As a small business owner, if you’re wondering whether you should place a blog on your website, consider this recent statistic. A blog will increase your site’s chance of ranking higher on search engines by 434% according to Forbes.
With benefits related to ranking higher, such as boosting traffic and driving organic growth, it’s easy to see why blogging for business has become an essential marketing strategy for establishing a successful online presence.
However, starting and maintaining a website blog for your business requires time, effort, and dedication. If you’re unsure whether to dedicate your resources to this endeavour, keep reading as we explore why putting the effort into creating a website blog often yields a significant return on investment for your business.
What is a blog?
A blog is a dynamic online platform that allows you and your company to share thoughts, ideas, opinions, experiences, and expertise on a particular subject. Unlike traditional forms of media such as newspapers or magazines, blogs offer a more personalised and informal form of communication.
Components of a blog
Blog posts provide the content and can cover a wide range of topics, from personal stories and travel experiences to how-to guides and informative articles, like this very piece you’re reading right now. Posts are typically organised in reverse chronological order, meaning the most recent entries appear at the top.
Blogs also include the following elements:
- Categories and tags, which help readers find specific content that aligns with their interests
- Archives that organise and store previous posts
Types of blogs
The four main categories of blogs include personal, business, niche, and news.
Blogging for business provides a tool that allows companies to share valuable information, industry insights, and exciting updates with their audience. It provides a platform to showcase expertise, communicate with customers, and become a thought leader in a specific industry.
The benefits of a blog for your website
When polled, 70% of people responded that they prefer to learn about a business through articles from a company’s blog than through advertisements according to Demand Metric. With that kind of interest, it’s no wonder the top ranking Fortune 500 companies all have corporate blogs.
However, blog post benefits aren’t solely for the big industry earners. Small businesses can also reap the following remarkable benefits of maintaining a blog.
Improved SEO
SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, refers to the practice of improving a website’s visibility and ranking on search engine result pages. It involves optimising various factors such as website content, structure, and backlinks to increase organic or non-paid traffic to the site.
If you want to improve your SEO, a blog on your website can work wonders. Search engines love fresh, relevant, and informative blog content, and a regularly updated blog provides just that. By incorporating relevant keywords and optimising your blog posts, you can improve your website’s ranking in search engine results and drive more organic traffic.
Also, a blog enhances your website’s visibility, and increases website traffic as well as improving the chances of attracting backlinks from other reputable websites. Backlinks serve as a vote of confidence for search engines, signaling that your website is trustworthy and authoritative. These inbound links not only drive additional traffic but also contribute to your website’s overall SEO strategy.
Establishing authority & showing expertise
Another one of the benefits of a blog is that it’s an excellent platform to showcase your expertise and thought leadership in your industry, and allow you to share informative and insightful content with your audience.
As a result, you establish yourself as a trusted source of information, which builds credibility and trust. This practice, in turn, can lead to increased visibility, brand recognition, and, ultimately, more business opportunities.
Increased website engagement
A blog provides a platform for engagement and fostering a sense of community. By providing valuable and informative content, visitors will often stay on your site longer.
As they interact with posts and calls to action, visitors often become motivated to create a dialogue. These comments and interactions help cultivate positive relationships with your target audience.
This engagement not only strengthens customer loyalty but also provides valuable insights and feedback that can fuel future content ideas and business improvements.
Cross promotion opportunities
Your business can use your website’s blog as a hub for your content marketing efforts. You can leverage your blog posts by repurposing them into other effective formats, such as ebooks, infographics, or videos.
By distributing this content through different channels, your business can maximise the reach and impact of your content and amplify your brand’s message across various mediums.
Lead generation
A website blog can be a powerful marketing tool for attracting new customers and clients.
By writing about topics that resonate with your target audience, such as providing valuable information that helps them solve problems or make informed decisions, you’ll likely attract potential customers. Over time, your blog can help your business increase brand awareness, customer retention, and higher conversions.
Final thoughts on blogging for business
Creating a blog for your business website makes sense. SEO-optimised blog posts offer multiple benefits for the health of your small business, including increased traffic and engagement.
When businesses consistently publish high-quality content, it builds trust and credibility, which converts to attracting and retaining customers over time.
Need help creating your website blog?
Our team at White Chalk Road knows how to get results. We SEO agency with a long history of helping small businesses like yours succeed.
One of the ways we do this is through content marketing and SEO. This is our specialty so we know the right strategies to use to help you grow your business.
Get started today! Contact us to learn more about our top-notch SEO services.