The top blog writing trends to look out for in 2020

We’ve all heard the saying, “Content is king!” Nowadays, most companies understand the power of having a blog as a part of their marketing strategy, but not every company can keep up with the latest blog writing trends. 

That’s understandable because Google is almost ALWAYS changing their algorithm and it can be painful for most founders who don’t have a lot of time on their hands to keep up.

Blogs are one of the most popular ways for people to read up on all sorts of content. Research has shown that half the online population reads blogs and that by 2020, the percentage is expected to increase. 

This means for any brand trying to make it big online, having an effective content marketing strategy is crucial. And that means staying up to date with any blog writing trends that are made. 

With our fickle attention spans and online habits, the way people as consumers prefer to read and soak up a blog is changing. And if you don’t manage to keep up as a brand, your company will become lost amongst the crowd.

No worries though! Team SumoDash is here to provide you with the top 2020 blog writing trends to look out for!

Long-Form Content is Best

The old blog writing trends where the optimal length of blog posts should be around 1,000 words long, is dying out. 

Short-form articles just don’t give Google enough information to rank your article..

Long-form content filled with informative articles spanning between 2,000 to 7,000 words long is becoming popular due to the high rate of traffic they generate. 

As a matter of fact, blog posts that go over 3,000 words in length tend to receive the most traffic on the internet. 

These blog posts are made to be in-depth yet easy-to-read articles.

It can be in the form of educational guides or in-depth research articles, but they work best when it comes to content marketing.

While these posts due require longer sitting and more attention, long-form blog posts are informative and reward readers with high-quality material. A quality, long-form piece of writing will keep readers on the page, along with your website, for much longer and will help them relate your brand to being a useful source of information. Next time readers are searching for similar advice, they’ll turn to your brand for even more information. 

Along with treating your visitors with helpful content, there’s another reason for this being one of the new top blog writing trends.

Google favors long-form blog posts, with the average word count for a blog post on the first page of search results appearing at 1,890 words. That means in 2020, shorter posts won’t have the chance at appearing on the top of Google’s search results. Google has begun to optimize its search engine to offer users more informative and useful content. 

While you should endeavor to write content that’s longer than 1,000 words, you must do so with direction. There’s no reason for rushing out a 3,000-word article if the content isn’t going to be properly organized, relevant, or useful for the reader. In any case, make sure it’s a quality piece of writing before posting it.

More Time Researching for Content

Another one of the top 2020’s blog writing trends is the amount of time spent producing content.

Brands are no longer okay with a rushed and poorly researched content that’s pounded out within 30 minutes. Instead, brands are more willing to invest in quality research and writing that will result in a longer, more informative blog post that will provide authentic value for readers.

A survey done by Small Business Trends revealed that 56% of bloggers gain better results from spending over six hours writing a post. While this may seem too long, informative pieces of writing are worth the investment if it ranks highly in Google’s search engine and attracts readers to your company’s blog. 

Along with spending time on research and writing a blog article, time will need to be spent on analyzing the readers of a blog to identify the kind of readers the blog post will need to attract.

Snippet Reads

While long-form content is the ruling champ and should take priority, you shouldn’t cut out short-form content out of your editorial. 

With plenty of people skimming through the content while on their smartphones on the way to and from places, short-form content that can be quickly read is also a popular content marketing trend for 2020. It would seem Facebook updates make for the most memorable writing on the internet. 

These snippets reads should extend between 300 to 1,000 words and should provide quick, to-the-point material. 

While readers may appreciate these posts, don’t expect these blog posts to rank very well on Google and don’t rely on a short-form blog post as the main part of your editorial plan. 

Include value to such posts with the incorporation of videos and attention-grabbing graphics that can be easily read.

Momentum and Frequency

Once you’ve begun creating both long and short-form content for your blog, it’s critical to keep up the momentum and frequency of posts. If you manage to post regularly, expect to gain higher traffic to the website. 

