One Simple Place to Find Ideas for New Content

Thinking of new blog post topics can be challenging.  You may feel like you have maxed out on topics especially if you have been in the blogging game for a while.  Just know, there is no such thing as maxing out of blog post topics! You just have to get creative in your research efforts to find out what people want to learn more about.  You can do this simply by performing a keyword search on your website platform’s analytics section or using the Google Search Console. Today I will be discussing the benefits of performing keyword searches and how to find them for your website.

To start, a keyword search is when someone types into a web search engine box when they’re looking for information.  When the search engine has crawled for websites related to the words that were entered into the search console, the results will appear in order by the most popular/relevant pages.

So how can bloggers use this information?  Easy...this is how you can determine what the most popular topics are in your niche that people are searching for and the EXACT words they used when searching.

Why is this helpful?  Because you are getting insight to make better blog/business decisions:

1. You can start using the exact phrases in your website contents so your site will appear higher in ranks in search results.

2. You can find out what people are searching for and create a solution for them.  This could be a blog post, product or service! You then will use the keywords in your post/product/service descriptions on your website to also increase the chances of your site ranking higher in search results.

3. You can narrow down what you post about rather than having such a broad range of topics.  If you notice you are getting a ton of searches for one topic, you may want to shift your content over in that direction.

Now that you know a little about keywords and why having the insight for them is so powerful, how do you find the keywords that people are using to get to your site? There are two main ways:

1 / Analytics on your website platform

My website is built on Squarespace and there is a section in my account dashboard that shows keyword searches. The data is coming from the Google Search Console which is linked to my Google Analytics account.

To view the information in Squarespace, from the Dashboard click “Analytics” then “Google Search Keywords”.

Upon first arrival, you will be asked to link to your Google Analytics account so the console data will pull from the correct account. Make sure you link to the Google Analytics account that your URL is set up on. This is where all keywords and phrases appear along with their stats. You can adjust the search time frame by changing the drop down data criteria on the top right of the analytics screen.

If you don’t have Squarespace, your website platform may still have a keyword search section in your website analytics dashboard. When my website was on the Big Cartel platform, there were keyword search results in my dashboard. Check your platform for this feature or do a Google search (how meta is that?! Do a Google keyword search about Google keywords, ha!) to find out where to navigate to find the data.

2 / Google Search Console

If your website platform doesn’t have keyword data built in, you can always view the data directly on the Google Search Console.

Setup:

Make sure you have Google Analytics set up for your website already because you will be linking the search console to it!

1. Navigate to https://search.google.com/search-console/welcome

2. You will be asked to sign into your Google account.  Make sure you are signing into the account that your Analytics account is linked to.

3. Enter the full URL that is linked to your Google Analytics account.

4. You will be asked to verify that you own the URL.  If the default verification method listed isn’t Google Analytics, scroll down to the section stating “Other Verification methods” then click “Google Analytics”.

5. Once verified, you can then view the dashboard.

Navigating to Keyword Search:

1. From the home page, click the “Performance” menu item on the left of the page

2. The Performance page shows the search terms used by people who found your site through a Google search.

3. You can view detailed data for a specific search term by clicking the line item under the Query column.

4. You can adjust the date range to view search details for a specified time frame.

5. You can also compare stats for different date ranges.

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The keyword stats are such a helpful thing that will give you more insight on what’s happening before someone finds your site and help you drive more traffic (hopefully coins!) as a result. Take advantage of this if you are getting stumped on a product, service or blog post to create!

Do you review and use the search terms that are bringing users to your website?  If so, tell me how you use the information in the comments!

7 Ways to Conquer a Blogging Slump (aka how to give yourself a kick in the pants)

Blogging is something that I enjoy because it’s a great creative outlet and a fun way to connect with people. When your intention for blogging switches from fun and casual to wanting to make money, it turns into a job full of constant commitment.  Problem is, we don’t always feel up to blogging because we get burned out or just plain lose motivation. I talk about productivity all the time, but I’ve never touched on lack of productivity. It’s normal to hit a blogging slump and get out of your groove.  Today I will be sharing 7 ways to conquer a blogging slump.

1. Receive (Accept)

We don’t give our bodies enough credit.  Bodies are amazing. They know what we need before we do! Sometimes when you hit a slump it's your body telling you to take a break.  Receive the message that your body is giving you and proceed accordingly. I’m a huge advocate of taking time off to reset. Vacations are perfect for this.  Whenever I go on vacation, I always come back so pumped and full of new ideas! I’m not saying to take a vacation every time you take a break from blogging, but giving yourself time away is a necessary part of the creative process.

2. Reflect (Dive Deep)

Sit down and think about why you are really blogging.  Think of what will change for the better in your life if you stick to blogging.  Image the feeling of blogging full-time and making a nice amount of money from it.  Think of the debt that you will eliminate. Think of the increase in quality time you will have with your family.  Whatever it is...whatever your “Why” is…reflect on that. Thinking of your awesome future is a great motivator.

Related post: 5 Ways to Start Blogging With a Purpose

3. Refer (Chronicle positive feedback)

It’s difficult sometimes to continue blogging when you feel like you aren’t getting any traction or like people aren’t resounding with your messages or content.  Something helpful to do is keep a folder of emails tagged with positive feedback so you can always refer to them as a reminder that your blogging isn’t in vain.  My inbox is set up with positive feedback as the first thing I see when I log in.  I did this by creating a split inbox view in Gmail and showing the Positive Feedback tag first (example image below).  This is a great way to start off your day and help keep your motivation up.

You can also do this on social media by taking screenshots of positive feedback and saving in a special folder on your phone.  This way, when you’re having a hard time staying motivated, you can refer to the positive comments.

4. Refresh (Clean it up)

Changing your work space can help bring back your motivation to blog.  Sometimes we just need a little change in scenery. When you change things up, your brain reacts positively.

As quoted by Sarah Reiff-Hekking:

“...environment predicts a lot of our behavior too.  So what does that mean? It means by changing our environment we can support other changes that we are trying to make and make the changes easier.”

It doesn't even have to be a full room makeover, but even rearranging or just cleaning your desk off can make a world of difference. Throw some new office supplies on that clean desk and you’ll be ready to rock!

5. Read (Get fundamental)

Read a book.  Simple as that. We are attached to our phones and I’m the first to claim digital tools as king BUT sometimes we need to break away and re-familiarize ourselves with a good old-fashioned paperback.  Reading about topics in your blog niche is great, but reading books totally unrelated to your niche is better. Focusing your mind on a different subject gives your brain the opportunity to reset and open you up to new ideas.

6. Research (Educational viewing)

Watch a TED talk or documentary.  TED talks are awesome because they cover a variety of topics.  I love watching TED talks and my 3 year old daughter even likes watching them!  I love to learn about something different, a unique way of approaching a challenge or just different opinions on a subject. TED talks cover all of this and much more!  Documentaries are also a fun way to refresh your brain. I recently watched a documentary on Warren Buffett and was incredibly inspired by it. It helped to light a much needed fire under my butt as a result.

7. Remove (Ditch familiar surroundings)

Step out of your bubble and visit a new coffee shop or restaurant. Explore your local neighborhoods and be a tourist for the weekend.  Trying new things and exploring new areas can expose you to so much culture and give you an instant boost of ideas and drive to keep blogging. Your brain will appreciate the change and reward you with fresh, new ideas as a result!

What are some things that you do to get out of a blogging slump?  Let me know in the comments!