Benefits of Having a Blog for Your Business 

Key takeaways: 

• Each blog post is a new page on your website, allowing people to discover your company through search engines. 
• Crafting content that answers real customer queries is an excellent way to connect with your target audience and get found on SERPs. 
• Blogging is an effective way to make your brand more relatable and genuinely connect with your customers. 

Blogging is a practical and cost-efficient way to grow your small business online. It’s an excellent medium that can connect you with your target audience.  

With the worldwide internet and social media users estimated at 5.56 billion, and 29% of internet users reading blogs at least once a month, it’s no wonder many internet marketers see blogging as a powerful marketing tool. It provides invaluable opportunities for small businesses to grow and reach wider audiences.  

But what exactly is blogging, and do you need a blog for your business? This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about blogs and their advantages for business.   

What is a blog? 

A blog, short for “weblog,” is a website that gets updated regularly with new entries. It’s like an online journal or magazine for internet users. On a company website, it’s a dynamic and interactive section that offers valuable information in the form of feature articles, listicles, and industry insights. It allows visitors to leave comments and engage directly with your business.  

You can maintain continuous conversations with customers, connect with your target audience, and effectively sell products and services through a blog.   

Each blog post is a new page on your website, providing an opportunity for people to discover your company through search engines. For instance, when someone searches for information about your industry, they may find your blogs on a search engine results page (SERP), bringing new visitors to your site.  

Throughout the blogging process, a website builder plays a key role in integrating a blog that reflects your company. This allows you to achieve a visual identity—via logo, color themes, and fonts—that people will associate your brand. 

If you want to bring your blog and visuals to life, Network Solutions’ website builder offers an intuitive way to bring your vision to life.  

Why your business needs a blog? 

Blogging goes beyond attracting customers and creating connections. Let’s discuss how starting a blog is a wise move that benefits your small business, regardless of industry.     

• Brings higher website traffic and visibility 
• Builds authority   
• Establishes trust   
• Increases brand visibility 
• Humanizes your brand   
• Connects marketing channels 

Brings higher website traffic and visibility

By consistently sharing fresh content, you can achieve the following:

• Attract organic traffic. A study showed that blogging can generate 55% more website visitors since it allows you to obtain organic (free) traffic. This means users find your site naturally via Google and other search engines.  
• Boost local search engine optimization (SEO). By using location-specific keywords, like “sports accessories in Kentucky” and “running shoes in Houston”, you can reach nearby customers who are ready to buy or hire a service. 
• Capture long-tail queries. Long-tail keywords attract more qualified traffic to your site since they’re more targeted. Incorporating them in headings, subheadings, and basically throughout your blogs allows you to reach individuals actively looking for the products and services you offer.  
• Determine the preference of your target audience. By analyzing data from Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Google Search Console, you can check the queries that got visitors to your site, which allows you to align with your target audience’s interests.  

Builds authority  

Blogging demonstrates that you’re an expert in your field. By routinely sharing informative content, people see your business as a resource they can turn to, making them return for more. This also signals Google and other search engines that your information is relevant.  

This is especially beneficial if you’re a startup that needs to establish credibility with individuals who do not know your brand. 

Establishes trust  

Blogs give customers the chance to know your company better by consistently sharing high-quality content like company news or answers to frequently asked questions. When they need to decide between buying from you or your competitor, they’ll likely choose you since they trust you more.  

Increases brand visibility 

Relevant blogs that come with appropriate SEO keywords can bring people to your site. When you produce blogs that your target audience relates to, it becomes easier for search engines to find them. You’ll attract more visitors to your site, and more people will learn about your brand.  

Humanizes your brand  

Blogging is an effective way to make your brand more relatable and genuinely connect with your customers. Rather than a faceless corporation, they’ll see you as an entity they can identify with as if they’re interacting with a person. That’s because by creating blogs that are personal, engaging, and conversational, you can express your brand’s personality. 

Connects marketing channels 

With the popularity of social media for businesses, many ask, “Are blogs still necessary?” The quick answer is yes. Social media, especially if used together with email marketing, can drive traffic to your website, but engaging blogs are keys to captivating their interest and making them stay.  

Blogging is like a central hub that connects social media and email marketing, making them more effective and efficient. It provides content that fuels them, ensuring that they can deliver business growth.

