I have been developing online content for many years now, and a big part of my job is blogging for businesses. While writing for our awesome clients, I always keep an eye on how well my blogs are doing for SEO. It’s gratifying to see what a big difference great online content can make in search engine results, and so I am a stalwart supporter in the benefits of blogging for businesses.
There are lots of good reasons why blogging works, but let’s start with the stats. First, from an interesting infographic titled Blogconomy by techclient.com:
- 77% of internet surfers read blogs.
- Small businesses that blog earn 126% more leads.
- 81% of blog readers in the U.S. trust the content they read.
- Websites that employ blogs have 434% more pages indexed.
- Businesses that blog receive 97% more inbound links.
- 61% of consumers in the U.S. have made a purchase based on a blog post.
Next, from a 2015 HubSpot.com article titled “6 Stats You Should Know About Business Blogging,” there are these encouraging numbers:
- Marketers who make blogging a priority are 13x more likely to enjoy positive ROI.
- Blogs are rated as the fifth most trusted source for accurate online information.
- Business-to-business marketers who use blogs receive 67% more leads than those who don’t.
Blogging Brings People to Your Website
The numbers are there to back up it all up. Blogging brings people to your website. High-quality website content is invaluable … it can be used in so many ways!
If you look at your website, chances are you don’t have many pages. You probably don’t need that many, but this can be detrimental for SEO, as the more pages you have that are indexed, the better your results will be. Blogging for businesses helps build out websites to allow for more indexed pages, which boosts your overall SEO performance.
In addition, Google loves websites that are kept up to date, and blogging is a great way to show that you are engaged with your online content. The worst thing you can do for any website is to forget all about it. Even if you choose not to blog, regularly refreshing your website’s content is a must.
Blogging also results in sharable content. Businesses can post their blogs on the appropriate social media platform, which then brings new attention to who you are and what you do. Posting new blogs also helps keep your social media presence fresh, which is pivotal for building up a positive reputation.
Blogging Can Make You Friends That Matter … and They Last
Social media provides unbelievable networking opportunities. If you happen to mention an established authority in your blog (which I recommend you do), then tag them in your social media post. If your content if good enough, and relevant enough, they will share it. This exponentially expands your reach.
The best part is that blogs don’t have to be posted, shared, and then die, never to be seen again. According to imapactbnd.com, updating and republishing old blog posts with new content and images can increase organic traffic by as much as 111%.
Blogs are Perfect for the All-Important CTA
The call-to-action, or else better known as the CTA, if your way of enticing your site visitors to take an additional action. You should never build a page without giving someone who has taken the time to delve through the content a reason to dig deeper.
At the end of a blog post, or somewhere else on the page, put up an offer for something your reader will find to be valuable. CTAs should lead to something attractive, like a free offer, a whitepaper, a trial period, etc. Large, easy-to-spot CTAs are best, and they should be absolutely clear about what people can expect from clicking. Being disingenuous is one very fast way to lose credibility, and possibly earn yourself a negative online review.
Blogging Supports Your Brand
Blogs are perfect for letting your potential customers know what your brand identity is. Your brand isn’t just your logo (as in how you look) … it’s how you act, too. Blogging can help express your company’s overall personality. If you’re targeting towards a younger audience, use language they understand and references they recognize. If your audience is established and professional, show how your business can help encourage stability as well as upward mobility. But what blogs do best is show that you are a company that cares about its customers, and are willing to go the extra mile it takes to make sure they are well-informed about the options available to them.
Need Someone to Blog for You? Contact Us!
Blogging is important, and it shouldn’t be done off the side of one’s desk. At Emphasize Design, we have the skills and expertise needed to help build your online presence through professional content development services. Contact us to tell you more!
