Do people even read blogs today?
It’s a fair question, especially in the age of generative AI that makes it far easier to produce content.
Anyone who has viewed their company’s analytics knows we do visit them. Engagement & conversions are often poor though. Most pages suck.
However, don’t assume everyone thinks like you do. For those of us in digital marketing, and often not the audience their business targets, we must avoid bias. It’s another reason that data-driven decisions are important.
The real issue is that…
- you have an arbitrary content schedule, writing so often that you have too little time to provide much value.
- SEO dominates so that you address topics in which you have no expertise and/or cannot address search intent.
- you focus on creating but don’t improve what you have, perhaps even competing with yourself!
Know it’s just as valid to start with ideas then leverage SEO to clarify opportunities.
Besides generating their own traffic, backlinks & conversions when good enough, there are other SEO perks for blogs:
- They improve keyword rankings on your hub pages by signaling topical authority & freshness.
- They may insert someone high into your funnel that may convert through a long-term multichannel sales & marketing approach.
- They grow your brand intangibly and can even reinforce partnerships.
Before dismissing content marketing then, ensure you have a thoughtful strategy that goes beyond SEO considerations!