scroll down your LinkedIn feed are probably enough to bring out some of these harmful content marketing myths.

Oh, we’ve tried blogging, but it didn’t work. 

Content? That’s a waste of time. 

Well, for anyone who actually thinks so, let me cut to the chase: if content marketing didn’t work for you, you were simply doing it wrong.

In fact, did you know that a whopping 70% of marketers (including yours truly) are investing in content strategies? We can’t all be wrong, now, can we?

Before tackling these content marketing myths, let’s start by making sure that we’re on the same page.

What is content marketing?

Content marketing is a marketing strategy consisting of the creation of online pieces (like blog posts, videos, or social media posts) that bring value to a brand’s target customers. 

While they’re not directly promoting the company, they actively help it generate more leads, grow its audience, and establish itself as an expert in its field.

We’ll be looking at the main content marketing myths that are probably costing you money, but let me get another misconception out of the way first: content marketing is NOT the same as copywriting!

• Copy is a marketing or advertising text written to sell or compel someone to follow through with a specific action (e.g. ads, your website copy, a landing page to get newsletter subscribers, etc.)

• Content is a long-term strategy involving educational or entertaining texts and media created to grow and retain a specific audience

11 harmful content marketing myths debunked

Get ready to look at this strategy with fresh eyes.

CONTENT MARKETING MYTH 1. It’s the same as company news

Oh, we do have a blog. We use it to post our company news.

Yes, we do our own socials. It’s not hard: it’s just about posting offers and updates, innit?

This is all a big NO.

As I said before, content marketing should bring value to your specific audience.

You must create content that entertains or educates them on relevant industry-related topics.

For example, if you sell coffee, your content marketing strategy shouldn’t be all about ‘our roastery has a new look’ or ‘buy our coffee NOW’.

Your blog should look more like ‘5 different brewing methods: find the right one for you’ or ‘What’s the difference between light, medium & dark roasts?’

CONTENT MARKETING MYTH 2. This strategy is only about SEO

One of the biggest perks about blogging is that it does allow you to rank for a ton more keywords.

Think about it! You won’t only reach customers through the main keywords on your other website pages (like ‘sustainable linen dresses’): you have the potential to pop up in informational searches like ‘how to take care of linen’ or ‘how to style a linen dress’.

So, don’t get me wrong: SEO plays a huge role in blogging and content marketing. After all, for the best results, every single post should be optimised for a different long-tail keyword.

So, go on and look for the keywords that your audience is already searching… but your goal should be to create a piece that brings value to your customers, informs them, and gets them to stick around (for example, by having a newsletter form at the bottom).

Not just to rank higher than your competitors for the sake of outranking them.

CONTENT MARKETING MYTH 3. Its main goal is to sell

We touched upon this briefly before, but let’s get into the nitty-gritty.

• Copywriting = sales and conversions

• Content marketing = smoothening the funnel (and lots of other perks)

Marketers have contrasting opinions on this subject, but I personally think it’s quite hard to measure your content marketing’s ROI and metrics as it’s simply… not about sales.

With content marketing, you’re boosting your brand awareness, growing your audience, attracting backlinks, improving your website’s SEO, and helping more aware leads make up their mind.

MYTH 4. It can’t work for my industry

“Oh, we can’t do content marketing. Our industry is pretty boring.”

Well, it sure is, if you talk about it that way!

The thing is, if someone buys your products or services, they can do with blog posts and social media posts that relate to them. Simple.

Which is why that was a massive content marketing myth: because it can work for any industry.

Here’s some actual feedback that I got on a blog post:

Of course, I didn’t write an entire article describing all the features of mezzanine floors. 

I wrote about how these bad boys can optimise the layout of small premises, helping businesses with limited warehouses increase their storage space.

Once you understand this shift, you’ll realise that there’s room for content marketing in your industry, too.

If you’re still not sure, look at your highest-ranking competitors to get some inspiration. They probably rank so high thanks to a blog on their website. Just saying.

CONTENT MARKETING MYTH 5. Quantity over quality

I’ve seen this happen with so many businesses. They go on a blogging spree, churn out an article a day, and then… forget about their blog for months.

No. In content marketing, consistency and quality will always trump quantity.

It’s much better to commit to, say, a high-quality article a week or one every two than to write cheap and directionless content for the sake of writing.

For example, here’s what goes behind my blog posts:

• Before carrying out some research, I brainstorm what I already know about this topic

• I find the best long-tail keyword for it and some variations

• I then look at the top-ranking articles to fill in their gaps: what’s missing? What could they’ve done better? 

• I also look at what people are actually asking about that subject (for example, on Google’s ‘People Also Ask’ section)

• I carry out my research

• Write the article

• Optimise it for SEO

• Edit it

Yes, this strategy takes time, but it’s also what allowed several of my own posts and those written for my clients to reach Google’s first page. 

CONTENT MARKETING MYTH 6. It’s all about the length of your blog posts

Marketers arguing about the optimal length of blog posts are getting as passionate as 2000s teenagers about team Edward or Jacob.

My opinion? It doesn’t matter that much. 

Now, don’t get me wrong: a 200-word blog post isn’t going to rank. It’s not meaty enough for Google to think you’ve got the answer to what your prospects were typing.

But this isn’t to say that you must necessarily write a 1500-word article. Or a 3000-word article.

I realise that this answer is even more anticlimactic than 42 in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, but why get obsessed with a number when there are other factors influencing the final result?

If you find obvious gaps in your competitors' articles and think it’s wise to expand on them, then go long.

