6 Ways to Generate Blog Post Ideas for Your Website

Having a blog or news page is a great way to consistently publish new content on your website. However, you don't want to let it sit inactive for long periods of time – this can make your site appear abandoned to both users and search engines.

Many businesses struggle to post regularly, either because they find it difficult to come up with ideas or because they run out of time to create content.

This guide provides practical ways to spark inspiration and keep your blog active.

1. Keep Up With Business and Industry News

Consider what's happening within your business or industry and use that news to generate ideas. Share your perspective on important events and developments. You don't need to go into great depth – focus on summarising major announcements in an easy-to-understand way and explain how your customers may be affected.

Business News Ideas:

• New premises
• Past and upcoming events
• Staff changes
• Building works or renovations
• Significant anniversaries

Industry News Ideas:

• New or updated regulations
• Emerging Trends
• Manufacturing or supplier updates

2. Review Your Products and Services

A good way to approach this is to think about the kinds of conversations you have with customers when selling your products or services. What questions do they ask? What information do they need before making a decision?

This is an especially good option for eCommerce websites because you have physical products to discuss, but it can also work well for service-based businesses.

Blog posts allow you to go more in-depth on a product or service than you would typically include on a standard product or service page.

Ideas of What to Write About:

• How your product or service solves customers' problems
• Features and benefits
• Common use cases and case studies
• Comparisons between different options
• Set-up or getting-started guides

3. Use Keyword and Search Research

Look into what your customers are searching for online. What keywords and search phrases are they using? Start with these as a base and use them to find related topics that align with your expertise.

Mind maps are excellent tools for brainstorming and connecting ideas. Place your keywords around the page and write down related ideas branching off each one.

Ways to Find Keywords:

• Check your website analytics to see how people are finding you
• Use the “People also ask” section in search engines to discover related questions
• Use a keyword tool to identify popular topics

If you have a recent SEO report for your website, you already have a solid foundation of research to work from. Alternatively, you can conduct this research yourself at any time.

4. Repurpose Existing Content

Consider what content you already have and identify topics you can expand on or rewrite for a different audience. Think outside the box – existing content isn't limited to written material. It can include presentations, webinars and podcasts as well.

Where to Find Existing Content:

• Old blog posts
• Social media posts
  • Many social media posts can also be republished as blog posts with minimal changes
  • Expand on popular posts by providing more detail
• Website pages
• Webinars
• Podcasts
• Business presentations
• TV appearances

It's also a good idea to revisit topics you haven't discussed in a while and refresh them with updated information.

5. Answer Your Customers’ Questions

Do you have a list of frequently asked questions? Blog posts are a great way to answer these questions in more detail than you would typically include in an accordion-style FAQ section.

Generating FAQ Blog Posts:

• Decide how many times a question should be asked before writing a post
  • This could be the first time it’s asked
  • Or it could depend on how broad the question is
• Keep track of every question customers ask
• Consider common issues your customers face and whether a blog post could provide a helpful answer

FAQ blog posts are valuable communication tools for both new and existing customers, giving you ready-made resources to answer common questions.

6. Ask Your Audience

At first glance, this may seem similar to answering customers' questions, but the difference lies in how you gather ideas and engage with your audience.

This method encourages participation by bringing your audience into the content creation process and giving them information they genuinely want to read. It is also more open-ended – perhaps your customers want a guide to a specific product or are interested in your opinion on an industry topic.

This approach also allows you to collect multiple ideas that you can save for future posts.

Where to Ask Your Audience:

• Social media
  • Run a poll asking followers to choose between topics
  • Create a post asking for suggestions in the comments
• A call-to-action at the bottom of your newsletter
• An on-site questionnaire
• A link in your email signature
• A tablet or questionnaire at checkout in a physical store

The best place to ask your audience will depend on who they are and how they interact with your business.

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There are many ways to generate blog post ideas, but the most effective topics are usually centred around your expertise and the information your customers want to read.

Using multiple idea-generation methods and keeping track of your ideas will help you build a well-rounded content plan. Maintaining an ongoing list of topics also ensures you never run out of things to write about.

Contact us today if you need help managing your website's blog schedule or planning future content.