I was doing research last week on a potential client and noticed a company blog section on their website full of educational articles.
As a copywriter, I’m obsessed with the benefits of producing regular blog content, so I was delighted they were already on the ball.
Call me dramatic, but delight soon turned to dismay when I realised their hard work was going unnoticed because vital components were missing from the company blog posts.
Blogging in-house seems like a no-brainer when you have all that industry knowledge.
But if you’re not seeing any real results – like visibility on Google, enquiries, engagement – there’s a reason (or several).
PSA: blogging for business isn’t just writing.
It’s strategy, structure, search optimisation, messaging, tone of voice, user experience… and more.
Here are some of the most common mistakes I see when companies try to handle blogging internally..
1. Huge blocks of text with no headings
One of the common culprits is bland-looking blocks of text without any headers to break things up and support good SEO.
Think about both the visual appeal of your article (long paragraphs are so overwhelming) and put yourself in the position of skim readers scanning the text for relevance.
We all skim! So make it easy for readers to find what they’re looking for with nice clear headers separating different sections of your article.
2. Using bold text instead of proper headings
If you do incorporate headers, you might not it needs to be a header tag (H1, H2, H3 etc) rather than simply bolded out text.
Google uses heading tags to understand the structure and key themes of your content.
If your subheadings are just bold text instead of proper H2/H3 tags, you’re missing a vital SEO opportunity.
A well-structured post makes it easier for both your readers and Google to navigate and understand your content.
3. Writing without a keyword strategy
You might have a great topic, but is it something your ideal customer is actually searching for?
A keyword (words or phrases people type into Google) strategy involves research to identify relevant topics you can write about to attract traffic to your website and boost conversions.
If you’re guessing at what to blog about and you aren’t aware of how to use keyword best practices in your writing, it will affect your visibility.
4. Skipping the CTA
I see this one so often.
You write an informative blog post but it trails off at the end, leaving potential customers unsure where to go from there.
A strong call to action instructs the reader on what to do next, which could be:
- Booking a call
- Reading a related service page or related articles
- Signing up to your newsletter
- Downloading a freebie
- Following you on social media
Make sure your blog inspires some action that takes the reader another step further into that buying journey!
5. Making it all about you
Company-led blogs often centre on big announcements like a new appointment, office move, or award win.
People care about themselves, so yet another “we’re delight to announce” style blog post is unlikely to appeal to them.
Great blogs answer a question, solve a problem, or share something helpful. It’s content marketing, not a company journal.
By all means, share your company news – just find a way to make it relevant to your audience.
- Award wins – so what? What does this mean for the company and customer?
- New employee – what will they do to improve your service to your clients?
- Office expansion – will this allow you to serve more customer, offer more services, or make access easier?
Always, always, always ensure your blog provides genuine value to your audience.
6. Zero consistency
If you want to use blogging as a tool to get more people onto your website, boost enquiries, and build trust, you have to be consistent.
Getting round to writing blog post every six months doesn’t build visibility.
I know it’s difficult when digital marketing isn’t anyone’s actual job, but this is one of the major benefits of outsourcing your content to a copywriter.
It always gets done and it gets done properly, freeing you up to do your job.
7. Lack of search engine optimisation (SEO) knowledge
An effective blog isn’t just about producing great content – if it’s missing key SEO elements all your hard work could be wasted.
- Meta description
- Feature image with alt text
- Structured headers (H1, H2s, H3s)
- Internal links to your service pages
- Clear keyword strategy
If you want your business blogs to actually rank on Google, these things really make a difference.
A professional blog writer will take care of the details so the right people can actually find you.
You don’t know what you don’t know. That’s why outsourcing your blog to someone who does know is the smarter (and faster) option.
8. No real content marketing strategy
This is a really common one.
I see a lot of companies writing the odd blog here and there without any real content marketing strategy.
What do I mean by that?
There’s no thought process behind when to blog, mixing up blog topics and types, where blogging fits into the rest of your marketing, what the objective even is.
You might even forget to share your blogs so your existing customers and social media followers don’t know they exist.
Small businesses benefit massively from adding an effective content strategy to their overall marketing plan to get actual results from blog writing.
9. Keyword stuffing
One final thing I see from time to time is keyword stuffing – ramming your article full of the term you want to rank on Google for.
You may have a word or phrase you want to show up for (e.g. leadership skills or care home activities) but overusing it unnaturally won’t do you any favours.
Always write for your audiences first and foremost, as Google prioritises valuable content.
SEO is super important, but overdoing it will get you penalised and hidden from search results, not to mention turning your customers off.
Use your business blog to attract more website traffic and conversions
If you’re ready to start seeing results from your business’s blog section, let me help.
I’m Ali, and I’ve spent the past 20 years writing commercially for businesses to improve visibility, boost brand awareness, and get ahead of the competition.
Blogs allow you to add value to your audience, build trust, and be seen as the expert in your industry – frankly, it’s a no-brainer.
From content strategy and audits to fully outsourcing your blog writing to me, I’ll support you to use blogging as a valuable tool to support your business growth and achieve your goals for the year.
Schedule a free consultation with me to get started.