The Benefits of Blogging for Small Businesses
Working as a freelance SEO copywriter with a number of independent and emerging brands, I can tell you that one thing is for sure: the benefits of blogging for small businesses are immense!
Bigger businesses have the advantage of a name that most people recognize and a large team behind their marketing and PR efforts. However, small businesses need to rely on more personable and build-over-time tools, such as a blog.
Blogging for your small business can aid you in building a community and establishing yourself as an expert in your field, all while increasing your website traffic and growing your business.
Let’s dive deeper into the benefits of blogging for small businesses and how you can get started with it.
Blogging for small businesses is a two-way highway to rapid success
I always tell my clients that having a blog on your website does two things for your business: builds meaningful connections with your customers and increases your SEO value.
With the first, you get to revel in a community of clients who share your brand values. The second helps you attract new visitors who have at least some interest in what you have to say and convert them into loyal customers who are looking for that spicy flavor of relevant content.
Building authority: the benefits of blogging for establishing your brand community
As an independent small business, you have your heart set on a customer-first mindset. Or at least, that’s what successful brands with a strong online presence embody.
This means that your efforts are focused on providing value for your customers and creating a memorable brand experience that sets you apart. Having a blog on your website can help you foster meaningful connections with your customers in the following ways:
01. Present your brand
Whether your customers are considering long-term commitment or a first-time purchase, they want to get to know your brand. While landing pages and ads offer top tier information about you, they’re often curated in a structured and more formal way. But who really is your brand, is what your customers are asking.
A blog is your chance to get personable with your audiences. You have a platform to talk about certain topics, share valuable information, and spark engaging conversations. All of this can best illustrate your brand values and what you stand for. This helps you establish and communicate your brand voice clearly – something your clients resonate with a lot.
In 2024, customers value authenticity, and Forbes Magazine even calls it “the ‘it’ factor that keeps customers coming back for more”. In fact, 90% of customers consider authenticity an important factor when deciding which brands they like, and you need to get on that bandwagon too. A thoughtful and well-crafted blog post can help you channel your authentic voice.
02. Build trust
Fostering a community and showcasing authenticity and transparency through your blog ultimately leads to building trust, and trust is a driving force.
In a world where consumers have endless choice but limited time, they are looking for a shorthand – something to make the decision-making process faster and easier. Brand trust takes precedence – if customers trust your brand, they are more likely to do business with you.
People are often searching the web to find answers to their questions. If your company provides a well-structured answer in a blog post and customers find it, they will feel more confident and trusting in your brand, and in return will be more likely to enter your sales funnel.
That’s why it’s important to use your blog as a platform to not only promote your services and products but also to cover a wide range of related topics. Make sure you draw on how the products or services you offer affect your customers’ day-to-day life.
For example, ethical jewlery and sustainable yoga wear brand Daya Jewelry wanted to start the conversation around doing mindful practices with crystals – a key component of their jewelry pieces. I created a series of blog posts about monthly moon rituals and shared practical advice on how to incorporate gemstones into your practice. This was not only an opportunity to link to relevant jewelry product, the importance of which I will get to in the below section, but also to provide value to the customers.
03. Boost your social media efforts
Your social media isn’t just a free ads space. It’s an opportunity to engage with your audiences and become an integral part of their lives, ensuring fruitful customer relationships. In order to do that, you need to share engaging content.
A single blog post is the ground-basis for not just one but multiple social media posts. From sharing the blog to creating infographics with the key takeaways to making captivating reels, you are mastering the art of repurposing your blog content. This saves you time and effort, and in return, you are presenting your followers with content that truly brings them value and keeps them loyal.
Moreover, having a consistent and linked presence across various channels can help you provide a platform for your customers to interact with your brand in multiple ways. They can comment, direct message you with questions or intakes, and answer polls. This is vital for your customer engagement and brand community building.
