Web technology is evolving and strategies are constantly shifting. Blog visitors are becoming more and more particular about what they want and how they want it. For your blogging efforts to be successful, you need to know some of the biggest trends on the horizon.
It’s All about Niche Blogging
Niche blogging platforms have been around for more than a decade now, but have gained ground just recently. Here, you create a blog with the intention of marketing it to a particular niche market. The niche in this case might be a geographic area, a given topic, or a specific age group.
The Use of Images
Visual content isn’t an option anymore – it is a necessity. This is because web analytics show that images have proved vital in increasing reader engagement and click through rates.
Sites such as Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest are based completely on visual content. As you well know, you have to stay ahead of such sites to offer value to your readers. Without visual content, you cannot compete at all.
Getting images is not a big issue. You can use subscription sites such as Shutterstock or Dreamstime to get the images you need. Additionally, you can create your own images especially if you have a good camera.
Superior Authorship
With low quality content awash on the web, major search engines might soon scrutinize authority sites with the aim of weeding out guest posts that hold no value to the reader.
You don’t want to be penalized as a blogger. Perhaps, this is the time to build your Google authorship profile so that you are not considered just another spammer who abuses guest blogging rights. How can you do this? Start working on your Google+, Twitter, and LinkedIn profiles so that you can appear authentic on your niche.
Measuring Key Metrics is More Important
So far, traffic and page views have been a longstanding metric to gauge the success of the blog. However, this is not the only metrics you can use. You need to determine the right metrics for your blogs depending on the goals of the content. Some of the goals you might come up with include:
- Maintaining an engaged community.
- Building brand awareness
- Converting your readers into buyers.
Understanding the performance of the website allows you to understand the progress of the blog and know what to change to make the blog better.
Google Policies Are Still Relevant
When you look at the targets for algorithms for 2013 and the early moments of 2014, you realize that the changes have been carried forward. There are only minor changes in the algorithms. Current Google policies continue to focus on link quality as well as quality of the content.
In summary, you need to understand the blogging trends for the future to be a successful blogger. You need to understand the role of niche blogging, visual content, authorship, web analytics, and Google policies for you to remain relevant.