What to Blog About for an Online Store, 50 Ideas by Vertical

Blog about the questions shoppers ask before they buy, and answer each one with your own products. Which product fits them, how to use or care for it, how two options compare, and what to buy for an occasion. Below are 50 ideas: ten that work in any store, then eight each for fashion, jewelry, beauty, home decor and pet stores. Each one is written as the title you would publish, with a line on what it would feature. Pick the ones your own products can answer.

How do you decide what to blog about?

A post earns its place when a shopper would search for the question and your products are a good answer to it. That rules out most generic topics, the industry news and "why our category matters" posts that could sit on any site, and it rules in four shapes that work in almost every store:

• Which one should I buy? Fit and choice: walking a shopper from what they need to two or three products.
• How do I use or care for it? Setup, styling, cleaning and storage, for people who already bought or are about to.
• This or that? A comparison between two options shoppers hesitate between.
• What should I buy for this occasion? Gifts, seasons and life events.

The questions themselves are usually already in front of you. Read your customer emails and reviews for the questions you answer over and over. Check what shoppers type into your store's search box: Shopify's behavior reports include "Searches by search query" and "Searches with no results", and a search with no results is often a question your blog could answer. Then look at Google's search suggestions and the People Also Ask box for the way strangers phrase the same questions. If your catalog runs to hundreds of products, the post types in our playbook for large product catalogs help you group them before you pick.

What can any online store blog about?

1. Which [product] is right for me? A fit guide for your biggest collection, matching common needs to two or three products.

2. How do I choose the right size? A sizing or measuring guide that links each product's size chart.

3. [Product A] or [Product B], which should you buy? The two items customers hesitate between, compared on what actually differs.

4. How do I care for my [product] so it lasts? Care and cleaning for your most-bought item, taken from its care notes.

5. What do our customers ask us most? Five questions from your inbox, each answered and linked to the product it concerns.

6. How is our [product] made? Materials and making, with the products as the proof.

7. What should I buy for someone who loves [interest]? A gift guide by recipient. Our guide to making a holiday gift guide from your own catalog walks through the format.

8. What do I need to get started with [category]? A starter set: the three items a first-time buyer needs first.

9. Is our [premium product] worth it? An honest look at who it is for, and who should buy the cheaper option instead.

10. What's new this season, and who is it for? A new-arrivals post that explains each piece instead of just listing it.

What should a fashion or clothing store blog about?

11. Which winter jacket should I buy? Parkas, puffers and wool coats from your range, by climate and everyday use.

12. How do I style a little black dress for every occasion? One dress, four outfits, every piece from your store.

13. Leather or faux leather, which is right for you? Look, feel, care and price compared, using your own jackets and bags.

14. How should jeans fit? Rise, leg shape and length explained with the fits you carry.

15. What should I wear to a wedding as a guest? Dress codes in plain words, with outfits for each.

16. How do I wash and store sweaters? A care guide for the knitwear you sell, from washing to folding.

17. How do I build a capsule wardrobe from ten pieces? Ten pieces from your collection that work together.

18. What are the best gifts for someone who loves fashion? Accessories and wardrobe pieces grouped by budget.

What should a jewelry store blog about?

19. How do I find my ring size at home? A sizing guide linked to your ring collection and size chart.

20. Gold vermeil, gold-filled or gold-plated, what's the difference? The three finishes explained, each matched to the pieces you sell in it.

21. Which necklace length suits my neckline? Chain lengths shown with the necklines they pair with.

22. How do I clean silver jewelry? A care post that follows the care notes for each piece you sell.

23. How do I layer necklaces without tangling them? Three stacks built from your chains and pendants.

24. What should I know before buying an engagement ring? Settings, metals and sizing questions, with the rings you carry.

25. What jewelry makes a good anniversary gift? Pieces grouped by the year or the style of the person.

26. How should I store my jewelry? Boxes, rolls and travel cases from your range, and what each one suits.

What should a beauty or skincare store blog about?