If you’ve already given the actual answer within 500-600 words, stop there. 

Be honest: you hate it too when you’re looking for a recipe and are forced to scroll down through the blogger’s entire life story to get one simple answer, don’t you? Then forget about this content marketing myth, and don’t do that to your leads!

CONTENT MARKETING MYTH 7. I can just get AI to do it for me

Of course, you can. It’ll be real cheap, too.

But will it bring you results?

Not really.

As I always say, pretty words don’t sell. Or, in the case of content marketing, don’t bring results.

AI copywriting software and tools can certainly churn out thousands of words, but that’s not what you need.

You need words that are built around what your target audience is actually googling. That show empathy (try getting a robot to do that!), bring value, say something new or from a different angle, and that work together with the rest of your marketing strategies (more on that later). 

You can’t expect software to do all that. At least, not until the robot revolution is actually here.

CONTENT MARKETING MYTH 8. Once you post it, your job is done

For the highest chances of reaching Google’s first page and get your article seen by more and more of your target audience, you need to help it gain traction.

Posting it, forgetting about it, and hoping for the best is such a counterproductive content marketing myth!

For example, I recommend sharing it in your newsletter and your socials, with a caption that actually makes your audience want to open it (not ‘check out our new article’. That’s boring AF. More like: ‘We know you love dungarees as much as we do, but are you actually making the most of them? Here are 7 different outfits you can create with the same pair.’)

CONTENT MARKETING MYTH 9. I should only focus on one type of content 

You’ve probably heard it before, but no: you should never put all your eggs in one basket, and content marketing is no exception.

Not only is it safer to diversify your efforts (for example, whenever the Instagram algorithm changes, many brands struggle to reach as many followers as they did before): it allows you to complement each tactic.

• Have a blog

• Be active on socials… and share your blog posts there

• Create videos… and add them to some of your articles and social media posts

• Have a newsletter… and share the best blog posts, too

You get the gist.

CONTENT MARKETING MYTH 10. I haven’t seen any results in two weeks: this strategy doesn’t work

Content marketing isn’t a game of UNO: it’s a D&D marathon.

In other words, it’s a long-term game.

You’re basically growing an audience, and especially one consisting of cold leads. You’re slowly helping them move down the funnel. And don’t forget that most of the results on Google’s first page are +2 years old. *

Got it?

Then OF COURSE you can’t expect such quick results!

Give yourself time, but don’t get discouraged. You shouldn’t just post an article and spend a year waiting for it to rank. Keep being consistent for months by publishing more blog posts regularly in the meantime, and you’ll definitely start seeing results if you’re doing it right (no more company news!)

*Full disclosure: I’ve actually had blog posts rank after a month and even… a week! But that’s most certainly not a given and can never be guaranteed since there are over 200 ranking factors that come into play, so be patient.

CONTENT MARKETING MYTH 11. It’s a waste of money/time

If this content marketing myth crossed your mind even for a split second, it’s probably because you used to believe some of the previous ones, too.

If you made your ‘content marketing’ all about yourself, then of course it isn’t working.

You haven’t shared your articles on socials? Haven’t used keywords? Didn’t write with your audience in mind?

Then you just can’t expect the juicy results I talked about earlier.

When done right, content marketing can result in:

• 67% higher lead generation

• 97% more inbound links

• 434% more indexed pages

• An SEO boost to your entire website

• Growing your audience

• Helping it move down the funnel

• Building trust

• Increased brand recognition (70% of consumers prefer learning about a brand through blog posts rather than ads!)

• More content to complement your social media and newsletter

Let’s create the right content marketing strategy for your badass female-founded business 🔥

Now that we’ve debunked all these content marketing myths and you understand the importance of this strategy, are you ready to get it right? 

Don’t waste time going in the wrong direction with your blog… nor writing the blog posts that no one will find or read.

When you invest in my content marketing and blog writing services for female entrepreneurs, I’ll create a strategy to attract your target audience, retain it, and move it down the funnel.

That way, you’ll build trust and stand out against your competitors. Not only that: you’ll become the FIRST one your audience thinks about when they’re actually ready to buy. Nice one!

More #crafty blog posts on this topic:

You’ve set up your business. Created a website for it. Perhaps you’ve even been trading for a while (yay!). But have you got a blog on your business website?

If you haven’t, your website is like a small village in the middle of nowhere: while those who manage to find it might end up having a great time, it’s freakin’ hard to find in the first place.

But when you add a blog? I can already see the neon signs and hear some irresistible music from here.

Why a website without a blog is like a remote village (and a missed opportunity)

Regardless of whether you personally prefer smaller and quieter places (I actually do) or big cities for your holidays or day-to-day life, remember: we’re talking about business opportunities here!

So, why am I saying that a website without a frequently updated blog is like a remote village?

Only a bunch of roads

Your website is not easy to find as only an extremely limited number of roads can take your target audience there.

And by roads I mean your possibilities to show up on Google for what they’re actively looking for.

Without a blog, you can only rely on your main website pages (e.g. home, about, services, etc.).

However, there’s only so many keywords you can optimise them for!

What about all the other things your target audience is going to type regarding your services, products, and industry?

Remember: only 4% of your website visitors are actually ready to buy. By not having any content for the other stages of the funnel you’re actively missing out on the remaining 96%.

Not many signs

Sometimes, tourists or adventurous friends on a road trip might not be specifically looking for a town or attraction. 

