This is a collaborative post: You might have seen this suggested and be wondering why do I need a blog for my business website? You wouldn’t be alone; after all you probably don’t tend to check out the blog pages of websites you visit, do you?
Surely a business blog is just an unnecessary expense?
In short, the answer to that question is no. A regular, relevant blog for your business website is actually something you should put in the ‘must have’ pile.
Don’t just take our word for it though; here are the top reasons that your business website needs a blog.
1) It gives your brand the human touch
A blog allows them to see the real you which is great for small businesses and big corporations alike. 60% of people said they felt positive about businesses after reading their corporate blog.
If you are looking to give your website the best chance possible you also have to be careful about being compliant with how you collect information. You can use a website cookie checker to make sure you are always compliant. Also, ensure that you disclose any affiliate links as well, this is the law in many places. The good news is that this usually doesn’t deter people from clicking on your link and making a purchase.
2) It makes you look good
A blog can also make you appear more approachable, and more knowledgeable in your field.
3) It opens the door for a relationship
82% of people said they enjoy reading company blog posts; that’s a huge number of people who might potentially join your mailing list for more of the same.
4) It gets you customers
There’s no confusion here; 57% of companies with a blog claim that they have acquired a customer directly from their business blog.
They Google a topic, end up landing on a blog post and then click through to the sales page. Paired with an easily navigable sales page and hassle-free merchant services, the sale is done.
5) You’ll have content to share on social media
The power of social media cannot be underestimated. Over 60% of adults in the UK are on Facebook, and sharing regular, engaging content will draw followers to your site. Write content that people can share easily and others will do your marketing for you.
6) Search Engine Optimisation
If there is one reason that your business website needs a blog, then SEO is it!
You have probably acquired the services of an SEO agency like Ignitedigital.com who are ensuring that you are going up in the Google rankings with more inbound links, but a lot of SEO is on you!
In simple terms, if you don’t keep your website updated with new, fresh content that is optimised for Google then your website won’t be considered as relevant. In turn your Google ranking won’t increase or may fall, which means less organic traffic and fewer sales. The more frequently and consistently you update your blog, the more chance you have of pleasing Google and seeing increasing traffic to your business website.
Blog posts with good SEO can also bring you web traffic for a whole range of new keywords including high converting long-tail search queries. Sites with a blog have on average over 4 times as many pages indexed by Google than sites without and each one of those pages has the potential to attract a new customer; if your website does not have a blog, you are missing out on loads of potential traffic.
By providing useful information in your blog posts, you’re also giving others an incentive to link to your site. Business websites that have a blog have 97% more inbound links than companies that don’t. As well as potentially bringing you traffic and customers, those links are the life blood of your site’s Google ranking.
If you don’t have the time or the expertise to write regular, SEO-optimised blog posts, then you can outsource this easily. Get in contact to find out more!