How Does SEO Blogging Boost Your Business?
Wondering whether it's worthwhile putting resources into a
business blog? If you're concerned that blogs are no longer a valuable
marketing tool, think again; digital marketers remain extremely positive about
the impact blogs have online, with 10% of SEO marketers asserting that their
highest ROI is gained as a result of SEO blogging.
Websites primarily exist to facilitate sales for a business.
Online consumers, though, are looking for something more than that. Call it a
conversation, a relationship, or an experience; they want their online
encounters to be two-way, where their concerns, queries and needs are answered
as part of the buying process.
What is SEO Blogging?
Digital marketers recommend the inclusion of SEO blogging on
a website as a way of improving their clients' search engine ranking. SEO marketing specialists
work with hundreds of ranking factors used by search engines to determine the
positioning of business sites. Search engine optimisation is applied to ensure that websites can be found and readeasily by search engines.
SEO blogging includes a range of factors that can positively
influence the positioning of a site:
- Keyword Research. Finding the words and phrases that are
used by online shoppers when actively searching for your product.
- Content Writing. Creating blog content that is informative,
accurate and demonstrates appropriate sector expertise.
- Optimisation of Images. Sourcing high-quality imagery, of
an appropriate size and format. Alt.tags are added to enable search engines to
read them.
- Link Building. Using internal links to pages and blogs on
the site, and external links to websites that are well-regarded, and
trustworthy, for access by readers.
6 Ways SEO Blogging Benefits Business Websites
Business blogs gave grown enormously in status and regard
over the past decade. In their earliest incarnation, cynical creators used them
as an opportunity to densely pack SEO keywords into content that was devoid of
value for the reader. This practice is no longer acceptable. Google has a
˜people first' policy that rewards blogs that focus intensely upon providing
value for their readership.
The 'people first' approach not only leads to a higher
ranking for businesses, it also provides a range of related business benefits:
1. Expand Your Online Visibility
Keyword research
not only reveals a list of keywords to use within your content; it also exposes
the variety of ˜pain points' that drive online searchers to your product in the
first place. This knowledge helps businesses to hone their digital offering,
with the result that traffic to their website increases.
Specialist keyword research is the equivalent of being given
a megaphone with which to address your online customers directly.
2. Develop a Voice For Your Business
Online consumers are hungry for high-quality online content.
Creating a blog page that provides regular articles addressing issues that
matter to readers, helps you to develop a trusted voice within the sector.
Including sector-specific experts for guest interviews, or round-table
discussions, can help enormously to build your reputation and persuade visitors
to buy your product.
Make use of contacts you have within the sector as guest
bloggers, or interviewees. Demonstrating connectedness within your sector is an
important trust-builder.
3. Demonstrate an Understanding of Your Customers
Getting customers to click through to your website is one
part of the battle, persuading them to stay and get to know your product better
is another. No matter what the volume of traffic, a website with a high bounce
rate (Where visitors click away without engaging) is not generating ROI.
Keyword research allows you to understand the range of resources online
shoppers want to encounter as part of the buying process.
Consider including, ˜how to guides', checklists, comparative
studies, or case studies as part of your blogging range in order to add value,
and keep visitors engaged.
4. Give Visitors a Reason to Return
Once a visitor to your site has engaged with content you
provide, there are all kinds of ways that you can continue the conversation
with them. Perhaps they might want to sign up for a weekly newsletter sent
direct to their email. Or maybe they would like to take part in a live Q&A
on Facebook or view an explainer video on TikTok.
SEO blogging gives businesses the potential to turn their
websites into something more than simply a sales hub.
5. Share Your Expertise
As experts in the product or service you provide, your team
will have a wealth of tips, tricks, advice, and guidance to share with your
readers. This adds value to your website by offering an insight that may not be
available on your competitors' websites. It also gives your customers a reason
to check in regularly with your blog posts via social media, or the website.
Sharing industry knowledge and expertise from your team adds
value to your site for visitors and differentiates your content from that of
your competitors.
6. SEO Content That Customers Want to Share
The secret to creating viral content is knowing how to
provide the right content at the right time. A great example is a blog that
went viral when the new energy prices were hitting all the headlines a while
back; it comprised a list of what it cost to run household electric appliances,
per hour, using the new tariff. Within an hour, everyone was sharing, liking,
and recommending it.
SEO blogging gives you the opportunity to place your
customers firmly on your radar, so that you build a long-term relationship with
them, rather than making one-off sales.
Conclusion
Using your website to sell goods or services involves you in
a competition for your customers' attention. SEO blogging helps you to know
what they're actively searching for, and what kind of content they will value.
Once customers recognise that you understand the can provide the kind of
content they are looking for, they're more likely to engage, recommend and
share your site with others.
Short Bio
Amanda Price - Digital Content Executive and Researcher
for Imagefix | Amanda joined the Imagefix team in 2019, she brought
to the business an expertise in social media, SEO, copywriting, and blogging.
