When aiming to boost your website’s authority and drive substantial traffic, having a diverse array of pages brimming with informative and engaging content becomes indispensable for effective SEO.
This content encompasses various elements, ranging from on-page category descriptions to About Us page narratives and product descriptions. When executed adeptly, compelling content not only draws more visitors to your site but also enhances your search engine rankings, thereby opening up avenues for heightened brand visibility, increased lead generation, and positioning your brand as an authoritative voice in your industry.
However, achieving this with a limited amount of content can be daunting. This is where blogs offer a distinctive advantage, particularly in delivering long-form, value-driven content. In this article, we delve into the advantages of blogging for Ecommerce enterprises and offer insights on seamlessly integrating blogging into your overarching business objectives.
Why are Blogs Recommended for SEO in 2024?
In 2024, the search landscape undergoes a significant shift with the introduction of ‘Generative Search’ by Google. This revolutionary approach alters the dynamics of search results and interactivity within SERPs, empowering Google’s AI to amalgamate articles, products, and diverse information from various sources into a unified response. This enhanced search experience is tailored to accommodate long-tail queries and possesses the capability to comprehend intricate questions, thereby delivering precise answers.
As we transition into 2024, the significance of blogs transcends merely supporting keyword growth and driving organic traffic to your website. Authoring and publishing user-centric, comprehensive, and SEO-optimized articles that address long-tail queries and offer solutions to inquiries will become pivotal in setting brands apart from their competitors. Google will now prioritize not only the presence of relevant keywords within an article but also evaluate factors such as depth, quality, uniqueness, and author expertise of the content to enrich the Generative Search experience.
How do Blogs Impact SEO?
There are many reasons why having a blog is recommended for SEO. Populating your website with informative, engaging content is not just for the benefit of the reader but can actually improve your site as a whole.
1. Helps Target Long-Tail Keywords
One advantage of maintaining a blog for your business is the capacity to target long-tail keywords effectively. Given that blogs typically consist of long-form content, spanning approximately 700-1000 words or more, there exists a significant opportunity to incorporate words or phrases frequently searched by your target audience. However, achieving favorable rankings for highly competitive keywords can pose a challenge, particularly for small businesses or those with nascent blogs.
Focusing on long-tail keywords, comprising three words or more, within your blog enhances the likelihood of ranking for specific search terms. These targeted keywords may encompass frequently asked questions or phrases pertinent to a particular topic relevant to your clientele. For instance, an Ecommerce fashion brand specializing in bridal or formal wear could craft content addressing potential wedding outfits for women, while an automotive parts retailer might create articles addressing commonly searched queries like “how to change a headlight bulb,” catering to the broader automotive community.
By investing time and effort in producing content tailored to your target audience’s interests, your website stands to achieve higher rankings, as more users engage with and click on your content. Increased click-through rates (CTR) and extended page sessions signal to search engines that your content holds value, thereby bolstering your website’s visibility to potential customers, generating new leads, and unlocking fresh opportunities.
2. Drives Users to Your Website Through Optimised Content
For many of us, we read blogs about topics we’re interested in. If we landed on a blog that was too short, appeared untrustworthy, or didn’t contain any relevant information, we wouldn’t want to look at the rest of the website. Optimising your content is not just about getting people to click onto your site. It can be utilised to acquire new conversions or new leads alongside creating strong awareness for the brand.
One way to optimise blog content is by adding relevant internal links. Linking is something that the Google algorithm pays special attention to because it tells Google that your website is trustworthy. And it is very simple to do.
For example, if you are a men’s clothing brand and you wrote a blog about the different types of men’s ties, there is an opportunity for you to link to product categories on your site, like ties, menswear, shirts, accessories, etc. Not only does this allow readers to be prompted to click the links when reading, but it also tells search engines that the pages your blog is linking to are of high value.
3. Helps Your Website Build Authority Through Ranking
When searching for something on Google, such as ‘where can I buy flowers?’, most users are usually only going to click onto the first couple of websites that they see. This means that those websites which are higher in the search algorithm have the highest rank for the searched term. This is where every website wants and aims to be. Like we mentioned before, blogs allow you to target long-tail keywords, which means that by having a blog, you are more likely to rank for popular search terms and queries.
Not only this but each new blog that is produced and each new page that is created sends a signal to Google and other search engines that your website is constantly being refreshed and updated. This means that search engines will crawl and index each new page more frequently. With content that answers people queries and a site that is continuously updated, Google will see your site as highly authoritative and will show your content to new users, increasing brand awareness and visibility.
4. Showcase Author Expertise
Showcasing brand and author expertise is a crucial way to enhance your authority in the eyes of Google. However, showcasing an author outside of a blog is almost impossible, as adding in “written by XYZ” on a category landing page or an About Us page doesn’t really fit the overall aesthetic of that page. That’s why blogs are such a useful tool for building authority. By combining expert lead information with SEO-lead formatting and keyword research, published articles that include an author bio at the bottom add an extra layer of depth that will provide users the confidence to shop, boosting traffic, conversion and elevating the strength of your site.
5. Build Brand Awareness
Blogs play a crucial role in building brand awareness, allowing brands to showcase themselves as more than just products to sell. By having a blog, ecommerce brands can establish themselves as thought leaders. This helps to humanise the brand and build a loyal following of customers who not only trust the products but also feel a connection to the brand’s values and mission.
Investing in blogs around the brand’s core mission, charity initiatives, employee shout-outs, etc., ensures users don’t just see the brand as commercially focused but help to pivot the brand image, building its awareness in the market and strengthening its perception.
Boosting Organic Performance With a Blog
In 2023, Pattern AU’s SEO Department was recognized as APAC Search Award Finalists for our collaboration with Strand. By initiating a blog from the ground up, Pattern effectively bolstered the growth of the Strand Edit, resulting in a remarkable YoY increase of +192% in Page 1 rankings.
The significance of blog articles in achieving SEO success cannot be overstated. From fortifying keyword rankings to enhancing Google’s recognition of author expertise, blogs serve as invaluable assets for brands to prioritize, particularly as we enter 2024.