--- title: How to make a blog to increase qualified traffic in 5 steps description: Ever wondered how to make a blog that Google will fall in love with as much as your readers do? You needn’t be intimidated. It’s easier than you think. image: https://blog.gravitydigital.com/hubfs/howtomakeablog.jpg --- [![gravity-digital-logo-1](https://blog.gravitydigital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/gravity-digital-logo-1.png?width=171&name=gravity-digital-logo-1.png)](http://gravitydigital.com/)   - [Home](https://gravitydigital.com/) - [About](https://gravitydigital.com/healthcare-marketing-agency/) - [Results](https://gravitydigital.com/results/) - [Video Campaigns](https://gravitydigital.com/video-campaigns/) - [Blog](https://blog.gravitydigital.com/) - [Try a 90-Day Scale or Bail Campaign](https://gravitydigital.com/90-day-scale-or-bail-campaign/) [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.gravitydigital.com%2Fhow-to-make-a-blog-to-increase-qualified-traffic-in-5-steps%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/linkedin-24x24.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.gravitydigital.com%2Fhow-to-make-a-blog-to-increase-qualified-traffic-in-5-steps%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.gravitydigital.com%2Fhow-to-make-a-blog-to-increase-qualified-traffic-in-5-steps%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.gravitydigital.com%2Fhow-to-make-a-blog-to-increase-qualified-traffic-in-5-steps%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=How%20to%20make%20a%20blog%20to%20increase%20qualified%20traffic%20in%205%20steps) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fblog.gravitydigital.com%2Fhow-to-make-a-blog-to-increase-qualified-traffic-in-5-steps%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fblog.gravitydigital.com%2Fhow-to-make-a-blog-to-increase-qualified-traffic-in-5-steps%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) # How to make a blog to increase qualified traffic in 5 steps [Casey O'Quinn](https://blog.gravitydigital.com/author/casey-oquinn) / July 29, 2016 / [Website Best Practices](https://blog.gravitydigital.com/topic/website-best-practices) ![how to make a blog](https://blog.gravitydigital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/howtomakeablog.jpg?width=375&name=howtomakeablog.jpg "how to make a blog")There’s a reason [76% of marketers](https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/25-little-known-blogging-statistics-to-boost-your-strategy-in-2016)are blogging more this year. Sites with a blog [gain 434% more attention](https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/25-little-known-blogging-statistics-to-boost-your-strategy-in-2016) from search engines, and almost half of marketers call blogging their most critical content marketing tool. If you’ve ever wondered [how to make a blog](https://blog.gravitydigital.com/how-do-i-start-a-blog) that Google will fall in love with as much as your readers do, you needn’t be intimidated. It’s easier than you think. **-1) How to Make a Blog with Buyer Personas** Marketing online without buyer personas is like trying to shoot flies with a cannon. You might hit a few flies, but you’ll damage your assets at a low chance of success. Shooting fish in barrels is far more effective, and this is what buyer personas achieve. They locate your potential customers and herd them into one place. Before you set words to the page, you need to find out how to craft a strong message that attracts your ideal clients. [You need to](http://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2014/10/28/how-to-develop-your-buyer-persona-and-reel-in-better-customers/#273cedd1791b): - Collect information on your demographic's income, occupations, interests, locale, and education level. - Find out what problems they want solutions for and what goals they want to achieve. - Discover where they travel online and which social media they use. Tools like SurveyMoz and FluidSurveys help you to tap into your existing buyers’ habits and characteristics. **-2) Keywords and Search Optimization** After Google Hummingbird and Penguin arrived, your blog’s engagement rates became more important to your rank than your page views. Engaged readers share content, leaving social media signals in their stead at no charge to you. Relevant long tail keywords remain a powerful SEO tool, but if you cram too many of them into your posts, you’ll be penalized. Use [Google Adwords](https://adwords.google.com/KeywordPlanner) to research ideas and insights. **-3) Calls to Action** A robust call to action turns a dead blog post into one that gains traction. Clearly stating your most important goal as an invitation will engage your audience, too. Your conversion goal needn't be an immediate purchase. You might invite comments, shares, or clicks into your website. Every interaction has SEO value because Google is constantly looking for signs of engagement. **-4) Promoting your Blog** Once you’ve moved beyond the question of how to make a blog, you’ll need to harness traffic from other parts of the web. Your website, social media pages, and outbound marketing contacts are obvious (and free) ways to capture your existing audience and gain new readers. Search engines recognise that many of the most reputable sites carry outbound links to blogs. They let you track your traffic, make your site more valuable for readers, and gain trust rank. A [domain level trust metric](https://moz.com/linkscape/help/value#trust-metrics) tells you which other links you should use to improve your search results. **-5) Keeping Track of Performance** Marketing 1.01 teaches you to analyse your campaigns at every point so that you can adjust, and this is even more important online. We live in the age of big data, and it’s never been cheaper to track your success. Your [metrics must measure](http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/08/15/10-online-marketing-metrics-you-need-to-be-measuring/#3cc70ec0355f): - Total visits - The number of new readers you receive - Traffic from referrals - Number of conversions in terms of ROI, clicks to your site, and purchases - Reader retention rates KISSMetrics and Moz offer the most sparkling analytics apps, and some blogging sites offer their own tools. No data has value until it’s used to make improvements, so keep measuring and adjusting your strategy to reach your goals. The ultimate blog is engaging at its core. If your readers enjoy it, so will search engines. If you’re ready to see your content marketing rates soar, watch our “How to Make a Blog” video: [![Try a 90-Day Scale or Bail Campaign!](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2103944/7f14422f-b39f-4916-81fd-df064a3bc167.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2103944/7f14422f-b39f-4916-81fd-df064a3bc167) ![](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/837d1c611170325ac1cad8390cb0217f)About the Author [Casey O'Quinn](https://blog.gravitydigital.com/author/casey-oquinn) Casey founded Gravity Digital in 2000 after serving as the Internet Services Director for a Nashville-based Ad Agency. He's a rare breed that operates both left and right brain, so along with oversight of the company he's active in the creative process for our clients. Follow Casey O'Quinn: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseyoquinn) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/caseyoquinn) S [![New call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2103944/8eaa05cc-1d19-4b18-bccc-f48d723c860c.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2103944/8eaa05cc-1d19-4b18-bccc-f48d723c860c) ### RECENT POSTS ### CATEGORIES - [Healthcare Marketing (22)](https://blog.gravitydigital.com/topic/healthcare-marketing) - [Sales & Marketing (18)](https://blog.gravitydigital.com/topic/sales-marketing) - [Website Best Practices (15)](https://blog.gravitydigital.com/topic/website-best-practices) - [Doctor Marketing (11)](https://blog.gravitydigital.com/topic/doctor-marketing) - [Social Media (4)](https://blog.gravitydigital.com/topic/social-media) - [Creating Awareness and Engagement (2)](https://blog.gravitydigital.com/topic/creating-awareness-and-engagement) see all ### Subscribe to Email Updates COPYRIGHT ©2020 GRAVITY DIGITAL. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 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