You put a lot of work into your company’s content strategy. You have a blog, perhaps a video channel, maybe a podcast, some long-form content. But low-quality content can ruin your reputation despite even the strongest strategy. Don’t let low-quality content be the downfall of your brand’s reputation. Here’s how you can identify it, avoid it, and do better. What Constitutes Low-Quality Content? First, what exactly is “low-quality content?” Here are some common examples or warning signs: All, or part, of your content is plagiarized. The content confuses popularity and credibility. Your conten ..read more

People read differently on the web than they might in print. Readers often visually scan an article, your marketing copy, or a blog post before (or in lieu of) reading your material in full. That’s why it’s important to create scannable content for your company blog. Making your company’s blog content more scannable isn’t difficult. It doesn’t require a lot of extra work. It’s a simple matter of structure. Let’s explore what “scannable content” is and you can make your company’s blog posts easier to consume, and more helpful, for your visitors. What is Scannable Content? Your readers — in man ..read more

Writing impacts your business on a daily basis whether you realize it or not. Effective copywriting makes your ads successful. Strong PR writing is what convinces members of the media to pick up your news story from your press release. Your web copy convinces visitors to become customers. Think about it for a minute. Business writing is involved in many aspects of your business, such as: investor reports; advertisements; sales letters; help desk content; product descriptions; your company blog; email communication with customers; video scripts; internal memos; newsletters; and so m ..read more

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for SEMrush. This means if you purchase one of their packages, I might receive a commission. Improving your company’s search engine rankings can bring customers directly to your virtual door. But improving your search visibility doesn’t always mean publishing more content. You can also make your old blog content rank higher by improving it. Let’s look at how you can make old blog content rank higher in Google to bring in more traffic and leads. 5 Steps to Make Old Blog Content Rank Higher in Google If you want content in your archives to rank hig ..read more

We’re living through a disinformation age. And that goes well beyond political reporting. Credible sources are lacking in all sorts of online content, from blog posts to YouTube videos. Your business blog should be an exception. Let’s look at why linking to credible sources is vital in your business blogging. Then I’ll give you some tips on how to find more credible sites and resources to link to. Why Credible Sources Matter in Your Blog Content You want your company blog to do more than connect with customers. In most cases, your professional blog should convey your expertise or authority in ..read more

When it comes to seeking visibility or exposure for your brand, you have plenty of options to choose from—traditional media, social networks, blogs, and more. One of the best paths is something called “owned media.” Let’s explore the concept of owned media, what sets it apart from key alternatives, and why it’s worth investing time (and money) into building it into your content strategy. What is “Owned Media?” When we talk about “owned media,” what we mean is any media you have full control over. In other words, you: secure your own hosting for the content; have full, or nearly full control ..read more

When you think about your business brand, chances are your blog isn’t one of the first things to come to mind. But your company’s blog can be an integral part of your branding, if you know how. Let’s look at how you can use your blog to support, or help build, a stronger brand for your business. 3 Ways Your Blog is an Extension of Your Brand Here are three ways your business blog can become an extension of your brand. 1. Your Blog as a Customer Service Tool This won’t apply to every business blog, but if you routinely address customer service issues and customer questions, your blog can becom ..read more

When it comes to business blogs, consistency across your content is important. But what happens if more than one person manages your blog content, and the style and quality aren’t always the same? That’s where a blog style guide can come in handy. Let’s take a look at what a style guide is, what it should include, and when it might make sense to create a style guide for your company’s blog. What is a Blog Style Guide? A blog style guide is a collection of rules that help you maintain consistency in your blog content. For example, it might include guidelines on how to use sub-headings, your id ..read more

If you’ve ever looked back over your old blog content and found it dull, uninspiring, or even inappropriate for your company’s goals, you might be wondering how you can write better blog posts. Writing better blog content doesn’t have to be difficult. Your existing style might just need a few tweaks to take it to the next level. Here are three easy things you can do to write better blog posts, starting today: 1. Know Your Audience The most important thing you can do if you want to improve your blog post quality is to understand the readers your content is written for. After all, your business ..read more

Sometimes the most difficult part of business blogging is knowing what to write about. While it’s a good idea to pre-plan your blog post topics with an editorial calendar, that isn’t always where you’ll find yourself. Fortunately, some blog post ideas are reusable, so your next topic idea might be sitting right in your post archive. As some examples, here are five types of blog content you can use again and again when you need business blog post ideas: 1. Tutorials / How-To Posts How-to posts can be a good fit for any blog. That could mean posting tutorials about how to use your company’s prod ..read more