If there is one fact that is hard to dispute, it is that blogs are easier to optimize for search result placement. Done effectively, search engine optimization can take a blog to the top of the search results fairly quickly which results in increases in traffic.
One argument I hear is that this traffic is going to the blog, not to the website and it is through the website that sales are made. This can actually be an error in thinking. Blogs can actually make the sale and the website becomes the portal to complete that sale.
If you can approach blogs as being a part of your sales team and not just an advertising vehicle, your sales will increase and with it your customer loyalty. The interactive nature of blogs helps a website to build relationships with customers and potential customers. If your product or service is of an acceptable standard then you find those customers returning time after time.
Undertaking a good search engine optimization program on a blog is not difficult. Using software such as WordPress, together with plugins desinged to make SEO easier, your blog can start to climb the search rankings fairly quickly. The more pages of good content you provide, the easier it can become. Gaining a ranking does lead to increases in traffic, traffic that is free.
Do blogs help to deliver more traffic to your website? Blogs will only deliver more traffic to your website if your content draws them to it. Having good content with a professional page, a suitable placed call to action and a product/service that is related to your blogs pages will increase your traffic.
What should be looked at is not the increase in traffic. It is the increase in sales that is the most important metric. The extra traffic to your website may only increase marginally compared to the amount of traffic your blog receives. However, that traffic going to your website is often there to close the deal. You can achieve conversions well over 50% from blog traffic. Compare this to the 5-10% conversion from direct search traffic to your website, and your blog is paying for itself very quickly.
Make your blog a part of your sales team and let it do the selling for you – after all, your blog is receiving the extra traffic – make it count.
