Categories
Content and Copywriting

Given that e-commerce primarily involves showcasing products and awaiting customers, one may question the need for a blog. However, is there merit in investing resources into blog creation?

81% of customers research online before making a purchase, and if you want to reach them, you should invest in the visibility of your e-commerce site. Blogging remains one of the ways to achieve this.

Blogging is often overlooked by many e-commerce business owners. The quality of content on some existing blogs is underwhelming, creating an impression of a lack of concern for customers’ needs beyond monetary gain.

In the long term, businesses that prioritize customer care are the most successful. A functional blog can demonstrate this concern. Since e-commerce blogs are not trying to achieve thought leadership, they often commit conspicuous errors that can repel potential customers.

From failing to understand your audience to neglecting SEO, we’ll explore the common blogging mistakes that could be holding your e-commerce blog back and provide actionable tips on how to avoid them.

Why does an e-commerce site need a blog?

Here are some reasons your e-commerce site should have a blog:

Engage customers:

You can share pictures, videos, tips, and even success stories of other customers who have used your brand before. This way, your brand can become the first that pops up in your customer’s minds when they need guidance within your specific niche.

Build a community:

Behind every successful brand is a tribe that believes in and promotes it. Your website blog allows you to create a community feel where your readers can comment on the content you’ve produced. It will serve as an opportunity for you to hear from your customers and adjust to their needs.

Establish brand loyalty:

One of the greatest needs of human beings is to be heard, seen, and understood. If you can achieve this with your website content, you can gain loyal customers who’ll commit to using your products.

Once you can produce fun, relatable, and informative blog posts, you can connect deeply with your customers.

6 top e-commerce blogging mistakes to avoid

After reviewing over 15 e-commerce sites, less than half had a functional blog. And some that had been using it wrong. We identified 5 blogging mistakes you should avoid with your business.

Not having a blog

Many successful e-commerce sites like Allbirds, Kylie Cosmetics, and Pure Vida exist without a blog. However, it’s still not a risk you should take, especially if you’re just starting. Unless you’re insanely popular or doing well with referrals and word-of-mouth, you need a blog.

An e-commerce blog helps you improve your ranking on search engines and helps you develop your brand as a go-to solution for your customers. Your blog stands as one of the emotional bridges to your audience for business growth.

Zero focus

Most e-commerce sites are more concerned about posting about anything without choosing specific topics they’ll be known for. Centering on topics too broad for your blogs to cover makes it difficult for customers to identify content that addresses their pain points.

Worse still, some e-commerce brands discuss topics unrelated to their specific niche. This only confuses readers and makes your brand look unprofessional. Making your e-commerce blog come off as a lifestyle blog is an inconsistent approach that your budget cannot cover.

Inconsistency with posts

After checking over 15 e-commerce sites with a blog, less than half were consistent with their posts.

Despite BLK & BOLD‘s success in the coffee industry, the blog has only one post in 2023 and 5 throughout 2022. And most of the topics were updates rather than blog content to educate their target audience.

However, brands like GymShark have consistent posts on their website blog that educates their customers and enhances their decision-making process. Despite GymShark’s impressive social media presence, they combine their functional blog with meeting the needs of their customers.

Without consistency, all your efforts will only be futile.

Irrelevant and poorly structured content

E-commerce sites are fond of simply dumping blog posts without considering how they resonate with their target audience.

 

blogging mistakes

 

Although Shopify lists Good Fair as one of its top stores to inspire entrepreneurs, the blog content on the latter has a poor structure. This article about a vibe shift is simply a combination of different links that are unreadable and difficult for readers to follow.

Also, the article links to topics on cryptocurrency, Will Smith’s Oscar slap, and the Western world order. These topics have zero relevance to the clothes and accessories that GoodFair sells.

Terrible design

Customers are stimulated by what they see, and your designs must appeal to their senses. Most e-commerce sites put extra effort into making their main pages look great and easy to navigate.

However, blogging mistakes like inconsistent fonts and design make it look disjointed from the other parts of the website.

Ignoring SEO

Most e-commerce blogs show a poor understanding of SEO through their poor headlines, article structure, and even readability level.

Consistency doesn’t only apply to how many times you should post but also to your articles’ focus, relevance, structure, design, and SEO.

Without optimizing your content for search engines, potential customers may not be able to find your website, resulting in missed sales opportunities.

Using an SEO tool like Semrush will make your job easier, and you can always hire an SEO analyst to get the job done.

Conclusion

Although some e-commerce websites consider blogs non-essential, specific techniques can alter the perception and increase their effectiveness. These include focusing on your niche, consistently posting relevant and well-structured content, incorporating thoughtful design, and optimizing for search engines.

Most e-commerce website builders make it easy for you to integrate blog functionality into your store, especially Shopify, Wix, and BigCommerce.

However, for those who may not have the time or resources to do so, working with Ojehs, Inc. can be a valuable investment. Our writers use their expertise to create and execute effective blogging strategies that align with your business goals.


 

    Become an insider

    Receive fresh insights for effective inbound marketing. It’s concise, non-intrusive, and weekly.