Does Blogging Help SEO: 6 Factors to Make Sure it Does

Does Blogging Help SEO? In this post, we'll explore the most effective blogging statistics and dive into the secrets that make some blogs outshine others.

As an SEO-focused performance marketing agency with over a decade of experience, we’ve seen firsthand the immense value that blogging can add to SEO. 

However, we’ve also taken over hundreds of projects where a staggering 10,000 blogs translated into only 100 monthly SEO traffic hits.

The key isn’t just in blogging; it’s in selecting the right topics and creating the content in a manner that beats the current ranking blogs.

In this post, we’ll explore the most effective blogging statistics and dive into the secrets that make some blogs outshine others. By understanding and leveraging these insights, you can refine your content strategy for today and set the course for continued success in the future.

Quick Guide:

Proven Success: Capturing SEO Results with “Capture”

When we took over the project for Capture, a leading brand specializing in old media digitization, we were faced with an intriguing paradox. 

Despite being part of a parent company that boasts over 20 years of industry leadership, Capture’s SEO traffic was languishing at less than 300 visits per month. What was even more baffling was that the company had been consistently blogging for almost 3 years, churning out weekly content, yet failing to see any growth in SEO traffic.

At this point, it would be easy to conclude that blogs simply weren’t helping SEO. But we knew better.

In just 7 months since taking over, when we wrote this article, we’d managed to publish fewer than 100 blogs and, in doing so, catapulted Capture’s SEO traffic to almost 30,000 visitors per month. 

capture SEO traffic after 7 months with XYZ
Image Source: Screenshot from Capture’s Google Analytics 4

This tremendous surge isn’t just a fluke; it’s a testament to the undeniable impact that a well-crafted blogging strategy can have on SEO, even for a company that seemed to be stuck in a rut.

This one of hundreds of successful projects we can quote.

So how did we achieve this impressive turnaround? It wasn’t through a radical reinvention of Capture’s content but rather through a methodical approach rooted in solid planning and keyword prioritization.

Image Source: Screenshot from the Capture Blog page

Before Blogging: The Right Planning and Keyword Prioritization

When we take on an SEO project, our first step was to scrutinize the existing content and assess what was and wasn’t working. 

In our experience, clients typically fall into one of three SEO categories:

  1. Starting Fresh: These are businesses that have never ventured into the realm of SEO or organic content.
  2. Turnovers: Companies like Capture: They might have dabbled in SEO or blogging and even executed partial SEO strategies, but they’ve seen little to no tangible results.
  3. Stagnant: These are companies that experienced an initial SEO boost but have been losing ground to competitors over the past year or so.

With the first type, we know we need to begin blogging almost right away. For the other two, a strategic decision must be made between writing new content or optimizing old ones.

In this article, we’ll address the approach to new content, leaving the optimization of old content for a different discussion.

The Nitty-Gritty of Keyword Prioritization

The process of keyword prioritization requires a few specific tools to provide these vital insights:

  • Keywords: Understanding what your customers search for when looking for your services or alternative solutions. Most SEO tools provide keywords insights. Here are 3 most popular tools we use:
    • Ahref
    • SEMRUSH
    • MOZ
  • Keyword Difficulty: This isn’t just about an arbitrary number from SEO tools; it’s about assessing the competitiveness of the ranking pages (their DA, DR, PA, PR, number of links).
    • You can get the typical KD number with the 3 tools, but we find these can be misleading. We create custom KD metrics for all projects we do. If you want to see our method, reach out for a free consultation.
  • Traffic Potential: Distinguishing between traffic potential, traffic volume, and traffic value (CPC value) is crucial, and we’ll further elaborate on these definitions here.
  • Domain Competitiveness: Analyzing how competitive your domain is (DA, DR, number of links) and understanding how many links you can confidently source for this article.
  • Relevancy: Grading keywords on three levels of relevancy—high, medium, low—helps to align the content with the actual needs of the potential customers.

Take, for example, an electric car company selling sedans and SUVs. Your high relevance keywords may include “electric SUV price,” medium relevancy keywords might be “SUV fuel efficiency,” and low relevance keywords could be “saving gas for SUV owners.”

The concept of keyword relevancy seems obvious, but this is one of the most important metrics and also one we often see companies making mistakes with, so let’s elaborate on this briefly.

1. High Relevance Keywords

Definition: These are terms that directly correspond to the core offerings of a business or brand. If you rank for this term, you can fulfill 100% of the search intent.

Characteristics:

  • Matches the core business offerings or niche.
  • Directly answers user intent.

Example: For a business selling organic facial products, high relevance keywords might include “organic facial moisturizer” or “natural face cream.”

2. Medium Relevance Keywords

Definition: These keywords are related to the brand’s offerings but may not be a direct match. Users searching with these terms might be exploring broader topics or looking for complementary information.

Characteristics:

  • Highly relevant to the business offering.
  • You want these keywords, but can fulfill 50-90% of the search intent.

