More and more people are buying products online because of the convenience and cost benefits this gives them. If you are running an eCommerce website, you should consider complementing it with an effective eCommerce blog. This is because:
- Search engines see blog pages as fresh content for your site, which is good for SEO since you will have internal links pointing to your site and your blog content will be keyword optimized.
- A blog humanizes your website. You can express better what your team’s passion is and what you care about on a blog as opposed to an eCommerce website, where focus is on selling.
- You will be able to advertise your wares to visitors who visit your blog just for the content (who had no intention of buying from you). You should, however, be subtle in how you market your wares.
- A good blog will bring you out as an expert in your niche and build trust, factors that will improve conversion rates.
- You can include social media badges that can be used by your visitors to share your content. This further increases your reach.
- The comments your visitors leave will give you valuable feedback on what you need to improve.
Creating a blog does not have to be difficult. You need not post daily and you can even invite guest bloggers. If your blog is to make real impact, it needs to be better than what your competitors are offering.
You should know the common mistakes eCommerce business owners make with their blogs so that you can avoid them.
Only writing about your products
An eCommerce blog, unlike an eCommerce website, gives you freedom to express yourself. Avoid the common mistake of only talking about your products as this will bring monotony and readership will go down.
Other than your products (what you are selling, where it came from, how it is made, and features that differentiate it from what is in the market), you can also blog about such things as:
- Your story (the history, vision, and growth of your business).
- Events that you are participating in or that you are running.
- Tutorials on how your product is used.
- Advice on related products that you may not be offering.
- Updates on your company.
- Major developments in your industry.
- Announcements such as when you have a sale.
- Something interesting that is trending and that would interest your readers.
Lack of focus
There is no contradiction with the previous point. Although you should write more than just about your products, do not deviate too much from the topic.
Do not write about each and every topic that you think about as this will create disinterest in those who read your blog posts for specialized information.
You do not have to produce a blog postevery day as this could lead to burnout, preventing you from finding something relevant to write about.
Blogs that are hard to find
You may have a very good blog but you will not get visitors if it is hard to find. In eCommerce websites where blogs are an afterthought, you would have to Google the blog to find it.
You should ensure your blog is accessible from the main website and you should use it to link back to your site.
Poor blog design
Whilst many eCommerce websites are investing heavily in their main websites, little investment seems to be going to blogs. This leaves them with blogs whose design is inconsistent with that of the main page.
Readers will notice when a blog seems to have been put up in a hurry. The layout, font, and other design elements should be consistent with those of the main site and if possible, have the same web design company develop both your site and your blog.
Forgetting SEO
One of the greatest benefits of blogging is that it boosts your SEO efforts. Avoid the common mistake of forgetting SEO rules such as keyword optimization and link building.
You should only use White Hat SEO tactics since Grey Hat and Black Hat tactics could lead to the banning of your site.
Mediocre title
Some bloggers concentrate on the content and forget about the title. Your title is the gateway to the blog and you should ensure it is short, mobile-friendly and attention grabbing.
A boring title will devalue your article. However, this is not to say that you should turn your title into the equivalent of a Vegas billboard.
Neglecting the intro and the CTA
If you have a good title that entices a reader, whether or not the reader will continue with the rest of the article will depend on the intro.
Another common mistake is assuming that readers will visit your site if they find your content interesting. You need a CTA (call-to-action) to entice your readers to visit your site.
Not having a target audience
Face it, your blog will not be liked by everybody. You should write with a target audience in mind. What works for millennials will most likely not work for baby boomers.
Your target audience should be based on what you are selling.
Neglecting comments
Enable commenting on your blog. Comments give you valuable feedback that you can use in product development and to make improvements to your current products.
Answer questions raised in comments and do not delete negative comments as they humanize your brand.
Doing it all yourself
Join a blog community for content from guest bloggers. You should also consider getting content from your employees. This will give a fresh perspective to your blogs and eliminate boredom.
Other common mistakes that you should avoid are:
- Ignoring social media (through social media buttons).
- Not promoting the blog through such forums as mainstream media, article submissions, and press releases.
- Grammatical mistakes resulting from failure to properly edit the content.
- Failure to use visual effects to add to the attractiveness of the blog.
You would be surprised at just how many eCommerce businesses, including the most prominent names, make mistakes. Making these mistakes will make your efforts futile.
You will not only waste time and money, but you will also miss golden opportunities.
