Do you use the sidebar of your blog to its full potential? Have you strategically thought about how to use this valuable space? Today I’m going to explain how to optimize the sidebar of your blog for usability and conversions.
If the sidebar of your blog is cluttered with tons of ads and links then it isn’t going to do you or your visitors any good. Not many businesses realize the importance of their blog sidebar and how it can help to increase engagement and conversions. Your blog sidebar should have a purpose and be filled with content that is useful to your visitors.
Here are some tips on how to optimize your website sidebar:
Mini Bio
The first thing you can do to improve your blog sidebar is to add a mini bio… even if it is a business blog. It is very common for bloggers to have a mini bio however it’s not as common for business blogs. You probably already know that people connect better with people and so humanising your blog will help them connect with it better.
You can have a dedicated author in your company for the mini bio and then if you have other employees who write then they can be guest bloggers.
Opt-In Form
So very many businesses tend to add their opt-in forms in the footer of their website but how many people actually scroll down to the bottom of your website. If your goal is to turn blog visitors into email contacts then move your opt-it form from the footer of your website to the sidebar of your blog.
You can further optimize this opt-in form by adding a compelling headline and offer to entice visitors to want to give up their email address. You can split test this as many times to continue to improve conversions from your blog.
Social Media Feed Snippets
Instagram Plugin – InstaLink Lite
When you have a landing page, marketers will (and should) tell you that trust signals are needed in order to build trust with visitors. What many marketers and businesses forget though is that trust signals on your blog are also important so visitors can rely on the information you are providing.
You can add these trust signals by adding a social media feed snippet to the sidebar of your blog. This way visitors will be able to see your followers interacting with you which will instil trust that you care about your customers and they care about you.
Search Box
Many people don’t have the time to casually read through your many blog posts to find the information they’re looking for. These people want to find the answer to their question quickly which is why having a search box on the sidebar of your blog is important. Make sure that the search box can easily be seen at a glimpse as soon as they land on the blog and isn’t something they have to go hunting for.
Do you get many opt-ins from your blog? Connect with us on Twitter or Google and let us know.
