There are numerous benefits blogging can bring to your business.

However, boring content, low-quality images and poor quality writing will have little positive effect on website traffic. Here are five direct ways blogging can boost your brand's reach, reputation and SEO ranking online.

1. Keywords improve your SEO

Blog posts are a greatly useful way to pack keywords into your website. Including keywords - for example, 'booking', 'food', 'new', 'London' and 'restaurant' would be appropriate for a new eatery in the city. When effectively done, SEO means your company is more likely to pop up in your customer's search results. This is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), the most effective way to drive organic marketing and an essential practice for any company to increase their online presence.

Search engines love new content, so sprinkling blog posts with SEO terms and including backlinks will help improve your website's SEO ranking.

2. Well-written posts mark your company as an authority

Blogs are more than just a place to show off your latest products, share company updates and share an annual message from your CEO. They can also build the impression that your brand is an authority on a particular subject. A great example of this done effectively would be to get an expert member of your team to break down a subject in detail. 

For example:

• A member of the design team for an eCommerce footwear website explaining upcoming trends or style tips

• A legal firm providing a detailed breakdown of the divorce settlement process

• A personal trainer writing about five common fitness mistakes

A high-quality informative blog post showing off an interesting new insight or perspective on a topic is likely to be cited by other writers with a link to your blog, which in turn brings more traffic in and increases your SEO rank. 

3. Excellent content engages your customers

Strike a chord with your target audience with interesting, high-quality and engaging content. Ideally, a good brand's blog should capture the audience's attention and secure a place in their mind. 

Posting good-quality content shows your customer that you're concerned about more than just making a quick buck: you're invested in building a lasting relationship and want to tell them more about the industry or field you operate within.

Ever feel unsure about what to post about on your professional social media page? Linking to a backlog of good-quality blog posts gives you a chance to engage with customers on social. Engage with trending topics and include links to past content.

Good examples of this could include:

• A fashion eCommerce website linking to a gift guide in the run-up to Christmas

• A social media marketing company explaining a trending hashtag

• A health food brand discussing new year's fitness regimes 

4. Blogging is a great chance to show off

Quality images, video clips and excellent content act as an extended portfolio for your brand. Blog posts can be a method of showing potential customers what they can expect from you.

Businesses with image-led results will find this approach particularly effective. 

Examples of this might be:

• Hair or beauty services
• Cosmetic surgery practices
• Personal trainers
• Illustrators
• Interior designers

An overhaul of your entire website to fit with new images or products is time-consuming and might require the input of a web designer, but blogging platforms on websites like Squarespace, Wordpress and Wix are quick and easy to update. If you can publish a tweet, you can probably wrap your head around publishing a blog post.

5. Posts generate traffic long after publication

As mentioned earlier, search engines love new content, so your recent posts are more likely to reach an audience searching for a broad topic like 'car insurance' or 'wedding planners'. However, writing about more niche subjects ensures your content will be seen for years to come. Months after you hit 'publish,' your post will still show up in search engine results, social posts and links on other blogs and websites. Old posts remain relevant to your readers and will, in turn, create new leads.

Let's sum up:

Blogging is still clearly an excellent strategy for engaging customers, increasing brand awareness, attracting new leads and creating a great reputation online. Try integrating some of this article's ideas into your online blogging strategy and see how your website traffic is affected. 

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