In 1994, about a decade after the internet was created, Justin Hall wrote what he called his "personal homepage" on his website, Links.net. Although the term wouldn't be coined for another three years, what Justin had created was the world's first blog post. Fast forward to 2022, and you'll find over 600 million blogs online with subjects that run the gamut, from aardvarks to zeppelins and everything in between. Blogging today is used by individuals and organizations worldwide to keep in touch with their fans, customers, and clients, share information and ideas, stay top-of-mind and drive sales. Below we'll take an in-depth look at blogging, what it is, its benefits, how it works, and more. If discovering all the details about blogging is your goal, read on.
A blog, at its core, is an online diary usually written by an individual about a subject they hold dear to their heart. The majority of blog content is written, but blogs also feature photos, videos, and other visual information. Blogs also link to other web pages, especially when they have been "monetized," and they allow visitors to the blog to leave their comments. One of the main tenets of a blog is that to be successful, the blogger must post new and interesting content regularly. Without that, interest in the blog will fade, and traffic to the blog will decrease substantially.
Today, many businesses have blogs, more or less for the same reason as individuals; to share thoughts, ideas, and information. More than that, however, businesses use their blog to communicate with existing clients and connect with potential new clients. They do so by posting content on their blog that's useful, valuable, or helpful. Some even post blog content purely for entertainment and to give their readers a good laugh (or a good cry). They do this knowing that this type of engaging content will drive more traffic to their blog and, in turn, their business. There are a wide variety of blog types that can be used, including:
• How-To blogs. These tell the reader how to do something, usually step-by-step.
• Listicles. This type of blog is a list of similar or related things, topics, products, etc., with concise info about all of them.
• News-based blogs. These blogs provide news updates.
• Interviews. Interview blogs are based on interviews with experts in specific fields.
• Explainers. These blogs explain how, for example, something works or how it happened.
• Product Reviews. If you write about products and give their pros and cons, you've got a product review blog.
• Infographics. This type of blog uses images and words to explain, convey or relate information.
Blogging, if we're being honest, used to be seen as a mostly frivolous waste of time by many, a way for narcissists to talk about themselves and what they liked or desired. Those feelings, however, have changed drastically over the years. Blogging today is seen as an incredibly valuable marketing tool with many excellent benefits. Some of the best of those benefits include the following:
One of the best reasons to start a blog is to drive traffic (visitors) to your website. By posting interesting, engaging, and informative content regularly, more and more people will come to visit. When they do, you will introduce them to your brand, products, services, etc.
A well-written blog filled with honest, valuable, and helpful information can go far towards creating trust among the public. That trust will, in turn, go far in helping grow your brand and business.
Just like it builds trust, a blog also creates an affinity for your brand (or you). Consumers will begin to see you and your brand as their advocates, helping them achieve something or better themselves somehow.
Valuable, well-crafted blog posts will stay online forever, information the public about your company 24/7, 365. Within a few weeks, months, and years, the amount of traffic and potential clients it will drive to your website is invaluable and will get stronger the longer your blog is established.
Consumers don't always need what you're selling right now, it's true. However, when they do need what you're selling in the future, your company will be the one they come to because of your blog.
Your loyal customers want to know what's going on with your business, and a blog is one of the best ways to tell them and keep them informed.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is invaluable as it can rank your website on the top page of search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. A blog is one of the best methods of improving your SEO and getting your website ranked higher.
There are few methods of showing the world that you're an expert at what you do (or what your business does) than blogging. By giving advice, information, tips, hacks, and so forth, consumers will eventually come to you first when they need advice about something in your industry.
Lead generation is vital for every business and converting leads into sales is just as important. Blogging allows you to do both and, in most cases, for far less than other lead gen methods.
Last but certainly not least, a well-written, interesting, and informative blog will allow you to monetize your expertise and generate an income stream that, in many cases, can be very lucrative.
Blogging today is quite simple, especially with the advent of free blogging websites like WordPress, Wix, Blogger, Tumblr, and more. You can also set up a blog page on any website, private or public. Once your blog domain has been established, it's simply a matter of creating content. Written content is the most popular, but you can also post photos, videos, infographics, and other visual content on a blog.
Once you've completed a blog "post," which includes your headline, main content, and call to action (if needed), you can then "publish" your blog post on the internet, where it will be available and viewable to anyone with a browser or mobile device. One caveat is that to be successful, your blog should post content often. Many bloggers post new content every day, but experts recommend a minimum of 2 times a week at the very least. (The "sweet spot" seems to be 4 blog posts a week.)
Below are the basic steps to follow when writing a blog post. They can be performed in any order you wish (except #1), but all are vital to a blog's success.
Step 1. Choose your blog platform, create a domain name, and choose a hosting platform to host your blog online.
Step 2. Choose your topic. Most bloggers write about something they know very well and have deep experience with. Businesses usually outsource their blog writing to a freelance writer who is well-versed in their particular industry, product, or service. It's vital that, before you start your blog, you know what you're going to blog about.
TIP: Before starting any blog, write a list of 100 (or more) topics that you can blog about. If you can't get 100 topics, you might want to choose another subject.
Step 3. Write an outline for your blog article with key points you want to convey to the reader. This step isn't the blog but instead a map of what the blog post will look like when finished.
Step 4. Write your blog article. This step is where the rubber meets the road, as they say. A decent grasp of your preferred language and writing basics is needed. As you continue to write, your skills will grow stronger.
TIP: You don't need to write your blog articles to have a successful blog. Many blogs hire freelance writers to write all of their posts. It's relatively inexpensive for some topics, but if yours is more complex, having blogs written for your blog website will cost a bit more in most cases.
Step 5. If the purpose of your blog is to sell a service or product or collect data from a visitor, end your blog with a call to action (CTA). Here are a few examples:
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Blogging, as we've seen, is an excellent method of increasing awareness, driving traffic, improving affinity, and creating an income stream. Is blogging necessary for SEO? Well, frankly, no, but it sure does help! Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, said it best in 1996; "Content is king." A true visionary, gates predicted that anyone, and any company, would be able to publish content online and use that content to spur conversion, sales, and profits.
Today content is more important than ever, and blogging helps you or your business provide content to the world via a low-cost, easy-to-use platform. As Gates said so eloquently, "In a sense, the Internet is the multimedia equivalent of the photocopier. It allows material to be duplicated at low cost, no matter the size of the audience." Below are some of the biggest benefits that a blog will have on your SEO results:
• Higher ranking on Google, Bing, Yahoo, and other search engines.
• Increased visibility (exposure) for your brand, company, products, and services.
• Easier acquisition of all-important backlinks.
• A better, more enjoyable user experience on your website.
• Fresh content for potential customers.
• The ability to connect directly with potential customers and clients.
• More traffic to your website and the chance for more conversions.
• Higher consumer engagement with your brand.
As we've seen today, blogging has come very far since its humble beginnings as an online diary. Today, blogs are one of the best methods of building a business and, once established, keeping it in the public eye and top-of-mind. A well-crafted blog with valuable, engaging, informative content is a potent tool and should be part of every business's marketing program. Yes, blogging takes time, effort, and energy. If you provide valuable, actionable, real-world content, however, the benefits of blogging far outweigh the costs and can have far-reaching (and highly profitable) results.