Saturday, 2 February 2013

Generating High Quantities of Blog Content – Break Posts Down


Ever wonder how some bloggers manage to publish a high-quality blog post every single day of the week for years on end? They focus on quality.
(You thought I was going to say “quantity”, didn’t you?)
If you’re like so many bloggers I see today and you’re focusing on length, then you’re missing the mark.
If you want to generate high quantities of blog content, break those mile-long posts down to more manageable content.

Why Those Mile Long Posts Don’t Work

Over the last year or so I’ve noticed more and more bloggers creating these massive, mile-long blog posts filled with links and sub-headings and quotes and… well, everything but the kitchen sink.
Personally, I just leave the blog when I land on these and I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Remember: Most online readers scan your post first. I do, too. If they don’t like what they see on the first pass, they don’t go back to the beginning and read it again – they leave.
How do I know this? Because, I do, too.
You can’t keep up the pace: Those massive posts are fine every once in a while but you can’t keep up the pace and continue to provide high quality content.
As your traffic grows you’re going to need time to focus on other areas of your business, like creating your own products and building up a business network.
The first thing you’ll do is start spending less time on developing quality content. Oh, those posts will probably still be long, but quality? Not so much, because you won’t have time to focus.
You’re providing TMI: Your visitors come to your posts looking for one answer to one question. If they have to scroll through a mile of dreck to find it… well, they just won’t.
All of that information you’re providing might be top-notch and relevant and interesting, but if it distracts the reader and he can’t find his answer then you haven’t helped him a bit.
Too much to absorb: I’ve seen more than one commentor who said the mile-long post they just read was wonderful and informative but it was just too much to absorb in one sitting, and they always say they’re bookmarking it so they can come back.
I say that, too, but I never do.
If it didn’t hold my interest well enough to keep me on the page the first time, then it probably won’t the second time, either, so why bother?
The result?
I got nothing from that mile-long post because it was just too long.

How To Break Down A Post

Write your title first and then answer the question. That’s the most important thing. Everything else is just extra. Always put the most important information at the beginning of your post for those readers who just want to scan.
Stick to the subject at hand. If you find yourself veering off onto a different keyword or a different topic, that’s the time to break your post down.
Use internal linking for more information. Instead of including definitions and details that you’ve already covered in previous posts, link to those older posts. If you haven’t already covered that content, do it now – in a different post.
If your readers need that information they’ll follow the link. At the same time, you’ll be building up your internal linking structure which helps your SEO.
Those long posts are great bookmarkable content, but if it’s just too much information for your readers to absorb in one sitting then you’ve wasted your time.
Instead, break your posts down, use internal linking to create a series of posts, and encourage your visitors to subscribe to your feed so they don’t miss the next informative installment.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!

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