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Blogs and blog resources

Blogs remain a powerful tool for promoting your Actors and establishing authority in the field. With social media, SEO, and other platforms, you might wonder if blogging is still relevant. The answer is a big yes. Writing blog posts can help you engage your users, share expertise, and drive organic traffic to your Actor.

Why blogs still matter​

  1. SEO. Blog posts are great for boosting your Actor’s search engine ranking. Well-written content with relevant keywords can attract users searching for web scraping or automation solutions. For example, a blog about “how to scrape social media profiles” could drive people to your Actor who might not find it on Google otherwise.
  2. Establishing authority. When you write thoughtful, well-researched blog posts, you position yourself as an expert in your niche. This builds trust and makes it more likely users will adopt your Actors.
  3. Long-form content. Blogs give you the space to explain the value of your Actor in-depth. This is especially useful for complex tools that need more context than what can fit into a README or product description.
  4. Driving traffic. Blog posts can be shared across social media, linked in webinars, and included in your Actor’s README. This creates multiple avenues for potential users to discover your Actor.

Good topics for blog posts​

  1. Problem-solving guides. Write about the specific problems your Actor solves. For example, if you’ve created an Actor that scrapes e-commerce reviews, write a post titled "How to automate e-commerce review scraping in 5 minutes". Focus on the pain points your tool alleviates.
  2. Actor use cases. Show real-world examples of how your Actor can be applied. These can be case studies or hypothetical scenarios like "Using web scraping to track competitor pricing."
  3. Tutorials and step-by-step guides. Tutorials showing how to use your Actor or similar tools are always helpful. Step-by-step guides make it easier for beginners to start using your Actor with minimal hassle.
  4. Trends. If you’ve noticed emerging trends in web scraping or automation, write about them. Tie your Actor into these trends to highlight its relevance.
  5. Feature announcements or updates. Have you recently added new features to your Actor? Write a blog post explaining how these features work and what makes them valuable.

🪄 These days, blog posts always need to be written with SEO in mind. Yeah, it's annoying to use keywords, but think of it this way: even if there's the most interesting customer story and amazing programming insights, but nobody can find it, it won't have the impact you want. Do try to optimize your posts with relevant keywords and phrases — across text, structure, and even images — to ensure they reach your target audience.

Factors to consider when writing a blog​

  1. Audience. Know your target audience. Are they developers, small business owners, or data analysts? Tailor your writing to match their technical level and needs.
  2. SEO. Incorporate relevant keywords naturally throughout your post. Don’t overstuff your content, but make sure it ranks for search queries like "web scraping tools", "automation solutions", or "how to scrape LinkedIn profiles". Remember to include keywords in H2 and H3 headings.
  3. Clarity and simplicity. Avoid jargon, especially if your target audience includes non-technical users. Use simple language to explain how your Actor works and why it’s beneficial.
  4. Visuals. Include screenshots, GIFs, or even videos to demonstrate your Actor’s functionality. Visual content makes your blog more engaging and easier to follow.
  5. Call to action (CTA). Always end your blog with a clear CTA. Whether it’s "try our Actor today" or "download the demo", guide your readers to the next step.
  6. Engage with comments. If readers leave comments or questions, engage with them. Answer their queries and use the feedback to improve both your blog and Actor.

Best places to publish blogs​

There are a variety of platforms where you can publish your blog posts to reach the right audience:

  1. Dev.to: It's a developer-friendly platform where technical content gets a lot of visibility, and a great place to publish how-to guides, tutorials, and technical breakdowns of your Actor.
  2. Medium: Allows you to reach a broader, less technical audience. It’s also good for writing about general topics like automation trends or how to improve data scraping practices.
  3. ScrapeDiary: Run by Apify, scrapediary.com is a blog specifically geared toward Apify community devs and web scraping topics. Publishing here is a great way to reach users already interested in scraping and automation. Contact us if you want to publish a blog post there.
  4. Personal blogs or company websites. If you have your own blog or a company site, post there. It’s the most direct way to control your content and engage your established audience.

Not-so-obvious SEO tips for blog posts​

Everybody knows you should include keywords wherever it looks natural. Some people know the structure of the blog post should be hierarchical and follow an H1 - H2 - H3 - H4 structure with only one possible H1. Here are some unobvious SEO tips for writing a blog post that can help boost its visibility and ranking potential:

1. Keep URL length concise and strategic​

Optimal length. Keep your URL short and descriptive. URLs between 50-60 characters perform best, so aim for 3-4 words. Avoid unnecessary words like "and", "of", or long prepositions.

