For every “expert” out there who tells you blogging is dead, there’s another one that tells you to start a blog immediately, so which is right?
This has been going on for a while now, and while blogging is certainly the old man of the internet, being overtaken by the young whippersnappers of Instagram and TikTok, the truth is that there are more blogs out there in 2022 than ever before.
It’s not the number of blogs people are claiming is dead, but rather their effectiveness in the age of social media.
But is this true?
Is there any point in starting a blog for your business?
Isn’t everyone making stupid dance videos instead?
Well, yes and no.
No, blogging isn’t dead, and yes, everyone is making stupid dance videos.
Blogs are still Google’s well of knowledge
Google processes over 8.5 billion searches per day. That’s more than there are people on Earth!
They are responsible for 90% of internet search queries, with 86% of users ignoring paid ads and focusing on the top organic results.
People know to avoid paid ads because they didn’t get to the top of Google on merit.
If they’re searching for “How do I unblock a drain”, no one is going to click on an advert for drain cleaner. They want to know how to do it themselves, and, here’s the best part, Google will bring them to someone’s blog explaining how to do it.
A blog post answered their question.
Whatever your business, you must think of your blog as the authority on the matter. If you sell cooking oil, then your blog is a mini Wikipedia about cooking oil, with recipes, science, news and testimonials.
Solve people’s problems and answer their questions specific to your industry.
The more of an expert you become and are seen as an expert by others, the less you will need to focus on technical things like algorithm updates.
Bring a professional copywriter on board
Ok, so if you’re running a blog on your website, you know what to do, so how do you go about it?
The answer is, you don’t. You hire someone who can.
As many people have discovered the hard way, copywriting isn’t something that anyone can do. There is a skill and nuance to it that many people don’t appreciate, especially when it comes to behind-the-scenes SEO work.
Blog posts walk a fine line.
They must be professional, but not boring.
Informative, but not too technical.
Interesting, but not glib.
You may think you’re an amazing writer but the truth is, you’re probably not. It takes years of experience to walk that fine line and if you don’t have it, hire someone who does.
Quality not quantity
As an experienced blog writer will tell you, it’s about quality, not quantity.
Don’t cast the net too wide – if you’re not an expert on something, then no one wants to hear what you have to say about it. That’s what Twitter is for.
As we mentioned above, become the authority in your industry and only write quality posts about that subject. You don’t have to write every day, but when you do publish a blog post, make sure it’s relevant, intriguing, and brings value to anyone who reads it.
The fact is, Google doesn’t care about your business, they only care about their users. And to keep their users happy, they’ll send them to the website that best answers their search query.
Your job is to make sure that it’s your blog!
Get with the times
OK, this is the main reason why the “blogging is dead” trope is gaining speed. Social media exploded out of the gate and it’s only getting bigger and faster.
First, it was live, up-to-date comments on Facebook and Twitter, then it was images on Instagram, and now it’s videos on TikTok.
But let’s be clear – social media platforms are not taking over blogs.
There’s no doubt video is the new king of content, largely due to cheaper camera phones, higher quality video, and faster internet connections, but 97% of bloggers drive traffic through social media.
Insta, Facebook, TikTok et al. are great tools to use when promoting your site, but they’re not your bread and butter.
A good, modern blog has a variety of ways to get out there, be it through photos on Instagram, videos on YouTube or a podcast on Spotify.
You want to reach as many people as possible, and social media is the way to do it.
Put it this way; a social media post is your elevator pitch. A blog post is a meeting over a cup of tea. The first one grabs their attention, the second gets their business.
What not to do in a blog
So maybe you have a blog and it’s not going anywhere, so you don’t agree with us so far. Before you start sending angry emails, first make sure you’re not doing one of the following…
Clickbait
There was a time and place for Clickbait, but that time has long since passed.
And, to be fair, whilst it was hated by pretty much everyone, it did work.
But people became wise to it and stopped clicking through, which is why you only ever see it today used on less scrupulous websites.
If you’re still trying to lure people in with enticing headlines or exaggerated photos, then it’s not surprising your site is failing.
Blog about anything and everything
When you confuse people, you lose people.
If you’re a florist, your blog should be about flowers, not the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
As we said above, focus on your industry and what you know, not about whatever pops into your head or the hot topic of the month.
Today’s headlines are tomorrow’s fish and chip papers.
Lifestyle blogging
Back in the early days of the internet, Lifestyle Bloggers were all the rage. People who would record every aspect of their lives and put it online for the world to see.
Today, they’ve evolved into “influencers”.
And, just like it was 20 years ago, no one cares what they had for lunch.
If your business blog has any kind of personal details, then just stop. It’s unprofessional, uninteresting, and counterproductive to what you’re trying to achieve.
So is blogging dead?
No, but it’s up to you to put the work in. Or failing that, hire someone else to do it for you.
Most professional blog posts are written by hired copywriters, and for good reason. Blogs need to add value to your site, otherwise, what’s the point of them being there?
The hard part is getting the ingredients right to make a blog valuable in the first place. They need to be informative, entertaining and professional.
It takes time, creativity, and research to write regular, high-quality blog posts that are optimized for Google’s algorithms.
It’s a hard job, but the rewards are worth it.
With 77% of internet users reading blogs, it’s no surprise that two out of three marketers report using content marketing to successfully generate sales and revenue.
So, no, blogging is not dead, especially if you do it right.
Contact us today if you would like to know more about how a blog on your website can help drive traffic and sales.
Our team of expert copywriters are ready to get to work for you – without the silly dances.
