If you have ever struggled with the task of finding an idea for a new article or blog post, you are part of the club of millions of writers from around the world that have struggled with the same thing. While coming up with new ideas for articles, it can be even more frustrating and difficult to come up with entirely new subjects that may pique the interests of your readers and grow your following at the same time. When you explore this avenue of content marketing and enhancement, you have to be very careful to keep a balance between the interests of your existing readers and that of any who may show up as a result of changes. How can you select the best topics that will make everyone happy? Continue reading to find out what the process looks like and how you can be successful at it.

Search Through Your Data

You have a ton of data that can be analysed and compared, and you might not even know it! Each and every time you are pinging search engines with content, you create an opportunity for that content to be enjoyed by the rest of the world. The first place you should check to brainstorm ideas for new topics is to see which posts have performed the best. Next, you want to compare your competition’s posts in the same way, which may shed light on how they have managed to keep up with you in search rankings as well. Finally, you will want to search your social media platforms and any networks where you connect with influencers. These three areas – your existing posts, your competition’s posts and your other social networks – can be great places to begin the search for new topics.

Ask Your Readers

It never hurts to ask your readers what they think about your current content and what else they would like to see on your blog or website. First, however, you need to know what specific questions to ask in addition to straightforward, open-ended inquiries. With the data you collected prior, you can narrow down a broader series of questions into something that is both manageable and focused. Rather than asking readers what topics they would like to see covered, focus on your best-performing posts and build your questions around these confines.

Refine Your Criteria

With several topics and ideas now in hand, you only need to refine which ones best suit your strategies. For example, does the topic fit well with your brand’s mission? Will your audience appreciate the information that is being provided and find it useful? Are you providing a solution to an existing problem? Is this topic a feasible topic on which you can write extensively? Last but not least: can it make money for you? Ideally, your topics will fall into the affirmative for all of those aforementioned questions.

Conclusion

Before you can effectively select and promote additional topics on your website or blog, you must first engage in three actions. First, compile and sift through your data to determine which topics may be the best initial ideas for exploration. Next, survey your existing audience to find out their thoughts on these and other interesting subjects. Finally, refine your criteria to meet stringent guidelines designed to keep you earning revenue and pinging search engines with content. This is the best process for anyone who wishes to add new types of content to their overall content strategies but is unsure where to begin.