Include keywords. Ensure your primary keyword is naturally integrated into the URL. This signals relevance to both users and search engines.

Avoid dates. Don’t include dates or numbers in the URL to keep the content evergreen, as dates can make the post seem outdated over time.

2. Feature a video at the top of the post​

Engagement boost. Videos significantly increase the time users spend on a page, positively influencing SEO rankings. Blog posts with videos in them generally do better SEO-wise.

Thumbnail optimization. Use an optimized thumbnail with a clear title and engaging image to increase click-through rates.

3. Alt text for images with a keyword focus​

Descriptive alt text. Include a short, descriptive alt text for every image with one or two keywords where it makes sense. This also improves accessibility.

Optimize file names. Name your images with SEO-friendly keywords before uploading (e.g., "web-scraping-tools.png" rather than "IMG12345_screenshot1.png"). This helps search engines understand the content of your images.

File format and size. Use web-optimized formats like WebP or compressed JPEGs/PNGs to ensure fast page loading, which is a key SEO factor.

Lazy loading images. Use lazy loading to only load images when the user scrolls to them, reducing initial page load times, which can help your SEO ranking.

4. Interlinking for better user experience and SEO​

Internal links. Use contextual links to other relevant blog posts or product pages on your site. This not only helps with SEO but also keeps users engaged longer on your site, reducing bounce rates.

Anchor text. When linking internally, use keyword-rich anchor text that describes what users will find on the linked page.

Content depth. By interlinking, you can show Google that your site has a strong internal structure and is a hub of related, authoritative content.

5. Target the 'People Also Ask' section of Google results with an FAQ​

Answer common questions. Including an FAQ section that answers questions people search for can help you rank in the "People Also Ask" section of Google. Research questions that come up in this feature related to your topic and address them in your content.

Provide clear, concise answers to the FAQs, typically between 40-60 words, since these match the format used in "People Also Ask".

Don't bother using FAQ schema. Google doesn't react to those anymore unless you’re a .gov or .edu domain.

6. Optimize for readability and structure​

Short paragraphs and subheadings. Make your blog post easy to scan by using short paragraphs and meaningful subheadings that contain keywords.

Bullet points and lists. Include bullet points and numbered lists to break up content and make it more digestible. Search engines prioritize well-structured content.

Readability tools. Use tools like Hemingway Editor or Grammarly to improve readability. Content that is easy to read tends to rank higher, as it keeps readers engaged.

Referring to blogs in your Actor’s ecosystem​

To drive traffic to your blog and keep users engaged, reference your blog posts across various touchpoints:

  1. README. Add links to your blog posts in your Actor’s README. If you’ve written a tutorial or feature guide, include it under a "Further reading" section.
  2. Input schema. Use your input schema to link to blog posts. For instance, if a certain field in your Actor has complex configurations, add a link to a blog post that explains how to use it.
  3. YouTube videos. If you’ve created tutorial videos about your Actor, link them in your blog and vice versa. Cross-promoting these assets will increase your overall engagement.
  4. Webinars and live streams. Mention your blog posts during webinars, especially if you’re covering a topic that’s closely related. Include the links in follow-up emails after the event.
  5. Social media. Share your blog posts on Twitter, LinkedIn, or other social platforms. Include snippets or key takeaways to entice users to click through.

🔄 Remember, you can always turn your blog into a video and vice versa. You can also use parts of blog posts for social media promotion.

Additional tips for blog success​

  1. Consistency. Regular posting helps build an audience and makes sure you keep at it. Try to stick to a consistent schedule, whether it’s weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. As Woody Allen said, “80 percent of success is showing up”.
  2. Guest blogging. Reach out to other blogs or platforms like Dev.to for guest blogging opportunities. This helps you tap into new audiences.
  3. Repurpose content. Once you’ve written a blog post, repurpose it. Turn it into a YouTube video, break it down into social media posts, or use it as the base for a webinar.
  4. Monitor performance. Use analytics to track how your blog is performing. Are people reading it? Is it driving traffic to your Actor? What keywords is it ranking for? Who are your competitors? Use this data to refine your content strategy.