Having worked in the SEO industry since 2016, the question I hear time and time again is “what is the point of blogging, no-one is going to be read my blogs anyways”. While there may be some truth in that statement (don’t worry I’ll explain this later in this article), blogging happens to be one of the most important things to do when it comes to performing organic SEO.
Prior to the popularization of the term “blogging”, the act of creating content and sharing it across digital communities was being performed through various internet communities via forums or threads in the early 90s. These threads created a way for users to share their thoughts and opinions on ideas or concepts with other users who shared similar interests. Blogging then evolved into a means in which users could document their personal lives, something like a digital diary. Today, blogs are now being created and used by businesses as a way to showcase their expertise and provide information to those seeking more information about their given industry.
What Does Blogging Have To Do With SEO?
Blogs, if created correctly, can be a key factor to the overall success of an SEO campaign. The reason Google became the juggernaut is it today is because their ability to provide precise answers to nearly any question or inquiry made was far superior to any other search engine. In order for this to be possible, there must be content available that can provide Google with a list of search results relevant to the question or inquiry. Therefore, websites which produces content that accurately matches specific search queries are “rewarded” with a high position rank.
Is There A Sure-Fire Way To Get To The Front Page?
Not all blogs are created equal and not all industries are as saturated with content as others. I have witnessed content rank on the front page in as a little as two weeks, I have also become incredibly infuriated with content that simply cannot make it past the second page. Unfortunately, there is no formula which can be replicated to ensure content gets to the front page (if there was, Google’s algorithm would be ruined by SEOs in a matter of days). There are however, practices which can be performed that can give content the best shot at making it on the front page.
At the end of the day, websites which consistently produce informative, engaging and unique content have the best chance of ranking on the top of SERPs.
Should I Start Posting Unique & Engaging Content Right Away?
Earlier in this post, I mentioned that I hear and agree (somewhat) with people that say “no-one is going to be reading my blogs anyways”, so let me tell you why I think there is some truth in that statement. Businesses that have never performed SEO before, or have performed SEO incorrectly in the past, are essentially starting out with a clean slate in the eyes of Google. Google has very little understanding of what your website/business is about, which means you need to provide Google with context of what you do or offer through content. This is why I always plan and generate at least 3 months or so of “base” content, solely for the purpose of providing Google a strong understanding of what the website is all about.
In most cases, this “base” content can be considered as incredibly basic, but that is the point. If your website is not currently receiving a lot of traffic, then the first set of blogs posted on your site will most likely not receive much traffic either (at least not initially). So in order to give Google the necessary information needed to evaluate the website and avoid wasting money and time on a blog that won’t receive much traffic anyways, I use this opportunity to produce basic, yet industry specific content to build a strong SEO foundation with Google. At that point it turns into a trickle down effect where Google starts indexing your site with the knowledge of what your site is about, your website starts acquiring keywords and you start finally experiencing an increase in website traffic.
Once your site starts acquiring more traffic with the help of these “base” blogs, you can then dedicate the time and money towards blogs that are more original and engaging to retain that traffic and eventually turn them into leads. One of the most effective ways to jump start a new campaign and utilize this strategy by purchasing pre-written content. This will save you quite a bit of time and money, which you can then use towards other areas of your SEO campaign.
Why Consistent Blog Generation Is Key To A Successful SEO Campaign
There are many benefits to consistently generating and posting blogs, both for the success of an SEO campaign and establishing trust with your target audience. The list of benefits can be quite lengthy, so I will highlight and discuss some of the top reasons why consistent blog generation is key to a successful SEO campaign.
Improves Ability To Acquire More Keywords
Depending on the type of SEO campaign you are running, typically a strong indicator of a successful SEO campaign can be measured by how many keywords you rank for. It’s pretty simple, the more keywords you rank for, the more opportunities you create for users to find and enter your website. In almost every SEO campaign I have run, I have found that the more consistent blog generation is, the more keywords websites are able to acquire.
By continuously adding to your library of content, you are now building a stockpile of pages which can be used for strategic interlinking. The term interlinking refers to the practice of linking a page on your website to another page within your website. If performed correctly, strategic interlinking can make a huge difference to the overall success of an SEO campaign.
For users, interlinking can provide additional context about a subject being discussed, without having to provide a bunch of information to users who may not need that additional explanation. For Google, strategic interlinking can help crawlers navigate the site more easily, providing the crawlers more context about the site’s content and structure. Lastly for SEO, strategic interlinking can boost rankings by sharing a well-performing blog or page’s ranking power or “link juice” with other less performing blog or page.
Rank For Long Tail Keywords
Long tail keywords are often overlooked since a majority of them appear to be less worthwhile to acquire due to their low monthly search volume. However, the acquisition of long tail keywords can pay dividends to an SEO campaign. Although a lot of long tail keywords yield low monthly search queries, they tend to be easier to acquire and rank high for. By acquiring and ranking for a bunch of long tail keywords related to the overall target “parent” keyword, you are providing Google with more signals as to what your site is about, which can often lead to your ability to rank for the target “parent” keyword quicker.
Increases Rate Of Crawling & Indexing
The popularity, design and structure all play major roles when it comes to how frequently Google crawls a website. Through consistent blog generation, you are improving your ability to acquire more keywords, which then increases your potential website traffic and finally increases the rate at which Google will crawl and index your website.
Begin Your Journey To The Front Page Today
Before starting a content marketing campaign, it is important to create a 3-6 month content strategy backed by keyword and competitor research. Our SEO specialists here at Rank With Content are eager to help you devise a content marketing strategy and start producing unique and engaging content today!