A 2016 Analysis

Top Construction Industry Blogs

on the…

BAM Construct UK

1.

Location

• Easy to locate on homepage • Mobile-optimized• Highlights their latest blog

updates

Layout

• User-friendly font size and design

• Mix of both image and video

• High-res banner images

• Clear links to full articles

Blogging strategy

• Includes visual graphics• Blogging 3-4 times a week• Engaging & relevant topics

include technological changes, apprenticeships, industry events

• But no clear Call-to-actions or internal links

Carillion2.

Location

• Blog section is grouped under ‘news and media’ tab

• Easy to find & segmented well

Layout

• Large, high-res images used throughout• Individual sectors segmented into categories• User can easily navigate towards topic of

choice

Blogging Strategy

• Includes a range of case studies and video content as well as blog articles

• A high focus on internal company values• Could do with posting more general, industry-focused content• Very few Call-to-actions persuading readers to remain on site

Interserve Construction

3.

Location

• Named their blog area as the ‘Knowledge Centre’• Positioned clearly within the main menu

Layout

• The ‘Knowledge centre’ is filtered by content type• Topics for the blog are colour-coded under five key areas

Blogging Strategy

• Topics focus on sustainability, climate change, waste management and biodiversity

• Includes skills and training section to cover apprenticeships• But a lot of focus on ‘case-study style’, self-promotional content –

needs more balance

Call-to-actions…

• Interserve link their blogs through to other relevant articles, with direct links to their contact page

• This persuades readers to find out more about their products and services

Kier group4.

Location

• Kier Group have located their blog within the main menu

• For a new website visitor, this is well positioned and easy to locate

Layout

• Blog section split into key sectors to refine user’s search requirements• Visually appealing with colour-coded options for each category

Strategy

• Blog categories consist of in-depth, industry-related topics, case studies and campaign promotions

• Provide a strong focus on problems facing the construction industry• But style of their blog content can be quite text-heavy and lengthy• Blog activity is not as regular as others

Costain5.

Location

• Costain’s blog is accessed via the small ‘news’ link at the top of the homepage, or within the bottom footer

• Not particularly obvious for a first-time website visitor

Layout

• Can explore content by date or topic

• The layout is refreshing and pleasing to the eye

• Content is personalised by assigning different topics to a range of authors displayed on the right-hand side

Strategy

• Regular bloggers• Posting on upcoming

legislations and educational-type posts

• Whilst a few are self-promotional, Costain have a great mix of engaging and informative content

• A strong focus on providing added value for their audience

Numbered approach to content…

• Costain use the numbered approach in a lot of their long-form content

• This performs well in search i.e. ‘Top 10 things to consider’, ‘5 Key facts about…’

• Helps to condense the main points and makes content easier to digest for the reader

Call-to-actions

• Their call-to-actions include further reading suggestions• Include direct links guiding visitors towards relevant team

members for more information

Conclusion:Do’s and Don’ts

DO• Make your blog easy to find for a new website visitor• Ensure the design of your blog is as visually attractive as possible• Implement video, graphics and images into your blog strategy• Blog atleast 3-4 times per week• Include internal linking within blog articles• Use call-to-actions at the end of each post • Provide a range of industry-focused, informative content• Focus on providing added value by solving common customer queries

DON’T• Rely solely on text-heavy, self promotional

content to attract your customers• Overuse external links that will direct visitors

away from your website• Write for the sake of writing – each post should

have a purpose and tie in to your blogging objectives

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