Why You Need a Blog
When you hear the word “blog,” if you’re anything like me, you jump to images of hip fashionistas and Instagram influencers. Gross… Why would a regular, normal business need a blog? Well, as it turns out, blogs can make or break a your online presence.
Blogs aren’t just for the young and popular anymore. They’re used to provide information to potential clients, prove your expertise in an industry, and can even boost your rankings on search engines; and we all know how important it is to show up at the top of the Google search list.
Studies have shown that websites with regularly updated blogs have a 434% higher chance of ranking higher in search engine results!
But there’s more to blogs than just search engine rankings. They’re a valuable marketing tool that anyone can use. Check out all the great things that a blog can add to your business.
Establish Your Expertise
It doesn’t matter if you have one year of experience or twenty, if you speak (write) confidently and prove that you know what you’re talking about, people will take you for an expert.
Use your blog as a platform to show off your knowledge of the industry! Establish yourself as a voice of authority in your field. Prove to everyone on the internet why you’re the best and why people should use your service. Blogs are especially helpful for newer businesses that can’t boast “Over 100 Years of Service,” like some of the older companies out there.
Create a Connection
It’d be great if you could talk to everyone in the world personally, but that’s impossible; and frankly, doesn’t sound like much fun. Having a blog written specifically for your business’s unique audience and answering their questions will let you influence your customers and create a more intimate connection with them, almost like you’re having a conversation.
Tell stories about your business, share advice, and promote your company. Your customers will feel like they know you and will trust you even more with their problems. Studies have shown that 81% of online customers trust the advice and information found in blogs. Well-managed and well-written blogs have a much higher chance to convert website traffic into sales.
Social Media Content
If you’re anything like me, you hate trying to constantly concoct clever posts to fill up your social media feed. Yes, it’s annoying, but there’s no doubt that social media is an effective, inexpensive marketing tool. Blogs offer a wealth of new, social media worthy content to fill up your various online feeds.
Not only will they fill out your posting schedule, but they provide customers with a lot more interesting information than just a picture of your logo for the fifth time this month (#marketing). Besides, an interesting blog post on social media will increase traffic to your website; increased traffic to your website means more conversions and more customers.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
The days of scouring the newspaper or asking the neighbors is long gone. If someone needs a product or service, they go straight to the internet to find it. When a person goes to Google and types in “businesses that [insert what you do here] near me,” your business needs to be at the top of the list. And it definitely better not be on the second page; because really, who goes that deep into the search results?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the art of organizing the content on your webpage to please the search engine gods (okay, Google) so that they can find your website easily and put it first. It’s a tricky concept that’s always changing. It involves using the right keywords that match internet searches.
Potential customers search for a lot of different things. For example, customers looking for a plumber could search for “how to unclog drains,” “how to change a faucet,” “what’s the best water heater?” or “fixing leaks.” If your website only said that you were a plumbing service, Google would pass you right over for any of those search results. If you had a blog, you could answer all those questions using those exact keywords and shoot to the top of the Google rankings. In general, the more content you have related to your industry, the better you’re going to fair on search results.
Regular Updates
Another key aspect of SEO is how frequently you update your website. Google doesn’t like old, stale websites. The fresher the content, the higher your rankings. If you post a new blog once per week, your website can only ever be a week old at the most. Blogs force you to keep your website updated, which greatly pleases the search engine gods.
Start Your Blog
There’s no doubt that in this age of internet and technology, having a blog is an invaluable tool to promote your business. Not having a blog today is akin to not having a sign outside your building in the 1960s; nobody’s going to know you exist! Your website needs to be seen by the masses, and a blog is the perfect way to thrust it into the spotlight.
Starting a blog might seem overwhelming, but it’s really not that difficult. In fact, if you use a website builder, most templates come with a blog feature built in. All you have to do is create the content.
If writing isn’t really your strong suit, there are plenty of copywriters out there that would be happy to help. Hiring a freelance copywriter is a great way to produce high-quality, professional content without having to worry about adding another employee to your payroll. If you’d like to get your blog started, or maybe restarted, and you enjoyed reading this silly guide, contact me. I’m always looking for new stories to tell!