I talk with clients about blogging all the time.
Search engine optimization (SEO) and blogging are two popular strategies that businesses use to promote their website, attract new visitors, and ultimately generate more leads and sales. Both strategies are effective on their own, and they work best when combined together.
But does blogging directly help your SEO?
The answer isn’t so straightforward. In general, the answer is yes, but it’s nuanced. Let’s dig in:
The Basics of Blogging and SEO
Before we delve into the benefits of blogging for SEO, let’s briefly discuss what SEO and blogging are and how they relate to each other.
SEO is the practice of optimizing your website to rank higher on search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo. The primary goal of SEO is to attract more organic traffic to your website, which can result in more leads, sales, and revenue. There are many strategies involved in SEO, including keyword research, on-page optimization, link building, and content creation.
Blogging, on the other hand, is the practice of regularly publishing articles or posts on your website that provide value to your target audience. The goals of blogging include answering questions your audience is asking, providing helpful information, and nurturing potential customers. By consistently publishing high-quality content, you can build a loyal following and establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry.
The Kind of Blogging That Impacts SEO
Not all blogging is created equal, and not every blog post will help improve your website’s SEO. In my opinion – and especially when it comes to small, local businesses, there are two main types of blogging:
- “Get Something Up There” Blogging: This is an approach where you or your boss has decided you want a blog on your website and you should post something every week. You throw up employee spotlights, news about the company, and 200 word blogs on random subjects.
- Intentional Blogging: This is an approach where you take your time to plan your content calendar and only post highly informative, highly valuable content – with SEO in mind. (Doesn’t mean you can’t share some news from time to time, but the idea is that you’re blogging with a purpose.)
Intentional blogging involves targeting high-value keywords and answering questions your customers are asking. This type of blogging requires more effort, research, and planning, but it can have a significant impact on your website’s SEO. By thoroughly covering relevant topics and internally linking properly, you can increase your website’s authority and rank higher on search engines.
“Get Something Up There” blogging, on the other hand, will have little-to-no impact on your website’s ability to rank. The posts you’re publishing likely won’t rank for helpful keywords, and they also probably won’t provide any supplemental SEO help to the rest of your site either.
But let’s say you’re doing some intentional blogging. Even if you aren’t super familiar with SEO, how can that kind of blogging benefit your site’s SEO potential?
5 Ways Blogging Helps SEO
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s discuss five ways that blogging can benefit your website’s SEO.
Blogs Can Rank on Search Engines
One of the most obvious benefits of blogging is that optimized blog posts themselves can rank on search engines. By targeting specific keywords and providing valuable content, you can attract organic traffic to your website. This traffic can result in more leads and sales, especially if you include calls to action in your blog posts.
Blogs Can Supplement Rankings of Key Pages
In addition to ranking your blog posts, you can also use your blog to supplement the rankings of your priority or “money” pages. By linking from your blog posts to your product pages, landing pages, or other high-value pages on your website, you can improve their authority and ranking on search engines.
Blogs Can Help Establish Topical Authority
Topical authority is the idea that search engines evaluate the overall authority of a website based on the topics it covers. By regularly blogging on a range of relevant topics and subtopics, you can establish your website as an authority in your industry. This can result in higher rankings for your website as a whole, not just your blog posts.
Blogs Can Build Brand Awareness and Drive Direct Traffic
Even if your blog posts are not read by qualified leads, they can still help boost brand awareness and drive direct traffic to your website. By consistently publishing high-quality content, you can attract a wider audience and increase the chances of your brand being shared on social media or other channels. This can result in more direct traffic, branded searches, and ultimately, more leads and sales.
Blogs Can Earn Backlinks
Finally, blogging can help you build backlinks, which are links from other websites to your website. Backlinks are important because they signal to search engines that other websites consider your content to be valuable and authoritative. The more high-quality backlinks you have, the more likely you are to rank higher on search engines.
The vast majority of links on the internet go to blogs, so if you write valuable, helpful, and unique content, it could very well lead to backlinks. If your blog post ranks well, other websites may link to it as a resource or reference, which can improve your website’s authority and ranking on search engines.
Blog with Intention to Benefit Your SEO
Blogging is an excellent strategy for improving your website’s SEO and attracting more organic traffic and conversions. By regularly publishing high-quality content that targets specific keywords and answers questions your customers are asking, you can increase your website’s authority, rankings, and ultimately, generate more leads and sales.
Remember, not all blogging is created equal. Simply blogging without targeting specific keywords or topics won’t do much to improve your website’s SEO. Intentional blogging, on the other hand, requires more effort, research, and planning, but it can have a significant impact on your website’s ranking on search engines.
If you’re just starting with blogging, take the time to research and understand your target audience, their pain points, and the keywords they are searching for. Plan your content accordingly and focus on providing value and solving problems for your readers. Over time, you’ll see the benefits of blogging for your website’s SEO and overall success.