However, if they see a glamorous sign telling them that they’ll find this unmissable stop in a few miles, they might very well decide to check it out.

We’re talking about backlinks here.

Realistically, who’s going to link to your about page? Or your contact page?

Yep, I can almost hear some crickets chirping in the distance.

Shops close early

The summer season at that little village is short lived, and there isn’t much to do for long.

Here’s the thing: you might have collaborated with the best website copywriter (cheeky mention) who has used the perfect SEO keywords and tricks to help you rank.

However, if you’re never ever going to add anything new to your website, competitors with a freshly updated blog will still do better than you.

This is because fresh content is one of Google’s ranking factors.

If the search engine sees that your website was last updated when Facebook was still the coolest social media platform (sorry, Zuck), it won’t prioritise it.

How a blog on your business website will turn it into a city that never sleeps

All kinds of street food after your night out, open diners with a light that makes you feel as if you were in an Edward Hopper painting, music, dancing fountains… whether to you the city that never sleeps is New York, Las Vegas, or a different one, you get the gist.

So many roads take you there

It doesn’t matter whether you’re travelling south, north, east, or west: you ARE going to get to this city! 

No easy-to-miss roads, no muddy terrain… it’s easy-peasy to get there. That’s what a frequently updated blog does to your business!

To begin with, you have the same opportunities to attract customers via Google as most websites without a blog: five or six main pages.

Things start to change when you decide to blog once a week. Assuming that you’re going to optimise every single one of those articles for SEO, by the end of the year you have 52 more keywords. Aka… 52 extra chances to rank. 

52 additional roads that can lead your customers to you instead of your competitors.

IT. NEVER. SLEEPS.

The best thing about all these extra chances to rank? They don’t expire!

They’re always there working for you in the background, 24/7. 

Much like that all-night diner whose flashing neon signs attract customers when all other doors are closed.

And, by blogging on your business website on a regular basis, you’ll also show Google that you have plenty of fresh content.

It’s impossible to miss all those signs

Regardless of whether they already were on one of those roads or not, there are so many signs in that area that your customers are bound to find themselves in that big city anyway.

And yes, we’re still talking about backlinks.

Did you know that when you blog on your business website you get an average of 97% more links?

Don’t sound that surprised!

After all, we’ve already established that it’s rare for someone to want to link to your standard website pages.

When you share insightful content on industry-related topics that your target audience is interested in, they’ll be much more likely to link to it. 

Not only them, but other people writing about those same topics and deciding to use your blog post as a reference.

Plus, collecting backlinks will boost the SEO of your entire website, too.

Your tourists will take and share more holiday pictures

In our city that never sleeps, there’s an extremely Instagrammable cafe: it gets most of its customers after their friends post pictures of their flower-covered swing underneath a neon sign. Oh, and a flower shop whose compositions are so dreamy that everyone will always tag them in their photos.

When you blog on your business website, you also get to make the most of social media.

Just like they wouldn’t really link to them, who other than your most supportive family member would want to share your standard website pages on their social media?

If you’ve written an insightful, interesting, or entertaining article, on the other hand, some of your target customers will want to share it with their friends or colleagues. 

Basically, more people will find out about your business beyond your own social media and search engine opportunities.

There’s something for everyone

Sure, a few people might find the village’s only shopping centre interesting, but what about those who were hoping for a night out? And those who wanted to discover something new in a museum? 

When you blog on your business website, your virtual city that never sleeps truly has something for everyone. And by everyone I mean every stage of the funnel, not just the 4% of your visitors who are ready to buy.

After all, over 80% of Google searches are informational, which means your target audience is way more likely to start their journey by typing ‘should I switch to slow fashion’ than ‘sustainable dresses for sale’.

By blogging on your business website regularly, you get to target EVERY. SINGLE. STAGE. of the sales funnel.

What does this mean in the long run? 

Keep reading.

It’s the first holiday destination people will think of next time they have time off

I’ll say it one last time (for today, at least): 

96% of your website visitors aren’t ready to buy. But, if you give them valuable content and establish yourself as an expert in your field, guess who they’ll buy from when they’re finally ready? 

Not that competitor whose website is all about themselves. Not the one with a blog on their business website that only involves boring company news.

YOU.

The one who’s been sharing high-quality content for them on a regular basis, of course. 

How my blogging services will turn your female-founded business website into a city that never sleeps

You don’t have to continue being that tiny village that’s impossible to find! Still, don’t waste time and money going in the wrong direction.

My blogging services for ambitious female entrepreneurs will put your offer right in front of your dream customers’ eyes.

By creating customised and SEO-friendly content for them, I’ll smoothen your funnel, build trust, and turn you into THE go-to solution for your audience.

Basically, as long as you’re happy to answer my questions so that I can position you as a thought-leading expert in your field, you can put your blog on autopilot and enjoy the results.

Ready to have a blog on your business website that helps you attract leads 24/7? A city that never sleeps.

‘Start spreading the neeeeeeews,

I’m blogging todaaaaaaay.’

More #crafty blog posts on this topic:

Was Oasis still together the last time you published an article on your website?

Then it might very well be time to outsource blog posts for your woman-founded business.

After addressing the two most popular concerns I’ve heard about this smart investment, I’ll cover the other main signs that show whether you need to outsource content writing and, most importantly, what benefits this will generate.

Can I outsource my blog?

Err… duh? Yes, of course, you can outsource your blog!

Unless you already have an in-house content writer or you’re a copywriter yourself, the answer is always: yes, you can AND SHOULD.

