In keeping with our 2023 State of Marketing report, blogs are among the many high advertising and marketing channels that supply the best ROI.
Regardless of numbers displaying how blogs can profit enterprise, some entrepreneurs and enterprise homeowners surprise, “Do folks nonetheless learn blogs?”
To find out the place weblog readership may stand as we speak, I surveyed 325 folks about how usually they learn blogs. Here is what I do know:
Do people still read blogs anymore?
Do folks nonetheless learn blogs anymore?
As a blogger who writes every day, my findings had been encouraging; most respondents (29%) learn blogs 1-4 occasions a month, 18% learn day by day, and solely 17% by no means learn blogs.
The graph beneath illustrates a breakdown of how usually respondents learn blogs.
Whereas the proportion of people that by no means learn blogs surpasses that of people that learn 1-3 or 1-4 occasions per week, extra folks learn blogs every day than by no means in any respect.
So, we all know extra persons are studying blogs, not less than typically than not all, however are they studying kind of than prior to now? In keeping with our respondents, it is about the identical or extra.
57% of individuals within the survey say the quantity of weblog content material they eat is identical as final 12 months, whereas 35% say their weblog consumption has elevated. Solely 9% say their consumption is lower than the earlier 12 months.
You may additionally surprise how persons are studying blogs. Are they barely skimming by means of or deeply studying the content material?
In keeping with the survey, 35% of individuals skim by means of blogs more often than not, and 38% do a mixture of skimming and deep studying.
13% deep learn greater than they skim, and solely 6% navigate to the knowledge they want as shortly as potential after which depart with out studying the remainder of the content material.
Our analysis reveals running a blog continues to be a superb approach to attain shoppers and develop your small business. Individuals are nonetheless studying blogs; most are doing extra than simply skipping to the knowledge they need and leaving.
Moreover, running a blog continues to be extremely precious for search engine optimization. Nearly a third of marketers use search engine-optimized blogs to draw and convert leads.
That can assist you seize consideration from massive audiences — even when they much less continuously learn blogs — listed here are 5 methods to innovate your weblog technique.
How one can Get Extra Weblog Readers
1. Experiment with video and textual content in your posts.
As of 2023, video is the preferred and simplest advertising and marketing media format for the fourth 12 months.
Together with video in your weblog can add depth to your content material and enhance engagement since folks will probably be compelled to click on on the video and watch it.
On the HubSpot Weblog, we recurrently add movies to our weblog posts to present extra thorough particulars or knowledgeable recommendations on the subject we have written about. This fashion, readers who discover the weblog put up can learn or watch the content material.
Here is one example of a blog post the place we included a video associated to its subject:
On high of bettering the person’s expertise, putting movies on your blog can also make web content rank in video-based search results. Moreover, video content material can be extremely participating whenever you share them in your social media channels.
If you happen to suppose creating movies will probably be too costly or technical for your small business, there are methods you should use to supply movies on a funds.
This step-by-step guide walks you thru easy methods to brainstorm, script, and affordably shoot movies to your weblog or different platforms, even when you do not have an enormous funds.
Many AI video generators are additionally obtainable, making video creation fast, simple, and cost-effective.
2. Add infographics or different authentic photos to your content material.
You do not have to be an knowledgeable graphic designer to create visually interesting infographics. After I labored as a digital journalist for native newsrooms, I usually needed to design graphics on quick discover for breaking information.
I wasn’t acquainted with Photoshop and had no actual graphic designer expertise — however I did have Canva. And that acquired the job executed.
With all of the know-how and design-related apps as we speak, creating basic graphics isn’t impossible, complex, or time-consuming. In actual fact, I used Canva to make the primary few infographics on this article.
If you happen to rent a graphic designer or get the hold of making graphics shortly, you can too check posting infographics as the middle level of your weblog posts. Here’s a post the place the HubSpot Weblog did exactly that:
Whereas it’d take somewhat bit longer to create branded designs and templates to your weblog initially, these visuals will probably be helpful for gaining image search traffic.
