It’s pretty incredible how the Internet can turn literally anything that graces its pages into an algorithm-cracking, industry-defining game changer in marketing. Whether we’re talking about image macros of cats being cats, a 12-second audio clip of the song that went unnoticed at its release in 2014, or relatable reactions to bizarre situations caught on camera, the most unassuming online artifacts have the potential to become essential tools in boosting SEO and increasing your business's online presence.
Take for example the humble weblog, or “blog” for short. While originally used by hobbyists to document travel and vent concerns about science fiction universes, blogs are now recognized as one of the most useful tools for enhancing a business website’s Google ranking and overall SEO performance.
So how exactly does this work? Let’s take a look at the ways in which having a blog dramatically increases a website’s visibility and why it might be time to get one for your business.
How Does it Work?
As we’ve discussed in previous posts, when a user performs a search, Google peruses and indexes websites that its algorithm indicates will be the most relevant to the user’s query. For our purposes here, we’re going to be discussing Google’s preference for quality website content.
In terms of SEO, “content” refers to the text, images, videos, and metadata contained in a website. Pretty self-explanatory, huh? Where things get interesting is when you explore what Google considers to be “quality content.” Quality content is generally regarded to be the presence of engaging media that’s relevant to user searches, the more recent the better.
This is where business blogs come into play. Blogs augment your website by increasing its amount of relevant text and images, and perhaps most importantly direct potential customers to your website who are asking Google questions that may not be answered in the content of your website’s landing pages. Equally important, a regularly updated blog shows Google that your website is active with fresh content.
Be Found in More Google Searches
For example, you own a pest control company based in Georgia. You’ve got a great website packed with beautiful images, videos, and loads of text with all the right keywords. Now imagine users in your area are asking Google questions that are peripherally related to pest control such as, “What do termites look like?” While your landing pages might be lacking in termite taxonomy, it just so happens that you’ve recently published an article on your blog entitled “How to Tell the Difference Between Ants and Termites.” Google wants to answer the user’s question with the most locally relevant and recent sources, so now they are presenting your blog post to an individual who is just now realizing they have a termite infestation and are in need of your services!
In this way, blogs serve the dual function of widening the scope and pulling off your website and demonstrating to search engines that your website is regularly updated and active.
Social Media and Backlinks
Blogs provide another indelibly beneficial service to your business’ SEO performance in the number of backlinks and social media shares they garner. As we’ve discussed before, a backlink occurs when another website links to yours, and Google absolutely adores backlinks. Backlinks demonstrate to Google that your website is both relevant to and an authority on the subject matter in question. Social media is used by an estimated 4.48 billion people, or roughly 56.8% of the world’s population, so having your website referenced frequently on social media is like turkey on Thanksgiving for Google. All it takes is just one of your blog posts going even moderately viral for your business to see a staggering increase in engagement.
Well-written, engaging blog posts are more likely to attract backlinks and social media attention because they are just more interesting and entertaining to read than the contents of a landing page. They provide a human voice to a business and a talented writing and editing staff can create content that establishes a connection with readers that a rote list of services rendered is simply incapable of achieving. A blog can provide your website with the perfect inflections of warmth, expertise, and even cheekiness that make customers believe in your business as much as you do.
If a regularly updated and professionally written and edited blog is your business website’s missing ingredient, don’t hesitate to reach out to the social media team here at Simple.biz. We’ve got a social media package to meet your needs!