Outsourcing your blog will result in a strong content marketing strategy that will allow you to:

• reach a higher percentage of your target customers

• grow your audience

• boost your website’s SEO

• stand out against your competitors.

As I mentioned before, there are a couple of popular misconceptions around this investment, which is why I can almost hear you say: 

But, Giada!

#1 FEAR: “A freelance blog writer won’t be able to write about my industry.”

It’s literally our job to write about different topics, fields, and industries!

For example, I’ve written about digital marketing, home decor, slush machines, e-commerce, SaaS, meal kits… and this is IN THE PAST WEEK ONLY.

If anything, it’s riskier to write about your own industry when you’re part of it, as you’ll be more likely to use complicated jargon that will put off your readers.

At the same time, don’t think you can just leave your blog to a writer and forget about it altogether. Research skills aside, the reason why I can write about so many different industries is because I ask my fantastic clients for input.

This allows me to go beyond what can already be found on Google and position them as thought-leading expert in their field.

#2 FEAR: “It’ll sound different from my brand voice.”

NOPE.

As long as you give us a clear brief and show us relevant samples of your brand tone, blog writers like me can match it like chameleons.

4 tell-tale signs you need to outsource your blog posts

How can you tell if you should actually outsource your blog?

Simple: one (or more) of the following statements will ring true for you.

1. Your blog hasn’t been generating tangible results

When done correctly, content marketing is a game-changing strategy that will bring you more organic traffic via search engines, help you grow your audience, and facilitate the sales funnel.

If you can almost hear crickets when you click on yours, it’s time to outsource your blog posts.

2. You’re not a content writer yourself

Just because you used to be pretty good at English in school, it doesn’t mean you can write blog posts that drive results.

For this to happen, they need to be:

• Written specifically for your target audience

• Written from a marketing rather than literary or artistic perspective

• Optimised for SEO using the right keywords

• Part of a wider content marketing strategy

That’s why ‘content writer’ is an actual job title!

3. You haven’t got an in-house content writer

If you’re not a copywriter but you do have an in-house content writer, then you probably don’t need to outsource blog posts. 

However, if you don’t, how else do you expect to get results and an ROI?

Unless you’re happy to hire an in-house content writer and pay them a full wage every single month, outsourcing your blog to a freelance blog writer is your best option… and waaaaay more cost-effective (more on that later).

4. Your business blog hasn’t been a priority in… a while

Well, if you only blog whenever you remember about it and you simply churn out a quick article on the first topic you can think of, then it’s normal that you haven’t been getting tangible results.

However, I get it: planning and writing high-quality content takes a ton of time!

Outsourcing content creation will mean that you won’t have to worry about it anymore: someone else will make it their priority for you.

Now that we’ve covered the most common reasons why you might need to outsource your blog (guilty?), let’s get to the exciting part.

8 benefits you unlock when you outsource blog posts 

1. You won’t run the risk of ‘forgetting’ about your blog

When it comes to blogging (and preparing Bloody Marys for me, but that’s a different story), consistency is key.

The more you blog, the more opportunities you have to reach new members of your target audience, but… honestly?

Committing to one article a week is much better than going on a daily blogging spree for two weeks and then forgetting about it for three months.

When you outsource your blog, someone else will take care of it, and you can bet anything that they will stick to the number of articles that you’ve agreed upon.

2. You’ll get a content strategy rather than lots of standalone articles

Writing blog posts without a strategy is like attempting a few chords without knowing what song you’re playing: you might make a nice sound, but that’s about it. It won’t lead to much. Just like buying a couple of blog posts for £10 on Fiverr. 

You’ll get words on a page. 

Even worse, you’ll probably end up blogging about internal news like “We’re delighted to announce that we’ve just been nominated for…” 

Yeah, nobody cares.

When you outsource your blog to a professional blog writer, you’ll get an actual content strategy based on your USP, industry, and the interests of your target audience.

For example, when I write blog posts for my clients I focus on:

• Creating content for all the stages of the funnel (especially the top)

• Interlinking them to help leads move across its different stages

• Researching both popular and untapped topics for their audience

• Using the right keywords to help them show up on Google

• Retaining readers by turning them into followers or subscribers

• Bringing value with EVERY. SINGLE. BLOG POST.

3. Outsourcing your blog posts is more cost-effective than hiring an in-house content writer 

The average salary of a content writer in the UK is currently £22,510 (1). And don’t forget that you’ll need to pay for their holidays, time off sick, and equipment.

When you outsource your blog, you only pay for what you actually get.

As a freelance blog writer myself, I promise I pay for my own time off, laptop, and coffee (the latter would especially cost you a ton of money by the end of the year!).

On top of that, don’t forget that content marketing costs 62% less than traditional techniques and generates 3 times as many leads (2).

4. You’ll show your audience that you care about them

By having a blog that’s updated regularly with informational and educational content (no more boring company news!), you’ll show your dream customers that you want to start a conversation with them.

Your brand is NOT all about blowing its own trumpet! 🎺

It’s about bringing value to its audience and welcoming them into its world.

5. You’ll attract more people via search engines

Wanna know a secret? Well, it’s not a secret for content marketers, but it is for companies that insist on blogging about internal news or ‘February updates’.

Every single blog post is a new website page and, as such, a chance to rank for a different long-tail keyword.

For example, my main website pages are optimised for SEO keywords like ‘website copywriter’ and ‘blog writing services.

