If you’re a regular reader of our blog, you know how we advocate link-building as being the primary driver of SEO.  And, the reason for that is because that’s the case.  Other factors are growing and diminishing in important, but right now, and in the future, back link building gives you the greatest bang for your marketing dollar.  Why?  It gets people to your site, so you can start making additional revenues, which you can use to further grow your business.

Long-term, however, back link building isn’t the only SEO service you need.

In fact, blogging is a huge long-term driver of additional traffic and SEO value.  Why?  I’ll outline a few reasons below.

Why Blogging is Essential for Any Business.

Google likes “fresh” content.
One significant part of your site’s rankings lies in having regularly-updated content on your site.  The Google Fresh Update, effective as of November 2011, means Google will give your site preference in the search engine rankings if you have regularly-updated content.

In another respect, the Fresh Update also ranks the most recent content highest for a given search term because usually that’s what people are searching for.  If you search for “how to fix a leaky pipe,” for example, Google is more likely (not guaranteed) to return a result from this year because that’s what type of pipe you are probably looking to fix (as opposed to a leaky pipe from the 1950s).

Customers need answers.
Searchers are looking for a succinct answer to their question – so why not position yourself as the resource to go to?  If they want to fix a leaky pipe, write an article on just that which shows them how to do it, even if they don’t have great handyman skills.  You might not get paid to make the repair, but when they need a repair they can’t handle, they’ll contact you.  If a friend or family member needs plumbing services, then your name will be the first to come to mind!

Builds long-term traffic.
You might hear stories about the bloggers who built a blog and made six figures just a few short months later.  The fact is, however, most blogs only make a few hundred dollars per year, if that.

Makes blogging sound impossible and worthless – doesn’t  it?  But it’s not!
Here’s why:  Those exceptional blogs that take off in a few months and build six figures of revenue or more are like people who win the lottery.  It’s really tough to do, takes some skill, and a whole lotta luck.  For most, by blogging consistently (at least 4 articles per month), you build a dedicated following that purchases from you and uses your services (and spreads the word about your services) over time.

You get new customers and more traction in search engines for a low cost.
A good blog article costs you $50 to write, at least.  If you do at least 4 articles per month ($200), you’ve spent $2400 on it in one year.  Keep in mind, you should have a monthly newsletter available for people to sign up for, so you can keep their contact information and make more sales in the future.  That $2400 you spend allows you to market to your e-mail list and bring in new customers over and over again, for years into the future!  Compare this to radio, TV, and print ads, which run a set number of times and stop.

Free is Always Better.
In regard to search engine traction, each post can rank highly for a targeted keyword.  If your post is particularly useful, people will share it through their social media accounts or link to it, all without you even having to ask.  Plus, you can link your post to other on-site posts, your site’s home page, or other important pages on your site to increase your on-page SEO value.  All of these little ins and outs build your search engine rankings and make it easier for customers to find you.
When you blog, don’t think of it as an additional cost.  If you do it consistently,  you will reap a number of additional freebies, turning your “costly” blog posts into a very wise investment.