Written by Lizzie Combs

You started your ecommerce business blog with the best of intentions. You knew it was good for SEO and brand credibility, and— if you’re being honest— you just felt like you were supposed to have a blog.

Now it’s fallen on the back burner. You think it could be better, but you’re not sure how. Or how to make it happen.

As a marketing strategist, I’ve heard versions of this story many times. I get it: You have a business to run, and you’re not a full-time blogger. It’s true that a good blog is valuable, but I promise it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are five straightforward steps you can take to improve your blog content and make it pay off for your business.

Establish authority and blog post topics

The first step is a two-parter. In order to determine what you should write about, you need to consider why readers should trust you. Where does your brand’s expertise lie?

Once you've picked a few subjects you can speak to with some authority, don't be shy! Spell out why your brand has chosen these topics. It's a subtle way of saying, "You can trust us on this."

Take Primary, a children's clothing brand started by two moms. The post 15 Tips for Taking Your Own Great Family Photos covers a struggle parents understand all too well: it’s clearly relevant to Primary’s audience. The first sentence establishes why Primary is covering this subject. The post goes on to list some seriously helpful tips, and it ends with a link to buy pajamas for the whole fam for your holiday photoshoot.

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When brainstorming ideas for your blog, ask yourself:

Think through these questions and create a list of topics that you can cover.

Make a blog content plan

Now someone has to actually write this stuff.

If you're doing it yourself, establish a realistic cadence. Maybe that's one post a month. That’s okay! Crafting original content takes time. Aim for consistency and quality over quantity.

It's a good idea to build out a content calendar so you can stay ahead of what's coming, particularly if you have big product drops or seasonal content in mind. Thinking ahead is especially important if you’re planning on collaborating with other creatives, like artists or designers.

Indie bookstore City Lights keeps their content calendar simple yet effective by following the same format for every post: five questions with a featured author.