Why is having a blog important? Find out in this special content!
If you own a business, regardless of your industry, you know that having a website is essential. After all, the internet has become the primary place to search for new services and products. Therefore, those who aren't online aren't seen, much less remembered.
Digital marketing in numbers
Did you know that 68% of Brazilians do research online even before buying in a physical store? The number obtained by Connected Life goes against the alarming percentage of companies that are still taking their first steps in the digital marketing industry. According to the survey of McKinsey in partnership with Brazilian Association of Advertisers (Aba), 80% of Brazilian companies are just starting out in the digital world.
What is a blog?
A blog is a channel for original content used to connect with the public. It's through this channel that a company can improve its search engine rankings and increase organic traffic. In other words, having a website isn't enough. A website needs to be constantly updated, which is why a blog is essential.
But before we get into the reasons why your company needs a blog, let's understand what this section of a website actually is. To discuss this, we need to go back a few decades...
It all began in 1983, with the emergence of a discussion group with functions similar to a blog. In 1994, three years after the term “World Wide Web" or simply "www," the concept of a blog was born. In 1997, with the consolidation of the so-called "weblog," people began using this digital space to share their routines, tutorials, and other topics relevant to specific audiences.
The blog nowadays
If blogs once functioned as virtual diaries, where authors shared details of their daily lives, today we see a new format. After all, this function is now performed by social media. It's on these networks that users share from the moment they wake up until bedtime. Therefore, the role of the blog has changed. Now, it's much more about performance and efficiency.
Nowadays, blogs are used to produce original content, with explanatory texts on various topics. It all depends on the target audience. For companies, blogs have become an efficient way to deliver valuable content to potential customers. They're the gateway to a closer, more solid relationship. We can even say that blogs help companies sell more.
In other words, this section is crucial for any website. It's an irreplaceable communication tool when the goal is to improve positioning and increase organic traffic.
5 reasons to have a blog
1. Educate the public
By sharing relevant content on topics of interest to potential customers, you can highlight the relevance of your product or service. This way, blog visitors have access to rich, high-quality material on your company's industry. In fact, the texts should explore the main pain points that the product in question can solve.
2. Become an authority
Having a blog on your corporate website helps your company establish itself as an authority in its field. However, it's essential to develop original texts with informative content. This gives your company the opportunity to showcase its expertise to the public, establishing online authority for its business.
3. Position yourself on Google
We already mentioned above that a blog can improve the website's organic traffic thanks to its positioning in the GoogleThis is because many of the evaluation criteria used to rank pages are related to the website's content. Therefore, it's worth paying attention to the texts to improve the site's indexing in Google results.
Remember that algorithms use a number of criteria for this, such as keywords, text structure (H1, H2, images, paragraph length), internal and external links, and text scannability. We'll cover all of this below.
4. Stimulate sales
Companies that want to sell more Blogs are an important tool. After all, by educating the public, becoming an authority in the field, and positioning yourself on Google by increasing organic traffic, you can also improve your performance with your ideal client. All of this can be enhanced with a good marketing strategy. inbound marketing, attracting audiences to your blog. Remember to use forms, contact buttons, and CTAs to maximize lead capture.
5. Sustainable and permanent results
Thinking of your blog as an ally for online performance is essential for it to continue generating results. In this sense, it's important to know that your blog is a marketing tool. digital marketing industry with medium and long-term results.
It needs to be updated periodically to ensure it continues to deliver positive results in the future. This is because all published content remains online, unlike traditional media, which has an expiration date. Therefore, relevant content on a given topic will continue to be viewed even years after its publication.
SEO for blogs
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) techniques are used to boost your blog's rankings on Google. Thousands of people use the search engine every day to research various topics. Therefore, the better your site ranks, the greater the chances of users clicking on it. In other words, blog SEO is an important tool. digital marketing industry, increasing organic traffic.
Understand better…
After analyzing 20 Google queries over a three-month period, Internet Marketing Ninjas found that the first result displayed on Google's answer page receives approximately 21% of clicks. The second and third websites displayed receive 10% and 7%, respectively. In other words, almost half of users' clicks occur among the first results displayed.
This means that being on the first pages of Google is essential to increasing the number of visitors to a website. And SEO is used precisely for this: to optimize websites and their content. This way, they become increasingly accepted by search engines like Google, Yahoo!, and Bing. For a website to appear at the top of Google's rankings, the algorithm reads certain information. These are formulas that help improve a website's ranking, aiming to bring it to the top of the results.
