Benefits of Blogging for Business: 11 Juicy Advantages
“Wait, there are THAT many benefits of blogging for business?!”
Yes, and the crazy thing is that so many brands miss out on them because they still think that blog = company news or that writing these articles for their target audience is pointless.
So, let’s make sure we’re on the same (blog) page.
The benefits of having a blog on your website are only relevant for content marketing strategies
As they say in 500 Days of Summer, “you should know this upfront”:
if you’re planning on posting company news or only writing articles about stuff that you care about, you can NOT expect to unlock any of these advantages of blogging for business.
Nuh-uh.
Nobody other than your supportive best friend wants to read those.
When I talk about the benefits of blogging for business, I’m talking about well-researched articles created with your target audience in mind and including relevant keywords.
These blog posts should bring actual value to your dream clients by answering their questions, concerns, and interests on topics that are relevant to your industry or type of services.
Now that we’ve clarified that, let’s dive into all the juicy benefits of blogging.
11 game-changing benefits of blogging for business
Overall, I could sum this up by saying that the main benefits of having a blog for your business are growing your audience, smoothening the funnel, and standing out.
It wouldn’t really do this strategy justice, though, so let’s look into each of them.
1. Blogging on your business website helps you rank for more keywords
I’m sure (or, better, I hope) that your website is already optimised for SEO keywords that describe your products or services, like ‘plumber in Manchester’ or ‘plastic-free shop’.
Still, let’s be realistic:
They can be harder to rank for since that’s what your competitors are also aiming for on their main website pages
They’re just for prospects who are already towards the bottom of the sales funnel: they’ve pretty much decided that they’re going to buy a specific product or invest in a service and just need to decide who they’ll buy it from
What about everyone else?
Most of your dream customers are still trying to figure out what causes their current pain point, what solutions are available, and what difference it’ll make when they invest in one.
I’m sure they’d love what you do, but they haven’t heard about you just yet and they’re still making up their minds.
One of the benefits of blogging for marketing is that you get to target prospects from the very top of the sales funnel all the way down to the bottom. That’s because they’ll be using Google to ask questions and better understand those topics, and you can write a blog post for every single one of those by targeting the right keywords.
For example, if someone were to search ‘How to reduce my plastic footprint’ and you had a blog post that covers that very topic, they’d find yourself on your website. And after reading it, they’d realise that you are a company that sells plastic-free products.
“Interesting!”
And maybe you’ve included a link to your newsletter where they can receive even more tips on how to make more sustainable choices at home.
You see where I’m getting at, right?
Let’s say that you’re going to blog once a week: that’s 52 new keywords every year.
52 more chances to attract your audience organically via Google without spending money on ads!
2. It results in more indexed pages, helping your entire website rank higher
Basically, blogging = SEO juice.
Not just because it helps you rank for more keywords, but because it makes your entire website meatier. And Google likes meaty websites.
Whenever you write a new article, that’s also a new indexed page. That’s why websites with blogs get an average of 434% more indexed pages! (1)
Plus, it shows Google that you know all there is to know about your industry.
When your website is a chonky boi full of high-quality content, search engines trust it more.
3. Blogs generate more inbound links
When an external website links back to yours, that’s another SEO boost: it shows Google that your content is getting noticed and is therefore worth showing to more people.
However, let’s be realistic: who’s gonna link back to your About page? Or Services?
If you were to share insightful blog posts, on the other hand…
Yep, other websites and publications will want to use them as references or link back to them whenever they can be helpful to their readers.
No wonder websites with blogs receive 97% more inbound links than those without one (2).
Not bad at all, right?
4. They give you the opportunity to add more internal links, too
Internal links (from one page to another on your own website) help search engines crawl your site more easily and efficiently, so they’re yet another SEO benefit of blogging.
Also, when used wisely, internal links can direct your readers to other pages.
Perhaps you’d like them to read another blog post that explores the solution to the problem you’ve just covered. Maybe they’re ready to be sent straight to your sales page.
And you should definitely include links to the products and services that you mention.
5. Google rewards websites with fresh content
Another important SEO factor is freshness.