Example: Using the organic facial product business example, medium relevancy keywords could be “best facial moisturizer” or “best skincare.”

3. Low Relevance Keywords

Definition: These terms are more related to the business. While you cannot fulfill the search intent of these keywords, you would be relevant to the searcher.

Characteristics:

  • Broad in scope and not specific to the business’s niche.
  • Attracts a wider, more general audience.
  • Provides a chance to draw in users and familiarize them with the brand.

Example: For the organic facial product brand, low relevance keywords could be “live a natural lifestyle” or “how to cut out chemicals in your diet.”

Continue with Prioritization

Once you’ve gathered this information, it’s time to organize it in an Excel sheet and employ a formula that integrates these different aspects to calculate the priority of each keyword. 

A simple yet effective equation for your priority score is:

priority = search traffic potential / difficulty x relevancy

Having established a well-researched list of keywords, you’ve essentially struck gold in the world of SEO. 

This inventory will fuel your content strategy, providing a road map to high traffic potential. 

While the significance of keyword prioritization cannot be overstated, it’s only one half of the equation. 

The second half? Crafting impeccable content around these keywords.

How to Harness Your Goldmine: Writing Content That Shines

Here’s a step-by-step guide to ensure that every blog post you write not only outperforms your competitor but also produces results soon.

In the world of SEO, “soon” typically translates to seeing tangible results within 60 to 90 days. This guide has helped most of our projects see tangible results in 30-60 days, while it may seem like a substantial period, but in the realm of organic search, it’s a relatively quick turnaround. 

However, if you’re seeking even faster results, you need to consider increasing your content production volume significantly. Let’s dive into the specifics of how you can create impactful content that achieves this goal.

1. Decide on a publishing capacity – how many blogs should you publish 

When your keyword prioritization is spot on, the subsequent step is determining the optimal content publishing volume. 

This is crucial, as the right volume can significantly amplify your SEO results.

 The competitiveness of your market and the domain authority of the top-ranking pages relative to yours play pivotal roles in shaping this volume. 

Here’s a breakdown of how different levels of competition will affect your content strategy:

1. Highly Competitive Market:

  • DA & DR Gap: Most ranking pages have a Domain Authority (DA) and Domain Rating (DR) that are 40+ points ahead of yours.
  • Recommended Publishing Volume: 50+ articles per month.
  • Projected Traffic Growth: Expect an increase of 1 -10k+ in organic traffic (depending on your keyword selection) within 60-90 days.

This aggressive approach helps you make headway in an environment where competitors have already established a strong presence.

2. Medium Competitive Market:

  • DA & DR Gap: The majority of the top-ranking pages have a DA and DR that outstrip yours by 10-20 points.
  • Recommended Publishing Volume: 20+ articles per month.
  • Projected Traffic Growth: A boost of 1-10k+ in organic traffic can be anticipated within 60-90 days.

3. Low Competitive Market:

  • DA & DR Gap: The top-ranking pages have a DA and DR similar to yours, indicating a level playing field.
  • Recommended Publishing Volume: At least 10 articles per month.
  • Projected Traffic Growth: You can expect a rise of 1-10k+ in organic traffic over a 60-90 day period.

Remember these are general guidelines. Individual results can vary based on the quality of the content, link-building efforts, website optimization, and other on-page and off-page SEO factors. 

2. Schedule Doesn’t Matter, Publish As Soon As Possible.

The Early Bird Gets the Worm in SEO.

Don’t wait for a perfect schedule. Once your blog is ready, publish it. 

The sooner it’s published, the quicker it can be indexed by search engines, laying the groundwork for it to ascend the search rankings.

However, while immediate publishing is beneficial from an SEO perspective, a content calendar plays an essential role in other crucial areas:

  • Sustained Quality: Rapid content production doesn’t always equate to high quality. By spacing out your content release, you ensure each piece receives the attention it deserves — from research to writing, and from proofreading to final touches.
  • Budget Management: A well-thought-out schedule prevents unforeseen expenses. Consistent, paced content production helps in avoiding unexpected costs and ensures you get the most bang for your buck.
  • Team Efficiency: A calendar provides clarity. Your content team, whether it’s writers, editors, or graphic designers, will appreciate the structure. Knowing what’s coming up next prevents bottlenecks and ensures smoother operations.
  • Audience Engagement: Regular content updates can create a sense of anticipation among your audience. They’ll know when to expect fresh content from you, increasing the chances of regular visits.

While the age-old saying, “The sooner, the better,” holds weight in SEO, it’s pivotal to strike a balance. 

Quality should never be sacrificed in the name of speed. An organized content calendar ensures a harmonious blend of both.

3. Authenticity and Expertise are Key 

Google’s algorithms favor content that’s rich, genuine, and backed by expertise. Especially with various AI tools, the search engine wants to promote real content.

Why Authenticity Matters More Now Than Ever

Today, a vast majority of blogs and articles you come across are tailored primarily for SEO. The intent behind many of these posts isn’t to satisfy the reader, but to game the system and rank on Google. 