Mastering SEO Blog Writing in 2023: The benefits of blogging for link building and traffic conversion
While writing engaging content and adopting a user-first mindset is crucial for creating a hub-like branded experience for your clients, paying attention to your technical efforts should also be on your priority list.
SEO in 2024 is not just about using the right keywords but creating a consistent path that makes it all seem natural and evergreen. Here is how your business blog can help you boost your SEO efforts.
04. Increase traffic to your website and attract new customers
In order to reach new audiences and increase your website’s traffic, you need to make your website as search-friendly as possible. The easier for Google it is to find your website and index it (present it in search results), the higher your chances of getting discovered by potential customers are.
And while your digital marketing and word-of-mouth efforts are surely bringing in new customers to your business, organic search remains one of the best ways to create a profitable sales funnel. A consistent business blog can help you with that.
Each blog post is an opportunity to include relevant keywords, link to other pages on your website, and ultimately increase your overall SEO value. SEO blog writing helps Google position it on the first pages of search results. According to Hubspot, 75% of users never look beyond the first page of search results, so you want to ensure your spot with valuable, educational, and SEO-optimized blog content.
The more organic traffic you have to your website, the more Google recognizes it as popular, relevant, and of high quality. In return, your website’s authority increases, and so does your brand’s, helping you differentiate yourself from competitors.
05. Drive conversion
The point of having a welcoming, visually appealing, and rich in content website is to present your products and services, create a conversational hub, and drive conversion.
Blogging for businesses is a long-term but sure-proof way to not only attract visitors to your website but also convert them into loyal customers. And while it takes an average of six to 12 months to see results from blogging, such as an increase in web traffic, leads, and sales, consistent blogging pays off over time.
According to Hubspot, 56% of marketers who leverage blogging find it effective. 10% of those say they see the biggest ROI (Return of Investment) from blogging.
Unlike ads which have a limited life-span, blogs stay on your website for as long as you wish, meaning that they keep driving organic traffic to your website continuously. Organic traffic is what helps build sustainable traffic, which is at the core of improving all of your business’ metrics.
Driving conversion through blogging comes down to mastering blog optimization by implementing the right keywords (think long-tail keywords) paired with relevant content for your readers. Consequently, you might get results quicker than anticipated.
In my work, I help businesses develop a robust SEO strategy that specifically targets their blog content, and create engaging, on-brand, and on-topic blog posts while keeping your brand personality visible throughout.
06. Help with link building and website navigation
Link building is an integral part of your SEO strategy. Placing both internal and external links will not only increase your SEO value but will also help you create consistent pathways internally and externally.
Internal links are like a guide for both Google crawlers and your users to how your content is structured. Think of them as signposts navigating the customer journey on your website and directing them to what the next logical step is in terms of content.
When it comes to blog posts, they’re like a crossroad for each of your content hubs where customers can further explore your brand. Internal links are beneficial for search engines too, as they help them index your site, identify your main keywords, and improve your SEO ranking.
External links, on the other hand, direct the customer journey outside of your website. They’re useful for giving credit to the external sources you’ve used in your content. The higher the DA (Doman Authority) of the website you’re linking to is, the higher Google ranks your content as authoritative and ‘worthy’ to be featured on its first page of search results.
Moreover, external links aid your website networking game. When you link to another content creator, it’s likely that they will link back to you. This will help you form a good relationship with them and increase your website’s SEO value, as backlinks are a key component of SEO.
How to blog effortlessly
Blogging has numerous benefits for your business. In a world where you need to have a significant competitive edge in order to be recognized, a blog can truly help set you apart. Paired with robust SEO blog optimization, you get the chance to be featured on the first pages of Google and in the hearts of your beloved customers.
And while blogging is essential, it can often be time and energy-consuming. That’s when you can use the help of someone who knows their way around words and SEO but also your brand. If you’d like to elevate your blogging efforts, I’m happy to assist you with my expert SEO copywriting services and commitment. Get in touch to disucss how we can take your brand to the next level together.