Author: Alex Nayler, Senior Content Writer
A blog is a regularly updated area of your website featuring articles of varying relevant subjects. But what are the measurable benefits of having a blog, and is it worth your time? In this article, I’ve outlined five core reasons you should consider starting a blog, and why you’d be bonkers to hold off any longer.
1. YOU CAN ANSWER YOUR CUSTOMERS’ QUESTIONS
Perhaps the most important benefit of blog writing is that it allows you to engage with your potential customers in a more-conversational manner than is achieved through salesy product copy; rather than always relying on explicitly outlining the advantages of your service or product (that isn’t to say there’s not a place for it, just not necessarily at the earliest stage of the consumer journey!), blog content is created to offer valuable answers to the questions your consumers are asking, which helps to build trust.
For instance, if you sell outdoor furniture, consider creating content centred around relevant topics, including anything from practical garden care and landscaping to al fresco dining and summer BBQs; people are searching for ways to improve their outside experience at home, so target these keywords and relate your content back to your product(s). This gives you the opportunity to demonstrate that your fully understand your customers’ queries, while feeding them seeds of insight into how and why your brand is the solution.
2. BLOGS ARE GREAT FOR SEO
Going hand-in-hand with offering engaging and practical copy, creating blog content also has various SEO benefits. I’ve outlined two key examples below:
- Rank for a broad range of keywords
Addressing common queries throughout your articles will not only help to assist readers who access your content manually, but you’ll also, hopefully, start to rank on search engine results pages for the relevant keywords and phrases. To best-optimise your content, use a keyword research tool to check out what specific terms you can target.
- Provide evidence of a clear website structure
Whenever you create blog copy, look to include internal links to other areas of your website that relate to the point of the post. This gives search engines a clear idea of your website’s structure and creates a logical hierarchy. This organisation makes your website more likely to rank highly.
3. YOU CAN DEVELOP NEW LEADS AND SALES
Each new blog you create gives you the opportunity to generate more leads and sales, by directing potential customers towards other relevant pages on your website. This will be achieved in part through effective internal linking, but it’s also important to include a call to action towards the bottom of your article.
A call to action is a prompt that encourages the reader to take the next step in their customer journey, whether that’s discovering similar content and becoming more familiar with your offering, creating an account and receiving the latest brand updates, or making an immediate purchase.
4. CONTENT IS VERSATILE AND CAN BE REPURPOSED
Blog content is incredibly versatile, with it’s easy-reading and engaging nature making it more accessible than many other forms. With this in mind, you can repurpose your articles across social media or share your newsworthy angles with media outlets through digital PR.
- Social media
Rather than constantly having to come up with unique and insightful social content, your regularly updated and informative blog can become a handy contributor. Not only does this improve efficiency, saving you the time and effort of thinking up new social ideas, but you’re also extending the reach of your articles to new audiences beyond the search engine results pages.
- Digital PR
Blog content is created to convey information, and this sometimes comes with a newsworthy angle. If so, it’s helpful to share your story with media outlets, who might then go on to share it with their audiences. If successful, featuring can further broaden your brand reach; you’ll also hopefully receive backlinks to your website which helps to strengthen SEO.
5. A BLOG SUPPORTS LONG-TERM GROWTH
Blog content isn’t always an instant hit, so don’t be disheartened if you don’t generate much traffic initially. If you’re posts are well-written, engaging, and informative, you should see long-term success. There are two main reasons for this:
- Becoming an authority
Regularly updating your blog with valuable and insightful content that targets relevant queries helps to establish your brand as an authority within your industry. And the more you publish, the more trusted you’ll become; potential customers will recognise that you consistently create helpful articles, and become increasingly likely to either make a purchase or seek more information about your service.
- Posts ranking highly
Consistently creating helpful and engaging content is important, but individual blogs can also go far on their own. In fact, well-crafted copy that ranks highly for relevant keywords* can generate conversions many months – or even years – after being published.
* While each blog will likely target core head terms (popular keywords that have the highest search volume), you should also aim to rank for long-tail keywords. These are a specific phrase, so have less search volume, but generally mean a customer is closer to the point of purchase.
HOW TO GET STARTED?
Remember how I mentioned including a relevant CTA towards the bottom of your blog post? Well, if you’re still unsure how this works, I’m about to give you a real-world example. Ready?
Blog posts can form a key part of your content marketing strategy, helping to deliver regular traffic to your website. If you’re interested in creating an effective blog strategy for your brand, get in touch with our SEO team today! Alternatively, check out all the latest digital marketing news over on our blog.
