5 Reasons Your eCommerce Store Needs a Blog
If you’re running an eCommerce operation, you need to have a blog attached to it—there’s simply no way around it. Having a blog offers so many benefits, that not having one is pretty much akin to shooting yourself in the foot.
You can increase foot traffic, sales, give your company a voice, funnel more customers toward your products, rank better on Google and other search engines, increase the shareability of your site and so much more.
In today’s guide, we’re going to talk about five of the most important reasons why your eCommerce store needs a blog.
Whether you just started your online store or you’ve been at it for years with little success, this is your guide to blogging on eCommerce sites.
1. Provides More Value For Your Site
Customers expect the most value for their dollar, and likewise, for their time. If a customer visits your website and it’s only ads for your products, there’s a good chance they might skip it altogether. Why? Because your site doesn’t offer enough value to keep them engaged. They’re looking for more than just a sales pitch. Customers want to know about the brands they support and know they’re getting value from that loyalty.
A blog can help add more value to your website. Not only will you be offering top-notch products and services, but you’ll also be providing pertinent information to your industry/product line. Let’s say you’re selling high-end designer shoes. Your blog could focus on fashion and the relationship that footwear plays in modern fashion.
Your customers will appreciate extra information for its practicality, will feel like they’re getting more value for their time and money, and will be able to understand your brand better. These are all important parts of running a business.
2. Helps With SEO Ranking
Do you know where your site ranks on Google and other search engines for specific keywords? If you’re a designer shoemaker, where does your site rank for keywords like “designer shoes” or “women’s designer shoes”? The better your ranking is, the closer to the top of the search results your listing will show up; which can mean much more traffic. Google is one of the world’s most powerful and comprehensive search engines, but only less than 1% of users ever click something on the second page. That’s why the front page of Google is such a coveted position, and why you need to improve your SEO strategy with a blog.
For example, if you type in “tobaccoless chew” into Google, the #1 result will be Black Buffalo. This is because out of all the tobaccoless chew companies out there, Black Buffalo’s site ranks highest for the keywords “tobaccoless chew”. This alludes to a powerful SEO strategy on the part of the company and drives web traffic to the eCommerce site.
3. Giving Your Brand A Voice
Another great reason to have a blog is to give your company a voice. Since your company is based online, you’ll have a much more difficult time connecting with customers. You won’t see or interact with them face-to-face, so it’s a little harder for them to get to know you and what your company stands for. This is where a blog comes in.
The blog acts as the voice of your company. You can use it to review products, make suggestions, and open your customers’ eyes to important truths about the industry you operate in. Having your own voice helps distinguish your brand from the competition and makes your organization feel a bit more human. It’s hard for a customer to identify with an online brand, but having a voice via a blog helps bridge that gap and improve the relationship.
4. Funneling Buyers
The great thing about a blog is that it opens up so many more opportunities to funnel buyers to your site. You can be backlinked on other sites, featured in articles, and much more. This is a far more effective marketing strategy because it allows you to reach more people in more places. A blog speaks for your company, so you can attract new customers with your personal voice.
You never want to only bring buyers in from one source. That source could become obsolete or dried up at any time, so it’s good to have multiple avenues on which to drive customers.
5. Your Competitor Has One
You can bet that your competition is using a blog to its advantage. That in itself is a reason to create one. Anything your competition is doing to bring in more customers that you’re not doing could potentially put you at a disadvantage.
It’s ok to read your competition’s blog. In fact, you should read it. You might learn some things about the competitor, the industry, or your mutual customer base that will be to your advantage.
Studying the competition is a crucial part of business, so don’t slack.
Do your homework!
