In the beginning, writing a blog seems like a great idea. You have so many topics you want to write about that your keyboard can hardly keep up!
But eventually, new topic ideas stop flowing in.
At that point, blog writing can quickly become time-consuming and difficult. Hours are being spent in front of a keyboard but hardly any work is being completed.
Eventually, you become frustrated and stop writing blog articles altogether (horrified gasp!).
Wondering why it became impossible to come up with new topics?
Simply put, blog topic generation takes work – continuous work. If you’re going to spend the time to write a blog, you want to write something that you know will get read. Otherwise, what’s the point?
Interested in learning how to generate blog topic ideas in the same way we do here at Sarah McKenzie Copywriting Services? Check out the following tips!
Poll Your Customers
Let’s start with one of the easiest places to source topic generation: your customers.
Use analytics gleaned from your e-newsletter, social media or website to see what posts, pages and links are getting clicked on the most. Which Facebook topics receive the most engagement? What email headlines are producing the highest click-through rates? Which blog posts are actually being clicked on?
Consider your day-to-day sales. Think about what you are most frequently asked about, which products/services are most commonly purchased and what helps create repeat business. Then think about how that information could form the basis of a blog article!
Buzz Sumo
To see what’s trending in your industry, check out Buzz Sumo. Enter a domain or topic idea to see what content ideas are getting the most engagement online. Use the filter feature to filter by country, word count, content type and more to help narrow down the most suitable data for your needs.
Of course, copying the topic itself will not create great results (and may actually hurt your SEO). Instead, come up with a twist on a trending topic to make it your own…or even better than the original topic. For example, a popular article entitled “5 Ways to Impress a Date” could be re-jigged to form the topic “What Not to Do On a First Date.”
Although there is a paid option on Buzz Sumo, the free version offers plenty of information to get you started.
AnswerThePublic
For an interactive, fun take on keyword research and content generation, check out AnswerThePublic. Enter a keyword and in only a matter of seconds, view a list of questions and queries that are being searched on Google. Choose from visualization or data displays and easily export the data generated to Microsoft Excel.
Like Buzz Sumo, AnswerThePublic is free with a paid version available. Unlimited searches, saved reports and data comparisons are included with the Pro account.
Online Forums
Amazon reviews, Quora and Reddit are all excellent, free sources of questions that your target audience is asking.
Based on people’s interests, these networks provide front-row insight into your customer’s minds. What types of questions are being asked about your industry? What are the solutions being presented in these communities? How can your company help provide the answer to these problems?
Use the information gleaned from these interactive communities to craft interesting blog posts that will be relevant to your reader.
Keyword Research
There are numerous keyword research sites available with both paid and unpaid options available.
We really love Neil Patel’s Ubersuggest, an easy to navigate site that can provide insight into your specific market. Type in a domain or a specific term to see what SEO keywords are being searched the most, which websites are ranking highest for certain keywords and what the average cost per click would be if you wanted to run an ad on Google using that keyword.
Other great keyword research sites include SEMrush, Moz and Google Analytics.
Still Stuck on How to Generate Blog Topic Ideas?
It’s only natural that it will eventually become more difficult to craft new blog article topics. But if it’s starting to feel completely impossible, ask for help. Reach out to us today to learn more about our affordable Toronto copywriter services!