The next time you check out an ecommerce store, I guarantee that 99% of the time you will notice they have a blog. Is that a coincidence or does it point towards the fact that blogs are a must-have feature when running an online store?
This is what I aim to uncover in the below article – The power of the blog – Is it real, or is it merely a myth? (Short answer – blogs are incredibly important for ecommerce and can benefit your business in numerous ways such as SEO and website traffic).
Blogging and Ecommerce - A Perfect Match
For anyone who says that blogs aren’t important for ecommerce, I challenge them to do what I said in the intro and check out a range of online stores. Most of them have a blog or some type of news page where they post regular content.
They don’t do this for fun! Creating blogs takes time and effort so for most ecommerce stores to do this, there must be some benefit, and there is. It’s just a proven fact that blogging is important – maybe not as important as technical SEO for ecommerce websites, but right up there.
Blogging and ecommerce go hand-in-hand as a blog can enhance your products, drive customers to your site, make them stay longer, and give them valuable information that may help sway their decision.
Why a Blog Matters for Your Ecommerce Store
As you can see, I am a firm believer in the power of the blog, but I haven’t really given any firm benefits yet. Below, I show clearly why blogs matter, and why you should incorporate one into your online store.
It boosts your SEO strategies
Blogs are especially beneficial for ecommerce SEO and are often the pillar of SEO strategies for businesses along with things like category pages and product pages. A blog can help with the following SEO aspects:
- Keyword usage.
- Internal link generation.
- External link generation.
- Content marketing creation.
If you do it right, blogs tick many boxes and can help take your SEO strategies to the next level. For example, in one blog article alone you could utilize one primary keyword, and several secondary keywords, and create 4 internal links, and 2 external links to high-authority pages. Where else can you do that?
It helps you establish your brand voice and authority
While SEO is hugely important in today’s online-driven world, businesses still need a brand voice, and to show they are an authoritative voice in their industry – someone that customers can trust and who knows what they are talking about.
Blogs help achieve this. If you write professional blogs that give advice on various subjects in your industry, or on new developing technologies, for example, it shows you are knowledgeable. You can also convey your personality and brand through the language you use in your articles.
A blog helps increase website traffic
More blogs = more traffic. This is a simple fact and it shows the potential power of blogs because oftentimes people may not even be searching for your website or products directly, but a help article relating to your industry.
For example, let’s say you have a garden tools ecommerce store and you’ve written various how-to blogs such as how to care for your lawn properly. A customer might search on Google for guides on lawn care and visit your blog. From there, they could then shop at your online store.
It helps capture a wider audience and ultimately bring more traffic to your site.
It also gives real value to customers
In today’s world of SEO and marketing, there is more emphasis on quality and giving real value to the customer. For example, Google is placing more emphasis on value and authority and this is why high-quality blogs are so valuable to ecommerce.
If you write about subjects relating to your products or services such as guides, tips, and life hacks, for example, these are all things that customers can actually benefit from. They will get a positive interaction from your store and as a result, are more likely to use your company. Google will also love this so it’s a win-win situation.
It facilitates several business processes
If you could create marketing that contributes to several business processes at once, you’d jump at the chance right? Well, this is exactly what blogs do! A quality blog with regular posts and consistent content can contribute to the following:
- SEO implementation.
- Content marketing.
- Public relations.
I’ve already mentioned how it is fantastic for your SEO strategies, but blogs are an integral part of any content marketing strategy too. Not only that, but blogs can be a great PR tool and help promote the voice you want and show your business in a positive light.
You really are getting great value for money and you won’t find many other marketing processes that can achieve so much for relatively little effort and cost.
If You Haven’t Already, Start Blogging!
I hope I have shown you the importance of blogs and how they can contribute greatly to your ecommerce business. Considering the cost involved, they are also one of the most cost-effective types of marketing for your ecommerce store.
For example, if you choose to write the articles yourself, the only real cost is time in writing and researching the blogs. The other aspects such as keyword research and SEO implementation are already accounted for in your SEO budget.
