Yachting Blogs: 5 common blogging mistakes and how to avoid them

Recently, a yachting company asked me if I could tweak a few of their blogs.

I read them and most needed a complete rewrite.?One was so off-brand I told them it needed to hit the recycling bin.

The aim of blog posts is to be read by your target audience, generate leads and increase your visibility.

Blogs can drive huge traffic to your website and sales pages if you know what you’re doing.??

And if done correctly, the digital juice from those blog posts lingers (yesterday I found one of my blog posts still sitting on page 1 of Google, six years after I wrote it).?Can you imagine??Six years occupying prime internet real estate without paying to roll big bucks for premium sponsored ads.?(Ouch, I can hear the gasps already in some yachting company boardrooms).

Here are 5 common blogging mistakes and how to avoid them (it took me 10 years+ of original blog writing before ChatGPT launched to learn these!)

1) IGNORING YOUR AUDIENCE

Search engines need to see focus.?

Choose topics in your niche that you know about, then use blog posts to showcase your expertise.

If you’re using AI tools to give you a list of hot topics, be warned - you will not rank fast enough if you publish generic fluffy yachting blogs.?Everyone has read?’5 hottest yacht charter destinations in the Mediterranean’ before.

Your blog posts will rank faster once search engines understand what you’re an expert in.?

2) IGNORING TOPIC RESEARCH & KEYWORD ANALYSIS

It’s important to balance topic popularity with industry competition, however, without research and keyword analysis your blogs won't rank.

I could write 5 blogs daily about why I love drinking coffee.?? But that’s not my professional passion, nor does it bring me yachting clientele.

You need to write about topics that your target audience searches for.?Incorporate long-tail keywords for building expertise.

A few useful tools are Ahrefs, Google Trends and SEMrush.?You’re welcome.

3) TRYING TO BE CLEVER

Reality bites ??: search engines don’t rank headlines crafted by your witty sense of humour.??Those pesky search engine bots need clarity to rank your authority and industry knowledge.?

There is an ongoing problem in the superyacht sector with clickbait and sensationalized headlines, it drives me nuts! Disadvantages include a high bounce rate, loss of customer trust and low-grade content.

Headlines can be creative and build intrigue, however, save the cryptic and clever words for social media.?Or your next party trick.

4)?IGNORING INTERNAL LINKS & BACKLINKS

You know how I mentioned SEO juice??Yes, links can be a turbo boost for your blog posts.?Include a few internal links in every blog post, and if you add an external backlink (especially to any press coverage you’ve gained) this helps.

Whatever your process, don’t buy links.?Link farming targeting the superyacht sector is real: Two years ago, a 'yacht marketing specialist' offered me 120 backlinks for €50.?Every backlink came from a low-ranking website selling cat food, lawn mowers or home decor items.?Completely damaging (of course I declined) but take this as a warning. ??

Focus on creating high-quality valuable content first.

Ensure external backlinks are relevant and come from reputable sources.

Don't guest blog (or accept guest blogs) linking to crappy non-relevant websites.

5) LACKING CONSISTENCY

Nothing kills a blog faster than running out of things to talk about.?

I could name 8 yachting companies right now who have blogs sitting dormant on their website since Bruno Mars won Album of the Year at the Grammys.?Snoozing before cruising is an understatement.

Put a content plan and schedule in place so you can post consistently. ???

Sign up for industry newsletters for inspiration, join yachting-specific Facebook groups to follow news and trends, and look at?Answer The Public,?BuzzSumo, Google Trends, Reddit and YouTube before you feign defeat with?’nothing to write about'.

IN SUMMARY

Do you want long-term sustained traffic or short-term surges can suffice?

If you hate idea generation, or investing in skilled copywriters isn't likely to happen before Elon reaches Mars, then AI tools such as ChatGPT or Writesonic can be a good starting point.

If you want original blog posts that rank well, you know where to find me:??? [email protected]

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