You’ve probably seen, skimmed through, or subscribed to enough blogs to last a lifetime. With topics ranging from Ghost Hunting to FarmVille (you know, that Facebook game you get invited to on a weekly basis), you may think blogging is losing its edge. But is it?
A 30-Second Blogging History Lesson
Initially dubbed “weblog” and later shortened to “blog,” this platform used for updating subscribers on latest industry trends or the new dive in town has seen exponential growth.
According to some, the Internet hosted only 23 blogs in 1999. That’s it! Only 23 across the entire World Wide Web. It wasn’t so wide back then.
Fast forward seven years and the Internet is bursting at the seams with over 50 million blogs. Since that time, the exponential growth is looking more like a plateau. Could that type of expansion continue? Maybe, but I wouldn’t count on it.
More important than reflecting on what blogging has done in the past is considering what blogging can do for you and your website.
Blogs Get More SEO Attention
Why do you blog? It may be a gateway to express yourself or it may keep your audience updated on industry trends. Consider a more direct question: how does blogging help your SEO efforts?
With SEO goggles firmly attached, let’s dive into the deep end of Search Engine Optimization to see the powerful effects blogs can have.
1. Blogs improve a user’s experience on your site. When creating a website, webpage, or blog post, ALWAYS ask yourself: “Will this improve my consumer’s experience?”
Blogs can establish you as a respected industry voice, so make your content count. Only a few things will tarnish a website’s reputation faster than vanilla-flavored content.
The task becomes a little more daunting when you consider the 305+ million blogs on Tumblr alone that also crave attention. However, quality always trumps quantity. Always. Give your readers something new—something different. Give them quality.
2. Blogs help your site rank for keywords. One of the most time-proven ways to rank for keywords is creating content around a treasured term. If you want to boost your portfolio with non-branded keywords, create valuable content around the keyword by following the best SEO practices.
It doesn’t always have to be pure text either. Infographics, motion graphics, or interactive graphics can support your text with fun, attention-grabbing images. More often than not, these creative content pieces generate organic traction better than text alone.
3. Blogs give search bots new index material. Just logging into your site mimics activity—but if you don’t give search bots something new to index, your keyword position and site’s domain authority may lose their head start.
Regularly published content tells search engines you’re putting in time to satisfy your readers’ cravings—and gives search bots additional index material, improving SERPs performance.
4. Blogs create a PR soapbox. Gone are the days when you needed the ear of a news anchor, radio DJ, or journalist to share your story. You may not attract a large TV station or newspaper following, but if you have quality news (there’s that Q word again), blogs can help expand your audience.
Search engines like Google and Bing want your site to apply a lesson from Public Relations 101: link and draw attention naturally. You can do this through strategic partnerships or previously established relationships—or by simply having content that is worth sharing.
No wonder some blogs and websites have gotten flagged in the past for buying links and gaining artificial attention.
Cut The SEO Fog with A Quality First Blog
Did you know that Google wasn’t always called Google? Believe it or not, the company was first called “Backrub”. Strange, but true. This world would be a different place if the term “Google” hadn’t been coined. Can you imagine someone asking you to “Backrub it”?!
The original name and business concept was simple: give your audience quality content, unparalleled service, and a second-to-none product. In return, they will link back to your site and help generate hype.
Although “Backrub” is long forgotten, this basic SEO core value is still relevant today.
SEO and search engine’s ranking signals are often mysterious, but there has never been any doubt about valuable, original, quality content. It has and, in my opinion, will continue to be a firm foundation for successful SEO efforts. As long as bloggers give their audiences what they need and want, blogs are here to stay.
The post Blogging Matters—And It’s More Relevant Than Ever appeared first on Avalaunch Media.