It’s often tempting, when starting an online business, to merely put up a storefront and hope that customers flock in and buy up all of the inventory. This isn’t usually realistic. People need to be able to find your site and they should probably have a reason to look around. In addition to your online storefront, it is important to have fresh, informative content as well as products for sale. That is to say, it is beneficial for your website to have a blog. Here are several reasons why your business blog matters in 2018.
SEO
A rarely understood asset to blogging on your business website is what is called SEO. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and it is how you improve your ability to be found when someone Googles a subject in your niche. Although this concept isn’t deeply entrenched in the psyches of most people, it is extremely important. If you can’t be found by search engine, your business is headed towards irrelevance.
SEO is very complicated and involves many tactics, strategies and variables, but one constant is that if you blog about your business, your business becomes more relevant and authoritative in search. Additionally, by creating content, you allow SEO specific strategies to leverage your blog content in order to supercharge your ability to be found and thusly relevant.
And if you hire an SEO firm to improve your ranking, you saved yourself some money and time by having content to work with. This is because content is needed to link back to in order to build up your authority. If you don’t already have a blog, the SEO companies will have to create the content or link back to your site in more challenging and less effective ways. Ultimately, it is important for your site to contain the keywords that are important to your business and can be used to improve your SEO. These keywords are best placed within the text of blog content.
Getting Found Online
Every blog post has its own title and content. Therefore, it attracts search engines to list it in more categories than merely your brand niche. This helps people stumble upon your site through the blog posts. They might be looking for some expert advice and end up at your blog and after learning from your post, then go on to purchase something from your business. It is important to understand that your competitors are doing this as well and you don’t want to cede an advantage to them.
Controlling the Narrative
When you write (or have written) posts on your blog, you are in charge of what is ultimately said. As an obvious advocate for your business you can write glowing content that supports your business. You can use this content to inform your customers, dispel misunderstandings, compare your products and services to your competitors or simply sell the benefits of your business.
In any case, your blog becomes a powerful way to create the branding you desire. You are always your best salesman, because nobody will believe in your business like you do. By blogging, you can use that enthusiasm to tell the world why your business matters.
Fresh Content
Some sites are built, they work and therefore site owners feel it is unnecessary to make changes. If someone comes to your site and it looks like a ghost town, they will often find your site dubious and lacking credibility. What I mean by ghost town is that if your most recent update to your site was years ago, it looks abandoned and people don’t trust that their orders will be fulfilled.
But, if you have new blog posts regularly, your site maintains the appearance of freshness and people are confident that it is responsive and therefore reliable. This also creates a platform to inform customers about changes and updates to your product and services. People can then operate with the most current understanding of your business and this circumvents problems that arise due to failed communications.
Creating New Revenue Sources
As mentioned above, SEO is a valuable resource in today’s online marketplace. It can be the difference between a booming business or an orphaned storefront. Your site can benefit from the many methods of leveraging SEO work. One method SEO companies use to improve their clients’ results in search is by creating links back to their site. This tells search engines that their site is valuable.
Often, SEO companies are willing to pay blog owners to publish their material which links back to their client. This is an opportunity for your site to receive fresh content and get paid by the SEO companies for publishing their material. And it is always good to have diverse revenue streams. This gives your business more stability and versatility.
Leveraging Social Media
Social media is a powerful and inexpensive way to get word out about your business, but simply blasting your brand across social media platforms deafens viewers to your message. However, if you blog, you can share those posts on social media, creating brand awareness while sharing important insight into your company. By sharing original content, it comes across as participating in a discussion rather than selling. People are more receptive to this and therefore you can have a greater impact through your social media efforts.
There really is no drawback to creating original content on your site. There are, however, many advantages to doing so. You blog gives you a powerful opportunity to tell your story, get the word out, share information, inform your customers and improve your ability to be found by search engines. It is also a way to improve your message on social media and increase your chances of becoming an influencer.
So use your voice, your language, your industry specific terminology and help yourself by telling your story your way. After all, it is 2018 and your business blog matters.