Why blogging is still important for SEO

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Sep 2, 2022 / by
Why blogging is still important for SEO

With the dramatic surge in popularity of image and video content over the last five years, it could reasonably be assumed that the era of the blog is coming to an end. But have reports on the death of the blog been greatly exaggerated? We have to say yes. Blogging is still alive and kicking. I mean, would we even be bothering with this very blog otherwise?

While video might have a greater conversion rate and win over more eyes than written content, it’s substantially more expensive and more difficult to produce. Not only that but the site bandwidth necessary to hold such content is much greater. Then there’s the simple fact that blogs are silent and we’re not always in the right place (or frame of mind) to have a commanding voiceover screaming over our smartphone speakers.

Blogs have never been more vital. The reason why people might have been tricked into thinking otherwise is that people don’t follow blogs religiously in the same way they once did. Whereas, in the halcyon days of the late 90s and early 21st century, people would regularly check in on a blog every week or even every day.

Today, however, we’re a less committed bunch and tend to flit from site to site. But we still spend a disproportionate amount of our time reading blogs. We might not call them blogs anymore (we might call it “long tail content”) but they are still written opinions and news pieces that still rank incredibly highly on search engine results pages.

So, why are blogs still important for SEO? We’ll tell you why.

Organic search – Most people still ignore paid search results and only click on organic results. People trust organic results as they haven’t been paid for; they have been chosen specifically by Google’s algorithm as the most relevant content relating to your search. Carefully crafted blog posts that relate to the company and offer engaging, rewarding content are always going to boost rankings and blogs are still the most practical and affordable way to generate quality content quickly.

Lead generation – According to HubSpot, companies that write consistent blogs still generate 67% more leads than those that don’t.

Fresh content – As we’ve already explained, some content takes longer to create than others. It wouldn’t be practical, for example, to upload a brand-new video every 24 hours unless you had a team of video content creators at your disposal. Blogs, however, can be turned around in a matter of hours and offer fresh, relevant content.

Backlinking – While the keyword-stuffed blogs of the “good old days” are very much a thing of the past (thankfully), backlinks are still incredibly powerful when done correctly and efficiently. And without a blog, where are you going to put your backlinks?

Credibility – The more you blog on topics relevant to your industry the more credibility you’ll build with your audience and search engines. Share articles that promote thought leadership and engage directly with customers and create a consistent tone of voice for your content and you’ll soon start to see your reputation grow.