27. What order should I apply my skincare in? A routine post with your products in the order they go on.

28. How do I choose a foundation shade online? A shade-matching guide built on your own shade range.

29. How do I use a serum and a moisturizer together? Texture, order and amount, with the products you stock.

30. What goes in a travel beauty kit? Travel sizes and minis for a weekend away.

31. How do I clean makeup brushes and sponges? A care post for the tools you sell.

32. Cream, liquid or powder blush, which suits you? Finish and application compared, shade by shade.

33. What's in a five-minute morning routine? Three or four of your products for a busy morning.

34. What are good beauty gifts for someone who has everything? Gift sets and minis by budget.

What should a home decor store blog about?

35. Which sofa should I choose for my living room? Sizes, fabrics and shapes from your range, by room and household.

36. What size rug do I need for my room? Rug sizing by room, linked to the rugs you carry.

37. How do I mix patterns and textures in one room? Pillows, throws and rugs from your store, combined three ways.

38. How do I care for outdoor furniture? Cleaning and winter storage for your outdoor range.

39. How do I hang art and mirrors? A placement guide for the frames and mirrors you sell.

40. Linen or cotton bedding, which is right for you? Feel, care and seasons compared with your bedding.

41. How do I make a small apartment feel bigger? Styling with your space-saving and multi-use pieces.

42. What are good housewarming gifts? Decor gifts grouped by budget and by the kind of home.

What should a pet store blog about?

43. Which dog bed is right for my dog? Size and style by how the dog sleeps, from your bed range.

44. What size harness does my dog need? How to measure, matched to your harness sizes.

45. Which toys suit a dog who chews everything? Your tougher toys compared, and how to supervise play.

46. Cat tree or wall shelves, which suits your space? Cat furniture compared by room size and by cat.

47. What should I pack for a road trip with my dog? A travel list built from your carriers, bowls and leads.

48. How do I wash my pet's bed and toys? A care post that follows the care label on each product.

49. What do I need for a new puppy or kitten? A starter list of gear; for food and health questions, the post sends readers to their vet.

50. What are good gifts for pet lovers? Gifts for pets and for their people, by budget.

How do you pick which ideas to write first?

Run the list through four filters and the order mostly sets itself:

• Products you stock now and expect to keep. A post that features a discontinued item is a post you will have to fix.
• Questions customers already asked. If the question came from your inbox, your reviews or your store's search reports, someone wants the answer.
• The season ahead. Gift and seasonal posts need to be live before shoppers start looking, so plan them weeks ahead. Our content calendar guide covers planning around your store's seasons.
• One question per post. Two posts that answer the same question compete with each other. If two ideas overlap, merge them.

Eight ideas make a month at two posts a week. Once you have them, a month of store content in one sitting shows how to write and schedule the whole set at once.

How can Riten help turn the list into posts?

Riten suggests post titles from your keyword and audience, and when your Shopify catalog is synced, the suggestions take your product types and tags into account. When it writes a post, it works from your real product data: for each topic it picks relevant products and their photos and places them in the post with links and alt text, and you can swap the picks before generating. You can make up to 10 articles in one session, then publish each one to Shopify or WordPress or schedule it on the calendar. Why the images and links matter is covered in blog posts that feature your products.

FAQs

How many blog ideas do I need to start?

Eight is enough for a month at two posts a week. Start with the ideas your best-selling collections can answer, and add to the list as customer questions come in.

Should a store blog about things it does not sell?

Mostly no. Keep each post tied to a product you sell or to the problem your products solve, so a reader who arrives with the question can buy the answer. An occasional story about how you make or choose your products is fine, because the products are still the point.

How do I find out what my customers want to read?

Look at the questions in your customer emails and reviews, the terms in your store's search reports in Shopify, and the search suggestions and People Also Ask questions Google shows for your products. None of it needs a paid tool.