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A Blog About Blogs

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Blogs are an interesting and often overlooked area of the internet. Usually, people seek out blogs for information, and most will assume it's almost like an internet diary. If you've ever read a cooking recipe and it contains an entire biographical anecdote, that is a form of a blog post! But it's also a strategy. The internet is a business tool, it genuinely can improve your brand tenfold! 

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If you are reading this right now, our business strategy is working. 

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The thing is, blogs are much more important than they seem to be, and oftentimes tend to be overlooked in terms of their influence. The thing is, they are the key to improving your website traffic, engagement and customer loyalty. 

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I'm gonna throw a few acronyms at you so prep your pencils: 

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Words of the day are:

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SEO: Search Engine Optimization 

Pretty much optimizing your website to appear higher on the search engine results page (SERP), bringing in more traffic and consumers and building your site success.  

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EAT: Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness

Creating a strong relationship with your clients based on the quality of information you put into your content. 

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These two terms go hand in hand when it comes to creating a valued social presence online. Algorithms are the way of the online world. The main goal of blogging is to create more traffic on your website (SEO) and to create a lasting audience that will come back (EAT). Both improve google rankings and the overall success of your site! 

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Every page on your site is a part of the complex system that is the internet and search algorithms. Every word is a piece of the puzzle and gives the site information that helps its viewability. Let's look at an example:

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When we look at sites like Buzzfeed or the Huffington Post, we see an array of different strategies going on. If I search for Harry Potter, a Huff post article immediately pops up as one of the top results. This means they have a successful SEO performance! And by utilizing a key buzzword, they automatically jump to the top of the search results of that word because of their SEO. A Lot of sites have this advantage, but it does take time, consistency and great customer loyalty. The next time you search something up, look at what sites hold the top result spots. They most likely will be blogs, articles or company sites that you are familiar with. 

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So how do they do it? 

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Education is a top customer retention strategy - people want to learn and become familiar with different areas of expertise. 

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Think about how you go about finding content. Half of the time people search for keywords and end up somewhere they may not have expected to. You want to garner traffic to your site the same way a viral video might, by having clickability, entertainment, or valuable knowledge. And, like youtube, if you do this consistently and properly, you can create a space where people want to stay and consume your content. Now with blogs it's pretty much the same, just as valuable, very cost effective and can be less time consuming.  

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In keeping up to date with what questions are being asked in your field, you can use SEO to your advantage. If you cover older outdated techniques, it may be interesting, but if people are constantly asking about a new product or technology that pertains to your areas of expertise, talk about it! It can keep your brand fresh in terms of knowledge, keeping you at industry standard. So milk it! it may even kick you to the top of the search engine algorithms. Plus, creating constant new relevant content can keep your business on the social media radar as well, you can link your blogs through other social sites and keep those spaces active and exciting. 

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If you provide your consumers with valuable information, it creates a precedent: you are the industry standard, an authority figure in their eyes, and they can trust your judgment. With trust comes loyalty. When we say loyalty, we mean they put us first when it comes to seeking out services. This is where EAT comes in. Over time, your expertise will become more and more valuable and in turn, will create trust and authority. It's almost like having a mentor or a teacher. Over time, you respect them and go to them enough for guidance. As opposed to seeking out a random person's advice, you have a history of being able to trust someone who is closer to you, and that creates a relationship you will most likely put first before a stranger. 

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Blogging creates an invitation for conversation. It also allows you, as the creator, to produce content that maybe stands out from the rest. You can put your brand's personal touches into the wording, and chat about personal experiences in different areas. Try to make it fun and interesting instead of just spitting out a block of text! By keeping it personable, you show that you, or your brand, is human at the core of it all. 

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