Can You Really Blog Your Way to SEO Success?

3 Reasons to Hire a SEO Agency
September 22, 2019

There are many techniques used to optimize a website so that it shows up toward the top of Google’s SERPs (search engine result pages). All of them can be very effective when utilized properly, but few techniques are as valuable as having a solid blog on your website. SEO is a topic rife with concepts that many of us find totally foreign, but we all know what a blog is. Chances are, you’ve turned to the blogosphere yourself a time or two for any number of reasons.

Now, let’s think about what brought you to any single blog page. Obviously, you were looking for information. So, what made you choose that particular blog? There are likely hundreds of blogs dedicated to the subject you were searching for, so what made that one stand out? In the article below, we’ll explain why websites with blogs stand to benefit over those that don’t. Continue reading to learn more!

What are the Keys to a Successful Blog?

While every page of your website has innate value, few leave as much of an impact as your blog. That is, of course, provided that the blog has been designed to be a useful tool for your website. It’s not enough to simply have a blog. You need to cultivate it, fine-tune it and make sure that those seeking this information are more than satisfied with their findings. This sounds like a very tall order, but with dedication and diligence, anyone can craft a quality blog of their very own.

But first, you need to learn what makes for an effective blog – and what doesn’t. Let’s discuss the qualities of a great blog in further detail!

Regular Updates

When Google trawls the internet for websites to rank, its algorithms assume that websites updated more recently are going to be of higher relevance. Therefore, they are ranked highly in comparison to websites that haven’t been touched in years. But it can be a challenge – not to mention ineffective – to regularly change the content of your website’s home page, contact page and product pages. A blog is the easiest way to post regular updates to your website.

More than that, regular blog updates showcase your brand’s authority in your industry. A well-written blog composed of many relevant subjects over the span of years speaks to audiences in a way that commands attention and respect for your knowledge. And when readers feel confident that the information is correct and relevant, that garners greater trust. And heightened trust translates into more leads and then – with any luck – more conversions.

Backlinks

Yes, your blog needs to be informative, but you also need it to work for you. Think of your blog like a 24/7 employee: constantly working to sell your brand. When writing new blogs, backlink to previous entries and other areas of your website where applicable. This exposes readers to additional information that they may need or want, but it also shows Google that people like what you’re showing them. That’s because part of Google’s ranking algorithm relates to how long people spend on your website.

By using backlinks, you can keep readers on your website even longer. This looks great to Google, so much so that you can go up a few ranking points on that basis alone.

Images and Video

Visual tools like pictures and videos are a great way to break up a lot of text in a blog post, therefore making it more digestible for readers. A person is going to spend more time on your website if the flow and format of content is appealing, so these tools help a lot in that regard.

Additionally, images and video are a great place to implement some of your chosen keywords. They can be incorporated into alt-text and descriptions with ease. This strategy is a great way to not only create more engaging content, but also to make good use of your keywords without committing one of the greatest SEO sins: keyword-stuffing.

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