Disclosure: Some tool links are affiliate links. If you sign up, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools we'd use ourselves.
Content Marketing
Why This Matters
You're paying $1-3 per click on ads right now. Every time you stop paying, the traffic stops. A well-optimized blog post costs $0 per click and brings in visitors for years. One candle store's post about 'best candle scents for relaxation' brings in 800 visitors per month — that's $1,200/month in equivalent ad spend from a post that took 2 hours to write.
Content marketing turns your store from a vending machine into a destination. When you publish helpful guides, how-to articles, and comparison posts, Google sends you buyers who are actively researching your product category. These visitors already have purchase intent — they convert at 2-3x the rate of social media traffic.
The mindset shift: you're not blogging to fill a content calendar. You're building a library of assets that compounds. Your first 10 posts might bring 500 total monthly visitors. Your first 50 posts can bring 5,000+. Every post you publish makes the next one more powerful because Google trusts domains that consistently produce relevant content.
What You'll Do
Set up a blog on your store, create a content calendar based on your keyword research, and publish your first 3–5 posts.
How To Do It
Blog Post Framework: Problem, Solution, Product Tie-In
This takes about 2 hours per blog post. Content marketing is a slow burn — but one well-written post can drive hundreds of visitors per month for years.
1. Pick your first 5 blog topics (20 min)
- Monthly search volume is 200+ (enough to be worth writing)
- Competition is low to medium (you can actually rank)
- The topic naturally connects to your products
Use your keyword research from the SEO step. Filter for informational keywords — questions and how-to searches. Prioritize topics where:
Example topics for a candle store: "How to make your home smell amazing without chemicals," "Best candle scents for relaxation and sleep," "How to choose the right candle size for your room."
2. Use the Problem-Solution-Product framework for each post
- Problem (first 2 paragraphs): Describe the reader's pain point in their own language. "You get home after a long day and your house smells like... nothing. Or worse, like last night's dinner. You've tried air fresheners but they smell artificial."
- Solution (body of the post): Provide genuinely helpful advice. Give them real value — tips, comparisons, how-to steps. This is where you build trust. Don't hold back to "save" information for a sale.
- Product tie-in (final section): Naturally introduce your product as part of the solution. "If you're looking for a soy candle that fills a room without overwhelming it, our [product] burns for 60 hours and uses only essential oils." This should feel like a helpful recommendation, not a hard sell.
Every blog post follows this structure:
3. Write your first post (60-90 min)
- H1: Your target keyword as a question or how-to
- Introduction: Hook with the problem (2-3 sentences)
- H2 sections: 4-6 subheadings covering different aspects of the solution
- Include at least one image per H2 section
- Conclusion: Summarize key takeaways + natural product mention + CTA
Aim for 1,500-2,000 words. Use this outline:
Use Surfer SEO or Clearscope to optimize for your target keyword — they tell you exactly which terms to include and how long the post should be.
4. Optimize and publish (15 min)
- Set your URL slug to your target keyword (e.g., /blog/best-candle-scents-for-relaxation)
- Write a meta description under 155 characters that includes your keyword
- Add alt text to all images with relevant keywords
- Internal link to 2-3 product pages and 1-2 other blog posts
- Add a call-to-action at the end: email signup, product link, or related post
5. Promote each post (15 min)
Don't just publish and pray. Share every post on your social channels, send it to your email list, and repurpose it into 3-5 social media posts. One blog post should fuel a week of social content.
Deliverables
- A blog set up on your store with 3-5 keyword-optimized posts published
- Each post following the Problem-Solution-Product framework with natural product tie-ins
- A content calendar with your next 10 blog topics based on keyword research
Recommended Tools
WordPress
The world's most popular content platform. If you're on WooCommerce, you already have it. Unmatched flexibility.
Try WordPressSurfer SEO
AI-powered content optimization. Tells you exactly what to include in your posts to rank on page one.
From $89/mo
Try Surfer SEOClearscope
Content optimization tool that helps you write comprehensive, well-structured articles that rank well.
From $170/mo
Try ClearscopePro Tips
- 1Write 'best [product] for [use case]' posts first — 'Best soy candles for meditation' or 'Best yoga mats for hot yoga.' These rank well because they target long-tail keywords with low competition, and the reader is already in buying mode when they find them.
- 2Set a 6-month calendar reminder to update each post. Refresh the intro, add new products, update any outdated stats, and re-publish with a new date. Google rewards freshness, and a refreshed post often regains rankings within 2-3 weeks — far faster than writing a brand-new article.
- 3End every blog post with a specific product CTA, not a generic 'shop now.' Instead: 'Our [product name] is designed specifically for [use case]. It [key differentiator] and comes with [guarantee]. See it here.' Natural tie-ins convert 3x better than banner ads within blog content.