Blogs are still relevant in 2022: 10 reasons to start yours
Wondering whether blogs are still relevant? Yeah. Good question. They do seem a little bit millennial, don’t they? Once such a thing, they seemed to dissolve overnight along with the Spice Girls, Lynx Africa and dial-up Internet. But here’s the thing. They haven’t really gone anywhere. Big brands and little brands alike, from Aesop to Lucy & Yak still have blogs. They just hide them. Tucked out of sight, but still working super-hard behind the scenes. But why? Let’s take a look.
So, first things first, do people still read blogs?
According to Social Media Today 77% of internet users read blogs. I can see you frowning in disbelief as you mutter, “Well I don’t”. But I bet you do. You just don’t necessarily realise you do. I’m not questioning your intelligence here by the way, but the truth is that each time you do a Google search for, ‘How long for a soft boiled egg’ or ‘Are blogs still relevant in 2022?’, you more often than not land on a blog article, which essentially just looks like a web page. And then there are the blogs-turned-big-dogs. Ever been on HuffingtonPost.co.uk? Yep. That started as a humble blog and evolved into a media powerhouse. Mashable? Also a blog. Do people read blogs any more? I’d consider that a yes.
Yes, blogs are 100% still relevant in 2022!
Are blogs still popular?
Blogs were once a thing. A big thing. And there’s definitely been a shift. We definitely don’t tend to follow particular blogs anymore, excitedly tuning in each week for the next instalment, because, well, Netflix, but just because the way we read blogs has changed doesn’t mean blogs aren’t still popular. Remember Susie Bubble, style icon and blogger-like-no-other? Her traditional blog fizzled out with boot cut jeans and beige vest tops from Bay Trading, but she’s still very present as a columnist for the Evening Standard’s ES Magazine and writer for The Business of Fashion. She also has a sizeable 616k following on Instagram.
Is blogging dead?
Blogging is definitely not dead. But as the way we consume blogs has changed, so has the way they are offered up to the world. Case in point: the hidden blogs. Instead of the blog taking centre stage, it’s usually now found lurking in the footer of a brand’s website. They’re no longer the focus, but they are very much still of huge value. There are big brands I’ve worked on that don’t promote their blog content at all. In fact it’s on a hidden part of their website. Why? Because they can target keywords without being over-concerned with how it reads or how it ties into this season’s comms strategy. They’re essentially keyword stuffing to olympic-gold level. Enough to enhance their performance in the rankings, not quite enough to get banned by the IOC. But the fact of the matter is that this kind of optimised blog content full of optimised keywords drives traffic. And lots of it. It builds brand authority on Google and drives brands up the rankings. And it can get you seen in Google too.
Should my business have a blog?
So back to whether blogs are still relevant in 2022, and it’s a hell yes from me. Blogs are still relevant. Blogs are still popular. Blogs are still a thing. What we knew to be a blog and blogger has changed for sure, but writing a blog as part of your content marketing strategy hasn’t really. There’s still a place and a time for blog articles. And there are so many reasons to start a blog for your small business. Here are ten of those reasons.
Fact: People still read blogs! Here are 10 reasons why you should start one.
10 Reasons to start your small business blog
Blogs are a really effective way to drive traffic to your website
Blogs boost your SEO efforts by giving you a place to get in all those keywords
Having a blog helps drive sales by driving more people to your website
They allow you to respond to news and trends, keeping you current in your industry
Blogs are the perfect platform for sharing your personal views. And by giving your own opinion you turn generic information into valuable content.
It’s not social media! Protect yourself from Insta-outages by owning some of your content
It’s a great platform for when you have lots to say and you want to go in-depth on a topic.
It’s an entirely FREE way to shout about your business and products.
They provide a ton of value to your audience.
They provide you with a load of content which you can then repurpose for social media.
So the evidence is there. Blogs are 100% still relevant in 2022. There are so many reasons to create a blog to support your small business. Writing good quality, in-depth content is good for your customers, it’s good for SEO and it’s good for giving you a platform for being current and present.
It’s also not social media. Read that again. We need to stop putting all our eggs in one basket there. Because if an outage happens again - remember that?! - our business needs to stack up without it. Consider it insurance for the unthinkable. So make starting a blog a priority for 2023 and get planning now.
Keen for a blog but just don’t have the time, energy or inclination? Let me help. I can actually write your blog posts for you. I can help you optimise them for SEO and help you get seen in Google. I’m a professional copywriter. I’ve written for the likes of New Look, Waitrose, Simple Skincare, and Dune Shoes. And I can write for you too. So let me help you get top-quality blog articles done, so you can get back to creating what you really love: your products and business.
Sound good? Now it’s a dead cert that blogs are still relevant in 2023, find out more and hire me as a blog copywriter for your blog articles so you’re ready to start getting found in Google in 2023.