 However, thanks to my blog posts, I’ve managed to attract leads who were googling specific topics or questions like “why is my website not ranking” or “what does a copywriter do”.

And the best thing is... once those articles have been published and promoted, they will always be out there!

They’ll bring you leads even when you’re sleeping (without waking you up, of course).

To give you an idea, check out the case study for the blogging strategy I’ve created for a sustainable fashion website.

6. Your overall website SEO will be boosted, too

When you outsource content writing, you won’t only get lots of new chances to rank for new keywords: the SEO of your entire website will also benefit from it!

There are several ways in which blogging helps SEO, but, to give you an idea:

• An average of 97% more inbound links (3)

• More opportunities to add internal links

• Fresh content that shows Google that your website is still relevant

• An average of 434% more indexed pages

7. A blog writer will position you as an expert in your field

If you’ve finally decided to part with your hard-earned money to, say, get some coffee sent to your home every week, who are you more likely to buy from?

• Company A whose website is all about how much they love their industry

• Company B whose website includes a blog full of articles like “What’s the ACTUAL difference between light, medium, and dark roasts?” or “How to make the best coffee with your French press?”

Company B, right? 

That’s because their blog immediately shows that they actually know a freakin’ lot about their sector.

They’re not just saying “we’re passionate about the coffee industry” (boring and corporate): they’ve created a blog that welcomes you into their world and helps you make the most of it.

By doing the same, you can build trust and position yourself as a thought-leading expert in your field.

8. You’ll save a ton of time

Yes, coming up with the right strategy, researching keywords, and writing high-quality blog posts takes time. 

But guess what? That’s my job! 

You’re already badass at what you do, so why would you want to waste a few hours writing when you can outsource your blog posts?

Once you do, you’ll basically put your blog on autopilot.

All you have to worry about is sending me some quick bullet points and… enjoying the results.

How much does it cost to outsource blogging?

The cost of outsourcing blogging varies depending on several factors.

For example, your industry, how many blog posts you would benefit from every month, how long they should be, whether or not the writer would also be in charge of coming up with the actual strategy and content calendar, etc.

That’s why most content writers and blogging strategists quote per project.

Personally, I have a standard package for the Blog Business Booster🚀, my signature blogging retainer. Its highlights:

• blogging strategy and content calendar

• quarterly planning & strategy sessions

• collaborative topic idea generation

• 2 x monthly blog posts (up to 1,000 words each) based on your input as an expert and my additional, in-depth research

• Keyword research and SEO whenever possible

• More perks and bonuses to help you get the very best out of your investment and blog

  Currently £400 per month - Additional and longer blog posts will be quoted per project, if requested

Unlike on content mills like UpWork, you’re not just paying for “words on a page”: you’re investing in a strategy and consultancy to get some actual results out of your blog.

Outsource your blog to a writer & strategist for female entrepreneurs (moi!)

Realised it is indeed time to outsrouce your blog posts? Don’t waste your time and budget on crappy content written without a strategy.

Through the Blog Business Booster🚀, I’ll turn the website of your female-founded brand into a lead-generating machine. And position you as a thought-leading expert in your field.

That way, you’ll be THE name that immediately pops up in your dream audience’s minds when they’re ready to buy.

More #crafty blog posts on this topic:

References

1. (n.d.). Average Content Writer Salary in United Kingdom. Retrieved from https://www.payscale.com/research/UK/Job=Content_Writer/Salary 

2. (n.d.). Content Marketing Infographic. Retrieved from https://www.demandmetric.com/content/content-marketing-infographic 

3. Burnes, R. (2017, September 5). Study Shows Business Blogging Leads to 55% More Website Visitors. Retrieved from https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/5014/study-shows-business-blogging-leads-to-55-more-website-visitors.aspx 

‘Ugh, why is my website not showing on Google?!’ 

Lots of business owners end up asking themselves this question at some point (so, if it makes you feel a teensy bit better, you’re not alone).

But I get your disappointment. 

Maybe you thought that all you needed was to create a quick website, churn out a few words per page, and people would have magically started finding it?

Well, the last part can still be true in a few months, but, if your website isn’t showing up on Google just yet, you first need to fix some of the following issues.

To help you better understand why some websites show up on Google and others don’t, let’s start with this little overview.

Conditions needed for websites to show up on Google

Websites that rank on Google and other search engines meet all three of these conditions:

1. Google knows that this website exists in the first place, and it can easily find and access all of its pages

2. This website contains a page that is a relevant match for a specific keyword

3. It has proved to Google that that specific page deserves to rank for that keyword as it is one of the very best on that subject

How do I get my website to show up on Google?

Basically, to get your website to show up on Google you must:

• make it easy for this search engine to find and understand your pages

• optimise most of them for on-page SEO and your entire website for off-page SEO

• include relevant high-quality content that allows you to stand out against your competitors

In other words, you have to meet the three conditions we’ve just covered.

I’ll explain to you how when we start looking at the reasons why your website isn’t showing on Google in the first place.

Very soon!

But, first, let’s be realistic:

How long does it take for a website to show up on Google?

This search engine’s algorithm is constantly changing, so it could take as little as 4 days for your website to show up on Google… or as long as 6 months. (1)

However, this simply means that Google has started crawling it and attributing authority to your domain, not that you will already show up on the first page for your target keywords.

As I always say, be realistic: SEO takes time! 

For a page to reach the top results, we’re talking about 6-12 months or longer. In fact, only 5.7% of the pages ranking in the top-ten results of Google’s first page were published within the year! (2)

Once again, this won’t happen automatically: your page still needs to meet the three conditions we’ve looked at.

