By the time most industries reach a certain tipping point the sheen of newness is wearing off fast.
I think back to the ’90s when my family had its first home computer. Then a replacement for that computer.
Computers were new. The Internet was new. Email was new. It was fun and exciting…and it was very early in the life of personal computing. The following decade still felt new in many ways, but computers became a larger part of life. Then in the decade after that, computers took on an even bigger role.
Nobody gets as excited today about computers, smartphones and all the various software as they did in decades prior. But it’s difficult to overlook the necessity these devices have in our lives. We use them in just about every aspect of what we do for work and for pleasure.
In a way, I see blogging in a similar light. Not something new and exciting as it was in the mid 2000s and in the 2010s. But something that seems to be a major aspect of the written word as it’s published online.
That’s why I feel the next decade may be blogging’s most important.
Here are just a few reasons why there is a great opportunity to start a blog, even today…
1. Blog Readership Is Steadily Increasing
It surprises many people to learn that 77% of Internet users read blogs regularly. This number has been steadily increasing over the years. Part of the reason for this is that blogging has become a great way to provide answers to the questions people are asking when they’re online.
Search for a basic piece of knowledge such as – How do I change the oil on my lawn mower?
You’re likely to see a video from YouTube or a blog post on some blog, possibly an auto mechanic blog.
People seeking answers int his way rarely even realize that they’re reading blog posts. Blogs have become such a normal part of online life that many see “blogs” and “websites” as the same thing.
2. Blog Content Is Owned By You
Social media is not going anywhere. It’s become part of our lives. But the fast pace nature of social media content makes the content it self very fleeting. And when you create content for a social platform, it’s owned by the platform. That’s always been the case and it can be totally fine.
But creating a blog on your own website on your own domain comes with more security. You own the platform. You own the content. The content doesn’t disappear when others post something new. It’s always there and available for people to find and consume.
3. Blogging Is A Win For You-Client-Google
When it comes to SEO, you want to align your strategy with Google’s. Their users are seeking answers to questions. If you provide the best answers, Google puts your content at the forefront. It’s good for the users and thus it’s good for Google and when they direct traffic to you, it’s a very good thing for you and your business.
4. Even If Google Changes, Blogging Offers Traffic Potential
The Internet is relatively fleeting. Platforms and sources of traffic come and go. Just two decades ago, AOL and Yahoo! were the Internet for many people. Today, they’re barely relevant. Content producers, bloggers included, have been frustrated by the various changes Facebook has made to its feed.
But that’s how it usually goes. The cool thing with blogging is that even if a platform, like Google, change the rules, you can still use the content to bring traffic. Paid traffic from all types of sources are very inexpensive. Guesting is a great option especially with the rise in podcasting. And you can reuse the blog content you create on social media to build attention there.
5. Blogging Is Long-Term, Like Compounding Interest
One of the concepts I heard early on in blogging was that it was similar to compounding interest. You start with one post. Then another post the next week. You keep that up and slowly you see a little progress. Then after a year you are kind of shocked that you have 50 or more posts and traffic is pretty steady every day.
Then after another year it’s even better. And better the year after that.
This has been the case with blogging for over two decades.
6. Blogging Is Difficult
Many people aren’t patient. They don’t want to wait for the compounding effects of blogging. It’s also not easy to write and to write consistently. Many people don’t like it. The idea of blogging is fun and exciting. But the actual work and continued effort really isn’t that fun for most people.
But that’s one of the key opportunities. When something offers such a huge upside and most people aren’t willing to invest energy into it, the opportunity for those that push through is really huge. That doesn’t happen with many things in life.
Readers also know that blogging is difficult. That’s one of the appeals. If someone takes the time to post a few sentences on social media, we know that it probably didn’t take much effort. It could still be really useful, but there is the underlying feeling that little effort was given.
That’s different with blogging.
7. Blogging Offers Natural Structure
Humans like natural timelines. We like content that has dates so we know the natural course of action. When we see content one of the first things we look at is the publication date. Blogging offers a natural structure. There is a date for each post. Each post has a title. Within posts there are headings and sub-headings and all kinds of stuff that make it easy to read. Many posts are lists. Even books had lists (tables of contents).
Blogging is something humans seem naturally drawn to just from a design and structure standpoint.
8. Blogging Builds Trust
The more people you help with your blogging… The more questions you answer…
The more you do this the more people trust you. Each person trusts you a little more. You earn the trust of more people. And those two things compound on each other.
Blogging helps build trust for your brand. You’re seen as a brand that helps people. As a brand with knowledge. That leads to more reading and also to more sales.
9. Writing Offers Many Benefits
The act of writing regularly offers many benefits for humans. It’s like exercise. You’d struggle to find people that say exercise and writing are detrimental. We know that these things are good for us. Yet we often shy away from the work and thus, we often don’t see any benefit.
So at the very least, regular blog writing has benefits even if you don’t have a single person reading what you write.
Why do you think people have kept journals for centuries…
10. Blogging Content Can Be Repurposed
When you publish content on a blog, you own it. You control the platform, which is your website. But this doesn’t mean you can only use that content on your blog and your own website. You can use snippets of posts for social media. Social platforms want native content. Content meant to keep users on their platforms. You can take snippets from blog posts, post them natively on social and build a following.
It’s a great return for very little extra effort.
Conclusion
Blogging has reached a level of maturity in the online world. It’s not the new kid in town anymore. But I see that as a very good thing. Blogging is as popular as ever…especially with readers and those seeking content. If you’re thinking about starting a blog in this decade, it may be the best time possible…