Search engine optimization, or SEO for short, is a digital marketing practice that focuses on helping your website rank high in search engines like Google and Bing.
Content quality is one of many essential components of SEO. Google will rank your website higher in Search if it features high-quality content, because great content offers value and provides users with a better experience.
Having a blog on your website can be an ideal way to capitalize on SEO and increase your online visibility and revenue. Here’s more about the benefits of a business blog and how to start one.
What Is a Blog?
If you browse the web regularly, chances are you visit blogs all the time (in fact, you’re reading one right now!). In simple terms, a blog is a page on your website that is updated regularly with new content, also known as “posts.” It’s important to note that “blog” and “blog post” are often used interchangeably.
The content published on a blog is usually about topics related to that particular business and its products, services, and niche. For example, most of the posts on our blog at Katava Marketing revolve around digital marketing, SEO, and content development, given that our business is a full-service marketing agency.
The posts on a blog can come in a variety of different formats. The purpose of having a blog is to educate, entertain, and engage your audience so they can stick around and eventually buy your products and services. Articles, infographics, news, and long-form videos are examples of blog post content.
Here are fun facts and statistics about blogs, courtesy of HubSpot:
- Businesses that blog get 55% more website visitors than businesses that don’t publish blogs.
- Businesses with blogs receive 67% more leads than those that don’t have blogs.
- Nine in 10 marketers use a blog to achieve their content goals.
- 80% of internet users interact with blogs and social media sites.
Why Do Businesses Have Blogs?
As we mentioned briefly in the introduction, a blog that features high-quality, well-written content can help your website rank higher in search engines. It’s an ideal way to establish your business as an authority in your industry and foster an online community and presence that turns visitors into leads.
Here are reasons businesses have blogs:
- To drive more traffic to their website.
- To rank higher in search engines.
- To share information about topics related to their business or brand.
- To establish their business as an authority, leader, or expert in their niche or industry.
- To attract visitors and convert them to leads.
- To engage with their audience.
- To build and maintain trust from their audience.
- To get more subscribers for their mailing list.
- To gain more followers and increase their visibility on social media.
- To earn more backlinks. A backlink is a link created when a website links to another website.
Is Blogging Really Necessary?
Yes! A business blog is absolutely necessary if your goal is to grow your business and generate a higher revenue and ROI. A blog automatically creates more web pages and links that are added to search engines, which helps a higher number of people find your website when searching for content and topics related to your business.
It’s also important to note that blogging is a relatively inexpensive way to maximize your SEO. Spending your budget on paid ads can often be inefficient and far less effective, given how incoming traffic to your site will slow down or stop altogether when you cancel your ad service. On the other hand, blogging is an organic and non-deceptive way to increase traffic to your site while connecting with your audience.
If you’re still on the fence about whether your business really needs a blog, consider these other benefits:
- You can share blog posts on social media. This helps expose your business to new audiences, given how links to your website can be shared by other users and made more visible based on trending topics and other various factors.
- You can generate a higher number of calls-to-action (CTA). A CTA at the end of every blog post encourages your visitors to take the next step, whether it’s signing up for your email newsletter, buying a product, scheduling a consultation, etc.
- It can help with link-building. There may be times when another well-established business or blog links back to a blog post on your website and, therefore, drives more traffic to your site.
- It can drive long-term results. For instance, if you develop non-time-sensitive blog posts (known as evergreen content), those blogs may continue to bring in high amounts of traffic year after year without any extra effort on your part.
How Often Should Businesses Blog?
Some marketing experts suggest blogging once or twice a week, while others insist on doing it three to four times a week. However, there’s no definitive right or wrong answer.
The rate at which your business should be blogging depends on multiple factors, including:
- The age of your blog. A newer blog or website may need to publish blog posts more frequently than an older, well-established blog. HubSpot recommends aiming for six to eight posts a month if your blog is under a year old.
- The depth of your content. Quality should always supersede quantity. However, if you are publishing intensive long-form content such as case studies, it’s okay to publish less frequently to ensure your content remains high in quality.
- The resources available to you. Ideally, you may want to consider having one or more dedicated content writers at your disposal who can publish blogs on a timely and consistent schedule. Without resources in the form of writers, editors, and graphic designers, you may not have the ability to post blogs as frequently as you desire.
- The amount of content you have to share. The beauty of having a blog is that your creative possibilities are limitless. Even if you feel stumped or experience writer’s block from time to time, you can repurpose older content and put a fresh spin on it. However, if you feel that you can only share a limited amount of content without sacrificing quality, it may be okay to post less frequently.
If you need help determining how often your business should blog, or you want to blog more frequently but can’t due to limited resources, consider partnering up with a digital marketing firm. These experts can evaluate your website and blog and work with you to come up with a solid content marketing plan. They can also connect you with dedicated content writers who can contribute to your blog.
What Other SEO Activities Should Businesses Be Doing?
Blogging and content development as a whole are essential to any great SEO strategy. Other SEO activities and considerations to include in your digital marketing strategy include:
- Keyword research. This can help your business identify the most relevant and popular keywords or buzzwords related to your industry. Then, you can develop content that focuses on these topics.
- Mobile optimization. Having a mobile-friendly website and blog can help your business increase its reach and conversion rates.
- Page speed. A fast-loading website helps ensure visitors will stick around to engage with your content.
- Link and backlink building. These techniques can help drive traffic to your site.
- Social media marketing. Having a social media presence can help your business enhance its reputation and connect with a larger audience.
At Katava Marketing, your vision is our mission! Our full-service marketing agency offers blogging services, content development, search engine optimization, and everything else your business needs to increase its revenue. Contact us at 973-998-8008 to get started today!