While this may seem like a lot of time, money, and effort, if you post content frequently, you’ll soon become a recognizable source of valuable information in your industry. 

Over time, consumers will become more dependant on your brand for providing them with the appropriate information they need. Becoming a major source of information to consumers places you ahead of your competition who aren’t posting as regularly. 

Besides, many internet users are interested in current topics and search for everyday access to recent news and information. If consumers are aware you’re on top of the field when it comes to posting fresh, new, and updated content, then they’ll come to you, especially if you post regularly on important topics. 

It’s important to maintain a routine when it comes to posting content too. If you plan to post weekly, it isn’t a good idea to stop posting for a few weeks. If you have any loyal readers that return to the blog weekly for fresh content, they may search somewhere else for a more consistent brand if you decide to stop posting as usual. 

Outsourcing Writers

Tons of companies can’t afford to have a full-time writer, and even if they could a lot of the time they wouldn’t have enough writing to provide for a full-timer.

That’s why the popularity of outsourcing freelance writers happens in 2020. Brands can save time and money when it comes to keyword research, topic generation, content creation, and social media marketing by outsourcing writers from companies that already do all the hard work. 

Mobile-Optimized Blogs

If you weren’t already aware, mobile devices account for 48% of web pages views worldwide!

With this figure expected to increase, writing blog posts with mobile viewers in mind is becoming more important than ever

By 2020, blog posts viewed on mobile devices are expected to be structured in simple, easy to read format featuring miniaturized chapters so people can read posts anywhere. This is whether they’re skimming through their phone while on a coffee break, or sitting on the bus ride.

Video Content

The internet is saturated with videos from all over the world and 87 percent of online marketers are already taking advantage of using videos in their marketing strategies. Also, mobile consumption of video content has seen an increasing number of 100% annually. If you’re not putting visual content such as videos on your blog posts, then you’re lagging behind the rest of the competition. 

While written content is still important to communicate with your consumers, video is starting to become a more popular choice for engaging browsers and developing an audience. 

The addition of a video to a blog post helps to deliver content more successfully in a short amount of time. Combined with an organized and informative written content, your blog piece will become a real winner. 

The best part about integrating video content into your strategy is that you don’t need to be a video producer to develop a successful blog video. All you need is a smartphone with a decent camera and you’ve got filming equipment. Not only will these videos entertain mobile readers, but it will also add some variety to your blog post. 

Interactivity Increases Engagement

Another blog writing trend making waves in 2020 is the inclusion of interactive content within a blog post. Interactivity increases engagement and in 2020 more brands is expected to become a part of this bandwagon. Interactive content can include anything that can get the reader involved with the post, such as quizzes or surveys. 

Activities such as these can keep the reader engaged and can help them understand the topic more clearly. Moreover, if the reader feels more involved with a blog piece, they’re likely to feel more valued as a consumer as well.

Marketing your blog

While the quality in content has managed to improve, planning and writing blog posts are only half the work. This is especially true in 2020, where more and more blog content is being uploaded. If you aren’t marketing your articles, then they’re only going to be seen by those that happen to be browsing your website.

In order to generate real traffic, you need to engage with readers in other ways to give out brand presence. If your company already has its own social media platform such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Linkedin, these are great places to spread your work. 

Post your articles regularly across these platforms to attract readers to your website. If you have room in your budget, you can even create a paid advertisement on Facebook, which can guarantee clicks. The option to cater the advert to your target audience is possible as well, so you know that you’re only paying for the appropriate people to click on the ad banner.

Conclusion

When writing a blog post, it’s crucial to understand that the process is always changing. Staying up to date and consistently developing written content will build engagement and rank highly in the search engines. It’s important to stay up to date with trends in the world of content marketing. 

While the time and effort you need to invest in blogging are increasing, so are the results. Keep these trends in mind and if you implement them properly, you’re sure to be happy with the results you’ll get in 2020. 

If you’re looking for a content marketing solution that actually brings in results, reach out to us and we’ll take good care of you! 🙂