Is blogging still relevant in 2024?
A lot of time a lot of people spend a lot of time thinking about starting a blog. Or maybe you're overthinking about starting a blog because then doubts start to creep in and make you wonder, is it even worth it, is blogging a dying medium or is it completely dead already?
Is blogging still relevant in 2024?
No. Blogging isn’t dead in 2024. In fact, it’s more alive than ever. To prove it to you, let’s get into some of the most impressive facts about blogging.
There are more than 600 million blogs on the internet.
80% of users on the internet interact with both social media and blogs.
Businesses with blogs get almost 70% more leads a month than businesses without them.
70% of people would rather find a business through blogs rather than ads.
77% of people who use the internet read blogs
At least 54% of Fortune 500 companies have blogs
So yes, blogging is still alive and well.
Why people read blogs
Judging from the lovely stats above, blogging is clearly still relevant. But why exactly do people read blogs?
To learn something new
According to a study by HubSpot, 62% of people say they read blogs because they want to learn something. People are constantly on the Internet for information. Think about how many times in a day you take out your phone and ask Google for something, whether it's directions to find a new restaurant, an answer to a question, or something else. We do it so much nowadays that we almost don't even realize we're doing it.
To be entertained
Well, people usually associate entertainment With things like TV, YouTube, and TikTok, people also look to blogs for entertainment! In fact, in that same HubSpot study, about 51% of people also said that they read blogs for entertainment.
What this tells us
Okay, so we know that the two main reasons why people read blogs are for education and for entertainment. What does this tell us?
You should be doing both!
If you’re blogging for business reasons, the majority of your blog posts should be educational but written in a way that is engaging and entertaining. While you definitely sprinkle in blog posts that are purely for entertainment (like end-of-year recaps, story-time blogs, etc.), writing blogs that answer people’s questions is more likely to be found through search results, driving traffic to your website.
The benefits of blogging
Blogging is POWERFUL. And it influences your business for the better for quite a few reasons.
Blogging drives traffic to your website
The first benefit people tend to think of when it comes to blogging for business is that it can actually do wonders for your website traffic. This is for good reason because businesses that hop on the blogging train tend to get about 55% more visitors to their websites than those that don't.
Here's why — when you regularly update your blog with posts answering questions that your audience is asking on the Internet, you become a resource that attracts new visitors every single day.
Think of each blog post as a little piece of magnet pulling people towards your website. The more questions you answer, the more traffic you have the potential to get. And more eyeballs on your site means more chances to turn those visitors into loyal customers.
Blogging helps you get more leads
Blogging can also turn into a goldmine for generating leads for your business. In fact, businesses that blog see their monthly leads rise by more than 126%.
And that makes sense. Blogging can get you more website traffic, and more traffic generally translates to more potential for qualified leads and sales.
Here’s an example of how it generally works.
Imagine a health coach specializing in holistic wellness. Through their blog, they consistently share informative articles on topics such as nutrition, exercise routines, stress management, and healthy lifestyle habits.
A potential lead struggling with weight loss and searching for sustainable solutions comes across one of the coach's blog posts on mindful eating techniques. Impressed by the practical advice provided, this person decides to explore more content on the coach's website, eventually opting in to receive a free guide on 10-minute recipes. As the lead engages further with the coach's content and resources, they develop trust in the coach's expertise and approach. When the time comes to seek professional guidance for their health journey, who do you think this person is going to go to?
Blogging results are long-term
One of the coolest things about blogging is that it's like the gift that keeps on giving – seriously! Unlike some of those short-lived social media posts that disappear after a day or two, blog posts have serious staying power.
You write a blog post today, and guess what? It could still attract readers and drive traffic to your site months, even years, from now on. You’re essentially building up a library of valuable content that keeps on working for you down the road.
So, sure, blogging might not always bring instant gratification, but the beauty of it is in the long-term results. Get to it!
Blogging can help your audience
One of the best parts about blogging is how it allows you to help your audience for free. There’s a lot of bad information on the Internet that can even hurt people in the long run. But when you become a great source of information, whether it’s in their health, business, relationships or something else, you can make a big impact on them.
Every time you hit publish on a new blog post, you're potentially solving a problem, answering a burning question, or just brightening someone's day. Whether or not that person becomes a customer, it can be rewarding to help your readers with content they can trust.
So, don't underestimate the power of a blog.
Blogging helps you grow your email list
Alright, let's talk about how blogging can be your secret weapon for growing that email list of yours. When you're releasing great content on your blog, you're not just providing value – you're also giving people a reason to stick around and hear more from you.
Every time you hit publish on a killer blog post, you're creating an opportunity to capture those readers' interest and turn them into subscribers. And you can do this more effectively by sprinkling calls to action throughout your blog post, inviting readers to join your email list for more helpful content, hilarious stories, or whatever else you've got up your sleeve.
Plus, when you consistently deliver value through your blog, you're building trust with your audience. And people are way more likely to hand over their email addresses (which are like gold these days!) to someone they trust.
