If you aim to grow your website traffic, you may have come across dozens of different methods to achieve it, from social media tools and Google Ads to reciprocal linking. When done the right way, blogging represents one of the most effective ways to get your website to rank on search engines and reach your target audience. The statistics speak for themselves:
- Adding a blog to your current website can increase traffic by as much as 434% (TechJury)
- Small businesses with blogs generate 126% more leads. (Tech Client)
- Marketers who prioritize blogs have a 13x higher chance of seeing a positive ROI. (HubSpot)
Just those few stats alone make the case for why your site should include a blog, no matter what type of business you have. But let’s take a closer look at the reasons why you need a blog on your website.
Improve Ranking with SEO Blogging
Anyone who uses the internet relies on search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing to find the information they need online. (Google alone processes more than 63,000 searches per second most days.) Websites can improve their chances of appearing on these searches through a technique called SEO, or search engine optimization.
Google represents the most widely used search engine, attracting over 90% of the world’s search engine market. It uses over 200 different factors to determine which sites rank higher on a particular search. Websites that optimize their pages based on these ranking factors have a better chance of appearing on a search query and attracting more visitors.
Blogging provides an effective way to leverage SEO to your advantage and increase your website’s visibility on search engines like Google.
Connect to Customers with Up-to-Date Content
Search engines aim to connect users with the most relevant, up-to-date information based on the keywords they put into a search. That means search engines will avoid including dormant or outdated websites in search results. For this reason, you’ll want to update your site on a regular basis in order to keep content on your page fresh.
For the most part, you won’t need to update generally static pages of your website such as the homepage, about us, or contact us. A blog provides a more practical method of ensuring your website delivers fresh content regularly which boosts its potential to rank on search engines.
Keep Visitors on Your Website Longer
Search engines try to provide the most relevant, interesting information to people performing a search. In this way, users will return again and continue using the platform. If someone searches for information, clicks on the top link, and doesn’t find the website useful, they will quickly leave the page (or bounce). This signals to search engines that this website isn’t helpful.
On the other hand, if a visitor clicks on a website and stays for an extended period of time, this signals to the search engine that the website is useful. Creating interesting, quality content on a blog helps to increase dwell time on your website while also giving Google the indication that your site is helpful.
Get Found with Target Keywords
Keywords refer to the words and phrases you enter into search engines. People type in just about any question they have in a search engine, whether it be, best restaurants in Nashville, discounts on auto insurance, or biggest credit card rewards.
Keywords help search engines comb through content on the web and provide the most relevant links to your queries. If you want to attract more visitors, your website should include related keywords. For example, if you have an e-Commerce site that sells homemade jewelry, your website should contain phrases that people would use to find you such as, handmade jewelry, online jewelry store, or where to buy jewelry online.
You wouldn’t want to stuff all of these keywords on your homepage or about us, as it would look unnatural. Creating a blog gives the opportunity to include certain keywords on your website organically while also helping your target audience find you through a search query.
Establish a Relationship of Trust
Adding a blog to your website provides an opportunity to earn trust among your target audience. If you consistently write useful content on your blog, site visitors will be more likely to return again and again. If they find your content valuable enough to share on social media – even better. You just earned another way to help your site rank on Google.
Consistently publishing quality content will also help build a loyal following and constant flow of traffic to your website.
Whether you have a blog, or not, Web Graphics, Inc. can give you a free SEO analysis of your website. Find out if your website is working as hard as you are, and call 800 932 7746.