If you’ve been asking yourself ‘why is my website not showing on Google’, the chances are that your situation will be the same in 6 months if you don’t do anything about it.

Buuuuuuut you’re here, so that tells me that you’re actually going to put my tips into practice and fix it, right?

Why is my website not showing on google? Top 14 Reasons & Solutions

My advice? Bookmark this blog post so that you can go through EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. one of them without forgetting about it.

1. You have only just launched your website

Ok, slow down then, my friend! If you’ve literally only just created your business website, it’s TOTALLY normal that it isn’t ranking.

As we’ve seen earlier, it can take up to 6 months for Google to notice it.

However, there are a few things you can do to speed up this process.

SOLUTION

Create a Google Search Console account and link it to your website.

Then, create a sitemap and submit it through Google Search Console: Sitemaps -> Enter sitemap URL -> Submit

A sitemap is basically there to help search engines understand the hierarchy of your website pages and show them how to crawl them correctly.

How you create a sitemap depends on what platform you’ve used to build your website, but most of them let you do it automatically (how cool is that?!)

2. Your business doesn’t exist anywhere else

If you’re wondering ‘why is my website not showing on Google’ and you don’t even know what Google My Business is, well… this might be THE answer for you.

The thing is, you probably do know about it but aren’t familiar with the name.

SOLUTION

You know when you google something and you’re presented with a separate section on the right of all the search results? With pictures, a link to the company’s website, contact details, and an overview? 

That’s what your potential customers will be able to see for your company if you register it on Google My Business!

This means you will also show up on Google Maps, which is always handy.

You should register your website on other relevant directories too, though. 

For example, if you have a restaurant you’ll want to be on TripAdvisor, whereas if you provide services locally you should check out Yelp. 

A trick? Just type your industry name and then ‘business directories’ on Google, and you’ll find all the relevant ones for you.

3. You’re stopping search engines from indexing or crawling your pages

Uuuuuuh, it’s getting technical. Sorry about that. 

The good news is that this is highly unlikely to be the reason why your website isn’t showing up on Google. If you haven’t touched any code or ticked any weird boxes, you’re fine.

However, if your neighbour’s brother’s cousin has built your website for free, you might want to check it, just to be on the safe side.

SOLUTION

• Noindex tags tell Google that you don’t want it to crawl specific pages, so these ones will never show up as a search result, no matter what you type. You can use tools like Ahrefs to find them and fix them

• Most websites have a robots.txt file that tells search engines what they can and cannot crawl. If you’ve added some pages to it by mistake, that’s why your website isn’t showing on Google for them. Just go back to your Search Console account, look for the Coverage report, and see if there’s any ‘submitted URL blocked by robots.txt’ error (hopefully not! I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you)

4. Your website has been penalised by this search engine

Once again, this is extremely rare, but… better safe than sorry!

If you’ve annoyed Google by spamming people or using dodgy practices that go against its terms of service (like buying backlinks), this touchy search engine miiiiiiiiight have done one of these things to your website:

• Deindexed: your domain has been banned (aka removed)

• Penalised: it exists but it can’t be found via direct queries

• Sandboxed: your organic traffic just drops

SOLUTION

Check your Google Search Console account: if you find a notice that mentions one of these three terms, it will also tell you the reason behind it (hint hint: that’s what you must fix).

5. It’s too slow 

Slow websites have two strongly opinionated haters:

• Google (its recommended loading speed is 2 seconds) (3)

• Your audience: most studies show that around 53% of mobile users leave a website if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load 

If yours is fairly slow, that’s probably why your website isn’t showing on Google. 

After all, this search engine is clever: it knows that slow websites annoy its users, so it’s simply going to favour faster ones.

SOLUTION

Run a Pingdom or Google speed test and implement the tips that you will receive within the report.

6. It’s not optimised for phones

Around one in two website visitors comes from phones (4). Is your small business website mobile friendly? 

For example, if it involves static pages that force mobile users to zoom in just to read the text or buttons that are too large to click on with a thumb, it’s clearly not.

SOLUTION

Run a mobile-friendly test and fix the mistakes that will flag up.

7. It results in poor UX overall

If Google realises that your current website visitors aren’t having a good time, it isn’t going to show it to many more. #Soz

What do I mean by that?

Poor UX (user experience) can take different forms, but, for example, it can involve difficult navigation (dozens of pages linked in the main menu), videos that start playing automatically, long dropdowns in forms, etc.

SOLUTION

Consider getting honest feedback from friends or, even better, your target audience by asking them to navigate your website on their own.

You should also test your UX with a tool like Fivesecondtest, Optimizely, Crazy Egg, or UX Check.

8. It lacks authority and backlinks

Here’s where things start to get trickier, but nothing that the right strategy (and patience) can’t fix.

Basically, Google’s algorithm takes PageRank into account. 

Some of the main factors behind it are links, both internal (from one page of your website to another) and external (from a different website to a page on yours).

SOLUTION
Add relevant internal links whenever possible. For example, if you mention your eco-friendly ethos on your homepage or in a blog post, link to your Sustainability page. 

As for external links, I’ll be honest: they won’t happen overnight. Even more honest? Nobody wants to link to your About page.

As well as guest posting, a good strategy to attract external links is to blog on your business website and share valuable information that other websites or blogs are more likely to link to.

(Spoiler alert: not having a blog is another HUGE reasons why your website isn’t showing on Google, but we’ll look into it properly before the end of this article.)

