Blogs are Important for Long-Term, Sustainable Success in eCommerce
Maintaining a blog might seem like the furthest thing from your mind when running an eCommerce business. Between operations, day-to-day management, and the myriad of other aspects that go into running an eCommerce business, a blog may not seem like an effective use of your time.
However, in a world where success is now largely driven by digital marketing, a blog is a necessary effort for a successful marketing strategy. Blogs are a way to differentiate yourself from the competition while providing a method of engagement for your users. There are several reasons to incorporate a blog into your marketing mix and here are three reasons specifically for eCommerce.
1. Search Engine Optimization
Content marketing via blogging is one of the best and most legitimate ways to rank well in search engines. Blogs are a prime method of website traffic, so it is imperative to have an SEO strategy in place that maintains your ranking. A recent Medium article stated that “More than half of all mobile searches lead to a purchase, and 78% of mobile searches for local business information result in a purchase.”
Blogs signal that your website is active, which helps it rank higher in search engine rankings. As time goes on, certain keywords will become connected to your niche, driving further engagement. Moreover, if your keywords have a better chance of being highly ranked if they are inserted organically into blogs rather than being stuffed on each page of your site. Remember, SEO is dependent on quality, not quantity. A blog is a great way to bridge that gap and drive better SEO for your eCommerce website.
2. Effective Marketing
Blogs are a resource through which your business is able to display its legitimacy, authority, and credibility. Writing helpful, valuable content will not only drive your SEO but will be a great component of your marketing strategy. Balancing promotional content with evergreen, helpful topics in your blog is an effective way to market without being too aggressive. While many customers, both new and existing, may not be very receptive to overt marketing, blogs tend to be a good middle ground.
Merchants can use a blog to showcase new products, highlight existing products, and provide helpful tips and advice relating to your niche. It is a way to become a valuable, trusted source for information and this will help build relationships with your customers rather than aggressively pushing out campaigns that they are not interested in.
3. Steady Website Traffic
Think of blogs as part of a puzzle in maintaining a steady flow of website traffic. A blog will help you rank in search engines, which provides one flow of traffic. The other flow will come from your current customers who choose to come back for updates. In both cases, you will have tapped into customer audiences that are normally very hard to captivate but are loyal when they find something they enjoy.
Blogs are a great method to engage with your customers, learn more about what interests them and market accordingly. If you find that certain blogs seem to be more popular than others, analyze the content and means of dissemination to see what exactly is resonating with the audience. Blogs provide a way to understand customers like never before. Use that data to your advantage.
Ultimately, blogs are incredibly important for long-term, sustainable success of an eCommerce business. They provide a way to engage with a niche customer audience, as well as ways to learn more about what interests them and create a laser-focused marketing strategy going forward.
With some patience and dedication, blogs will become a valuable component of your eCommerce business. Contact us to learn more about the importance of blogs and how we can help incorporate them into your marketing mix and Magento site.