Blogging is important for your website for a gazillion reasons and should be treated as a vital part of your overall digital marketing strategy.
When you combine content creation with SEO (search engine optimisation) you're taking significant steps towards online success - so read our top 9 reasons why a blog is super important for your website - and then get started on your own!
OUR TOP NINE:
1. Blogging is FREE! (it just takes TIME)
Blogging is fast becoming a necessity for all businesses no matter their size. 81% of businesses believe their blog is a vital asset to their business. There are endless topics for you to blog about, you just need to set yourself the TIME to research and write.
2. Blogging drives traffic to your website & can convert that traffic into a repeat customer!
When someone googles something (aka looks for information online) it could be YOUR web page that they land on. Your blog can give people great ideas and tips, and can also provide product and service descriptions that customers want to read. The traffic to your website goes up, the time spent reading these blog posts increases, and the end goal is you'll turn the person who was just looking for information into a repeat customer. So, work out who your ideal customer is, write the blog FOR THEM and get the right information to the right person.
3. Great traffic = higher ranking search results
Search engines use algorithms to rank search results by their relevance to a particular search query. If your responses are better than those of your competition, you'll get more visits to your website, and better engagement, which means you'll move closer to that first-page spot on google. So ensure your blog posts are relevant and interesting, and focus on one of your keywords and you'll get the results from your efforts that you need.
4. Show your face
You have a much higher chance of turning a reader into a customer or client when they learn that behind the rad product you're selling or the awesome service you offer is a real live PERSON not just an automated BOT. So, show your face, write with your brand's voice, stick with your vibe and interact. Turn a reader of your blog into a member of your tribe!
5. Show your expertise
People google for a reason - they have a question they want answered, a problem they want solved, or a product they're looking for, so by sharing your knowledge and shedding light on their questions and concerns, you're showcasing your expertise in the field. Write openly about your niche, share details of your work, let everyone see that you know what you're talking about and gain credibility in the process. Oh, and you know what? While you're showing your awesome self to your new customers and clients, you're also benefiting from increased search engine benefits as well. Winning on all fronts!
6. Find out how your blog posts are doing
Obviously, you know that just writing a great blog post isn't all you need to do ... you then need to see how it worked for your business. Google Analytics is FREE and gives you insights into your most popular posts, how people find your blog online, how much time they spent reading it, and loads more.
7. Get your social on!
Get traffic to your blog, Happy customers and readers captivated by your informative posts tend to share them with other users on their social media profiles. This is a great way to gain new blog readers and exposure for your business.
8. One of the best SEO strategies
If executed right, blogs guarantee positive results. As you know, search engine optimisation is time-consuming, and it takes a lot of skill and dedication to promote your website. Informative content pages packed full of value, can bring you great long-term results.
9. PR opportunities
A well-established business blog also sparks the attention of journalists looking to interview industry experts and include quotes in their articles. If you impress them enough, you will get even more exposure through free press.
Now that you know how important blogging is and how it can boost your site’s performance ... you need to know how!
How to PROMOTE your blog posts once you've hit PUBLISH:
1. Social media. Of course! You've no doubt already created your profiles and business pages on the most popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Linkedin to name a few. Share your blog posts there, as well as in Facebook groups relevant to your blog topics.
2. Email Marketing. Install a pop-up or widget to ask viewers to subscribe. Send a newsletter to your subscribers and existing clients once a week about your latest posts, promotions, products or services.
3. Answers. Another way people look for information is by asking questions on forums such as Quora. These websites are perfect for distributing content that solves a particular problem. Regularly checking into these sites will enable you to find and answer questions related to your field of expertise and provide more opportunities for you to showcase your knowledge and lead customers to your blogs and website. Read more about Quora here in our blog post about how you can show your brand as an authority in your niche or industry by simply answering people’s questions.
4. SEO. Consider which keywords would be used by people looking for exactly what you are offering, then gain organic traffic by optimising your content around these key words. Update your blog posts regularly, and soon you'll be attracting visitors to your site!
Blogging might seem overwhelming at first, but believe me - it's fun! If you need help with writing your blog posts, we can do the research and writing for you - click here to learn more.