9. It doesn’t look trustworthy to Google

Would you send your friend into a shop that looks pitch black and where the employees are staring at all the customers in an intimidating way? Probably not, and neither would Google.

If your business website doesn’t look trustworthy, it’s not going to rank very high.

SOLUTION

Just like you’d hold up your hand to get a dog to smell you first, some of the things you can do to get Google to trust you are:

• Using an SSL certificate

• Adding social proof like happy testimonials 

• Being transparent with your policies

• Including your Ts&Cs

• Linking to your socials

• Collecting good reviews on Google and online 

10. Your website pages are too short

If a friend of yours told you that they wanted to learn more about Iceland, would you give them a four-page flyer or a two-hundred-page guide?

Likewise, Google rarely trusts a short 60-word page to have enough value for its users.

SOLUTION

300 words is considered to be the minimum for SEO (5), at least when it comes to website pages.

Invest in website copywriting services to obtain fresh new copy that reaches that threshold and, most importantly, packs it full of value.

And don’t forget that context is just as important as content!

If you have a pizza restaurant in Liverpool but your 600-word homepage doesn’t actually mention terms like ‘pizza restaurant in Liverpool’, ‘Liverpool pizzeria’, or ‘best pizza in Liverpool’, both humans and search engines will struggle to figure out what you do.

11. You have duplicate content

If, for whatever reason, you repeat a good chunk of your text across different pages, it means you’ve created duplicate content… and Google doesn’t like that. 

Same if you’ve copied long bodies of text that you’ve found on someone else’s website.

Search engines want your pages to be UNIQUE!

SOLUTION

Start posting unique content only.

If you fear you already have some duplicate content, run a test to double-check and fix it.

12. You haven’t taken on-page SEO into account...

Techniques like attracting backlinks or improving your website’s speed are considered off-page SEO.

However, if your website isn’t showing on Google, you shouldn’t forget about on-page SEO either: it consists of making sure that every page is optimised for search engines, helping them understand what it’s about.

SOLUTION

Incorporate relevant keywords in all the right spots.

Unless you only sell your services online, an element of local SEO is usually extremely helpful too (for example, keywords like ‘best cafe in Chester’ rather than just ‘cafe’).

13. … or you’ve targeted the wrong keywords

Perhaps you have thought of on-page SEO, but you’ve simply used the wrong keywords.

What do I mean by ‘wrong’? 

Usually, they’re either too broad and competitive (for example, unless you’re Coca Cola, you’re unlikely to rank for ‘best fizzy drink’) or they don’t match search intent (maybe people who google that keyword are looking for informational content but you’ve used it on a page that sells something).

SOLUTION

Aim for more specific and niche keywords. While they might be searched fewer times per month, they’re actually more relevant to what you sell and to your specific target audience.

When you invest in my copywriting services, I also conduct keyword research to optimise your pages for the right terms.

14. You haven’t been blogging on your business website

If, after going through or fixing the previous points, you’re still wondering ‘why is my website not showing on Google’, then one of the most probable answers is simply that… you haven’t got a blog.

Or, alternatively, you have one, but it’s all about company news.

No, no, NO.

Every business website should have a blog to create valuable industry-related articles that entertain and educate its target audience.

While blogging comes with tons of benefits, lots of them involve search engine optimisation.

So, how does blogging help with SEO (aka how does it help your website show on Google more often)?

Simple:

• It provides fresh content, allowing your website to be crawled and indexed more frequently

• It results in many more indexed pages (every blog post is a new webpage!)

• It gives you more chances to rank since every article should target a different keyword

• It offers opportunities for internal links

• It attracts an average of 97% more external links (6)

• Blog posts are shareable, helping you reach more people via social media and amplifying other SEO benefits indirectly

SOLUTION

Start blogging on your small business website!

If you want to set yourself up for success (and why wouldn’t you?) but don’t know where to start or haven’t got time to write the right SEO-friendly articles for your audience:

check out my blog writing services! I’ll research and write aaaaaaall the content for you, so you can just sit back and enjoy the results

So, ‘why is my website not showing on Google?’ 

As we’ve seen, there are several reasons, but the best thing is... they’re all fixable (although you will still have to be patient to see the results).

Found this helpful? Start receiving my tips for female entrepreneurs! I send weekly advice and content prompts to help you connect with your audience through your marketing copy.

More #crafty blog posts on this topic:

References

1. Sukhraj, R. (2019, November 7). Google Index: How long does indexing take and 11 ways to get your pages listed faster. Retrieved from https://www.impactplus.com/blog/how-long-does-it-take-google-to-index-a-new-page 

2. Soulo, T. (2017, February 6). How long does it take to rank in Google? (A study by Ahrefs). Retrieved from https://ahrefs.com/blog/how-long-does-it-take-to-rank/ 

3. (n.d.). (2019, November 24). How Fast Should a Website Load?. Retrieved from https://www.bluecorona.com/blog/how-fast-should-website-be/ 

4. Simone, K. (2018, February 13). How Much Content is Good for SEO Rankings?. Retrieved from https://whiteboard-mktg.com/how-much-content-is-good-for-seo-rankings/ 

5. Enge, E. (2021, March 23). Mobile vs. Desktop Usage in 2020. Retrieved from https://www.perficient.com/insights/research-hub/mobile-vs-desktop-usage 

6. (n.d.). The Ultimate List of Marketing Statistics for 2021. Retrieved from https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics 

Why you need a blog for your badass female-founded business? In a nutshell, because it’s a game-changing strategy to position yourself as THE go-to solution in your dream audience’s eyes, standing out against competitors.

