Every Business Needs a Blog | SEO - Insights Marketing Solutions

We are always telling people to get a blog. You might think there’s nothing for an electrician or a toy store to blog about, but let me tell you, a blog can change your business. From ranking higher on Google to getting more traffic to your website, to building relationships before a customer even picks up the phone, to standing out from your competition; every business needs a blog. Here’s a short list of why a blog matters and how it will improve your business.

Google Ranking and Search Engine Optimization

To keep it simple when referring to Google, which is by far the dominant search engine, this also includes other search engines, such as Bing and Yahoo.

So, you’ve got a website, but that doesn’t mean Google is looking at you. You want your name popping up at the top of the list when people in your area search for “spas near me” or “cabins in Vermont” or any other product or service related to your business. You might be the closest spa to the person searching for one or have the cutest cabins in Vermont, but if Google doesn’t like your website or doesn’t have the content to display to the person searching, they’re not going to put you at the top of the search results.

Blogging is a huge way to keep your website full of fresh, quality content. Google will be able to see that you’re linking to other businesses, they’ll see that other businesses are linking to you, they’ll see that your site is active and full of great information, and they’ll reward you for it. These are all key components to SEO, (search engine optimization), and how to maintain a high Google ranking. Google loves blogs, but they’ve got to be great.

You can see some tips for brainstorming topics, structuring your blogs, and keeping your ideas flowing here. What matters most to Google, is that it’s a high-quality blog with real content that is updated frequently. There’s a lot to making sure that Google loves your website, so check out that information here.

Give People a Reason to Visit Your Website

You always want people clicking your links, visiting your website, and finding new information. The more often someone heads your way, the more likely they are to buy your product or remember your business when it’s time to book or buy.

People who know about you and know they need your service will click on your website links or your about page. However, blogs can snag you a bigger audience. They can get people clicking for a ton of other reasons. Posting something funny, an interesting DIY idea, activities in the area, or other subjects related to your product can get new people clicking to visit your site. From there, they might end up booking or buying or they might remember your name and recommend you to a friend. What matters is giving people as many reasons as possible to head to your website.

Establish Yourself as an Expert

Before you hire a plumber, book a cabin, try a new dentist, or hire a marketing agency, you want to know that they are of high quality. You can look at photos and read some blurbs on their website, but nothing boosts a potential customer’s confidence like a well-stocked blog. Seriously, it’s like having a conversation and assuring them that you know what you’re doing, you care about your business, and you are the best.

Sure, not every customer is going to do a deep dive for information, but this is a huge way to set yourself apart from your competitors. Does the toy store down the street have a blog? Are they giving parenting tips, activities for kids in the area, and hosting story times and events? Is the electrician you’re trying to beat out for a job posting a blog about the best lighting for each room? Are they sharing the pros and cons of DIY projects? It matters to your customer. Your blog can help establish that you know what you’re talking about, that you care about your customer and community, and that you’re being transparent and sharing your knowledge.

Why all that matters to SEO? It keeps people coming back, reading more of what you have to say, and reading more of what you have to say on the same session. These user behaviors should nudge Google to bump up your site’s content closer to that all-important first page of search results. People by nature tend to be loyal, and there’s few better ways to gain trust and loyalty than with a blog.

Fresh Content for Social Media and Emails

Now, if you’re thinking, do I need social media? I don’t even have social media; why would I need a blog. Well, comrade, we have a bigger problem on our hands if that’s the case. We need your business online, and we need it fast, so if you’re not sure why social media is important, click here or pick up the phone and let’s have a chat.

More than likely, if you’re reading this far, you know your business needs social media and you probably already have an account on at least one platform. Whether you’re sending out email newsletters, posting on Facebook, or running an Instagram, content can be hard to get. You can easily get in a rut after a few months and not be sure what to be posting and how to keep people interested.

I’ve got a great fix for keeping fresh content on hand, and you know what I’m going to say; blogs! Even if it’s a monthly blog, you can get at least two posts out of it. That keeps your followers interested, engaged, and gives them a fresh perspective every now and again. Blogs are a great way to create content to use on your social media pages.

Let’s bring up Google Again

Did you think we were finished with Google? No, no, we’re back. Google recently launched a new algorithm called the March 2019 Core Update. You can read our analysis of that update here, but the big takeaway when it comes to blogging is that it matters and it matters a lot.

This update pushed Google ranking in the direction of quality content on a website. Google is moving away from keywords that used to drive SEO and traffic. Now they want great websites with great content. The tides have been turning on the weight of keywords vs. content and user’s engagement with that content for some time, and Google’s algorithms are always changing (and secret). What we do know is that more weight has been put on a user’s time on site, whether the content is relevant to what they searched for, and your brand and trust in that brand.

Google is always “crawling” – aka reading your website pages. However, it is becoming increasingly important to build a reputation as a trusted source for the content that is sought by users. Blogs are a huge way to not only get traffic, but to give the reader what they are looking for, so they not stay on that web page for a bit, but keep coming back to let Google know that your site deserves a top ranking.

Final Thoughts: Let’s Start Blogging

For some people, blogging might feel inconsequential and meaningless. For others, it might feel like a huge and scary concept, and they don’t even know where to begin. These are the two main deterrents for starting a blog: “What’s the point?” and “When would I have time?”. If either one of those sounds like you, it’s a quick fix. We can help you figure out what to say, how to say it, and how to see the difference it will make for your business.

Still shaking your head and trying to count the hours in the day? Don’t worry, I love blogging, we love blogging, we blog all day. If you’re looking for a little support, give us a call and we can either jumpstart the process with a list of topics perfect for your business or take it off your plate completely. Here are some links to some of the blogs we currently manage to get you thinking.