Does my business need a blog?

Generally, every business needs a blog. However, other ones require a more extensive approach. Read on and find out if your business is included in the list.

• Startups and small businesses. A blog is a powerful and practical marketing tool that start-ups and small businesses can use to compete with their more established counterparts. It allows them to create a robust online presence without a huge budget. 
• Niche companies. Businesses that sell specialized or niche products or services may struggle to find local customers. Print ads, radio ads, or billboards may only reach a small portion of potential customers, making it difficult to grow their enterprise.   
• High competition brands. The steep competition in many industries makes it difficult to get a market share. But having a blog improves one’s chances of getting ahead of the game. By clearing up misconceptions about your company and warning potential customers about mistakes, you can turn your blog into a credible source of information.  
• Online-first businesses. The success of online-first service providers like tutors, virtual assistants, and public relations (PR) professionals boils down to online visibility. Therefore, it’s best for them to make blogging the cornerstone of their marketing campaigns since it can help them attract customers and build trust.

How to start a blog for beginners 

Starting a blog may sound overwhelming, but following blogging best practices can boost your company’s online presence. They are elaborated below.

• Use a high-quality blogging platform  
• Use a keyword search tool  
• Target real customer questions (Google trends, PAA) 
• Optimize for local search 
• Include call-to-action

Use a high-quality blogging platform 

An important aspect of blogging is the choice of platform. This foundation can help you enjoy the advantages of a blog to the fullest.  

What is the best free blogging platform? You ask. A high-quality blogging platform should address the following:

• Ease of use. Makes creating and publishing content even for beginners. All, without compromising the technical side of blogging.  
• Performance and reliability. Ensures that blogs load quickly and are always online. Ideally, a blog should load within 3 seconds for visitors to stay.  
• Security. Protects your blog content and visitors’ information from data breaches. Start with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate, which encrypts data between your blog and its readers.  
• SEO. Comes with easy-to-use SEO features like customizable URLs and meta descriptions and sitemap generation. 
• Scalability. Handles extra load without crashing or slowing down. Ensuring a seamless experience for your visitors.

Use a keyword research tool 

With a keyword research tool, you can understand what your customers are looking for when they go online. It gets rid of guessing what to write about since it gives data on keywords and phrases that bring visitors to your site.

Keyword research tool comparison 

Note: The pricing mentioned is accurate as of the time of writing and may be subject to change.

Target real customer questions 

Crafting content that answers real customer queries is an excellent way to connect with your target audience and get found on SERPs. Free tools like Google Trends and the People Also Ask (PAA) section in Google searches are useful in determining them.

• Google Trends. This tool allows you to spot rising topics in your niche before they become oversaturated. It also allows you to identify topics that have high search interest rates. 
• PAA. Google’s PAA section shows actual questions that people type in Google searches, giving you insight about what customers want to know.

By creating content based on the said tools, you can solve the problems that your target audience has.

Optimize for local searches 

Local SEO is a must for your small business if you want nearby customers to discover you. Here, your physical address appears on SERPs when they search for a particular product or service.  

A robust local SEO plan includes:  

• Google Business Profile (GBP). GBP allows your company to appear Google’s local pack (the section at the top of search results) and on local listings.  

• Customer reviews. Good reviews are really important for showing up in local search results because they help people decide where to spend their money. 

Include call-to-action 

A call to action (CTA) tells readers what to do after reading your blog post. Without a CTA, chances are, readers will enjoy your content but won’t know what to do next since your blog post is a dead end.  

A good CTA will guide them to other parts of your website like other posts, products or sign-up forms and turn passive readers into customers or leads. 

Start your blog and reap its advantages for your business 

Blogging presents challenges, but it’s a powerful tool for any company. Not only does it make it easier for people to find your business online, but it also establishes you as an industry authority and builds trust and credibility.  

Create valuable content and post it regularly. If you don’t feel confident to do it on your own, you can hire a PR agency or a freelance writer to help you create high-quality content. This way, you can focus on other important tasks while ensuring that your blog consistently provides valuable content to your audience.  

Whether you’re a small business owner who wants to improve your online presence or an established entity looking to reach a wider audience, you’ll find value in blogging. Network Solutions’ website builder and hosting plans can help you take the first step in launching your business blog.

Frequently asked questions