Blogs are everywhere – in fact, over 600 million blogs are churning out content across the world. If you want to create a blog or you’re in charge of coming up with regular blog content ideas, you might find that it can be challenging to keep bringing fresh topics to the table. How do you keep your content interesting and engaging? In this article, we’ll explore blogger’s block and why it’s so important to keep your blog updated regularly. For those of you who are stuck, we’ve put together some tips and tricks to help you come up with new blog post ideas for your content strategy.
What is blogger’s block?
Blogger’s block is similar to writer’s block, but specifically for bloggers. It’s when you feel like you’ve run out of ideas or creativity for your blog posts. Maybe you’ve just been given the responsibility of creating the content plan for the company blog and you’re not sure where to start.
This can be a frustrating feeling, especially if you’re on a tight deadline or trying to maintain a consistent posting schedule. Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. Fortunately, there are ways to overcome blogger’s block and continue creating quality content.
Why is it important to keep your blog updated?
Your blog is primarily an SEO tool. It helps drive traffic to your website and improve your search engine rankings. Google has certain criteria for how it ranks websites and one of those criteria is related to “freshness”.
The Query Demands Freshness algorithm prioritises newer content – when relevant. It has three categories of search queries where freshness is most important:
- Current events (e.g. political elections, natural disasters)
- Recurring events (e.g. lottery numbers, sports scores)
- Frequent updates (e.g. tech topics, fashion trends, scientific developments)
If you publish an article on a topic such as World War II, it probably won’t matter if you published it last week or five years ago, as long as the content is high-quality. However, if you’re writing a blog post about the latest trends in fashion or technology, your content needs to be recent and up-to-date. If not, it will fall victim to “content decay” and slowly drop in the search rankings.
In addition to SEO benefits, keeping your blog updated also shows that your business is active online. The lights are on and someone is home, so to speak. Every new blog post is a chance to attract a bigger audience, expand your reach, and grab a top spot in the SERPs.
14 ways to come up with new blog post ideas
If you’re about to bang your head against the keyboard because you’re struggling to come up with new blog post ideas, take a deep breath and read on. There are plenty of ways to generate fresh, relevant, and exciting content for your blog, without pulling out your hair. Here are our top 14 ways to come up with new blog post ideas:
1. Analyse competitors’ blog topics
We’re not saying you should steal your competitors’ ideas here. However, taking a look at what they’re writing about can give you great insight into trending topics and industry discussions. It can also help you identify content gaps that your blog could fill. The key is to take inspiration from their ideas, not copy them. You can use SEO tools such as Ahrefs to see which blog topics are driving the most traffic to your competitors’ sites. From there, you can pick the most popular blog topics and brainstorm ways to expand on or improve them, or give your own take.
2. Check Google Trends for current topics
Google Trends is a powerful tool that allows you to see what people are searching for. You can filter by location, category, and time period. This is especially useful if your blog has a local or regional focus. You can also compare search terms and see their popularity over time. It’s a great way to stay on top of trending topics and capitalise on them. For example, if you have a particular holiday coming up and you want to create some themed content, you can see what people usually search for around that time of year. This can be a great starting point for your blog post ideas.
3. Use Google Keyword Planner for popular searches
Similar to Google Trends, the Google Keyword Planner can help you identify popular search terms. It also gives you an estimate of how many people are searching for those terms and their competition level. This is a great way to find long-tail keywords and niche blog topics that your audience is interested in.
Start by entering a broad keyword related to your blog or business. Then, click on the “Keyword Ideas” tab to see a list of related keywords and their search volume. You can also filter by location and other metrics to get more specific results. You can use these keywords to generate blog post ideas or optimize and refresh your existing content.
4. Explore questions on Quora
Quora is a popular question-and-answer website where users can ask and answer questions on a variety of topics. It’s a great place to see what people are curious about and what their pain points are. Simply type in your keyword or topic of interest in the search bar, and you’ll get a list of related questions. This is a goldmine for potential blog post ideas. You’ll get an idea of what people are struggling with and how you can provide value through your blog content.
5. Browse subreddits related to your topic
Reddit is another popular platform with a variety of subreddits (or communities) dedicated to different topics. It’s sometimes referred to as the “front page of the Internet” and can be a great source for blog post ideas. Simply search for your keyword or topic in the search bar, and you’ll find relevant subreddits where people are discussing and sharing information on that topic.
You can also sort by “top” posts to see which topics are currently popular. These subreddits can be a great source of inspiration for blog post ideas. You can also engage directly with the community by commenting or posting in these subreddits. It can help you get a better understanding of what people are interested in and how they feel about certain topics.
6. Try online content idea generators
With the latest advancements in generative AI technology, there are now numerous online tools that can help you generate blog post ideas. Ahrefs has a free blog content ideas generator tool. Semrush has a more advanced content idea generator that can give you a list of popular blog topics along with headlines, keyword suggestions, and search volume data. You can try the Semrush tool for free but if you plan on using it regularly you will need to sign up.
Hubspot also offers a free basic topics generator, but for more advanced SEO suggestions and data, you will need to upgrade to their paid service. These tools are great for getting a head start on brainstorming blog post ideas or finding unique angles for your content.