Yes, even much bigger household names! 

And no, I’m not exaggerating. I also have a business blog on my website, and I update it regularly for all these reasons. 

How can blogging help solopreneurs and small businesses? 8 reasons why you need a blog

There are lots of benefits of blogging on your website, but let’s focus on the advantages that a business blog can bring to you as a woman solopreneur or female-founded small business.

An important premise, though: blogging helps a business only when done right. 

You can’t expect to post your company news and generate tangible results. Sorry, nobody cares.

A business blog should be a collection of articles on relevant industry-related topics that your target audience is interested in. 

1. A business blog helps you rank higher on Google

You might be used to thinking of blog posts as articles on your website, but don’t forget that every new post is also a new web page.

Not only does this make your entire business website meatier (and search engines love websites with tons of content!): it also gives you the fantastic opportunity to target a new long-tail keyword.

Here’s the thing: there are only so many keywords that you can target on your main website pages without turning it into a robotic text. 

Plus, that’s what most of your competitors are already targeting, so it’ll be pretty hard to rank for them.

For example, if you sell products like seitan chicken and fake beef, they’ll probably be something like ‘vegan meat’, ‘meat alternatives’, and ‘mock meat’.

Still, there are hundreds if not thousands of longer, more specific keywords that you’re leaving out, such as ‘how to cook seitan’, ‘what is the healthiest fake meat?’, ‘vegan chorizo recipes’, and so on.

By creating a business blog and updating it regularly, you’ll get to target more and more of them, unlocking new opportunities to rank higher than your competitors.

There are lots of other reasons why you need a blog to help your business website rank higher. From resulting in up to 97% more links than websites without a blog to showing Google that yours is up to date and relevant, a business blog is basically SEO on steroids.

That’s also why SEO and content marketing must work together.

2. You’ll reach more customers through socials

Blogging on your business website doesn’t also help you reach new people through Google and other search engines: blog posts are magnets on social media platforms, too!

There are two main ways in which you can harness their power:

• Integrate them with your social media strategy: share your blog posts and add a compelling, unmissable call to action (not a pathetic ‘Be sure to read our new blog post’. Rather something like ‘Tired of [insert problem here]? Same here. That’s why we’ve found 5 different solutions for you. Check them out!’)

• Encourage your readers to share them themselves and add social share buttons to your business blog

3. You can generate around 67% more leads

Now that you know why you need a blog to attract new website visitors through both search engines and social media, it’s unlikely to come as a surprise that you’ll generate more leads. 

67% more than websites without a blog, on average.

So, basically, unlike chucking lots of money towards random advertising efforts, blogging complements your inbound marketing strategy, too.

4. … and facilitate sales

Here’s a bitter pill to swallow: 96% of your website visitors are not ready to buy.

So, what can you do to help them make up their mind? You offer them high-quality and valuable content.

In fact, your average customers will consume 11.4 pieces of content before committing to a purchase. 

A business blog is perfect to show them your audience-oriented approach and how you’re writing about important topics to help them solve their pain-points.

Who do you think they’re going to choose when they’re finally ready to buy: you (with your up-to-date blog packed full of value) or that competitor that has never bothered putting out any content for your target audience?

5. By blogging on your business website, you’ll position yourself as an expert in your field 

Here’s the thing: anyone can write that they’re the, say, ‘best pizzeria in London’ on their homepage. 

Why should you believe them? 

After all, there are probably a few dozen pizza joints bragging about the exact same thing.

What you can do is use your business blog to show and prove your expertise. 

Show how much you know when it comes to your sector, how passionate you are about it, and how you use your knowledge to make your target audience a part of your world.

That way you’ll also build trust, which is always a critical factor for your dream customers when it comes to deciding where to spend their hard-earned money.

6. It shows your customers that you want to build a relationship with them

Having a blog on your business website is the difference between an impersonal self-checkout and a lovely chat with the shop owner who remembers your name and preferences.

Between a ‘gimme-your-money-and-f*ck-off’ and a genuine audience-oriented approach.

A business blog shows your dream customers that you’ve taken the time to write about the topics they were looking for and give them valuable advice about them.

So, here’s another reason why you need a blog: from the actual articles to the fact that you’ll share them on your socials to start a conversation, it’s proof that you do care about them.

7. You’ll have a ton of content for your socials & newsletter

As I mentioned before, you should always share your blog posts on socials. 

This will allow you to reach more people and promote them by helping them gain traction, but… psst! A business blog is also a lifesaver when you’re low on content for your socials.

Plus, you can include them in your newsletter, either as a round-up of the best recent blog posts or by creating a specific campaign for one of them.

8. Finally, another reason why you need a blog is that it’ll help you stand out against your competitors

At the end of the day, the moral of all the previous points is this:

From more leads to increased conversions and building trust, you need a blog on your business website to set yourself apart from your competitors, even bigger ones.

So, how do I start a blog for my female-founded business?

Now that you know exactly why you need a blog, what happens next?

Easy! I can help you create (and maintain) a successful company blog for your badass brand.

Put your business blog on autopilot with my blog writing services. After learning more about your business, I’ll create the right blogging strategy and write the actual blog posts while targeting the best keywords.

And you? Other than answering a few questions and sharing your expertise with me, you just worry about enjoying the juicy results that this strategy will bring.

Ready to start a blog for your female-founded business?

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