“Do I really need a blog?”, you ask yourself whilst (ironically) reading a blog about needing a blog.
Yes, you do, is the answer. Although they may initially be time consuming to create, blogs provide a lot of value to websites, both in terms of boosting your SEO and improving user engagement.
Whatever you are selling, whether that is a service or a product, a blog will be a beneficial addition to your website, and here’s three reasons why.
#1 They help boost your organic traffic
If you want to get people to land on your website, you need to provide answers to questions that users are searching for in order to have a chance of showing up in Google search results.
“I don’t even know what to write about” is what we hear a lot of the time when we discuss the possibility of a blog with clients.
Spoiler alert, whatever you choose to write about, someone has probably written about it before. But, as long as you are writing about something topical that someone is searching for, that is a good place to start. This may involve a lot of keyword research at the beginning to make sure you are targeting the best search terms, but Google cares about your website providing unique, high quality and relevant content to search queries and blogs are a fantastic way to get content on your site and answer those questions.
Search engines also favour websites that regularly update their content, to ensure the information stays relevant and doesn’t go stale. Blogs are an easy way to add fresh, new content to your site which, in turn, mean new pages are added to Google’s index, which means more opportunities for you to show up in search engine results pages (SERPs).
#2 They help establish authority
When searching for an answer, would you trust a gossip blog over a credible source? Unlikely. By creating content that is credible and trustworthy, you can demonstrate your expertise and your knowledge in order to attract the right customers for your small business.
They also provide the opportunity for building up a network in the same industry. Promote your blog on an industry publication or write a guest blog on a mutually beneficial website about your offering. However you do it, this method of outreach not only increases your credibility by demonstrating your expertise, but increases your backlink performance - another tick to keep search engines happy.
#3 They can form part of a broader marketing campaign
Blogs aren’t just written and left on a website, hoping that one day a user stumbles across it. They can be linked from a number of different marketing channels, whether that be an email newsletter or social networks, as part of your wider content strategy. They should also contain clear call-to-actions, such as linking to relevant categories, products or contact forms on your website to generate conversions, which again helps your internal linking which benefits your overall SEO performance.
All small businesses know that to increase your online presence, social media is a no brainer. Not only do blogs create a treasure trove of content to share on social media, but platforms like Instagram and Facebook have now also made it easier to drive traffic to your website by simply clicking on a link within your social post or story.
You want to make sure that engaging with your audience will lead to conversion, so it is imperative to get them onto your website for them to purchase a product or get in touch about a service. The majority of your social media followers have most likely engaged with you before, whether as an enquiry or a purchase, so the focus is on keeping them coming back. Creating blogs which will grab their attention, for example about new product collections, which you can share on your channels will help contribute to consumer loyalty.
Not only that, but we all know about the power of sharing on social networks. Your post can be shared and shared again, meaning the potential to reach a wider audience pool is greatly elevated and target an audience which wasn’t even on your radar.
To sum up, blogs are a great way to boost your SEO, build authority and engage with your audience. If you’re unsure how to start, that’s where we come in. Get in touch with us about how our content marketing services can help your business.
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