7. Conduct interviews with experts or influencers
Interviews give unique depth to a blog post, which is rare in today’s web content. You can reach out to experts, influencers, or people with unique experiences in your niche and conduct an interview on a specific topic. This type of post not only adds value to the readers but also gives you access to new audiences through the person you are interviewing. It’s a win-win for both parties and can lead to future collaborations as well.
8. Update and refresh old posts with new information
You can “cheat” a little when it comes to brainstorming blog post ideas by looking at your old posts and updating them with new information. This can include adding recent statistics, examples, or case studies to older posts that are still relevant but may need an update. It not only saves you time in coming up with new blog content ideas but also helps improve the SEO of your website by keeping old content fresh and relevant.
9. Share case studies or analyse failures
Case studies are a great way to provide valuable and practical information to your readers (and promote your own brand!). You can share case studies of your own work or industry-specific examples to showcase the effectiveness of a certain strategy or approach.
Sometimes, failure stories can also be interesting – just don’t talk about your own failures! Are there any big companies or brands in your niche that have had a major flop? Analyse what went wrong and share your insights with your readers. It’s an interesting alternative to the typical “success story” posts that flood the web.
10. Review blog analytics for popular posts
Why not let your readers dictate what you should write about? Take a look at your blog analytics and see which posts are getting the most clicks, comments, and shares. These popular posts are a great indicator of the blog topics your audience is interested in. They also tell you what type of content your audience engages with the most.
You can use this data to brainstorm new ideas or even create a series based on a popular post. For example, let’s say you have a popular post on “10 Tips for Starting a Successful Business”. You can create a series of posts that go deeper into each tip and provide more in-depth information.
11. Review products or services in your industry
This is a common tactic in the blogging world, and for good reason. It’s an easy way to promote your own brand without being “in your face” about it. You can review products or services related to your niche and provide honest feedback and recommendations to your readers. Just make sure you position your particular brand or service as one of the best options available! Readers gravitate towards listicles, and if they’re searching for “best [product or service] in [industry or location]”, your review post could show up as a top result, with your brand as number one.
12. Cover major industry events or conferences
Are there any big events coming up in your industry? Attend them and take plenty of notes to share with your readers. This is a great opportunity to provide valuable insights, quotes from key speakers, and behind-the-scenes tidbits that your audience may not have access to. It could even be a chance for you to network with other professionals in your field! Readers love first-hand accounts of industry events, and if you’re one of the few people covering it, your post is likely to gain traction.
13. Consider evergreen content ideas
Trending topics are great for blog inspo, but evergreen content is equally important to include in your overall content strategy. Evergreen content refers to blog posts that are always relevant, no matter how much time passes. These types of posts can continue to drive traffic and be shared over and over again, making them excellent for long-term SEO strategy.
Some examples of evergreen content include “how-to” guides, in-depth tutorials, and educational pieces. If you’re struggling to think of evergreen content ideas, take a look at your blog analytics. What topics have remained popular over time? What posts continue to drive significant traffic? These can be great indicators for potential evergreen content ideas.
14. Use blog writing services
Why do all the hard graft yourself when you can pay the professionals to do it for you? If coming up with new blog post ideas and regularly updating your blog is proving to be a drain on your time and resources, consider hiring an agency that offers blog writing services.
These companies specialise in creating engaging and relevant content for various industries. They’ll take the burden off your shoulders while still delivering high-quality posts faster than you could on your own. An extra pair of specialist eyes can also bring a fresh perspective and extensive SEO knowledge to your blog, helping you gain an edge online.
Need help with blog ideas?
Hopefully these pointers will keep your creativity flowing and your blog stocked with fresh content. But if you’re still feeling stuck, you can partner with our content writing agency.
Here at VAMS, we offer a range of content marketing solutions including blog writing services. We combine strategic SEO blog ideas with great writing. Our writers create content for a wide range of industries, which extend from healthcare to travel, finance, beauty, tech, ecommerce, and more. Get in touch to learn more about how we can help you create a traffic-generating blog.
FAQs
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about new blog post ideas.
What are good blog topics?
A good blog topic idea is one that is relevant and interesting to your target audience. What does your audience want to hear about? What are their pain points? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Brainstorming within your niche and understanding your audience’s needs will definitely help generate great blog topics.
Which blogs are most popular?
There are many popular styles of blog posts, but some of the most popular ones include how-to guides, listicles, product reviews, and case studies. However, what works best for your website will ultimately depend on your audience and their preferences.
How long should a blog be?
There is plenty of debate over the ideal length for a blog post, but ultimately it depends on your content and the needs of your audience. Some readers may prefer shorter, more concise posts while others enjoy longer, more in-depth articles. Statistically, blog posts over 3,000 words perform best in SEO terms. But this isn’t ideal or realistic for all content types. Ideally, look to make most of your blog posts between 1,500 and 2,500 words. That said, they can be shorter or longer depending on the topic.
What is guest posting?
Guest posting is when you write a blog post for another website or blog. This is a great way to reach new audiences and gain exposure for your own blog or brand. It can also be a good source of quality backlinks when you guest post on high authority sites. Just make sure to follow the guest posting guidelines set by the site you are writing for.