5 techniques for higher converting blog posts

5 techniques for blog posts that convert

Can you think of any websites out there that DON'T benefit from high-converting blog posts?

Whether it's e-commerce, a business website, personal blogs, or an online business, blogging is super important and can help a website grow hella fast!

Blogging is free content that drives traffic to your website, increases your "like, know & trust" factor, showcases your offerings, and pimps out your knowledge/expertise to potential clients. People love checkout out free content online and blogging is a phenomenal way to reach new audiences and attract more of your ideal client.

In my own business, for example, blogging has been a game changer. I publish new blog posts at least twice a week (binge the Archives here) and that consistency has definitely paid off. A quick look at my Squarespace Analytics tab shows that Google and Pinterest are my largest traffic drivers, and that I can directly attribute those referrals to blogging.

Now that we agree that blogging is a great way to get people onto your website and show off your offerings to new audiences, what's the next step? What steps can you take to turn a regular old blog post into a converting machine?

There's no point working hard on a blog post only to have it flop (meaning: people check out the post then leave your site right away). This serves no one and is a waste of time. It would be a huge mistake to spend hours writing, publishing and scheduling blog posts only to have them go nowhere and see readers dropping like flies.

Luckily, that's not how we do things around here and I'm going to show you how to have blog posts that serve your business and grow your website!

Today I'm sharing 5 tried & true techniques that will have your blog posts converting like crazy. When it comes to blogging, the goal is to have people read the full post, stick around and return to your website again in the future. We love repeat readers and that's how you'll really see major gains!

Let's take a look at those 5 blogging techniques.

1. Pinterest optimized blog images

If you aren't already using Pinterest to promote your blog/website (no matter your industry), get on it asap!!!!

Pinterest is one of the highest sources of traffic to my website's every month and the numbers don't lie, it's only increasing. Best of all, it doesn't take a lot of work to get Pinterest up and running for your website! I really just share my blog posts images and don't do any crazy techniques, yet it still pays off. Sharing my blog post images on Pinterest is a small action that yields big results.

When people talk about "Pinterest optimized blog images", all they're really saying is "create images/graphics/photos that will perform well on Pinterest". It isn't enough to Pin willy-nilly - instead, you've got to make sure that the images you're pinning and sharing from your website follow best practices so that they do well.

You can either design and create your own Pinterest optimized blog images yourself or use pre-made templates. For best results, go back through old blog posts and update blog images with Pinterest optimized ones. It's worth the time and effort, trust me.

Also, be sure to add "Pin it" buttons to the images on your site! I've got a quick video tutorial that shows you how easy it is to add this feature to your Squarespace website so be sure to check it out.

2. Clear Calls-To-Action (CTAs)

One of the most obvious reason why a blog post isn't converting is because there isn't a CTA to begin with! If you aren't asking your readers/visitors to take action, how can you expect to get the results you want? Nobody is going to go out of their way to convert - if you want them to take a certain next step, make it painfully obvious and easy for them.

Start by including a strong CTA within each blog post. This can be in the body of the post, at the end, whatever. Different goals will have different CTAs. For example, if your goal is to grow your email list, your CTA is to ask people to sign up using the opt-in form/subscribe box. If your goal is to increase traffic to a blog post, your CTA might be to ask readers to share your post on social media. If your goal is more comments, ask readers to comment below. If your goal is to sell a product, your CTA should be to buy that product. See what I mean?

CTAs work well if you use natural language, but don't be afraid to be clear and direct. Give blog post readers explicit instructions on what you want them to do next and odds are, many of them will do it.

I also recommend that you add buttons as CTAs within your blog posts because those are super obvious to anyone skimming the post, and visually they stand out from the rest of the blog's content.

3. Share buttons

You want to make it as simple as possible for people to share your blog posts (and other content on your website) because one of the most obvious signs of a high-converting blog post is lots of shares. More shares = more clicks and views! The more people read your stuff and visit your site, the better conversions you'll have.

Squarespace makes it super simple to add share buttons to your blog, and you can choose which sharing icons to have in each blog post. Here's how to add share buttons to your Squarespace website.

I also like to include a free third-party sharing tool called Sumo on my/my client's websites.

Remember that when people share your blog posts (and website content in general), it's essentially free marketing. Who wouldn't want that?

4. Related posts

Many people overlook this blogging tactic which is a dang shame because they are missing out on major traffic, longer website visits and lower bounce rates.

If you're anything like me, you've fallen down the rabbit hole of related posts or "You might also like..." links more than once. There's a reason why so many websites aim to hook you in with related content, and that's because they want you to stick around as long as possible! The longer you stay on a website, the more likely you'll be to view lots of content, build a relationship, and ultimately buy a product or pay for a service.

There are a two main ways to add related posts to blog posts. First off, you should always add Related posts to the bottom of Squarespace blog posts. Check out that blog post and watch the video tutorial to see how easy it is. This is the perfect place to link to related blog content because you're presenting it at the end of the post but you also hook the reader before they leave.

Secondly, add in-text links to related posts within the blog post itself. This blog post that you're currently reading has lots of examples of this.

5. Email opt-in

I'm a firm believer that every website should have an email list and as such, every blog post should have at least 1 place where a reader can join your email list.

It's hard enough to get people onto your website so when they do, make a point to have them join your list. Once they're on your list, you have direct access to them (not in a creepy way) and can show up in their inbox and provide more value.

Email converts way higher than social media, and if you're using your blog/website to support an online business of any kind, it's particularly important to grow your email list.

You don't have to create a new opt-in or content upgrade for every blog post - that would be exhausting and overkill. Instead, create at least 1 awesome opt-in and add it to every blog post. For example, I include an opt-in to my popular free course Launch Your Best Site at the bottom of every blog post (see below) and that always converts well.

Keep your mailing list opt-ins focused on your target audience and offer them something of value in return for their email address and permission to contact them. You'll see better conversion rates this way and will enjoy a healthier list long-term because you'll get fewer unsubscribes.

Final Thoughts

If you're going to blog, might as well do it in a way that converts like crazy! By following these tried and true techniques, you can make sure that the blog posts you work so hard on are working for you and helping you to grow your business and website!

Now it's your turn to tell me, do you already use any of these techniques? Have you been doing them for a while or are they tactics you've just started implementing? What results have you seen so far? Anything else that works for you that you want to share? I'd love to know so leave me a note in the comments below!