6 Blogging Trends to Capitalize on This Year

It’s no secret that blogs can be very profitable in the world of content marketing.

Over 409 million people view blogs each month, bringing brand awareness, consumer trust, and a higher likelihood of positive returns. What’s more, blogging results in a 434 percent increase in indexed pages and a 93 percent increase in indexed links.

This means more inbound traffic and more repeat customers for your company. What’s not to like?

That said, there are 8.2 million blog posts being uploaded worldwide each month, and that talent pool is only growing. To stay competitive, you need to be on top of the latest blogging trends and keep up to date with content marketing strategies.

Here are some of the biggest blogging trends to look out for this year, along with quick and easy ways to implement them into your blogging strategy.

Blogging Trend #1: Visual Content

No blogging trends list would be complete without reminding you of the importance of visual content.

There’s no doubt about it; visual content is on the rise. Studies have shown that readers can recall 65 percent of the visual content they’ve seen, even three days later.

That’s a big boost for your brand’s visibility and retention.

As blogs become longer and more detailed, design and interactivity grow in importance. Visual content can offer readers a way to scan content without reading it all the way through.

Only 16 percent of online readers take in content word-by-word. The rest are scanning, looking for quick and efficient information.

If you want readers to stay on your page, be engaged, and promote your content on other platforms. This will make your information easy to scan and remember – simply by using visuals.

Blogging Trend #2: Affiliate Marketing

Another important factor in today’s blogging trends is the implementation of affiliate marketing links in your blog content.

Affiliate marketing allows you to create an ongoing sales funnel outside your website.

For example, if you’re running a B2C business, you might hire a blogger to write a review post about your product. From there, you could offer their followers a discount if they buy it from that post.

Not only does this improve your sales reach, but it also introduces you to new audiences.

Blogs make up more than 40 percent of all affiliate commissions in the U.S. – making affiliate marketers an average of $65,800 per year.

It’s no wonder affiliate marketing is one of the hottest blogging trends of the year. So how can you take advantage of this technique?

Blogging Trend #3: Critical Readers

One of the more relevant blogging trends today is the inclusion of critical readers in your audience pool because public perception of online content is changing.

With terms like “fake news” and increased competition for content, readers are less willing to trust content that isn’t reputable.

Today’s reader needs reassurance that your content is accurate and fair. They expect citations, sources, and statistics to back up your claims. Likewise, you need to keep in mind the scope of content that’s readily available online.

Every year, more people and more brands enter the blogging scene.

To stay competitive and harness your SEO, you need to write content that is verified and well-sourced.

Blogging Trend #4: Mobile-First Format

Blogging trends often come and go, but mobile-first formatting is here to stay. These days, everyone uses their phone to read online.

From news articles in your Facebook feed to swipe-up blogs on Instagram, your consumers are constantly surfing the web from their phones.

It’s crucial that your website, blog, and any other digital content you create is optimized for mobile. No one wants to click on an article only to have it pixelated or cut off on their screen.

If you don’t have mobile optimization set up, you risk readers logging off before they have a chance to read your content. A study from Small Biz Genius shows that 88% of consumers won’t return to a website if they’ve had a bad experience.

Blogging Trend #5: Estimated Reading Time

Another recurring theme in modern blogging trends is estimated reading times.

Estimated reading time can improve reader engagement by setting up their expectations from the start.

If you know a blog takes 15 minutes to read, but you only have 10 minutes before your next meeting, you might save that blog for another day. Likewise, if a blog takes two minutes to read, you may get excited about the convenient length of the article and open it right away.

Tempesta found that readers were 40 percent more engaged with blogs that included an estimated reading time. What’s more, search engines factor in estimated reading times when determining your rank. The longer your users dwell on your page, the better your chances are of looking authoritative to search engines.

Blogging Trend #6: TL;DR Summary

One of the latest blogging trends you shouldn’t miss is the “too long; didn’t read” summary.

Commonly referred to as TL;DR, these summaries act as an abstract of your blog, giving readers the most important information without making them skim, scan, or read through the entire piece.

This point is important in blogging trends as we continue to see global attention spans drop.

A study by Microsoft found that global attention spans have been declining since 2000, with the average person’s attention span now resting at a mere eight seconds.

By including a TL;DR summary at the start of your blog, you can appeal to the new generation of online readers.

TL;DR summaries can also have a positive impact on your SEO, as they answer questions for readers clearly and distinctly. For example, if a customer is looking for consulting services, they don’t want to read an entire post just to get to the recommendations at the bottom.

If you include your TL;DR at the top of your post, search engines can use that as the summary in search results as well (but there’s no guarantee that they will).

Answering user questions right off the bat can improve your ranking and get you more clicks.