Blogging tech issues got you down? Here’s what to do.

Blogging takes work and dedication – that’s no secret. But for many of our clients, their blog is their secret weapon. By maintaining a regular blogging schedule, brands can:

• Win over their target audience
• Share big updates
• Establish themselves as leaders in their industry
• Tell stories about their organization (and the people behind their organization)
• Dispel misinformation about their industry
• Bring traffic to their website, which is usually the hub of their digital strategy
• Make it easier for Google to find their site

 

But sometimes, blogging tech issues get in the way of creating and maintaining a successful blog. If that sounds familiar, we’ve got solutions to help you start enjoying the benefits of blogging ASAP!

Read on to find out how to overcome common blogging tech issues:

 

 

When your website can’t even host a blog

Many organizations focus on “traditional” communications, like news releases, website updates, presentations and conferences. And, of course, social media has been a key comms tool for years. But if you want to give your target audience in-depth insights into your work, achievements, industry and more, blogging is the way to go.

However, due to web platform constraints, some organizations might not be able to add blogs to their sites at all. If that’s the case for you, try this popular workaround: build a blog on a subdomain.

HubSpot defines subdomains this way: “When you visit a website, you may notice the URL in the search bar changes slightly based on your location on the site or which web page you’re viewing.”

So if your website is, say, www.goodwebsite.com, your blog’s subdomain could be blog.goodwebsite.com. It’s still a part of your website, but a subdomain gives you the freedom to work outside the constraints of your main site. It will also be easier to organize your site and help users find the sections they’re looking for.

When your blog takes way too long to load

No one’s got time for a slow blog. And if your blog’s page load time isn’t great, its rank could take a hit in Google’s search results.

Here are a few easy fixes:

• Optimize your images. Tools like Optimole will help you compress and reduce the size of images, which should give your page load time a major boost.
• Switch to a faster host.
• Find a website expert to help you clean up your site.

 

 

When your blog starts to look outdated

Once your blog is finally up and running, you can’t just set it and forget it. In the web design world, standards and trends change quickly. And that means you’ll need to reskin your blog every few years – especially if your brand’s visual identity changes.

So what does “reskinning” mean, exactly?

We love this definition from Navigator Multimedia:

“Reskinning a website isn’t as complex as it sounds. All it entails is making changes to the CSS of your site, the part that controls colours, pictures, fonts and styles. When you reskin a website, the structure doesn’t change. It’s like getting a makeover; what lies beneath stays the same.”

And while you’re at it, you can improve your blog’s functionality too. Google’s SEO standards evolve quickly, so why not update the backend while you spiff up your blog’s look?

Need help building or reskinning your blog? Struggling to keep up with your weekly blogging schedule? Get in touch with us!