How to optimize texts with SEO?
A text written according to SEO principles needs to consider several factors. In general, all of them meet Google's own requirements, focusing on website indexing and improved positioning in search engine results pages (SERPs).
SEO-friendly content consists of well-written articles that take into account everything from grammar and spelling rules to SEO principles. Optimized content goes far beyond content quality. There are basic elements that help improve results and achieve good rankings.
To better understand, we can say that Google's algorithm—which is based on over 200 variables—considers the quality of the text, as well as its compliance with SEO criteria. But what are these criteria?
1. Choosing the keyword
Choosing a keyword is the first step in optimizing content for SEO. It's what helps your website rank. The keyword should be chosen before even starting to write the text, as it will guide the entire writing process and influence other criteria we'll discuss below.
To define a keyword, consider your company's industry and the type of content you want to rank on Google. After all, there's no point writing a great piece if the keyword's search rate is low. Therefore, it's best to evaluate the following criteria to choose the ideal keyword: search volume, ranking difficulty, sales funnel stage, and website positioning for the keyword.
2. Tag optimization
Websites and their internal pages contain HTML tags that are important for SEO text. And keyword selection has everything to do with tag optimization. Among these tags is the Meta Title Tag, which is one of the key elements of SEO-optimized content.
The Title Tag, or text title, is one of the most important aspects analyzed by search engines. After all, it's what appears in the browser tab as soon as the blog page opens. Therefore, the keyword must be present in this tag, preferably right at the beginning of the title. Also pay attention to the Title Tag's length, as there is a character limit to be respected.
In addition to the Title Tag, there are also the Meta Description Tag (HTML Meta Tag), which describes the article's content, and Heading Tags, which are the famous "H1, H2, H3..." in the text. Or, in other words, the title and its subtitles. The keyword should be used in the Heading Tags whenever it's an important title or subtitle.
And, be careful! It's recommended to put it in H1, okay?
3. Keyword usage density
Is it important to repeat a keyword throughout the text? If so, how many times is ideal? This is a common question among content creators, but the answer can vary from text to text. Generally, it's recommended that the keyword appear between 1% and 3% of the text, but this isn't a hard and fast rule. In addition to using it in the title and some heading tags, repeat the keyword throughout the text, always striving for natural writing. Excessive use should be avoided!
4. Use of internal and external links
Linking considers both internal and external links. The former are related to the length of time a visitor remains on the site, aiming to reduce the bounce rate. Internal links that point to other blog articles or website tabs help users navigate between different sections.
External links, on the other hand, are even more relevant and are also monitored by Google. This practice can generate more authority for the website's domain, helping improve its positioning in search results. Ideally, you should have at least one external link in your blog article.
5. Use of media (images and videos)
In addition to quality text, it's crucial for a blog article to include images related to the content. This improves readability and helps with user retention. By including images, you can reduce bounce rates and improve your search engine rankings. Videos are also accepted and can make content more dynamic and engaging.
An important detail is to configure the image with information such as alt text and caption, remembering to insert the keyword in the first item.
6. Text size and structure
Just like in a school essay or college entrance exam, the structure of the text makes all the difference in the content of a blog. Good SEO practices don't define an exact length, but according to a study by Backlinko In 2020, texts in the top 10 positions on Google have, on average, 1500 words.
Blog text can be divided into an introduction, summary, and paragraphs. In the introduction, remember to include the keyword, as Google's algorithm monitors its presence in the first paragraph. The summary can be inserted sequentially, with the order of the subheadings that will follow, preferably with bullet points. This helps improve the user experience, as users can click on an item and be automatically directed to the relevant section of the text.
Oh! Paragraphs shouldn't be long. Ideally, they should contain around 120 words each. This makes reading more fluid, directly impacting the text's scannability.
7. Use of call-to-action
To conclude a good blog post, remember to include a closing paragraph containing CTAs and calls to action. Use sentences with imperative verbs and use links to direct visitors to the company's WhatsApp or contact form, for example. The CTA copy makes all the difference in conversion rates and can influence the reader's decision-making.
Does your website already have a blog?
Here in Kaizen Philosophy, we are experts in website development and SEO content creation for blogs. Count on our professionals to achieve the best results online.
Want to know how to do this? contact us and learn more!