Blogs are easy to repurpose
One of the best things about blogs is that they are possibly the type of content that is easiest to repurpose, which will save you a ton of time and effort.
Think about it, you spend a few hours writing a blog (or outsourcing the writing to someone else) and you’ll have the bones you need for other types of content. You won’t have to repeat the planning, research, and writing that went into creating a blog post. You’ll have what you need to create other types of content, whether that’s Instagram content, Pinterest pins, infographics, YouTube videos, a podcast script, or something else. There are so many possibilities.
Check out this blog post on how to repurpose blog content if you want to know more.
Blogging helps you build trust in your industry
Let's talk about one of the superpowers of blogging — showcasing your expertise. When you're consistently putting out valuable content on your blog, you're not just shouting into the void (although it may seem that way in the beginning) – you're giving people a reason to trust you.
See, people want to work with people they trust. How can they possibly trust you if you’re not providing any free value for them so they can see what you do in action?
They can’t.
BUT when you're showing up on your blog, delivering value, and being authentic, you're showing that you’re not just ANYONE selling on the Internet. You’re showing that you know your stuff.
Is blogging worth it?
Yes, blogging is totally worth it!
First off, blogging is like the ultimate marketing tool. It helps you attract more visitors to your website, grow your email list, and make more sales. Plus, your blog posts have serious staying power, attracting readers long after you hit publish.
But it's not just about the numbers – blogging is also a way to connect with your audience on a deeper level. Whether you're sharing helpful tips or personal stories, your blog gives you a platform to show off your expertise and build relationships with your readers.
Sure, it takes time and effort to create killer content, but the payoff is worth it. So, if you're on the fence about starting a blog, my advice? Go for it! You never know where it might take you.
How to grow a blog in 2024
While we know that blogging is still very relevant and useful, we also know that plenty of people try out blogging for a little while, only to give it up a few months later. Because like with everything else in life, there are some strategies that are going to help you become successful and some strategies that are going to waste your time.
While I have another blog post breaking down more than 20 different methods you can use to grow your blog, I’m going to summarize them here.
Learn about SEO
It’s simple — if you don’t write with SEO in mind, the likelihood that search engines like Google are going to pick up and push out your articles is very low. And listen, there was a time when you really didn't have to write with SEO in mind, and as long as you wrote a pretty good blog post, you had a pretty good chance of getting at least some search traffic. But that was at a time when the Internet was still relatively bare, and not every topic had been covered to the full extent.
In 2024, things are completely different. Whatever blog idea you have has probably been done in some shape or form already. Or maybe even 20 times before. So… you just have to make it better.
But what does that mean? And how does that relate to SEO?
A lot of people complicate what SEO really is. But the gist of it is that Google wants to push out the best content there is. Content that is valuable, written by a reliable source, and covers what people are searching for. So to optimize your content for search engines, you need to make your content something that Google likes.
To make content that is valuable, you need to fully flesh out the topic, use sources to cover your claims, and write it in an engaging way so that people actually want to read it!
To make Google view you as a reliable source, the main thing you need is backlinks. Backlinks or inbound links are links to your website by other websites and what this tells Google is that other people know who you are and are possibly using YOU as a source of information. You can have the absolute best content out there, but if you have zero backlinks to your website, you’re probably not going to rank for anything.
To make content that people are searching for, you need to find and create content around keywords people are searching for (related to your business). I’m going to be writing a blog about this topic very soon, so if you need a deeper dive into this, keep your eyes open for it!
Promote on other channels (wherever you have an audience)
If you have already built an audience in another place, like TikTok, Instagram, or even your email list, you're going to be ahead of other people starting or growing their blogs in 2024. Every time you write a blog post let your audience know to check it out.
Not only does this get more eyeballs to your posts, but it can also help you build backlinks as some of them might link your content to their own blog.
Write consistently
While quality is better than quantity when it comes to blogging (and most other things), the reality is that you need to have both to increase the likelihood of success.
There are going to be some blogs that work, and some that don’t, so the more valuable blogs you have, the more chances you have to write a winner. But, that doesn’t mean that a blog post that doesn’t get a lot of traffic is useless. All good content helps make you look more reliable to Google and can contribute to the amount of traffic your entire website gets.
This is why writing consistently and often matters a lot when it comes to having success with your blog. Let’s just say you’ve been writing a blog a week for two years. You would then have 100 blogs! Most likely some of your blogs are going to be getting little to no organic traffic, some will be getting medium size traffic, and a few will be getting a lot of traffic. When you add it all up though, you might be getting hundreds or even thousands of views in total.
And the more views your blog gets, the more leads you get, the more sales your business gets!
Final thoughts
When it comes to content marketing for your business, I’m definitely partial to blogging. I think it is the most low-pressure, long-lasting, fun type of content you can make. With more and more social media companies blowing up and then fizzling out, I think only focusing on social media is a recipe for anxiety.
And hopefully, this blog has convinced you that blogging is still very much relevant in 2024. If you need more help on this, here are some of my favorite blogs I’ve written about blogging.
How to repurpose your blog content