Is a blog needed for your business?
When you run your own business, writing a blog for your website seems like just another thing to add to a never-ending list. It’s something a lot of people don’t have time for. I’ve spoken to lots of business owners who tell me they just don’t have the time. I get it. Blogging can be time-consuming. But there are so many benefits of blogging for your business, it’s worth setting some time aside to do it.
1. Google loves fresh content
Lots of people think once you have a website built you’re sorted and don’t need to do anything else. Unfortunately, Google has other ideas. The algorithm works to show you relevant pages for your search. Websites that haven’t been updated fall further down the list of search results.
2. Blogging is content marketing
Content marketing is described as ‘a type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online material (such as videos, blogs and social media posts) that does not explicitly promote the brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services’.
Content marketing is basically marketing your business without actually seeming like you’re marketing your business. You don’t need to name your products, all posts don’t necessarily need to be directly about them, but should be aligned with what your business is about. For example, you could be a business selling eco-friendly products and you write a post with eco-friendly tips or easy sustainable swaps. Although you’re not directly talking about your products, you’re discussing values that are at the core of your business and providing value to your customers.
3. Opportunity to give more info about your products
This is a great way to show your customers more about the products you sell. Perhaps a step-by-step guide on how to use one of your products would be helpful for your customers (or potential customers). Or you can use a blog to help build suspense for new products launches.
4. Provide value to your customers
Although the main aim of any business is to sell their product or service and make money, providing value to your customers should be important too. This is especially true if you’re a service based business.
Some people question why they would give something away for free, but showing you’re an expert in your field builds trust. And the people who read your blog and get the free information you provide, might one day become a customer. A lot goes into the buying process, people want to make sure they’re giving their money to the right people.
5. A blog post is searchable in ways social media isn't
Your website is searchable (from Google) and the posts you publish on the likes of Facebook and Instagram aren’t. This means you can really focus on SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) for each post. Doing some keyword research before you start writing means you can ensure you’re writing about things people are searching for.
6. Can drive traffic to your website indefinitely
I’m a big fan of social media, but before I was interested in it I was a blogger.
The big plus point for blogging is that a blog post can come up again in search results months, or even years, after it was first posted. I think this is one of the biggest benefits of blogging. A social media post has a much shorter life span and because it won’t show up in search results it doesn’t have the same indefinite quality.
7. You own the content
It may seem unlikely that Facebook or Instagram will go anywhere, but it’s always a possibility. Anyone remember MySpace and Bebo…?! And of course there are the times when the platforms unexpectedly go down.
Having your own website is a much better way of ensuring the content you have stays with you. Imagine waking up tomorrow and Instagram is completely gone!?
8. Blog posts can be refreshed
An old blog post can be updated. Whether this is adding more up to date information, fixing broken links or changing the images, you have the ability to make sure your posts are always relevant.
Refreshing your old blog posts is also something Google loves!
I’m always going to be an advocate for the benefits of blogging. Even posting once a month is a great place to start.
If you want to find out more about SEO and keywords, Google Digital Garage is full of lots of information.
