The Underrated Page Your Food Website is Missing
There’s one piece of digital content that I see food and beverage brands miss out on way too often.
Everyone has a website nowadays - it’s a necessity. And most food and beverage websites have a similar layout.
First, there’s an about section telling the origins of your brand. You might also detail your philosophies around ingredients, sourcing, and/or production. Consumers love to know your story!
Then there’s a list of your products with descriptions. Bonus points if this is set up for e-commerce so visitors can easily buy!
Finally, there’s a contact section for visitors to make inquiries, meet your team, or follow you on social media.
This is a big achievement! Well done.
If you’ve had a copywriter incorporate strategic keywords into your pages, then you’re in even better shape. This will make it easier for the right people to find you on Google as they search for words related to your business.
But what’s missing, you ask?
The answer: a blog.
No, blogs are not just for Millennials with wanderlust or taste-testing foodies in Manhattan.
Your food and beverage brand can (and should) blog regularly.
You are an expert in what you do. You have the knowledge to share and a passion to spread.
The world will be better off with your expertise out there.
But how will a blog grow your business? Let’s dig into it.
How to Start a Successful Blog
First step: add a page to your website for your blog! This is another section, like any of the other pages you currently have in place.
You can come up with a name for your blog if you’d like. It’s not necessary, but if there's a slogan or phrase that reflects your brand mission it can be a clever way to identify yourself.
Some examples: Splendid Spoon’s “The Spoonful” or Dean’s Beans’ “Javatrekking Journal.” (Fun, right?)
Once your blog is set up, it’s time to get content loaded!
If you're staring at a blank page wondering exactly what your brand has to say, consider the following:
What themes do your products speak to?
What topics does your business specialize in?
What unique knowledge do you have from doing what you do every day?
What do consumers want to know about your product category or product? What questions do they ask often?
Take a moment to see the value your brand brings.
In the end, the main topic of your article should be crystal clear. It’s best to make one point well and avoid cramming talking points into a piece. If you have many topics, build them out into several different blog posts!
Knowing what you want to say in your blog is one step. You should also consider how you want readers to act after reading it.
Every good blog post needs a strong call-to-action. You have readers' attention, now what do you want them to do next?
Should they sign up for your email list to learn more? Purchase a product related to the blog? Read another relevant article on your website?
This is the moment that makes all the difference.
Without a call-to-action, your blog is missing an enormous opportunity to engage readers.
A few other key elements of a successful blog post include:
An attention-grabbing headline: The title of your blog is the first impression. It's the moment a reader decides whether the blog interests them. Most people read headlines and move on. A copywriter can help you get the most out of your blog title, capturing readers’ attention so they click to read more.
1,200+ words: One of the biggest mistakes you can make is writing blogs that are too short. More on why in a second, but general guidance is the best performing blog posts will have at least 1,200 words.
Relevant keywords: Adding short- and long-tail keywords into your copy attracts the right reader to your page. Some keyword research can help identify the best pieces to use in your blog - ask a copywriter to help you!
To be effective blogs also need to be consistent. That means posting new blogs regularly. I recommend establishing a routine of two to four blog posts per month.
Now I’m not laying out all these requirements for blogging just because.
These strategies help with search engine optimization (SEO). This is a fancy way to say how well your website ranks in Google search results.
When Google crawls websites to determine how relevant they are, it considers all kinds of content - including blogs. Google likes lots of words (the more words, the more authority!) and keywords that help it understand exactly what the content is about.
Google also likes it when your website updates frequently. New content helps assure Google that your website is still relevant.
So we’re not writing any old blogs here… we’re writing SEO-optimized blogs.
And there’s a reason why. SEO-optimized blogs lead to one gigantic benefit.
How a Blog Will Grow Your Sales
An SEO-optimized blog offers helpful content that builds trust and inspires action among your target audience.
When the right audiences find your blog posts, your brand will resonate with them.
Your blog will have the answers they seek or satisfy the cravings they are having. Blogs will help establish you as an expert in a food or beverage topic. You’ll become a trusted advisor.
Trust is valuable in business. The more people trust your brand, the more likely they are to buy from you.
SEO-optimized blogs are also a long-term marketing strategy. Over time blogs will build momentum by capturing keyword searches and earning more authority from Google.
This will make it easier for your website to rank in Google search results, increasing the visibility of your website and brand.
Higher Google ranking helps you build audiences organically. Consumers will find you more easily online and have more opportunities to buy from you.
Plus, because each blog is written to inspire action, blogs can help direct readers to a point of sale. If a blog sends readers to your e-commerce platform or wholesale application then you're one step closer to a new customer!
It’s kind of marketing magic.
Committing to a few SEO-optimized blog posts per month achieves two coveted business results: high Google rankings and increased revenue.
Remember: it is a long game. Writing two blog posts won’t skyrocket your website to success. You have to be patient, strategic, and dedicated to the blogging strategy.
But in due time your blog will pay off.
With a successful blog boosting website traffic, you can cut other marketing expenses like paid advertising.
Imagine all the ways you can use this extra cash to help grow your business.
Sounds like a win to me.
Get Started Blogging
Do you need to start a blog? Let’s launch one!
Do you have a blog but need to improve your strategy? Let’s get to work!
As a professional copywriter, writing SEO-optimized blogs is what I do best.
Plus, I’m well versed in the food and beverage industry and have insight into what posts will perform best for your brand. Along with writing support, I also provide blog topic pitches based on what your audience is searching for.
Don’t let your food & beverage business go another day without the value of a blog!
I promise you won’t regret it.
Contact me to get started at emily@emilybaksa.com