Out of Ideas? We've All Been There!
Need help figuring out what to post on your blog? Generating new content can feel daunting, overwhelming and uninspiring. Want to break the cycle? We've got the tools you need!
Whether you've been writing for years, just starting a blog, or creating content for a website, coming up with new content can take time and effort. Before diving deeper into how to get around this problem, let's discuss why generating new content is so important.
Why is Unique Website Content so Important in 2023?
Writing articles and high-quality content is a great way of naturally improving the SEO of your website. Easily put - using words and phrases on your website that your target audience is searching for will make it easier for them to find you. The more people read your articles, the more value search engines like Google see in you. This will increase your chance of ranking high and getting even more traffic.
That's just one positive impact well-written content will have on your website, far from it. The user experience will get a significant boost from relevant content as your audience will feel satisfied by finding what they were looking for.
So, what should you consider when choosing what to write about?
Your Content Should Serve Your Audience
If you keep updating your website with articles, resources, how-to's and checklists relevant to your industry, your target audience will likely return to get more of those goodies! If you focus on creating authentic, valuable content, you are more likely to succeed with your goal: returning users, happy clients and more clicks and leads.
How To Find New Content Ideas: Our Checklist
1. Be Inspired by Your Competitors
A great way of finding topics to blog about is to check what your competitors are writing about. They have already done the heavy lifting for you!
For example, if you sell activewear, enter the phrase 'buy activewear' in a Google search. The websites you see on page one are your competitors (scrap the ads and scroll down to the Organic results). Click on the links and see what they write about; what are their most interesting blog topics? It may be 'How to choose pilates and yoga pants', 'The latest trends in activewear', or 'How to get rid of the smell from your running shoes'. You should not copy what they are writing but let it inspire you!
2. Read Industry Related Blogs
Get served with content and blog ideas by reading blogs about topics that would benefit your audience too. Search Google for 'best blogs of [enter your industry]'. Find sites that you like and save them as bookmarks in your browser. Whenever you hit a wall in your creative process, read the blogs and feel the inspiration flow.
3. Subscribe to Industry Related Newsletters
Another easy way to get served with content and blog ideas is to email them to you. Look up your competitors and other relevant sites within your industry or niche. Subscribe to their newsletters and get many ideas straight into your inbox every week! Whenever you see an interesting topic, make a note and think about another angle or a similar topic to make it unique. As easy as that!
4. What's the 'Talk of the Town'?
What's currently trending within your industry? What are people discussing in forums and Online communities? Check out some of the listed ones below and find out what's on your target audience's mind.
Popular Forums
Search for your industry or relevant keywords in the forums. If you search for 'workout gear', for example, check out what people are talking or asking about. It may be 'What workout gear should I invest in?' or 'What should I wear for my first Marathon?'. You could also join Facebook groups where your target audience would participate. What are group members discussing or asking, and what's getting people's attention?
5. Ask Your Audience
Create an Instagram or Facebook post or story, or blog post where you ask your readers what they would like to learn more about. If you are unsure what your audience wants to read about - ask them! After all, it's for them you are creating your content.
You can ask what they would like to read about, or you could do a poll and ask them to choose between specific topics. People love to be a part of polls and share their opinion! It also shows that you care about what they want and need.
6. Edit or Reuse Old Content
It's a great habit to go through your old content and blog posts to ensure they are still up-to-date and accurate and to find sections and topics that you can add. You might have learnt more since first writing them, and you do not want your readers to see old inaccurate posts on your blog or website. After updating your old posts, you can repost them on social media or Google Business Profile, as they will be filled with new and valuable content.
How To Analyse Your Old Content
You could also check the stats and see which of your posts have been read and commented on the most - can you write about the same topic but from another angle? Sometimes it's enough to change the visuals.
You can log in to Google Analytics or Google Search Console to see which of your website pages or blog pages are the most popular ones - this will indicate what your target audience is interested in.
7. Write About Personal Experiences
Need help to think of a subject to write about? Think about what YOU have been through that can interest your audience. Add some fun anecdotes, mention what you learned from your mistakes and share relatable experiences. Your audience will get to know you a bit more, and people generally like to read stories they can relate to or learn from.
8. Create an 'Idea Bank'
Our top tip is to organise all of your content ideas. Create a new spreadsheet where you add every subject, headline, caption, question, or idea. Go through your list once a month and keep adding new ideas as they pop up.
You could also create a Pinterest board where you save all pins that inspire you. When it's time to write new blog posts or do your content planning, bring up your spreadsheet or Pinterest board, and you'll be bombarded with ideas and inspiration. Before you know it, you've spent hours writing and scheduling new posts!
9. Don't Underestimate Keyword Research
When searching for new topics to write about, it's helpful first to perform keyword research. Keyword research is the process of finding and analysing search terms that users enter into search engines to find what you offer. A few different ways are performing keyword research;
Free Keyword Research Tools
There are several free tools to use for keyword research - Google keyword planner is one example. You'll need to create a Google Ads account but you don't need to set any ads up; head straight to 'Tools' - 'Keyword Planner'. Enter one or more keywords related to your products or services, and Google will give you many ideas of related words and phrases! You can also start to type a word or sentence into the Google search bar and see which options you are presented with.
10. Break The Pattern
If you still get stuck - start writing! Sometimes it helps to just start somewhere. Or close your laptop, go for a walk, chat with a friend, listen to a podcast and then go back. Sometimes we need to break the pattern and do something to get ideas and inspiration. You could even flick through stock photos on a site like www.pexels.com, an editing tool such as Canva.com or do a content creation collaboration with another creator.
Step by step you will add to your idea bank until it is full of relevant topics, fun ideas and new angles. Have fun with it!
BONUS: Suggestions for Clickable Headlines
Particular types of headlines are more attention-grabbing than others. Some great headlines for blog posts are;
Doing X Taught Me Y
[Starting My Own Business Taught Me to Take Risks]
[Travelling Taught Me to Think Bigger]
The Best Way to...
[Rank Higher on Google]
[Become a Successful Blogger]
X vs Y - What's Best?
[SEMrush Vs. MOZ - Which SEO Tool is Best?]
[Cotton or Spandex - What's More Sweat Resistant?]
Don't Make These Mistakes-Headlines
[9 Marketing Mistakes That Makes You Look Like a Rookie]
[What to Avoid When Adding Keywords to a Website]
The Quickest Way To...
[Boost Your Website Traffic]
[Learn a New Skill]
Why X People Do Y
[Why Successful Entrepreneurs Outsource Most Tasks]
[5 Reasons Website Designers Choose Rocketspark Instead of Wordpress]
