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Main reasons for the usefulness of a blog
Keep your website up to date.
If you are like the majority of the population, when you come across a website that hasn't been updated For years, you have been at risk of the Leave immediately and not to come back to it again. The same goes for Google: when a website or its content hasn't been updated in a while, it bypasses it to find the best search result for the user.
As a result, websites that are updated are much more likely to rank higher in search results than pages that are out of date.
+111% more traffic by updating old blog posts
Keeping a website up to date doesn't mean you have to set up a content person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but it's good practice to publish content. At At least once a week, if possible.
By publishing fresh content, users are more likely to believe that your brand is up to date on the latest industry news and, therefore, more trustworthy. When a user feels that your content is credible, they are also more likely to share it, which greatly improves your SEO by generating more views and links for your article.
Improve the time spent on your website
Visit time is defined as the length of time a user spends looking at a web page after clicking on a link in a search engine results page (SERP). It is a key metric in determining the performance of your website and can provide valuable information about what topics your audience seems to be most interested in.
However, wait time doesn't just provide you with feedback; google probably uses this measure in its algorithm to decide the ranking of a website (this is not confirmed, but strongly speculated by SEO experts). The longer the visit time, the more likely it is that your website rankings will increase.
The content you post on your website plays a big role in increasing visit time because users are much less likely to spend time on a page that they consider to be of poor quality or outdated.
It takes about 50 milliseconds (0.05 seconds) for users to form an opinion about your website that will determine whether they like it or not, whether they will stay there or not.
What can you do to make the best impression in such a short period of time? Publish content that is relevant and tailored to your specific audience. Most users come to your website through some form of content, probably a blog post, and stay if they feel like the content answers a specific question or sparks their interest.
READ MORE: Learn how to carry out a technical SEO audit?
Identify keywords that have a long tail.
For those new to SEO, it can be tempting to only target the most relevant and obvious keywords for your industry. For example, a baker will likely use the keyword “bakery” to appear in related results.
However, this technique overlooks the value of using more specific keywords that can benefit small businesses that don't necessarily rank first in general searches, known as long-tail keywords.
Long-tail keywords are more specific keywords that generate less traffic, but have a higher conversion rate because they fit more into a niche.
While relevant keywords should be included in blog posts, long-tail keywords that are more specific to a brand, rather than an industry, are incredibly valuable. Because of the incredibly competitive nature of SEO, your content is more likely to reach your target audience with more specific keywords than with more general keywords.
Long-tail keywords don't attract as much traffic as more general keywords (e.g., “shoes” vs “Brown Leather Loafers”).
However, users who come to your site should be much more likely to convert because they can help you identify exactly what your audience is interested in and identify their needs by targeting more specific searches.
ESSENTIAL: Use the tool SEMrush to find new keyword ideas
Get to know your audience.
So you've done your research and created a blog whose content matches the interests of your audience.
That's great, but the learning doesn't stop once you click “publish” on your blog page. When you start creating content, it's important to resist the urge to “leave everything and forget it all” while waiting for your article to get noticed.
Even after the content has been published, you should pay attention to which blogs get the most traffic and shares, as these topics are huge clues to which topics are likely to boost your SEO and generate more conversions.
The more you are able to improve your SEO through your blog content, the better your website will also rank (after all, that's the goal of SEO). When you start to focus on topics that work, more users come to your website and become followers, increasing overall traffic.
READ MORE: How do I find marketing content ideas?
Seek expert help.
This all sounds great, but let's be honest: running a business is hard, and finding the time to create SEO-focused content isn't always on the to-do list.
If the idea of creating and maintaining a blog still seems like a daunting task, there's good news: you can hire someone to take care of it for you.
As the business landscape continues to change and evolve rapidly, there are several platforms that can help you find the expertise you need without the burden (and high cost) of hiring a full-time employee:
Conclusion
Regardless of your industry, a blog is a powerful tool that allows your website to rank higher and gain more organic traffic.
Whether you write the blog yourself or hire an expert, you'll quickly start reaping the benefits of quality content for your business.
