What are your goals?
Over the past few months we have been updating a bunch of our client websites to WordPress and with that has come the synonymous question of whether or not they “need” to have a blog on their site. The answer depends on a few key elements: The goals you have for your website, the size of your current audience, your current domain rank, if others sites with a high domain rank are regularly linking to your site and whether your website is regularly putting out fresh content in other ways. If the end doesn’t justify the means, spending time on blogging may not be for you. However, if your company is putting time, energy and money into a new website, it could all be for nothing without a blog. It all depends on your goals.
SEO
For many businesses, the blog is necessary because Google wants to see your website regularly putting out fresh content. If your company’s goal is to appear in search results, on the first page of a search query and above your competitors, regularly publishing new pages, whether blog pages or otherwise, is essential.
For a company that already has a large audience and a high domain rank, the frequency of new content could be a lower priority, as long as there are other websites with a high domain ranking regularly linking back to the site. One easy way to observe this is by looking at websites of high profile people who do not have a blog. For example, beyonce.com does not have a blog and does not appear to even routinely put out new content, yet according to opensiteexplorer.com it still has a high domain authority of 79. Why? Because other websites with a high domain authority are regularly linking back to beyonce.com. This factor shows Google that although beyonce.com is not a content creating machine, it’s still relevant to search queries because other high rankers think it is. If your company has a goal of appearing prominently in search results, is regularly getting links from others and you can see your domain rank getting higher without a blog yourself, then it’s possible that a blog isn’t a necessity.
A company that primarily interacts in person with clients or currently has a lengthy email list, and has a lively following on social media or are effectively communicating with their audience in another way, also may not need a blog. If you aren’t hinging the success of your website on it being a tool to get new leads, blogging may not be the best use of your time. However, the idea of not producing new content, yet still having an engaged online audience doesn’t usually go together. When you have nothing to share, you’re basically neglecting your audience — and failing to use (or serve) your audience adequately. By not creating new content, you could be missing out on the opportunity to grow your audience or reach a completely new target market.
Establishing Thought Leadership
For some, a blog is a place where businesses can have a voice or opinion and can share it with others. The Internet is a medium that is unparalleled in its reach. Never before have average companies been able to reach a global audience with so little effort. Bloggers have the opportunity to reach hundreds or even thousands of people each and every day. If your company is a consulting firm, an advisory business or another type of business where you are working to establish your firm as a leader in your industry, your blog is where potential leads will size you up. They’ll essentially “window shop” you on your website. Without a blog to tell them more about who you are, how you think and what you know, how are they to know? And if your competitor’s site does share that information with your prospect, what chance do you think you have to get the inquiry?
Some of the benefits of a blog.
- Positioning yourself as an expert. Writing content that speaks to your target audience’s concerns and problems is a way to show off your wealth of knowledge and demonstrate the ways that you are different from your competitors.
- Higher search engine rankings. If your blog focuses on your industry, chances are your content is loaded with keywords that your target audience might search on. The more relevant content out there that points to your site, the better — and your blog gives you the ability to generate as much of that as you want. It also helps generate fresh content which is a major plus in getting new traffic to your site and increasing your google ranking.
- Community-building. A blog is also a great way to get your customers talking to you and to each other. If visitors like what you have to say, they will keep coming back, and the fresh content that you offer will help keep your business or organization front and center in their minds.
Why it isn’t for everyone.
That all sounds great, doesn’t it? But here’s the catch: it takes time and effort. None of this will happen unless you, or someone on your staff, have the time, motivation, and ability to write thought-provoking and useful content. Not everyone has the time needed to commit to a blog. If your company operates primarily offline and does not depend on your clients finding you on Google, not having a blog may not be the worst thing you can do. For example, if all you need a website for is for those who receive your business card or other marketing material to learn more about your company, a blog may not be the most essential thing.
Having a blog and not keeping up with it, can actually hurt your business rather than help it. If you’re not updating at least once or twice a month, people may feel like you aren’t currently doing anything. They may even assume that your company doesn’t exist anymore. Your blog is a reflection of your company so you must be fully committed.
To sum it up, if you are excited to start a blog and you or someone on your team has the time, budget, energy, and ability to get it going and stick with it, then by all means, go for it! If you don’t, there are many other marketing tools that may suit you better. Don’t feel like you need to have it just because everyone else does!
~ Bethany Howell, art director
