Blogging is changing. The strategies and tactics of yesterday have evolved and we must keep up with them if we want to have a thriving blog business.
Here are some of the current trends in blogging which are expected to continue into the near future.
Post Length. Blog posts are increasing in length. They are becoming more substantial and delving deeper into the topics they address. The trend is for quality over quantity (number of posts) and readers expect greater value from what they read.
Fewer Blog Comments. There are increasingly fewer comments on blogging platforms themselves. Instead, readers are interacting with blog content on social media. This means that more bloggers are turning off comments features on their blogs and instead encouraging comments on social media, including using plugins to embed the social comments in their blogs.
Graphics. Blogging isn’t about text-based content only. Graphics have always been part of blogging, and today the quality of graphics is improving greatly. This is partly because bloggers have greater access to professional online graphics software that simplifies the creation of high-quality images.
Images can play a role in telling a story by helping give context to the text. With the shift to social media, images come in handy because visual content gets more engagement and sharing. Visual content includes high-resolution images, infographics, icons, visual data, and video.
Metrics. Metrics used to focus on traffic or page views with the aim of gaining and maintaining as many readers as possible. Today’s metrics focus also on data that measure and track engagement. Rather than looking strictly at numbers, as in the past, modern bloggers look more at how readers are interacting with their content.
Platforms. Bloggers have always used WordPress and other one-stop blogging platforms that include various built-in features. However, other newer options have arisen over time that are just as easy to use. It’s not a requirement that a blogger must choose a blogging-specific platform to reach their readers.
With this background, here is what we will cover in future posts:
- Define your target reader so that you can hone in on the right topics, voice, and writing style. This saves you time and energy while growing your readership. You’ll learn how to create a reader profile and identify the hot topics for your target audience
- Write captivating and shareable blog posts, which includes planning, drafting, using writing best practices, and exploring the anatomy of top blog posts
- Share your blog post with the world in a way that maximizes engagement and puts your content in front of as many people in your target market as possible
- Identify the best ways to create a sustainable source of income from your blogging efforts
- Evolve your blogging practice by implementing tactics for effective blog planning, organization, consistency, and self-motivation
In case you missed it, here’s the other articles in this series:
