Writing content that is read is typically a concern for bloggers. A highly “readable” blog in this day and age is free of error (both grammatical and spelling), is interesting, and is timely and durable enough to mature into the annals of Web literature.
Successful blogging is a skill learned from experience, but ever-evolving online landscapes shift how popular (how many people read them, etc.) blogs become over time. Promoting a blog is more than just posting a link to it on Twitter and Facebook. Companies publishing consistent blogs, for example, are more concerned with readers than the personal craft or DIY WordPress author.
Business blogs are powerful tools for reeling in clients because they share a personal side of the company. They aren’t PR, don’t have to follow any restrictions, and give people a better idea of what a business is and what it does. The blogging process used to be easy, but the recent swarm of corporate journalists and self-purpose bloggers are making it difficult to stand out from the crowd.
Blogging In-Depth
Want readers to read your blog? Consider Google’s newest query classification; In-Depth Articles. Most savvy Googlers are already familiar with Authorship, where articles and blogs are promoted through Google+ profiles. Clicking an authored blog takes users to a page of other blogs the writer wrote — other than opening a flurry of tabs in Chrome, this is a great way to increase your personal blogging exposure.
Unlike Authorship, the new In-Depth feature prioritizes and classifies blogs that follow a certain set of requirements. There are both technical and non-technical parameters to fulfill. In simple terms, Google ranks articles as “In-Depth” when they have more than 2,000 words. They also require the Authorship tie-in images and logos pulled from Google+ pages. This makes articles more official and branded, a designation that pulls weight to their legitimacy.
In technical terms, in-depth blogs need to have headlines, alternative headlines, descriptions, publication dates, and paginated content for longer pieces. Combined, this is called “Schema.org Article Markup,” and it’s easier to research it before attempting it.
What In-Depth Can Do for You
It isn’t necessary for writers to stretch a 300-word blog into something it isn’t. When it comes to writing in-depth, save it for a trending topic that will pick up a lot of traction over a long duration of time. This is called “evergreen content” and usually combines research, quality images, infographics, sources, quotes, and other journalistic qualities that make it long-lasting. For one, you’re wasting a lot of authorial time and energy when writing in-depth, and you’re missing out on standard-length blogs that, combined, do just as much.
If your company is undergoing a major overhaul, you’re in the middle of an acquisition, or you have a trend-setting announcement, consider writing an in-depth piece. One misconception to consider is that, as of now, Google isn’t well-stocked with in-depth articles. This means two things: As a blogger, now is the time to write one and, as an Internet surfer, you likely won’t find anything worth reading. But hey, why not? Give it a shot — see what happens. Maybe you’ll have the next authoritative piece on writing in-depth that everyone reads.
The team at Grammar Chic specializes in a variety of professional writing and editing services. For more information about how we can help you, visit www.grammarchic.net or call 803-831-7444. We also invite you to follow us on Twitter @GrammarChicInc for the latest in writing and editing tips and to give a “like” to our Facebook page. Text GRAMMARCHIC to 22828 for a special offer.
The Red Ink 