Why does your business need a blog?

29 July 2019

Blogs are an essential tool for modern businesses. Everyone from corporate giants to local businesses are taking the chance to get their message out there. So, what is it that makes blogs such an unmissable investment?

Advance your SEO

Blogs are an SEO goldmine. Google has made it abundantly clear that they want to see websites providing value to their readers, instead of the keyword spamming, mass produced content that was once used to game its system. Visitors to your site should come away having had an experience that was worth their time, that they’ve read something timely and relevant. What this means in practice, is that Google wants to see you producing fresh, high quality content on a consistent basis. Doing so will mean a good injection of precious SEO brownie points, and the easiest way to achieve it is with a regularly updated blog.

Another great way to use blogs to boost your SEO is to have links to your website from other reputable websites in the same niche. Contact others in the same business as you and ask if they’d like to make a guest post on your blog. They can write about a topic for you, adding some valuable knowledge to your site and in return you let them put a link to their own site in their author’s bio. You then do the same for them. You both get great content, you both get a link back to your site and you both win.

Encourage brand journalism

Not that SEO is the only reason to create value for your visitors. Brand journalism is becoming an increasingly important investment for many companies, and essentially involves companies paying writers to produce content about their industry. Make razors? Why not teach your readers how to get the closest shave or make the perfect lather? Running a restaurant? It’s time to show off your producers and let customers see how and where their ingredients are grown. Sharing your expertise and building yourself up as a resource is something that fosters goodwill and brand loyalty that ultimately can translate to sales and a better perception of your company.

Generate leads

Regular, relevant and valuable content is also the perfect foundation for generating leads. When people find your informative pieces, they’re likely to check out the rest of your site and what you do. And just like that, you’ve generated interest and awareness about your business. If you’re writing about topics that are highly relevant to your business, you’ll likely find that these new leads are interested in your niche. This is a brilliant example of inbound marketing.

That same content will also do wonders for you on social media. People are far more likely to view, interact and engage with you if you’re sharing something interesting. When they do that, they’re also more likely to follow through, learn more about your business and visit your website. Just like that, you’ve generated even more leads! Some of them might even share it themselves, further increasing your reach.

Build your image

Blogs are also the perfect place for you to reinforce your brand image. Take a well-known UK snack provider, who has a reputation for being quirky and fun. They spent an entire blog post explaining what a penguin is, complete with pictures. It was funny, odd and surprisingly wholesome, the exact values that the public associates with that brand. It was quintessentially them, a brand image that has been carefully built throughout the years through communications just like that blog.