If you’re looking to build brand awareness and authority in your industry, providing relevant and useful content to your target audience through consistent blogging is a prime way to get results. Why? Because blogging is one of the most cost-efficient content marketing tools for small businesses to drive traffic to their website while providing value and attracting a new customer base.

Which is why when I came across an article entitled, “Is Blogging Dead in 2020?” I had to do a double-take. Blogging is more relevant than ever. It’s an authentic way to forge a deeper connection with your audience in a time when in-person networking is out of reach.

So, why does your business need a blog in 2020? We’ll dive deeper into the technical aspect in a moment, but here are the top takeaways:

• Increases visibility on search engine results pages, aka better SEO (Search Optimization). In short, more eyeballs = more potential clients.
• Builds better relationships with new and existing clients.
•  Connects people to your business.
•  Establishes your brand as a go-to authority in your industry.

Do People Still Read Blogs?

We already went over the fact that blogging is more relevant than ever, although in different ways from how blogging was traditionally used in marketing.

It’s your opportunity to talk directly to your client — and they are listening!

Nearly 50 percent of buyers read 3 to 5 blog posts or content pieces before talking with a salesperson, according to DemandGenReport. Blog and website copy is your first introduction to your clients.

What is SEO? And How Can It Help Boost Organic Traffic?

There are many acronyms to know in digital marketing, and SEO is top on the list. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. By using relevant keywords and answering the searcher’s inquiry, SEO blogging boosts businesses’ ranking on significant search engines (thinking Google, Bing, and Yahoo).

These search engines pride timely content that helps users answer their questions. This is why consistency in posting — and including the terms most relevant to your businesses — is essential to SEO marketing. Did you know that blogging regularly can increase your traffic FIVE times — no advertising dollars needed?!

Download Your Free SEO Blog Template & Checklist

Top Tips for Increasing Organic Traffic

• Optimize for your readers, not search engines. First and foremost, write your buyer personas, so you know to whom you’re addressing your content.
• Regular blogging. Keep showing up with helpful content, and clients will come back.
• Use long-tail keywords. Remember, it is essential to answer a user’s question. Long-tail keywords are typically three to four-word phrases that capture specific search intent. Instead of short-tail terms, such as “buy flowers,” an example of a long-tail keyword is “buy roses for Mother’s Day.”
• Internal and external linking. If you’re not super techy, the pro at SEOClarity summed up this strategy correctly, “Internal Links vs. External Links. Internal links are hyperlinks that direct the reader to a target page on your website, whereas an external link is a hyperlink that directs the reader to a reputable page on a different website.”

How Long Should My Blog Post Be?

This is one of the top questions I get asked about blogging. Industry-standard is that blog posts should at least be more than 300 words. But you’re not average, and either is your blog, so I’d aim for at least 500 words. That’s because the longer your post is, the more hints (keywords) Google has to figure out what you’re writing about in your post.

One tactic I use to ensure my blog posts are long enough to compete on Google is to, well, Google. Research the topic you’re writing about and take the average word length of the first ten related posts, then add 200 words, and that is your magic word count.

Tools like SEMrush’s SEO Content Assistant also help clarify word count objectives.

How Often Should I Post a Blog? 

Consistency is vital in content creation. There is nothing worse than heading to a website to realize that no one has updated it in weeks or months. Clients want to know that you’re up-to-date and present online.

There is no one size fits all approach to the amount your company is posting. Some smaller businesses can get by with one or two blogs a week; larger companies might post daily or even twice daily.

If your goals are to raise brand awareness and increase organic traffic to your website, you’ll want to post frequently — at least once or twice a week. It can be a challenge, especially for small businesses or marketing teams, to develop content ideas and find the time to write the posts. It is a primary reason so many are turning to content creators to assist in their digital marketing efforts.

Which brings us to…

What Should I Blog About?

Who are you trying to reach and help with your writing? Start by knowing your audience and your content pillars. What are the topics you could discuss related to your industry all day? Blogs answer questions and showcase your expertise.

Coming up with three-to-five go-to content pillars can help streamline the creative process. Once you identify your core topics, write about them meaningfully. Great blogs follow these guidelines:

• You know who you’re talking to in your post.
• You did (at the very least) basic keyword research.
• You optimized your headline.
• You asked yourself, “Do my readers have all the answers they need to answer their questions?
• Tools like Also Asked and Answer The Public are great for helping you generate content ideas that support your SEO strategy.

Tools like Also Asked and Answer The Public are great for helping you generate content ideas that support your SEO strategy.

Will this Take A Lot of Time and Effort?

Well, yes — but it’s worth the investment. Blogging is not a get-rich-quick scheme by far; it takes consistent effort and time to create a great blog with thousands of readers.