Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is extraordinarily competitive.  Unless you are a huge nationwide or global brand, you will most likely struggle to get your website on the first page (or in the first ten pages) of a Google search engine results page without going the extra mile to help boost your search engine rankings. Things like website SEO optimization, plug-ins, and paid ads can help your site rank higher in searches, but quality blogging is an often-overlooked opportunity that can really help your business be found.  So, why is it important to add quality blogs to your website on a regular basis?  Here are our top five reasons why blogging is important for SEO.

1. Blogging Keeps Your Website Fresh – Websites that are updated regularly signal search engine algorithms to index your website more frequently, which is helpful for businesses that want to be found in searches. Since it is unlikely that the content on your homepage or other core pages will change regularly, blogs are an excellent way to update your website while adding valuable content for website visitors. In addition, people are more likely to trust the information on your website if they can see that it’s being updated regularly.  When visitors see blogs that are recent and contain current information, they are more likely to trust that information and value your website as a trusted source.
2. Blogs Help to Keep People on Your Website Longer – The length of time visitors spend on your website is another signal to Google and other search engines that your website has (or doesn’t have) helpful content that people are looking for. Search engines, like Google, have made it very clear that they pay attention and give value to the amount of time people spend on different pages and websites in general.  Web pages with a high bounce rate (the speed at which a visitor clicks off the page) signal a lower content value than the pages where visitors stick around longer.
3. Blogging Can Help Target Long-Tail Keywords – Most people focus their SEO on the most relevant keywords for their business, like “children’s clothing” or “pet supplies,” but often those keywords have a ton of competition making it hard for smaller brands to come up in the top spots for those searches. For most brands, they may actually fare better by looking for longer, more specific keywords and phrases called long-tail keywords.  It’s estimated that over half of all searches are four words or more.  While long-tail keywords can be hard to integrate into your product or services pages, they can easily be integrated into blogs.  Writing blogs that include phrases like “best place to buy children’s clothing” or “essential supplies for your new puppy” may yield more traffic than the more generic shorter keywords.  You know that the people conducting those searches are clearly part of your target market and thus of higher value as a lead.
4. Topics and Titles Matter – Before settling on a topic or title for your blog, try to think about it from the perspective of the person who might be searching for the services or products your business provides. What might they be searching for?  How will they enter their query into a search engine?  Keep your topics positive, upbeat, and relevant to your target audience and the key terms they’re likely going to search for. Try to create a title for your blog that appeals to your target audience, promises to provide value, and focuses on keywords.  For example, “The Easiest Way to Potty Train Your Puppy” will likely get more traffic than “Potty Training and Your Dog” because the first title is more appealing, shows value to the reader, and includes long-tail keywords.

Looking for helpful tips and creative ideas for your writing your blog?  Check out our blog! Vlog and Blog Post Ideas for Small Businesses 

5. Quality Blogging Encourages Linking – Search engines value high-quality links, both internal links (those that link from one part of your website to another) and external links (those that link from other sites.) Usually, once you start publishing blog posts, you will find a few great internal linking possibilities on the main pages of your website, but be sure to also link related blogs to each other to encourage visitors to continue reading and stay on your site longer.  Other businesses or individuals who read your blog and find it to be valuable, are more likely to reference your blog in their own blogs. Google and other search engines also evaluate the trustworthiness or authority of a website based on the number of other respected sites that have backlinks to your site. The more high-quality hyperlinks that go back to your site, the higher your website will rank in search engine results.

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