The rising cost of pay per click advertising is creating an environment where organic traffic is gaining steam, and blogging is definitively one of the strategies that I consider “hot and in demand” for 2019 and 2020. When you need to bootstrap consumer traffic to your site, email marketing and blogging are spearheading the way forward.
When it comes to paid digital marketing I think we’ve reached the peak. In the following years we will see constant rise of the costs on mainstream platforms such as Facebook, Google and LinkedIn. If you don’t have the budget to compete, I’d advise against it from the get go. For us as a paid search and paid digital media service provider, it means that we need to fight a frugal battle. But often we encounter clients that have a small budget, but can’t really compete on big platforms. So we flat out tell them: Do Not Compete There.
But just because you’re priced out, doesn’t mean that you should stop fighting. Grass roots digital will always be alive and well. There will always be room for a little guy to keep up the good fight. Even if it means dropping links via DMs on Facebook and Instagram, and leaving a mark on a 1 to 1 basis. Being small has its advantages. And there is no shortage of places where small but hopeful entrepreneurs can’t leave a mark on the market, make a buck and try to grow.
Why blogging again?
Blogging is hard, and it’s grass roots. What you need to do, is to stay relevant and shareable. Your blog needs to be visually appealing, attractive and genuine. Blog is another venue that will gauge you the pulse of your audience, and it will create you opportunities for Google organic traffic. Age of your blog matters, as well as how often you publish. Those two are Google’s ranking factors.
What we’ve seen in 2010–2014 was an absolute craze for blogging. There were so many blogs popping up, and we believe we’ve reached a blogging fatigue somewhere mid 2016. People got tired of having to learn everything under the sun, and even those that were making headway’s in the blogging world have given up by 2018. Unfortunately I’ve lost a few of the blogging comrades along the way, and I feel sad about it, because I believe that they have been great writers.
People flat out, didn’t understand how this game works, because they thought that all they need to do is just publish consistently, and somehow they will grow big.
The Reason why you should give blogging a try again is due to the fact that there are far less bloggers nowadays, compared to where we were 4–5 years ago.
With the absence of the competition, you have good chances of getting your content seen in the blogosphere. There is a good number of people that prefer writing over any other medium. You know, I am perfectly aware that almost 80% of the internet users would completely skip this page, because it is text heavy, and that is perfectly fine, because I am doing this writing, mostly for the people that are actually reading and paying attention.
You will need basics of SEO and Discipline To Push It Through
For a past decade SEO was my entire career, and just seeing the budgets that companies have to throw on SEO, would make you sick to your stomach. Gaming Google’s algorithm is an expensive hobby, and people that are gateways to organic rankings price their services out of profitability for a small company, or company that is meeting ends meet.
But you don’t need an SEO consultant or an SEO company to start your own blog, and in all likeliness, by starting it by yourself, you would truly understand and appreciate the work that good SEO consultants and SEO companies do, is to start blogging. You would need to get an overall understand of on-page SEO architecture, and you would most likely need to hire a developer to fix your on-page issues per Google’s recommendations.
Blogging without SEO will never work. But blogging is definitively a first step in you being able to start comprehending the work of an SEO, so you can come to a point where it makes sense for you to hire one.
That’s where discipline comes in: You need to be consistent at writing. Those that are vigilant about creating content, will be able to tackle the positions based on the fact that their content is fresh. New content is something that always interests Google. Never overlook that fact.
Blogging has a compounding effect, and the mentioned blogging frequency is not only good for the Google’s algorithm, but it also sets expectations with people. You are in the ether, competing for peoples attention with thousands of other outlets. Consistency creates habit, and people start to recognize you. You also start to understand your field and industry better, because there is no better way to fully internalize something, unless you write it.
Understanding that readers are a different breed
You just need to recognize that there are people out there that simply like to read. I am one of them. Like both reading and writing. Both require you to turn off distractions and get you into focus mode. Avid readers also can be influencers in their respective fields. Having a reliable and high quality blog is like having a platform where people that like to read have an opportunity to stop by and connect.
Return of the blog comments
The forgotten art of blog commenting is definitively back. As we know that blogging is still driving eye balls of people that are trying to learn and grow. You never know who is taking an active interest in bettering themselves, so leaving blog comments can be a good route to getting new connections and clients. That’s why, officially with this article, Alpha Efficiency is returning the commenting section. The fact is, that I am not expecting many people to drop me a comment, but that is fine. The same way you would get Instagram comments (you go to other people’s feeds, and comment on their stuff, than sit and wait for them to come back, and return the favor, until you form your circle).
Every time you publish a new article, that is a good time to start going to your friends blogs, and start dropping those high quality comments that will get you noticed. Blogging world is huge, and it’s an ideal time and place to connect to new people, and start building a community on your own blogging platform.
Unfortunately leaving blog comments doesn’t count as a Backlink that would help your SEO efforts, as most blog comments are “no-follow” meaning that they don’t pass on SEO juice. However, you’re creating an environment where other bloggers may start linking to you organically as they get to know you!
Commenting can lead to lasting and nurturing relationships, and they can’t be overlooked as a part of your overall strategy. They are essential part of your outreach methodology. But you can’t leave blog comments everywhere, you need to show up at the right place, at the right time. Create awareness of your niche, and start gaining visibility in your circle of interest. And watch your own community grow as a result.
Just Blog It
Do not dwell too much on this article, but develop a blogging habit, and it help your business efforts. Given the fact that all wanna be bloggers left the field, now you’re left with true and tried bloggers, and having them on your team is one of the biggest assets your business may have.
Consider your website a place where every article you write is a seed for the future of your enterprise.