And with the rise of AI-driven content creation, there’s a flood of articles that, while grammatically correct, often lack originality. 

Many of these AI-generated pieces merely rehash existing content, offering little in the way of fresh insights or perspectives.

Search engines, with Google at the forefront, are acutely aware of this trend. They recognize that for them to remain relevant and useful to users, they must deliver the most valuable results to users’ queries: that is actual experience, good writing, and authenticity.

Practical Ways to Showcase Authenticity and Expertise:

  • How-To Guides: These are direct demonstrations of your know-how. Using our own services as an example, a guide on “How to Optimize Blog Content for SEO” showcases practical knowledge, step by step.
  • Product/Service Reviews: Share reviews of tools or platforms you use in your operations. These not only help potential customers make informed decisions but also showcase your expertise in evaluating industry-specific tools.
  • Case Studies: Nothing spells authenticity like results. Document how your product or service has helped customers, complete with challenges faced, solutions employed, and results achieved. It’s the perfect blend of storytelling and demonstrable expertise.
  • Behind-the-Scenes Content: Give readers a peek into your processes, team interactions, or even product development phases. It humanizes your brand and showcases the genuine effort behind your offerings.
  • Sharing real-world examples, like we did at the beginning of this article, provides authenticity. 

If you’re writing a topic, ensure it’s something you’re well-versed in or willing to extensively research. Bringing firsthand experience to the table makes your content more relatable, valuable, and trustworthy. 

Struggling with this? We’re here to guide you.

4. Depth with Readability: 

Comprehensive articles typically rank better in search rankings, but brevity for its own sake shouldn’t be the goal. 

Between quality and word count, if they are in conflict, we always pick quality.

There are tons of resources out there about how to write long-form content, so for the sake of being authentic, we won’t rewrite their tips as ours are similar. 🙂

Just remember your long-form content should be detailed yet digestible, diving deep into topics while ensuring readers don’t get lost. 

Strive for clarity, coherence, and a user-friendly structure.

5. Proactive Link Building: 

While it’s a lovely idea to produce content so great that links just come to you, passive link-earning is like hoping for a viral hit: optimistic but not reliable. 

Instead, roll up your sleeves and engage in outreach. 

Connect with relevant bloggers and websites in your niche, showcasing the quality content you’ve produced. 

A strategic link-building campaign can amplify your content’s reach and authority manifold. And if this feels daunting, don’t hesitate to lean on us for support.

6. Repeat and Boost Your SEO with XYZ

As with any strategy, it’s essential to analyze, learn, and adapt. 

Track your content’s performance, understand what’s resonating with your audience, and refine your approach. Success in SEO is a blend of science, art, and perseverance.

Ultimately, we firmly believe we can fill in the gaps in your SEO marketing strategy and accelerate growth in your space.

If you’re interested in learning more about how we navigate your industry to bring results, contact us about our SEO and content services.

Glossary used in this article

1. Traffic Potential

Definition: Traffic potential refers to the estimated number of visits a website or a specific page can obtain if it ranks on the top position for particular keywords. 

It’s essentially a projection, taking into account the search volume for a keyword, the click-through rate (CTR) for the top positions in search results, and other relevant metrics.

Why It’s Important: By understanding traffic potential, businesses can prioritize which keywords to target. A keyword might have a high search volume, but if it’s extremely competitive or if it doesn’t align with your offering, its traffic potential might be limited. 

Conversely, some keywords might have a moderate search volume but high traffic potential due to lesser competition and better alignment with the user’s intent.

How to Use This: This metrics helps project SEO benefits for a project, but it’s only useful if you are confident to help a project rank for this keyword on #1 and 2 positions. Otherwise, you will never see this much traffic.

2. Traffic Volume

Definition: Traffic volume represents the actual number of visits a website or specific page receives over a defined period. It’s a direct measure and reflects the total number of users who’ve interacted with a site or content piece.

Why It’s Important: Traffic volume gives a snapshot of how well your content is performing. By tracking it, businesses can identify which content pieces or marketing strategies are most effective. 

A sudden spike or drop in traffic volume can indicate shifts in market trends, the success or failure of promotional efforts, or technical issues that might need addressing.

3. Traffic Value (CPC Value)

Definition: Traffic value, often using Cost Per Click (CPC) value, refers to the estimated monetary worth of organic search traffic. 

In simpler terms, it’s how much you would have spent on paid advertising (like Google Ads) to get the same amount of traffic the organic keyword is bringing. The CPC value is derived from the cost advertisers are willing to pay for a click on a paid ad for that keyword.

Why It’s Important: The CPC value helps businesses understand the ROI of their organic SEO efforts in comparison to paid strategies. A high CPC value for an organic keyword suggests that businesses are willing to pay a premium for that traffic, signaling its importance or profitability. By understanding traffic value, businesses can allocate resources more effectively, balancing organic SEO efforts with paid advertising strategies.

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