This presentation goes through the top tips for blogging best practices, from research-based topics to collaboration tactics. From headlines to images. These are the BEST practices for blogging. A must view for Content Marketers. This presentation was originally given at Wine & Web at Orbit Media.

1. 7 Blogging Tricks For More
Traffic, Shares and Links
Andy Crestodina
#wineweb
Strategic Director | @crestodina
Wine & Web #54

2. Topics

3. @crestodina
source: Moz, BuzzSumo
What gets
shares and
links?

4. @crestodina
source: Moz, BuzzSumo
Most Content Gets Few Shares and No Links

5. ...if you want to create content that
achieves a high level of both shares and links
then you should concentrate on
opinion forming, authoritative content...
or well researched and evidenced content.

7. The Power of Strong Opinion
@crestodina

8. The Power of Strong Opinion
@crestodina

9. The Power of Strong Opinion
@crestodina

10. The Power of Strong Opinion
@crestodina

11. List of Your Strongest Opinions
LOYSO

12. Why Create Research?
@crestodina
1. Numbers are credible
2. Owned by you, making your site the
primary source
3. The outreach can grow your network
4. Support the sales pitch
5. Research gets more links and shares
than other content

13. Types of Research
@crestodina
1. Experimentation
2. Observation
3. Aggregate
4. Online Survey
5. Phone Survey

14. Before

15. • Four options
• “∞ emails”
• CTA: “Sign Up”
Before

16. After

17. • Three options
• “Unlimited emails”
• CTA: “Get Started Now”
After

18. +500% Increase in conversions
source: Copy Hackers

19. source: Apartment List
@crestodina
Observation

20. @crestodina

23. source: Wikipedia
@crestodina
Aggregate

24. source: MOZ
@crestodina
Aggregate

25. Online Survey
@crestodina
Source: GroupHigh

27. Phone Survey
@crestodina
Source: HBR

28. Don’t take shortcuts;
they take too long.
Sonia Simone
CCO, Copyblogger Media

29. Research & Marketing
@crestodina

30. Length

31. @crestodina
source: BuzzSumo dataset: OrbitMedia.com
Long Content Gets
Shared More

32. @crestodina
source: Curata
Long Content Generates
More Leads

33. @crestodina
source: HubSpot
Long Content Gets Linked To
More
Word Count vs Average Linking Domains
> 2500
2250 – 2500
2000 – 2249
1750 – 1999
1500 – 1749
1250 – 1499
1000 – 1249
750 – 999
500 – 749
250 – 499
0 - 249

34. @crestodina
source: Moz, Buzzsumo
Article Length Avg Shares Avg Referring Links
< 1,000 2,823 3.47
1 - 2,000 3.456 6.92
2 – 3,000 4,254 8.81
3 – 10,000+ 5,883 11.07
n = 489,128 articles (over 85% had less than 1,000 words)
Length, Shares and Links

35. @crestodina
source: CoSchedule
Long Content Tends to Rank
Higher

36. Formatting

38. source: NN Group: How Little do Users Read?
“Users have time to read at most 28%
of the words during an average visit;
20% is more likely.”
@crestodina
Readers Aren’t Reading

39. • Header and Subheaders
• Bullet Lists Numbered Lists
• Block Quotes
• Bolding and Italics
• Internal Links
• Short paragraphs
Format for Scanners

40. Short paragraphs get read.
Long paragraphs get skimmed.
Very long paragraphs get skipped.
Jason Fried
Basecamp

41. white space is good

43. Headlines

44. @crestodina

45. @crestodina

46. @crestodina

47. 1. Make a Promise
2. Trigger Curiosity
3. Use Numbers
4. Ask a Question
5. Use Power Words
6. Sized to Fit the Purpose
7. Keyword First
7-Point Headline Checklist
source: How to Write a Headline That Won’t Get Ignored
@crestodina

48. Images

49. source: Twitter Media Blog, March 2014

50. source: Social Bakers, March 2014

51. @crestodina

52. @crestodina

53. @crestodina

54. @crestodina

55. @crestodina

57. source: 2015 Blogger Survey
What Media are Bloggers Adding?
@crestodina

58. In a desert of text, images are water.
Give your readers a sip!

59. @crestodina

60. @crestodina

61. @crestodina

63. If you can’t write a meaningful caption,
it’s a stock image.

64. 1. Contains the headline (or quote)
2. Has a face
3. Sized for social media
4. Consistent and aligns with the
brand
5. Explains complex concepts
6. Use more than one image
7. Won’t get you sued
7-Point Blog Image Checklist
source: Best Practices for Adding Great Pictures to Every Post
@crestodina

65. Collaboration

66. 1. Mention them in your content
2. Ask for a contributor quote
3. Include them in an expert
roundup
4. Invite them to guest post
5. Deep dive interview
Five Ways to Collaborate
source: Online Networking Guide, Orbit Media
@crestodina

68. @crestodina

70. @crestodina

71. @crestodina
Let Your Collaborators Know...

72. YOUR SITE
OTHER SITES
Locations
@crestodina

73. @crestodina
Blogging vs. Guest Blogging
Content = 2
Links = 0
Friends = 0
Content = 3
Links = 1
Friends = 2

74. Round Two...
@crestodina
Content = 4
Links = 0
Friends = 0
Content = 6
Links = 2
Friends = 4
(better links + real connections)

75. Nice blog, but… This is what great
content marketing looks like.
Round Four...
@crestodina

76. Content optimized for search includes keywords.
Content optimized for social includes people.

77. An ally in creation is an ally in promotion

78. How many people are waiting
for you post to be published?
...make sure it’s not zero

79. What’s In It For Me?!

92. Ideas from Feldman Creative focus on putting the
power of digital marketing to work to get you
more traffic, leads and sales.

93. Ideas from Feldman Creative focus on putting the
power of digital marketing to work to get you
more traffic, leads and sales.

94. Put the power of digital marketing to work
to get more traffic, leads and sales.

95. 1. Get to the point very quickly
2. Indicate the benefits in the headline
3. Be brief
What’s in it for me??

96. THANK YOU! #wineweb
Andy Crestodina
Strategic Director | @crestodina
bitly.com/contentchem