Advantages and Disadvantages of Blogging
Generally speaking, blogs have legitimate potential to boost business. In fact, companies with blogs bring in an average of 67% more leads per month (DemandMetric).
However, only you can determine if a blog is right for your business.
If you’re thinking about adding a blog to your website, read this article to determine if the benefits outweigh the costs.
Advantages of Blogging
It’s so easy, anyone can do it.
If your website already has decent traffic and your business is doing well, blogging is an easy way to add educational or relatable content for your visitors’ pleasure. It’s free to start with whatever writing skills you possess now. You can write about industry trends, educate your audience on your products or services, or provide your expertise on relevant topics. If you enjoy writing, it’ll be that much easier.
Again, blogging is an easy add-on if you’ve already got decent traffic and sales. If you’re hoping to use your blog strategically to bring in more website visitors and new clients, it’ll take some extra time and effort. Keep reading to learn more about how blogging can get a little complicated.
You can reach more people.
Arguably the most significant advantage of blogs - the ability to reach a wider audience. But do people read blogs anymore? The answer is a resounding yes. It’s estimated that 77% of people read blogs. When you Google the answer to a question, you’ll see that some of the top results are blog posts. Think about how many people use Google to get answers (hint: pretty much everyone).
Given their continued popularity, blogs are a great way to reach a larger audience. Create articles on topics your audience is interested in or answer questions they might search for on Google, and you could use your blog to reach the masses. Share to your social media for even greater visibility.
When you publish consistently, you can create an entire community of like minded people who look forward to your content.
It can bring warm leads to your website.
Warm leads are people who visit your website and have some interest in your product or service. To bring in warm leads (as opposed to any old visitor), your blog content needs to be written with your target audience in mind. Articles should be relevant to your business and valuable to potential customers. Instead of writing what you like to write about, you must pick a blog topic your audience wants to read about.
Keeping your posts relevant and valuable will help your blog (and business) show up in Google search results so your customers can find you. Share new blog posts to your newsletter and socials to bring in even more warm leads. Bonus points for adding internal links in your articles that send readers to products or services on your website. That way, you can encourage them to purchase or sign up while they’re there.
It helps build your authority.
Blogs are a great way for you to prove you’re an expert in your industry. Proving you’re an expert builds trust, and people are more likely to buy from a business they trust. Content should be accurate and well-researched with references where applicable. Take your time creating something truly valuable for your audience.
Again, this is something Google’s updates will love. Google is cracking down on spammy, low-quality content. Let this motivate you to craft top-notch articles full of authenticity and relevance. Because if Google likes it, your audience is more likely to find you. And if your audience finds your high-quality articles, they’re more likely to trust and buy from you.
Disadvantages of Blogging
It can get complicated
Blogging can get complicated if you plan to use it the right way, to bring in website traffic and warm leads. This is because of SEO, or search engine optimization. If you want to get found on Google, you need to use SEO best practices.
Using your blog as a marketing tool requires content planning, keyword research, and consistency. You won’t get new visitors simply writing about things you enjoy. To optimize your blog, you need to:
conduct keyword research for SEO
conduct market research to see what’s already been covered
find topics your audience is interested in
consistently publish new content
This ensures you publish articles that your audience can find with content they’ll actually want to read. Read this post to start learning about SEO.
It takes time.
It can take an expert about 1-2 hours to write a blog post. If you’re new to blogging, it will likely take you longer. This is excluding content planning and topic, keyword, and competitor research. All that work adds up to a pretty hefty chunk of time. Since consistency is key in successful blogging, you’ll have to invest that time regularly. You’re running a business, so you need to decide if that investment is worth it for you.
If writing isn’t something you enjoy or it doesn’t come naturally, keep in mind that time spent on blogging could weigh even heavier and cause more stress than you’d like. If you decide you want blog articles to boost your business but you don’t want to invest the time, view my services to see how I can help.
It takes a lot of patience.
Blogging is a long game. If you just started your blog, it can take months before you see any change in website traffic. Google can also take ages to crawl and index your site (review and store new articles so they show up in search results). If you plan to use your blog for SEO and website traffic, you’ll need plenty of patience and perseverance before seeing any ROI.
If you’re the type of person that wants instant results, blogging may not be for you. If you have the patience to build your blog over time, the payoff has incredible potential. Consistency is key. If you have a blog that isn’t getting any traction, don’t give up yet.
Conclusion: Advantages and Disadvantages of Blogging
I’m a big fan of blogs and the potential they have as an effective marketing tool. I would encourage you to start (or build on) your own, but ultimately it’s up to you to decide if it’s the best move. I hope this article helps you weigh the pros and cons of blogging to determine whether it’s right for you and your business. It can boost your website traffic and help you make more money, but only if you’re willing to invest the time and be very patient.
For more blogging tips, check out this article.
If you enjoyed this post and would like similar content created for your website, contact me here. I offer done-for-you blog articles, analytics, and SEO content strategy to help you grow your digital presence.