Of course, your website hasn’t got an expiry date (unlike the yoghurt that I forgot about for two weeks), but if it was created two years ago and NEVER updated… well, Google isn’t going to favour it (just like me with that yoghurt). How can it trust it to have up-to-date information?
Adding fresh content regularly and consistently in the form of blog posts lets search engines know that your website is still being looked after and is therefore relevant.
Definitely the kind of thing that search engines want to share with their users.
6. Blogging on your business website smoothens the funnel and improves conversions
Because you’ll be creating content for every stage of the funnel, one of the benefits of blogging for business is that you can slowly move your audience from its top to the bottom.
First of all, they’re much more likely to purchase from you because you’ve been giving them so much helpful and high-quality content. They trust you and like you a lot more than your competitor who only has a FAQ page for them.
Plus, interlinking your articles wisely and including the right internal links to other website pages are the equivalent of greasing up your funnel with oil: your prospects will start sliding towards the bottom.
7. It creates shareable content for social media
You probably already have a badass social media presence, but not all the users who could be interested in your products are already following you.
If you create shareable and insightful content (aka compelling, useful, or entertaining blog posts), some of your readers will want to share it on their social media. And their followers might do the same. And so on. And so on. You are basically reaching more people on social media without the added cost of paid ads! Nice one.
Needless to say, you can (and should) still share your blog posts with your existing audience by posting them on your own social media, too.
As well as your usual pictures and videos, they’ll get some awesome articles on topics that they’re already interested in or curious about.
8. It generates an average of 67% more leads
Think about it: you’ll be
Attracting more relevant traffic via search engines
Reaching more followers by sharing your blog posts on social media
Including the right CTAs or newsletter signup forms within these articles
… of course, one of the benefits of blogging for business is that it results in higher lead generation, too!
67% more than websites without a blog, on average. (3)
9. A blog on your company website will position you as an expert in your field
Let’s say that a coffee shop is looking for a new coffee supplier and finds two roasters offering very similar products.
However, one has been posting knowledge-dripping blogs about blends, caffeine, and coffee-related topics. They seem to know a loooooot about it. The other? Nothing.
Which one do you think would inspire more authority?
And don’t forget that 70% of consumers learn about a brand through articles rather than ads (4), so they definitely help when it comes to brand recognition, too!
10. It supports your newsletter
Just like blogs, your newsletter shouldn’t be about company news, but rather an email marketing strategy that brings value to your audience and keeps them informed and/or entertained.
Have you just written a new blog post that answers one of the questions that are bugging your dream customers? Then create an entire email around it! Or, if you have a monthly newsletter, you could include a roundup of your best articles.
Either way, just like it can add to your social media strategy, one of the advantages of blogs is that they can complement your newsletter, too.
11. Blogging on your business website helps you stand out from the competitor crowd
Finally (although I’m sure I’ll come up with another couple of benefits of blogging when I’m having a shower or going for a walk later), it’s your chance to differentiate your brand from your competitors.
By positioning yourself as an expert in your field and building trust, you’ll attract and wow your dream customers organically instead of always having to get their attention through ads or discounts.
It’ll be a no-brainer to buy from you.
Need a hand unlocking the benefits of blogging for business for your female-founded business?
I’m sure you’ll agree that it’d be INSANE to keep on missing out on all the advantages of blogs. But what should your next step be?
If you’ve got plenty of time to invest in creating the right strategy for your blog, learning how to write SEO-friendly articles, and writing the actual articles, here are my tips on how to create a company blog
Wanna save time and set yourself up for success? I can take care of your blog, just like I’ve done (and still do) for other ambitious female entrepreneurs
By letting me craft the right SEO-friendly articles for your specific audience, you’ll get to put your blog on autopilot and start enjoying the benefits of blogging for business over the next few months
More #crafty blog posts on this topic
References
Hood, E. (2013, August 7). The #1 Small Business Marketing Idea [Infographic]
Jekishan, K. (2014, June 4). 10 Unbelievable Statistics To Sell Your Boss on Business Blogging
Patel, N. (n.d.). How to Convert Blog Readers to Leads
(n.d.). (2019, January 19). A Guide To Making Your Corporate Blog Relevant