Like video content material, authentic photos could be extremely shareable and fascinating on social media.
3. Publish authentic knowledge, quotes, and knowledgeable insights.
Some bloggers suppose they’ll get away with writing quick, light-lift weblog posts between 200 and 300 phrases. Whereas tiny, low-effort posts may get some search visitors, they will not make your content material really feel authentic or fascinating to the reader.
To compete with extra skilled weblog websites, write in-depth posts with knowledge and details to again up every level you talk about. If you happen to want help crafting lengthier weblog posts, strive HubSpot’s AI Blog Author or Free Blog Maker.
You’ll be able to put up in your weblog should you leverage knowledge assortment platforms like on-line survey platforms to gather authentic knowledge. This can make your content material look extra credible and reliable, but it surely additionally can boost search traffic. Here is how:
If you embody your knowledge in weblog posts, different bloggers or journalists searching for knowledge to again up their factors may hyperlink to your posts as proof.
These hyperlinks are sometimes known as “backlinks.” Whereas getting talked about on different web sites definitely boosts model consciousness, backlinks additionally improve your authority in search engines.
Like knowledge, original quotes also encourage backlinking. Except for this profit, weblog posts with quotes or knowledgeable insights from industry thought leaders could be shareable or participating on social media platforms like LinkedIn.
Knowledge, knowledgeable quotes, and insights additionally present information, and plenty of readers are drawn to blogs that present a chance to be taught one thing.
Within the survey, 61% of respondents mentioned they had been interested in the final three blogs they learn as a result of they needed to be taught one thing, educate themselves, or reply questions unrelated to their profession or education.
4. Use search engine marketing methods to construct visitors and rank on search pages.
Whereas lots of the suggestions above will provide help to enhance your non-organic visitors and the reader’s expertise, you also needs to take note of natural visitors — which can probably account for many of your views.
Except for movies, visuals, and inspiring backlinks with authentic data, you can too enhance natural visitors by leveraging keyword research and other SEO strategies.
If you happen to‘re new to search engine marketing or search engine marketing, getting up to the mark on these methods is simple.
Whereas some ways are so simple as including different textual content to your photos, others embody inner linking associated weblog posts to a brand new piece you’re publishing.
Try this weblog put up to rise up to hurry on just a few simple and efficient search engine marketing ways.
5. Promote your content material on the suitable platforms.
Though search engine marketing will probably be your main visitors supply, you will nonetheless wish to make sure you promote blog posts on social media channels.
Why? Whereas it’ll take time for weblog posts to rank in search consequence pages, you possibly can share your content material on social media, e mail, or different channels to realize non-organic visitors instantly after you publish a put up.
Lastly, selling any content material out of your web site successfully boosts model consciousness. Our survey reveals that the majority weblog readers (30%) uncover weblog posts by way of social media posts and promotions.
Simply 18% discover blogs by way of search engine outcomes.
By posting precious blogs in your channels, you could possibly achieve extra followers, post shares, and engagements from audiences you did not have earlier than constructing a social media technique.
Constructing a Higher Weblog
As we go into 2024, we’ll see much more bloggers undertake aggressive methods that embrace new content material codecs to realize audiences and forestall low readership. No matter which ways you determine to check out, preserve these items in thoughts:
- Add movies and visuals: Video and graphic advertising and marketing are getting extra plentiful and efficient in producing visitors and leads. Moreover, youthful generations interact with this content material greater than others. If in case you have the bandwidth, make sure you experiment with visible content material.
- Provide authentic insights and suggestions: Unique quotes and knowledge will enhance your search and non-organic visitors whereas making your weblog extra credible.
- Leverage search and social alternatives: Most web customers are nonetheless discovering weblog posts primarily by means of search and social media platforms. So, even when experimenting with new content material sorts, leverage key phrases, alt-text, and different search engine marketing ways to make sure you’re being attentive to search alternatives. You also needs to give them further promotions in your social media channels.
If you happen to preserve the above strategies in thoughts, you possibly can improve readership and enhance consciousness and conversions to your group.
