Should you really commit the time creating blog posts for your web site?
Your WordPress web site offers you one the simplest and fastest ways by which you can publish blog posts but it doesn’t write them for you and that’s where most web site owners run into problems. Most users feel they don’t have the time or the know-how to write blog posts but it is easier than you think. Check out one of our other articles on what makes for good blog posts.
This article is intended to provide you with a little motivation to either learn how to write your own posts or hire someone to do it.
To get motivated, here are some interesting numbers to consider.
IZEA commissioned a new study titled “Lifetime Value of a Blog Post” to uncover the full value of blog content, giving marketers actionable data to contrast against other mediums they invest in.
Carried out by Halverson Group, the study revealed that the lifespan of a post is nearly 24 times the currently accepted measurement of 30 days6 (e.g. unique monthly visitors), showing that traditional measurement practices are not only imprecise, but significantly under-valuing the performance of a blog post.
The study found that only after two years will a blog post obtain 99 percent of its impressions.
Source: http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/lifetime-value-of-a-blog-post/
So what does that really mean?
In simple terms, when you write something for your site, it will be read most heavily within the first 30 days but will continue to have value for at least two years. So if your blog post just motivates one customer a month to call you up or buy something from your site you can easily pay back your time or that of someone else to write it.
But this type of measurement is really just one-dimensional and needs to be seen in a bigger context.
First of all, are search engine rankings.
Search engines love content. It’s what people look for and get’s you exposure. The better and more prevalent your posts, the more likely people are to find your site. And the way search engines work, the more future traffic you will generate.
This is called organic search engine optimization and requires content that is designed with search engines in mind to really work well. Everyone is fighting for exposure on the web so being successful, takes time and effort.
It feeds social media.
If you are heavy into Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter, you know the value of great posts you can share in these spaces. Within WordPress web sites, you can share posts on sites like Facebook with a single check box. Posts on social media can link directly back to your site for the full content of your article.
It makes you more real to customers.
Web-based customers like to “know” something about the business they are dealing with. Your blog is a great way to display your personality and the nature of your business. For many of your customers, it may be the only way they can get to know you – physical distance makes other ways impossible. And when customers like the business they are dealing with, they are inclined to do business more frequently.
In summary, the value of a blog post can only be measured over time, sometimes months and years before it is maximized. Even beyond that 2 year window, blog posts continue to have value with search engine rankings as they increase the overall content on your site.
