Blogs. They seem to be everywhere. And with over 152 million blogs on the internet, you've probably run into a blog or two in your day.
But you might still be wondering what exactly is a blog? Is it different from a website? Why do they seem to be everywhere? How do I start my own blog?
In short, many individuals and companies create a blog to share their ideas and knowledge online, as well as increase their online presence.
This article is here to answer all of your most pressing blogging questions, helping you understand how blogs succeed and why they're so popular, and helping you learn how you can use them!
What is a blog?
The word blog is a combined version of the words “web” and “log”. In its early days, blogs were essentially an online diary where people could keep a record of their daily lives on the web.
Since then, they have become an essential place for information and updates and have become a forum not only for individuals but also for businesses. In fact, some people even make money blogging and become full-time professional bloggers.
Blogs are regularly updated websites that provide essential insight into a particular topic. Different types of blogs cover different topics, from food to fashion and marketing.
Blogs are composed of individual posts on more specific subjects within the blog's area of expertise. These posts often serve as a platform for discussions, as many blogs have active comment sections.
You can think of a blog almost like a newspaper that adds a new article every now and then and continually keeps older articles.
So what's the difference between a website and a blog?
As you already know, a blog usually deals with a certain topic and is updated with regular posts, mostly in the form of articles.
Sites, however, are often divided into internal explanatory pages, each serving a variety of purposes. It can be anything from a FAQ page to a welcome home page design.
These pages are only updated once in a while, making a website more static than a blog.
It is interesting to note that sites often have built-in blogs, while other sites are entirely blogs without additional pages. Confused, right?
Let's get to the bottom of this. When blogs are a section of a larger site, the site often provides most of the information and simply uses a blogging feature to keep users up to date and engaged.
For example, think of an online store that also offers a blog about its various products and how to use them.
However, when blogs make up the entire site, there is usually no product to sell or other information to provide, instead the blog content itself is of the essence. Anyway, if you've ever seen standalone blogs or blogs as sections of a website, you've probably found examples of blogs all over the Internet!
Why have blogs increased in popularity?
What is so special about blogs? Well, blogs have become so popular for many reasons. One of those reasons is that, like social media platforms, blogs allow people to share their thoughts and experiences with others.
Given the active comment sections, they allow people to interact with each other and build relationships based on shared interests that are not limited by geographic location. Essentially blogs have become a social platform.
Another reason blogs have become so popular is that many people have started monetizing their blogs.
Bloggers tend to make money from ads in a few different ways. One of the most common forms of advertising is affiliate marketing.
As bloggers often discuss a particular topic and have a lot of experience in their field, they are reliable sources for those topics.
For example, if you're a travel blogger and you write about your experiences and what you've done in various destinations, chances are your readers can take your advice.
As you are providing information about travel attractions and promoting it to your readers, these travel attractions may be willing to pay to increase their number of visitors.
Bloggers also often make money from more traditional ads on their blogs and ultimately even selling their blogs to larger blogging platforms.
How are blogs beneficial to businesses?
The most basic reason companies have turned to blogging is that they provide a simple way to keep customers or customers up to date.
Since blogs receive regular updates, they allow companies to share company changes, inform users about offerings and provide the best possible tips for using their product.
Another reason companies use blogs is that blogs allow them to provide a greater breadth of content, helping them to attract a wider readership.
This tactic of creating content to draw your audience to your brand forms the basis of an important marketing methodology called inbound marketing.
SEO
An additional essential benefit of bringing more traffic to your website is SEO or Search Engine Optimization.
SEO is the practice of improving a website's position in search engine results, helping it to be found more easily. When search engines like Google notice that more people are visiting a particular site, they are likely to find your content more relevant.
In turn, search engines can increase the exposure of this site, allowing it to appear closer to the top of the results page. And, of course, the closer to the top of the results a site is, the more likely people are to click on it.
For individuals, on the other hand, blogs can be a perfect way to share updates with friends and family. For example, if you're traveling to some exotic location and want to share photos and information about your trip with several different people, you can direct them all to one centralized blog.
A blog really can be the solution to any experience you might think you might want to share with an audience.
Another benefit of blog SEO is that search engines tend to look for fresh and timely content. While many sites have relatively static content, a blog that gets updated regularly provides the perfect forum for content changes.
While SEO might seem a little intimidating, here are some blogger-specific SEO tips that can help make the process easier.
Why is it essential for you to start a blog?
Blogs are essential for many different people and provide a platform for many different needs. As a professional, a blog is an excellent way to establish your expertise in a particular area.
By including practical information, as well as guides that are regularly updated, you prove that no one knows your industry better than you.
When you present yourself as an authority in your line of work, you will be able to grow your name and become a true leader in your field.
Blogging like an expert can also open the door to potential monetization and the ability to turn your blog into a career.
What should you include on your blog?
Once you've created your blog, it's time to start thinking about what kind of content you want to include and how you should write your blog posts. When figuring out the type of content you will be writing about, you should remember to think about who your target audience is and what they would like to learn about.
It's also essential to remember that blog posts should be relatively easy to read and understand, but should nevertheless provide a complete summary of the topic at hand. Check out this article for a full explanation of how to write a blog post and read through our best blog post templates for inspiration.
Another important step in writing a blog is figuring out how to write a catchy blog title. The headline is the first thing readers will see before they even come to your blog.
Your title will appear on Google, and just for those few words you will be judged by all potential readers. So it can be said that the title is critical. Start by considering what people would look for to get to your blog or your specific blog post.
By getting into readers' minds, you can really understand how to optimize your blog and your content writing. Giving your blog then the potential to become a content powerhouse.
How can you make your blog successful?
You started well! You created your blog, added some seductive content and now you want to know, what's next?
How can I take my blog a notch? Well, there are a lot of elements you can add to your blog to make sure it's more palatable to your readers and to make sure Google notices you.
These elements range from quick add-ins, such as adding quality visuals to your blog posts, to doing intensive keyword research for SEO purposes.
To get a complete sense of how to boost your blog, then check out these essential blogging tools that all bloggers should know and use.
Another vital step in creating a successful blog is promoting yourself. While this may seem obvious, marketing yourself correctly and in the right channels can be one of the most difficult aspects of success as a blogger.
Some of the most affordable places to promote your blog are social media platforms, but there's a whole world of advertising potential out there.
A good place to start is with these 25 highly recommended tips on how to promote your blog. Next thing you know your blog can become a viral sensation.
So how can you start your blog?
Now that you've learned all the essentials of blogging, you may be wondering, now what? Well, lucky for you, in the Colors Agency, we guarantee much more than just an attractive look as well as a modern layout for your website and blog.
Our main focus is to offer companies around the world effective solutions, that is, to generate visibility on the internet.
Our agency develops SEO strategies, but also brand positioning for multinational companies, large, medium and small, all projects are important to us.
