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In this day and age, consumers expect companies to have blogs. More than that; they are disappointed when a brand doesn’t blog. For business owners that have blogged since day one, it can be hard to believe that many businesses still haven’t joined the blogosphere. If you aren’t chuckling, you’re probably one of the latter.
A blog is more than just an easy way to talk to your customers. It’s a goldmine in terms of brand awareness, trust-building, online reputation, user engagement, and search engine optimization (SEO). It’s 2018 – you have no excuse not to give your brand a blog. Here are three indisputable truths that prove this point.
1. Blogs Convert Better Than Social Media Posts
Many brands think that establishing and posting regularly on social media (SM) sites is enough, and that they don’t need a blog in addition. This is an unproductive way of thinking if you want to make the most impact online. In reality, your social media sites are platforms for promoting your blog, not the other way around. Blog posts give you much more breadth for sending your message and attracting consumers. Blogs have the following advantages over SM posts:
- Higher keyword density. Blog posts can be virtually as long as you want them to be. They aren’t restricted to word or character limits like on many social media sites. This gives you the opportunity for a higher keyword density and better SEO. Plus, unlimited word counts let you enjoy the benefits of the “ideal length” for online content: 1,200 words or longer.
- Longer content lifespan. Social media posts are visible to your target audience for a day – maybe two, if you’re lucky. After that, they get lost in the shuffle of thousands of other updates from other users on the newsfeed, including content from your competitors! A blog, on the other hand, stays evergreen. (Case in point: that’s a link to one of our posts from five years ago…still visible and relevant thanks to its blog format!)
- More site traffic. The point of posting content online is to drive conversions, right? While SM is an important part of establishing and marking your business, your blog is where the real magic happens. Visitors are already on your site if they’re reading your blog, rather than seeing your content from a social media site. Establishing and maintaining a blog can do wonders for your site traffic – ultimately optimizing your conversion rates.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking a Facebook or Twitter profile is enough to take the place of a business blog. Your blog is the main course, not a side dish! Users might enjoy seeing your daily posts on SM, but your blog is an indispensable component in your content strategy. It offers all kinds of perks that are missing on the top social sites, from longer content capabilities to driving site traffic.
2. Google Loves Blogs
The “content is king” craze started around the same time as the frenzy surrounding SEO. Why? Because Google started dishing its secrets on how it ranks websites during user searches. What business owners quickly discovered was that content has immense power when it comes to optimizing a website for search engines. Content is where a brand can send its message, engage with users, rank for keywords, and seal conversions. The best location for this content? A blog! Here are some statistics that prove the value of a blog for SEO:
- Websites with blogs have 434% more indexed pages than websites without.
- 90% of customers find consumer content in blog posts useful. (Google loves sites consumers love!)
- Business to business (B2B) marketers with blogs get 67% more leads than those without blogs.
- Sites with blogs have 97% more inbound links than those without active blogs. 58% of marketers name “original written content” as the most important type of content.
You can’t optimize your content or SEO strategies without a blog. Blogs are opportunities to pack your site with keywords, indexed pages, links, and useful information for customers. They are the one place you can post what you want, when you want, almost without limitations. When done correctly, your blog can significantly boost SEO and achieve real returns on investment – namely, real customers and conversions!
3. Blogs Build Trust
Earning consumers’ trust is more important now than ever before. The largest group of consumers today – Millennials – have established a new normal when it comes to choosing which brands to support. The key to breaking into the Millennial market is establishing trust, transparency, and meaningful relationships. Your blog is an excellent platform for connecting with your desired audience and proving that your brand deserves their trust and loyalty.
A blog can provide a place for your brand to establish its tone, build authority, and become a thought leader in its industry. Maintaining a blog for the long haul can turn your website into the go-to source of information in your niche. You can cultivate a blog following and show up in the first page of search results when potential leads ask questions about an industry, process, or product. With the right strategy, your company blog can be the key to Gen Y consumers’ hearts…and business.