Want some hard evidence as to why you should blog? We rounded up some important statistics from Impact’s list, “Blogging Statistics to Help Shape Your Strategy in 2018”, to help show you why — because sometimes you just need to see numbers to get inspired. Note that they also listed their sources, so if you want to dive into the data more — feel free to leverage those links!
Websites with a blog have tend to have 434% more indexed pages. (source)
This is such a huge advantage for SEO, because to maximize search results, you need a lot of content for the search engines to crawl and index. Search engines find it favorable in their popularity rankings to see that your website has a lot of resources for your audience, and the more often you update your blog, the more the search engine “likes” you! The more you can implement keywords on pages within your site without stuffing, the better the chances that your site will rank. Remember though, you want high-quality content that is designed to answer your audience’s search queries.
47% of buyers viewed 3-5 pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep. (Demand Gen Report, 2016)
When you have high-quality blogs on your website, you demonstrate expertise and land more credibility with your customers. Additionally, have you studied and thought about the customer journey once they land on your website? Given this knowledge that buyers are clicking around to different pages to find various content, you should strategize to place content for new and returning customers alike. We don’t always talk about the customer journey at the forefront of SEO conversations, but you should absolutely be choosing keywords that cover all stages of the journey. Use your customer profiles and create content that will benefit everyone!
Companies who blog receive 97% more links to their website. (source)
Just imagine how your credibility will rise when other high-quality websites link to your (visually stunning, full-of-great-information, SEO-optimized!) blog. Yes, you get traffic from that backlink, but you also get a boost from search engines. This is another part of the chess strategy to winning search engine popularity contests, and backlinks make big impacts. When you write your blogs, invest the time to write them well and ensure they are aesthetically pleasing so they’re share-worthy.
Blogs have been rated as the 5th most trusted source for accurate online information. (source)
Back to that credibility factor — if you’re blogging strategically and putting out great writing that establishes thought leadership, subject matter expertise, and overall value for the reader, your business gains trustworthiness which makes a customer more likely to buy from you. With more traffic and conversions to your site, you will also get an SEO boost.
Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to achieve a positive ROI on their efforts. (source)
All of the intangible influence of blogs (increased credibility, higher trust, greater engagement for customers, a space to carve your niche) pays off in conversions. But, your blogging strategy needs to be refined and optimized to make sure you’re leveraging your blog to its max potential. Totally new to SEO Blogging? Read our article, SEO Blogging 101.