Why a Blog on Your Website Matters Beyond Just SEO with Guest Expert Natalie Davis
As a business owner, you likely already know the importance of having a website for your business.
Your website clearly communicates who you are and what you do for potential clients, it gives your brand a more professional look (thus building your credibility), it helps more people find you from Google, and it can even help increase your sales.
It’s truly a non-negotiable!
And if you follow Karli, you definitely already know those things.
It’s one reason that I personally love to follow her because she understands the importance of having a website in your business and she doesn’t let the hype of social media and other platforms you don’t own steal all of her attention – and even better, she helps other people understand the same.
If we haven’t met yet, I’m Natty – a blog and email writer for service providers – and I firmly believe that blogs aren’t dead, they’ve simply evolved and that every business owner should implement blogs as a key part of their content marketing strategy.
Websites and blogs go hand in hand, which is why I’m so thankful Karli is letting me have a spot on her blog!
So, let’s get into it. ⬇️
Beyond simply having a website, it’s important that your site is well-designed and well-functioning so that your users can easily navigate through your content and find what they need to confidently take their next action.
When people think of designing their website, they often think about the core pages: Home, About, Services and Contact.
And while it’s true that those pages can be considered the core four pages that you definitely want to start with, there’s a huge piece of the website puzzle that people often overlook and that is: blog content.
What might seem like a fun, extra thing you do when you have more time, blog content is actually a vital piece of your website that can be a key part of your customer’s journey.
In fact, it’s been said that 47% of people consume 3-5 pieces of content before purchasing from you AND 6 out of 10 people buy a product or service after reading a blog post about it.
Which means you could be losing out on buyers by NOT having a blog on your website…
Or even worse, you could be missing out on massive opportunities with your audience if you only blog for SEO purposes.
It’s no secret that SEO – search engine optimization – is an important part of the online world and when creating your website, you want to make sure it's optimized.
If you’re unfamiliar with SEO, Karli does a great job of explaining it here!
And while I 100% agree that SEO is important and should be implemented on your website, I also believe that it’s NOT the most important reason that you should have a blog in your business and in this blog post, I want to help you understand why.
Why Blogs Matter Beyond Just SEO
The basic philosophy behind SEO is that the more optimized content your website has, the higher up you’ll appear in a Google search and one of the best ways to have more content on your website is through blog posts.
While this philosophy can be totally true and I absolutely want you to rank higher in a Google search, what I believe is even more important and will produce a much greater return for you is that your blog is optimized for PEOPLE, not a search engine.
Hear me out…
Remember that stat I mentioned above? The one about how 47% of people consume 3-5 pieces of content before purchasing from you?
This means that however someone finds you, whether that be through Instagram, TikTok, your podcast, email, or they stumble upon your website, a majority of them will continue to do some digging before they take the next step.
And that next step doesn’t just mean purchasing. It could be actually following you on social, subscribing to your email list, downloading your lead magnet, etc.
Now of course some people are quick buyers and they don’t need as much information as others, but you want to make sure that your content is produced and organized in a way that is convenient for that 47%.
There are likely people who are currently following you that haven’t purchased from you or taken any sort of action, simply because they’re unable to find those 3-5 pieces of content they need to feel confident to do so.
But you might be thinking… “I already have great content for people! It’s clearly on my social media… duh!”
And I hear you - I really do.
As a business owner, you’ve likely been trained to treat social media as your main resource for content and while I agree that social media is a very important tool when it comes to your business, it also can become extremely overwhelming and confusing for your audience.
Don’t believe me? Just think about it like this ⬇️
Let’s say you post 3 times per day: one trending reel, one static image, and one client testimonial. And let’s say that you follow this posting schedule for months on end.
Overtime, sure you might start to have a pretty, cohesive feed that YOU love, but is it the most valuable for the person that just followed you?
Are they able to find content that clearly conveys your message? Is it organized in a way that existing followers can easily find the valuable piece of content you posted 3 months ago?
Chances are it’s not, no matter how hard you try, and this isn’t your fault - this is simply the nature of social media!
Instagram feeds and other social platforms aren’t designed to be searchable or organized. They’re designed as a way for you to connect and entertain your audience on a consistent basis.
They’re the first place where someone might find you, but in order to really get to know you, what you do, and most importantly, how you can help THEM, they’ll need more than just a 30 second Reel or 15 second Instagram story.
And this is where your blog content comes in. Your Instagram and other social media platforms should be viewed as the guide that leads your audience to your BEST and most valuable content… on a channel that you OWN (ahem, that’s your website).
When you have a blog that is optimized for new people that find you AND your current people, both of these groups are going to be able to easily find and consume your most valuable content and be confident in taking their next action with you.
The Blog Philosophy That Serves Your Existing AND Future Audience
So, here’s how this can work – I like to call it the Natty Blog Philosophy that focuses on people first, search engines second.
Think of your blog like a house – NOT an apartment, meaning you own it and your best content lives there. 🏡
The rooms inside that house are like the categories or pillars that you create content around. 🛌 🛋
I encourage people to choose 3-5 content pillars for their blog and they are the overarching categories that all of your blog content will fall under.
Each of those rooms are filled with different items and all of those items are the actual topics that you create long form blog posts for. 📚
Arguably the best part about this house? It comes with a really good cleaning lady, which means that all of your content is organized and searchable for your audience, so they can easily find it anytime they need and it NEVER expires. 🧼
When you implement this approach with your blog content, ALL roads will lead to home!
This means that all of your other content, including Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, ads, email, etc., will lead your audience back to the platform that you own (your blog on your website), so they can receive ultimate value and easily be guided into their next best step. 🛣
Your home is truly THE place to be. It’s the one with the cool snacks, the pool, and the movie theater that everyone wants to be at – you know the one!
When you start viewing your blog like this and commit to starting with your long form content first, you’ll be able to work smarter (not harder) on your content creation as a whole because you’re starting with something that can be repurposed MANY ways without reinventing the wheel.
It’s truly a win-win for you as the content creator and for your audience.
How to Implement This Blog Approach In Your Business
So, if you’re among the many who have been ignoring blog content in their business OR have simply been going about it all wrong, it’s time to change that!
Blogs that focus on people first, search engines second belong in your business and I’d love to help you see how.
If you aren’t sure where to start, download The Beginner’s Guide to Blogging in Your Business – a free comprehensive workbook designed to help you start blogging in your business with ease complete with a 4 step process that you can implement as soon as TODAY!
More From Natty Writes
A huge thanks to Karli for featuring me on her blog – she’s one of the best I know for branding and websites and is someone I personally love to learn from!
If this is the first time we’re “meeting,” I’d love to connect with you further and there’s a few ways we can make that happen:
Subscribe to Notes From Natty – our standing Friday morning coffee date (inbox style) where you’ll receive a weekly digest full of stories, writing tips, and round up of the latest at Natty Writes ☕️💌
Follow along on Instagram – when I’m not writing blogs or email for myself or clients, I spend time on my preferred social media platform as @natty.writes
One-on-One Support – if you’re in search of more 1:1 support for blogs in your business, I’d love to connect with you personally and hear more about your business. Send me a DM to learn more about ways we can potentially work together!
