With the advent of Reels, TikTok and messaging platforms, does anyone actually read blogs anymore?
The data-backed answer is a resounding yes, according to Hubspot’s 2023 State of Marketing report. They found that less than 20 percent of people surveyed report never reading blogs, and that blog content continues to drive the highest ROI.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that people are reading your company blogs word-for-word. The grand majority of users are scanning blogs and jumping to the important or most relevant part. This trend isn’t new, as eyetracking studies have told us for years that digital readers are compulsive scanners, and that only 20 percent of the content we write will actually get deeply read.
But that’s still not a reason to skip it. Allow us to convince you of the credibility-building, SEO-powerhouse that is the company blog.
3 reasons to invest in a company blog strategy
Boost your organic SEO.
The no. 1 reason why companies invest in blogs is to take advantage of this easy way to attract people to your site and improve organic SERPs. It’s true that an optimized site will include metadata, alt-image tags and keyword-rich H2 headers – all strategic places to apply SEO best practices. But your core website content alone can only do so much.
Every blog post is an opportunity to write an H1 headline with targeted keywords, to build search authority for your brand and to signal to search engines like Google what your business does. That helps Google understand when and how to serve up your site links in organic search results, whichcan help you appear more frequently.
Demonstrate thought leadership.
Many prospective clients want to know more than what you do; they want to understand how you think. Your authority and knowledge in your field is what differentiates you from competitors. The company blog is the perfect place to showcase critical thinking, innovative ideas and news commentary – all core elements of a strong thought leadership strategy.
Share company news and updates.
This one is more practical than strategic, but still serves a worthy purpose. While most small and mid-level companies are not making news every day or week, frequent updates about awards, new hires, expansions and sponsorships all help meta-message that your company is thriving. Keep in mind that not every post in the ‘company news’ category needs to be worthy of a press release. People loyal and/or connected to your business – whether they are clients, employees, board members, vendor partners or investors – have some form of a personal stake in your company’s success.
©2023 Huck Strategies, LLC
