Blogging is an amazing tool for businesses in virtually every industry. Indeed, a cursory glance around the internet will reveal blogs for everything from hospitality training to monster-truck rallies. Given that fact, professionals may assume that everything is on the table when it comes to blogging. And there is a perception that blogs afford writers the ability to cover any topic they want. While that may technically be true, business blogs are another matter altogether; there are certain things that no business should seek to bring up in a professional blog.
Here, we’ll take a look at four bad blogging practices and explain why they won’t work for your brand:
Long-Winded Introductions
Though it may sound odd, introductions are often unnecessary and counterproductive for blog posts. Business blogs work best when they answer a direct question like how to apply for a loan, or why does SEO matter, for instance. Rambling intros serve only to bore (or annoy) readers who came to your site looking for answers. Furthermore, superfluous intros lower your chances of gaining valuable real estate on search engines in the form of featured snippets.
Morbid Themes
It’s almost never appropriate to bring up death or mortality in a business blog. Though that might sound obvious, certain bloggers may seek to use morbid imagery in order to grab their reader’s attention and boost their site’s exposure. This is a flawed strategy for two reasons. First, if your blog really doesn’t cover grave subject matters, attempting to make your business seem more vital than it is will come off as silly. And secondly, if your blog does address sensitive or dangerous topics, then playing up those elements will feel weirdly indulgent and unsavory. If you have to write about death, do so in an understated, respectful manner.
Someone Else’s Writing
This should go without saying, but plagiarising another site is one of the worst things any blogger can do. Yet, even appropriately sharing another writer’s work typically isn’t a good idea on a business blog. After all, the goal of a business website is to establish the company as an authority in a given field –– not someone else. Repurposing a good quote or a pertinent fact is fine, but sharing full paragraphs of another’s work isn’t useful.
Your Opinion
The last thing a visitor to a business blog wants to hear about is what the writer thinks of the current state of politics or their religious beliefs. There’s a time and a place to voice your personal opinions but a business blog is NOT an appropriate vessel for them. Even giving industry-specific opinions is dangerous. If at all possible, stick to the facts and let your readers draw their own conclusions.
OhNoCrypto
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Chad Stewart, BruceDayne
