In the Types of content lesson of the Intro to Blogging course there’s a section called Becoming a resource to your readers. It covers the benefits of becoming an online resource, which is a great start, but perhaps you were hoping to add some more pizzazz to your resource presentation? This post explains a few approaches to providing resources with flair that you can apply straight away!
It may seem hard to believe, but whatever your niche, you are absolutely qualified to share resources with your readers. Think of resources as referrals or recommendations.
Here are a few examples for inspiration:
Are you running a family blog keeping the family updated on the latest ins and outs? Why not include links to interesting or useful websites you’ve found? Or your top picks for movies or books? Sure, you could add this content to your site in the form of blog posts, but chances are you’re going to keep finding sites, watching movies, or reading books. Setting it up as a resource page consolidates it all into one place for both sides – which makes finding and updating the information easier.
Are you a gamer running a video game blog? As an avid gamer, there are probably a few items you can’t live without. Maybe there’s a specific keyboard and mouse combo you’re a big fan of, or a go-to gaming chair brand – not to mention your favorite video games! You could probably blog about these for days on end, which is awesome, but how grateful would your readers be to also have this information compiled in one easily accessible page?
What about travel bloggers? Well, what kind of equipment do you use on your travel adventures? Is there a special brand of hiking boot, a must have jacket, or the best ever water bottle? What about the locations you’ve been to? Are there specific recommendations that you’d give for places to stay, eat or visit? You get the picture!
It’s great to blog about your recommendations and go in depth, like to explore why you love a particular brand of super spicy hot sauce – with a disclaimer for the uninitiated, of course! But you get to add even more value by grouping all those recommendations in an easy to find, easy to navigate resource page.
It also provides the added bonus of helping with SEO as it gives you organic and relevant internal links to use throughout your content. You can learn more about SEO in our Intro to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) course.
The flair starts here
For some, a resource page might bring to mind a long, dry bullet list of items, but by no means must it be plain! One option is to utilize the Columns block to set up a grid that includes pictures, the item name, a brief description and a link to where they can get that durable, retractable leash for their dog that you can’t live without.
Here’s a mini-example, which doesn’t have quite the same impact nestled into this post as it would on its own page, but hopefully you get the idea:
MailPoet is a WordPress plugin terrific for managing custom email newsletters. It’s the same plugin we use for WPCourses!
Sensei LMS is the plugin we use at WPCourses to deliver all of our course materials to you!
And, did you notice? The two resources in the example above are actually used by the team here at WP Courses. But if they hadn’t been mentioned, how could you have known? You might not be in the market for adding plugins to your site (or maybe not these particular plugins). But if you are, then seeing these resources provided by a trusted source may give you the confidence to take a closer look, or at least tuck them away for future reference.
The same concept applies to your own audience.
Plus, by adding images, and dropping them into a Columns block with links and descriptions, you’ll make your resource page that much more professional, inviting, and digestible for your audience.
If desired, you can even include affiliate links for some of your recommendations. Not all your listings will have an affiliate program, but it doesn’t hurt to capitalize on the ones that do to help monetize your blog. This is a great added benefit for you, but the main purpose is, of course, to provide value to your readers. (Note: Our links above aren’t affiliate links.)
A value add-on like a resource page will also help to bring readers back to your site over and over – especially if you make it a priority to keep it updated.