We all know the ways content marketing can help a business  -- by increasing traffic to the website, pleasing the Google gods, or showing off our authority to prospective clients and within our industry.

So which of these applies to you? Why does your business blog?

Focusing on your objective will help you craft stronger content and reach your goal.

Let’s take a moment to review the most common reasons businesses blog and look at the results all our blogging can generate.

Blogging for SEO Benefits

Are you maintaining a blog primarily for the purpose of improving your search rankings? You’re not alone. If you play by the rules and keep on top of the latest algorithm updates, adding a steady stream of high-quality, in-depth content to your website can help improve your position in Google’s search results.

Choose blog subjects that are broadly related to your core offerings, since one of your goals is to use the posts to beef up your site in Google’s eyes. Use your search keywords strategically throughout content, headlines, and bulleted lists.

To really impact your website’s SEO in a competitive industry, you’ll need to create high-quality, in-depth content. Think 1,000 words or more of well-structured, carefully-optimized, original text. 

When it comes to SEO copy, quantity is important but it’s not everything. If your content does its job, these posts are eventually going to rank, which means human visitors will arrive on the page, and judge the company by what you’ve published.

And of course, whatever you’re publishing, make sure you’re amplifying its SEO value with incoming links from high-quality, relevant and reputable websites.

Blogging for Authority and Engagement

Maybe you are blogging to show off to prospective customers that your company knows what it’s talking about and is a leader in its field. A useful, regularly-updated blog can help achieve this, and persuade visitors to your website to become customers.

If earning trust and confidence is your goal, make sure that you are fact-checking, proofreading, and providing value to your readers. 

Choose subjects that are timely and showcase your industry knowledge. Some industries go through annual product release cycles, or are ruled by prominent tradeshows. Some face disruption from new technology. Whatever is happening in your industry right now – however it’s impacting you and your customers – write about it.

An authority blog requires content that is both informative and interesting. Whether you are taking a stance on a hot topic or delivering facts, tips, or tricks, maintain a high level of quality and accuracy in what you write. 

Most important, give your prospective customers and industry peers something they can use. Give them a unique take, and back it up with real information they might not have gotten anywhere else. That’s the path to authority.

Blogging to Draw New People In 

Ah yes – the coveted concept of “going viral.” This type of content is created with the goal of spreading beyond your own followers and reaching a larger stage through shares and retweets.

This is challenging content to craft because it typically requires extensive brainstorming, research, and rewriting. Having a blog that is viewed by the masses, especially on a regular basis, is the dream. But how do you create a post that everyone will find worthy of sharing with their friends and followers? 

There is no secret sauce, but there are essential ingredients like authenticity. Uniqueness. Sincerity. Humor. Insight. Originality. Intrigue. 

You won’t break any barriers by providing content that’s already been seen. Take chances. Create an informative post that stands out from the crowd, whether it’s with a strong visual, original research, or a uniquely creative twist.

Content isn’t always just words. If you can deliver the message in a way that will excite the viewer without even having to write a single word, you may have found the secret to success. 

Focus on the needs and fascinations of the readers you most want to reach – what questions are they asking? What challenges do they face? How can you be so helpful or fascinating that they just have to share what you created?

Educate people. Give away your expertise freely and generously.

Get creative. Get personal. Get helpful. Get inspirational. Get emotional. Whatever you do, just get (positive) attention and you are well on your way to going viral. 

The benefits of blogging are well worth the time and energy it can take to create the actual content. It is easy to get caught up in simply writing a blog because it’s the what you should be doing, right? It’s happened to the best of us. Maybe you have even thought, “This feels pointless.”

If this sounds familiar, it is important to take a step back and really decide why you are blogging. What is it that you are trying to achieve by writing for the masses? There truly is some reason to your rhyme, and while you may have gotten a little lost along the way, try to keep it all in perspective and remember why, exactly, you’re doing it. Plus, as an added bonus, determining the purpose of your writing often makes your writing stronger. Huzzah!