Should We Be Blogging? Yes, and Here’s Why!
At Chartwell Agency, we help clients redesign or refresh websites often. Invariably, we have the conversation about THE BLOG. “Do we really need a blog?” “If we have one, how often do we need to create new content?” “Does anyone even read blogs anymore?” These are all questions we’re regularly asked (and ones we’ve even asked ourselves). Bottom line? Blogs are important – even critical – to your overall virtual presence so yes, you need a blog that’s regularly updated and here’s why.
Search engines like blogs.
While we hope people are reading our blogs (thank you for reading mine!), search engine crawlers are definitely reading them. We want search engines to like us, and search engines love the fresh, relevant content associated with your business or organization’s products or services. Search engines also like content that reflects the natural language used by your website visitors. What better way to create content that checks those boxes than a blog? Knowing that visitors are likely to ask Google questions, your blogs can be formatted to directly answer those questions, providing an exact match for that search query. Just think of the traffic a credit union could generate by titling a blog “How do you refinance a home?” or an ortho clinic could generate with one titled “What’s the difference between a break and a sprain?” That content may not work in the standard pages of your site, but it works perfectly as a blog post.
Blogs are easily consumed.
The most popular blogs are around 300 -500 words – enough content to provide information but not as daunting (or difficult to write) as a white paper or other long format piece. “Listicles” – or articles that provide lists (Ex: “Five Things to Improve your Credit”) – present your reader information quickly and easily. Blogs provide information the way people want it.
Blogs are sharable.
Blogs are designed to be shared, and some blogs even incorporate functionality that allow comments and engagement with readers. By having a blog that can be shared via social media, text, or e-mail, you create a channel for the ultimate in free marketing.
Provide insight and leadership
Having a platform on which you can respond thoughtfully to industry trends and current events is important for your position as a thought leader. A blog is a fantastic way to share perspectives and insight. These blog pages can become a landing page for traffic directed from shorter form platforms like social media.
So yes, you should be blogging and doing so regularly around the topics, questions and language used by those who you want to visit your site. While it requires time, a thoughtful blog content strategy is not just valuable, it’s necessary. Want help developing your blog content strategy? Contact us to get started!
