Have you ever wondered why some wine is so expensive?
A week ago, I hosted a party at my house. Since I knew that all of the attendees are social drinkers, I figured wine would be a proper choice for a drink.
So I went to the local wine store looking to find some good tasting drinks (yes, this article is about eCommerce, you’ve read the title right). I was in a little bit of a hurry since I wanted to also read the labels carefully to make myself sound like an expert if someone asks me why I’ve made that choice (shhh, don’t tell anybody).
When I took a good at the wines they had at the store, I discovered that prices for a lot of wines cost above $300, which made me wonder what actually costs to make a bottle of such wine. Also, I wanted to find out whether that expensive wine was better than the bottle I bought, which was a lot cheaper.
That’s when I went online in an effort to find out the reason why some wine is so expensive and discovered this article from Wine Folly. It was called “Why is Wine so Expensive?” and it had answers to all my questions.
I’ll share my findings in this article because I found the article to be a great example of eCommerce blogging.
Why Start a Blog for Your eCommerce Store?
Well, for starters, you’ll build an image of a credible source of information. When I started Googling “Why is Wine Expensive,” I came across multiple blogs examples that either didn’t have an answer or were written in a way that made me feel like I was doing work.
Now, Wine Folly is definitely my go-to source for all matters related to wine.
Next, the fact that a business supplied me with useful information definitely meant that I started to trust them more. That’s another major reason to start a blog since 99 percent of visitors won’t buy on their visit to your store. You have to let them know that you’re an expert company able to provide professional advice on products that interest them.
The third reason to start an eCommerce blog is, of course, to improve the position of your store in Google results. The search giant’s guidelines have made it clear that it supports content that its users find helpful, so you have a chance of ranking high as long as you meet this requirement.
Since a high position in Google results, as well as a good reputation among visitors is something that you need to be successful, let’s now move on to the steps to creating a blog that will help you to achieve this goal.
5 Steps to Take to Create a Great Blog for Your eCommerce Website
Step 1: Brainstorm Topics
The article “Why is Wine so Expensive?” was written with a specific purpose: to help readers understand what goes into the price of a bottle of wine. That’s something that all people interesting wine think about at some point, so this is definitely a must-read for the target audience of Wine Folly.
In fact, here’s an illustration explaining what makes wine “cheap” or expensive” (maybe you’ll find this useful as well).
Credit: Wine Folly
So the main takeaway here is that your eCommerce content topics should be helpful to your target audience and resemble questions they have or issues they experience with something that you can help with.
In fact, if you look at the image of the introduction of the Wine Folly article, you’ll notice two questions:
“Is there really a difference between cheap and expensive wine?”
And,
“Is more expensive wine better?”
By the way, these were exactly the same questions that I had on my mind while I was standing in the wine aisle that day.
Step 2: Write a List of Specific Keywords
Since making Google fall in love with your blog is a must, using keywords that your target audience uses to find content like yours will be a great first step in the right direction. There are several ways to go about this:
- Google’s own Keyword Planner. A free and amazing option to find popular keywords, search volume sizes, and lots of other information that can inform your eCommerce content marketing strategy.
- Google’s Related Searches section. Here’s what it had for “Why is Wine so Expensive,” and it can really inspire you to create more focused keywords (and topics for articles, too!)
- Make a list of the keywords that you’re going to be using in your content and use them. A documented strategy will help you to be consistent with your effort.
Step 3: Write Long, Informative Content
If you’re thinking of writing 500-word articles, think again. A recent survey of bloggers performed by Orbit Media found that:
- The length of a typical blog post in 2018 was 1,151 words
- It takes 3 hours, 28 minutes to write one typical blog article
- More than 50 percent of bloggers who write 2,000+ word articles reported “strong results”
Credit: Orbit Media
Besides, if you really want a shot against competitors (many of which are investing millions into content production), it makes a perfect sense to create informative, rich content that provides detailed explanations to your potential customers.
This is especially important when you’re writing guides, how-to articles, and pieces on complex topics that require a thorough analysis. For help with writing such detailed articles and keeping them focused and reader-centered, feel free to consult with online writing tools like:
- HotEssayService. Get professional advice on blog writing for eCommerce and improve idea flow, tone, language, and calls to action.
- Hemingway Editor. Paste your text into the editor and it’ll show you complex sentences, passive use overuse, and other readability issues
- GrabMyEssay. Get templates to help you write engaging and clear posts as well as advice on keywords.
By the way, “Why is Wine So Expensive?” had 700 words. Not bad, this could be a good starting point for your blog, too.
Step 4: Publish Consistently
If for some reason Wine Folly blog stops sharing articles, then I would have no choice but to look for information somewhere else. You see what I mean? With the content competition being so fierce, failing to produce content on a consistent basis is a sure-fire way to give away readers to competitors.
Here’s some food for thought. The abovementioned Orbit Media survey found the following results on the frequency of publishing.
Step 5: Connect with Readers
To bond with your blog’s audience and make them feel at home, you should definitely respond to comments made by your readers. This is one of the basic skills for bloggers that also works to build your reputation as an expert, which is important in eCommerce.
For example, a reader may ask you about tips on how to find a better product or about a certain feature that a product has, and responding to comments like these is a must. On top of that, checking your response for grammar and spelling mistakes and proper tone is also a must. Thankfully, there are online proofreading tools like SupremeDissertations and Grammarly, created specifically for that.
Here’s how Madeline Puckette, the author of “Why is Wine so Expensive?” (and one of the founders of the blog, according to Wine Folly) responded to one of the comments below the article (by the way, she replied to multiple readers, too, which shows that she read the comments).
On top of that, her answer is really detailed and well thought-out, which also supports the fact that she is an experienced sommelier.
Doing so shows once again that you’re there to engage your readers and help them, not just sell. So, feel free to respond to your readers, spark a conversion around a topic, and they will return for more.
Great Blogs Benefit eCommerce Businesses
Hopefully this simple demonstration of how an eCommerce blog can be impactful has inspired you to share your wisdom and become a go-to information source in your niche. Wine Folly has helped me to understand wine pricing and how to select a good wine (and of course, buy some wines to become a bit more knowledgeable on the topic), and I certainly appreciated that.
You could do the same for your customers, too, and the blog will be the tool that connects you with them, in a very meaningful way. Happy blogging!
