We’re actually big advocates of blog writing, as proof of this I’m literally writing one right now. There’s more going on with a blog than you may think though, so we thought it was worth breaking down why you might want one, when you should write one and what sort of benefits it has.
Updates
A blog is a great way of updating your readers with new content, announcements, updates or events you’ve got coming up. Generally if you’re announcing something this can be part of a wider release strategy (teaser content syndicated on social media, pointing at the blog) but the blog is a great place to put the information.
Date-sensitive information
Not all information needs it’s own page / section / category on your site. If you’ve got a new product it’s only “new” for so long. As a blog is (well, it should be) constantly updated this news article will be gradually pushed away by newer articles. As such, anything at the top of your blog will be fresh new and relevant information.
It shows activity
People like to know the site they’re visiting is maintained, current and that the company is still actively trading. An active blog is a great way of showing this. If you’ve got recently dated articles it shows you’re active. By the same token, beware neglecting a blog for years as it can have the opposite effect!
Fresh content
This one is a big one. Search engines like nice fresh content, sites that evolve, change and update. If you’re constantly writing blogs and updating content then you’ll find that search engines spider your website more often and will generally be more interested in it.
Tailored content
This ties in with more complex SEO themes. If you’re looking to rank for specific keyphrases, writing a good blog about it and pointing a link at a relevant part of your site is far from the worst thing you can do. Blogs have nice SEO-friendly URL’s and are fantastic for SEO.
Not every site needs a blog, if you’ve got no content for one then maybe don’t try and force the words together as it’ll soon dry up. If you’ve got something to say though, it’s well worthwhile doing. Get in touch if you’d like to know more about how blogs can tie into your content marketing strategy.