Learn why you should (still) write blogs for your business, and the benefits of regular blogging
I recently saw someone post a question on the Business Chick’s Facebook Group asking “is blogging as a digital marketing strategy dead?”
My answer to this is absolutely not.
But… (and there’s always a but!)
It does require a lot more thought, effort and strategic direction. Gone are the days where you’d brain dump on the page, load it onto your website and file it under ‘blog’.
Writing blog articles for your website should be a planned activity. The articles should form part of your overall content marketing strategy. They should be researched and well-written, and they should give value to your reader.
The value can be information – find out what their burning question is and answer it! Or it could be entertainment – an enjoyable read about a feel-good success story, or something funny that happened. Note: you need to tell a story when you write these blogs – you need to use language and writing techniques to make the stories engaging and attention-grabbing. If this doesn’t describe your writing style, then consider hiring a copywriter.
But if you are spending all this time creating awesome blog articles and content – you probably want to know why, right? What benefits is blogging giving your website, your brand, your customers?
Read on for my top three reason why you still need to write blogs for your business.
Regular Blogging Helps Your SEO:
Writing blogs helps your website perform better in Google for a number of reasons. Firstly, Google loves fresh stuff. Keeping your site up to date with fresh content tells Google that your site is well managed, and the information isn’t outdated. You’d be surprised how many people build websites and then don’t touch them for years and years and years – the content becomes old, stale and outdated. So freshness of content is definitely a key factor that Google looks at.
Another SEO benefit of blogging is that it helps you rank for a wider range of key terms. Blogs are also ideal for long-form content. Long-form content is content that is generally over 1,000 words in length. Oh, and long-form content performs really well in Google. If you can create a really well-structured article that is 1,000-2,000 words long, you greatly increase your chances for ranking for that subject matter.
Often, on our services pages, we don’t want to clutter the page with a lot of text and information. We want to keep things short and sweet – tell the reader what you do, why you do it better than anyone else, and how they engage your services. You don’t want to be going into the history of the materials that you use to create your product, or why the colours you’ve chosen are culturally significant – that’s the kind of content you leave for your blog.
Blog articles often perform well for those long-tail question/research-based search terms. Things like ‘what is the best way to look after leather boots?’. So, creating a long-form blog article that answers this question thoughtfully and in great detail, and links back to your main service/product page ‘leather boots’ can help you rank for a bunch of long-tail keywords related to leather boots.
Your awesome article then pushes those readers to the ‘leather boots’ product page which is the page you really want your readers on.
Tips for Writing SEO Blogs
Blogging has evolved into a powerful tool for enhancing your online presence. But not just any blog will do; you need to optimise it for search engines to truly make an impact. If you’re looking to improve your local SEO or take advantage of Brisbane SEO services, here are some tips for writing blogs that not only engage your readers but also attract search engine attention.
Understand Your Audience
Before you even start writing, you need to know who you’re writing for. Understanding your audience aids in the creation of content that is both relevant and valuable, increasing the likelihood that users will stay on your page and interact with your website — two factors that search engines look at when ranking pages.
Keyword Research
Keyword research is essential in SEO copywriting. It helps you understand what your target audience is searching for online. Make sure to include long-tail keywords that are relevant to your local area, especially if you’re focusing on local SEO.
Quality Over Quantity
It might be tempting to stuff your blog with as many keywords as possible, but modern SEO focuses on quality content. Poorly written, keyword-stuffed articles aren’t just unappealing to readers, they can also result in penalties from search engines.
On-Page SEO Elements
Make use of headings, subheadings, bullet points, and other formatting elements to break down your text. This not only makes the blog easier to read but also allows search engines to better understand the structure of your article, aiding in indexing.
Internal and External Links
A good blog post should provide additional value by linking to other useful content. Internal links to other parts of your website can help in user navigation and increase page views, while external links to reputable sources can increase the credibility of your content.
Monitor and Update
SEO is not a one-time task; it’s an ongoing process. Many Brisbane digital marketing agencies offer services that include regularly monitoring how your blogs are performing and suggesting updates accordingly.
When you partner with an SEO company Brisbane, these elements are often covered as part of their service package. However, understanding these basics empowers you to create blogs that not only appeal to your target audience but also perform well in search engine rankings.
By implementing these tips, you’re well on your way to crafting a blog that serves both your readers and your SEO goals effectively.
Writing Blogs Helps Establish You as a Thought Leader:
As I mentioned at the top, blogs should give the reader value. They should read your stuff and walk away thinking ‘wow, that brand/person/business really knows what they’re talking about’.
Consumers often read blog content during the research phase of their purchasing cycle. They know that they want to purchase a new product, and they are reading a lot about that product. Product reviews and comparisons, learning about how the product is made, what materials, the benefits of those materials compared to other options etc. They are reading all of this content, making a mental pros and cons list to help them decide who to spend their money with.
You need to be writing blog content to help them with their research process. Answer their questions and present the benefits of your products / services. Do you source all of your materials ethically? That’s a blog article. Do you support small businesses? That’s a blog article. Is there a charitable cause that you donate part of your profits to? That’s a blog article. Is there a reason you do something different to your competitors? That’s a blog article.
Writing blog articles is your opportunity to establish yourself as an industry leader by educating the customer and providing them with value. Teach then what they need to consider when deciding who to spend their money with, teach them why your way is better. Share your industry knowledge with them and show them that you know what you’re talking about.
Blog Content Can Be Used on Your Other Marketing Channels:
Blog content is great for using on your other digital marketing channels! Content marketing is all about building strong, loyal and engaged audiences. Give them content to consume so that they can discuss it on your Facebook page.
Share a cool tip or trick that they’ll want to share with their own network. Provide them with thought-provoking articles that give them new ideas.
All of these activities are about keeping your audience engaged with your brand. Keeping your brand top-of-mind and ensuring that they are pulling as many new people into the conversation as possible.
Blog content can also be re-purposed. An awesome listicle or how-to blog article can be turned into an infographic, which can be used in your email marketing campaign. You can then jump on your Instagram story and give a teaser for the article and drive them to your website to see the full thing. And when you post it on your social media feeds? Mine the questions and comments that people leave to identify new topics and themes to write about on your blog! This is all part of social media management – feeding content into your feeds, and then using the engagement to create new ideas and build off what you’ve already created.
The content marketing ‘machine’ has a snow-ball effect. The more you write and put out into the world, the more engagement you’ll get. And the more engagement you get, the more ideas and request for additional content you’ll get.
And the more content you’re creating for your audience, the more loyal they’ll become to your brand.
Conclusion: Write. More. Blogs.
Write more blogs! Blogs are owned content. They are resources that sit on your website and they continue to pull new users into your orbit via SEO. They are a conversation starter with your audience to keep them engaging with your brand in-between purchases. And because everything runs on ‘computer learning’ these days, the more someone engages with your brand and your content, the more likely your next pieces of content are to be shown in their feeds.
But remember! Research. Write well. If you aren’t a confident writer then hire a Brisbane copywriter! It will save you money in the long run (because they can probably write a lot faster than you do, and chances are that your time is better spent in other areas of the business).
If you’d like more information about how blogging affect your SEO, or would like to request a quote for any of our digital marketing services, please get in touch.
