Financial services blogs are hot right now, but you need to know how to set one up correctly in order to cash in on their popularity.
Financial Tech 101: Building a Successful Financial Services Blog 2021
With the economy going through some much-needed growing pains and college grads facing an uncertain job situation, people of all ages are worried about their short and long- term financial security. Where to they go for free advice, tips, information, and pointers about how to make and save money? They head to online finance blogs, of course.
If you want to build a money advice or economics-related blog from the ground up, the first rule is to avoid the heavy, well-funded competition. That means your one-person show will do best to avoid topics like stock analysis, precious metals investing, and credit repair. Those three mega topics are packed to the gills with big-money bloggers who already dominate those niches. Here are four ways to build a site that draws visitors and isn’t slammed down by the competition from day one.
Pick a Topic Where You Can Rise Above the Noise
You’ll need to do some research to find out where there are gaps in the competition. As noted above, avoid diving into the fray on topics that are already jam-packed. Find something you know about and dig down to a niche level. For example, if you are a stock market wiz or licensed broker, avoid the over-crowded stock analysis topic area by focusing on something very specific like how to short-sell, how to analyze the forex market, or how to evaluate online brokerage companies.
Include Calculators and Apps
No matter what niche you select, be sure to include at least two helpful calculators and apps on your main page. New users look around for free stuff, and including a couple of these bells and whistles will help you gain and retain new readers. For example, many working adults are looking to refinance their student loans and need online calculators to help them with the number-crunching. If you’re the one who can provide them with a quick, simple app that shows the potential savings from refinancing education debt, you’ll have a loyal blog follower and a happy subscriber.
Display Real-time Stock Market Quotes
Even if you write about refinancing home loans or getting jobs in the hedge fund market, remember that the majority of your visitors will own a portfolio of securities. As a courtesy to them, include either a ticker of the latest exchange prices or a summary of the day’s market action. Real-time price data will make your blog look fresh, up to the minute, and functional. When visitors see the more recent share price for XYZ Corporation, for example, they’ll know the site is updated regularly and contains relevant information.
Invite Knowledgeable Guest Bloggers
Work at finding guests who can write on subjects in your main field. Let those authors post a back link to their own sites as well as a short bio paragraph. It’s all about cross promotion and letting good writers post content under your banner brings in more people and keeps the discussion lively. Return the favor by writing guest posts for other websites and you’ll get even more traffic.
