You’ve just written a killer blog post filled with helpful content, and you’re ready to share it with the world. But before you hit “publish,” there are a few things to consider.
Having a successful blog doesn’t just mean writing great content. You need to think not only about how readers are engaging with your content, but how they’re interacting with the blog itself. Do they read it on their phones? Are they sharing posts to social media? Have they signed up for your email list?
All these factors are influenced by the structure of your blog template. In this post, I’ll go over four ways to optimize your blog template to increase conversions and keep readers coming back for more.
1. A Well-Placed Subscription Form
The placement of your blog subscription form is key to generating sign-ups. Make sure the form is easy to find and eye-catching. The first step is to add the Blog Email Subscription module in a prominent place on your blog template. If you have a sidebar section in your blog, the top of the sidebar is a good place to put this form. If not, try placing it below the Blog Content module. This means the form will appear below the main body of your blog posts.
Make sure the form pops by using a colorful button and easy-to-read font. Here’s an example of a subscription form on the HubSpot marketing blog.
The form appears in the sidebar, and its orange background helps it stand out on the page where everything else has a gray background. The simple text (“Subscribe to Our Blog”) makes it absolutely clear what action visitors are meant to take.
2. Visible Social Sharing Icons
Your blog is a no-brainer for driving traffic to your social profiles. Visitors who spend enough time on your blog to read at least some of your content will most likely be interested in your social media content, too. Make it easy for them to find your social profiles and share your blog post to their own feeds by adding Blog Social Sharing options and a Follow Me module.
You can manage your Blog Social Sharing options under your blog settings in HubSpot. Select the networks you want to allow readers to share your posts to, and those icons will be automatically added to your blog template.
You can also add a Follow Me module to the bottom of your blog template or in the sidebar, which enables visitors to follow you on your social media channels. The recent update to the Follow Me module means more social network options, beautiful icons, and one-click implementation. Check out this article for step-by-step instructions on configuring the Follow Me options and adding the module to your template.
3. Mobile-Responsive Design
According to StatCounter, over half of web traffic worldwide comes from mobile or tablet devices. That means that now, more than ever, having a responsive website is critical to success. The same goes for your blog.
All HubSpot templates are responsive by default because of a built-in grid framework. You can ensure your blog looks great on mobile by using large, easy-to-read text, high-resolution images, a simple layout, and a mobile-friendly navigation menu.
To test out how your blog post will look on mobile before publishing it, use the Preview option in the blog post editor. You can select mobile and tablet views of your post to ensure it looks perfect on any screen size. For step-by-step instructions, take a look at this article.
4. A Recent or Popular Posts Section
Finally, engage your readers’ interest by offering them more excellent content. You can do this by adding a Recent Posts or Popular Posts section to your blog template.
Here's how to do this in your Hubspot account:
In your design manager tool, drag the Post Listing module into your template where you want it to appear. Below the Blog Content module or in the sidebar are good places to try, but choose what works best for you.
Then, navigate to the right sidebar menu. Use the dropdown menues to select whether you want to show the most recent or most popular posts, and select the number of posts to include.
Ready to apply what you learned?
Now that you’ve optimized your blog template, you can focus on writing amazing content. If you want to learn more about blogging in HubSpot, check out this lesson from HubSpot Academy.
Want to connect with others on HubSpot tips, tricks, and updates? Head over to the HubSpot Community to join a conversation or start one of your own.
