Blogging Is a Sideshow, Not the Main Event
Blogging has been a legitimate part of any Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy for quite some time. Google and other search engines have always appreciated the creation of unique and topic-relevant content. The trick with blogging has always been to stay consistent and to be able to create interesting content.
As with everything on the Internet and search engines, if there is a tool, like blogging, that can help you reach your goals, then there will be someone who will exploit the use of the tool. Lately, I’ve seen blogging being offered as the “Messiah” of Internet traffic building tools. Let’s cover some of the facts about blogs and what they can and what they can’t do.
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Blogs posts are usually written to support keyword strength on your website. Uniquely written information laced with targeted keywords can help search engines see your blog and website as sources for good information, and this can help your rank position.
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Blogs can also help your company develop brand awareness and industry authority. Offering insightful information or educational material can help Internet readers connect with your brand.
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A blog can generate traffic to your website. Having additional traffic is generally a good thing. BUT, the traffic a blog generates is typically lower quality. When Internet users are looking for services you offer, they use keywords that eventually lead them to your website where they learn more about you and your services, then choose to contact you or not. When Internet users find blogs, they are not typically looking for services, they are looking for information.
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Paid search or PPC as well as SEO are used to target Internet users by the keywords they use, but also the geographic area. For businesses that work in hyper-local Internet environments, blogs can’t send the quality, geographically driven traffic automotive repair, transmission or collision shops need to convert visitors into paying customers.
Every tool in the toolbox is valuable, and blogging is certainly one of the tools I will keep using and recommending to my customers, but only as a supporting tool in an SEO program.
