I’ve been blogging since 2005 and have been advocating blogging as the single best SEO tactic since 2008 and suffered a lot of push back from clients.
Thanks to Brian Solis, who named 2012, The Year of the Blog, I may be vindicated. He generously published The State of the Blogosphere to bring you up to speed.
When social media, or more accurately, social networks, became the online darling, the “digerati” quickly forgot about blogs. I mean, what a boring word, b-l-o-o-o-g. We like snappy words with alliteration, like Twitter.
In the wake of Google’s Panda update, the lowly blog has been elevated. My experience proves that long-form blogging, and even frequent short-burst blogging, drives more traffic to your website and confers expert status to the author more than any other link building promotion. Whether you’re blogging for fun or profit, those two benefits alone are worth considering taking up blogging.
You might argue that you can’t write or have nothing of value to say, and I would argue right back. Blogging platforms, like Posterous, make blogging a one-click proposition. If you’re surfing the net or reading on online journal, applications like, BlogIt, make this task even easier. You can talk into computer software and have your administrative assistant proofread for grammar. You can rewrite the latest speech you gave to the Chamber of Commerce into a 4-series blog post. You can discuss innovations in your industry, post holiday pictures of your employees and their families and talk about your passion for fly fishing.
Consumers today want to put a face on a brand. Blogging let’s you be “yourself” and promote to people who want to share what you have to say.
While research shows that bloggers fall into the Gen X and Gen Y demographic, there are any number of 50+ year old bloggers out there. Just do a search for “baby boomer blogs.” I believe age is more a reflection of Gen X/Y having grown up with technology and therefore are more comfortable level with the technology.
Whether you’re a subject matter expert or a passionate hobbyist, your blog posts contribute to the body of knowledge about any topic. Solis concludes,
“Whether it’s to demonstrate thought leadership, earn authority, generate leads, change perception or sentiment, blogs continue to lead the way while disrupting traditional media along the way. For businesses, the time is now to embrace your influencers and their networks, of all shapes and sizes, while blogging to become influential in the process.”
Photo credit: Ambro
