Google “Is blogging dead?” and you’ll see hundreds of links to articles on why blogging might be on the decline.  While we’ll ignore that all of these are written on, well, blogs, there definitely seems to be some validity here. Facebook and Twitter seem to be the main opponents, taking what used to be multi-paragraph posts and shrinking them into bite-size nuggets of knowledge…or simply posts about bite-sized nuggets. When looking at that type of personal, journal-esque blog, it does indeed seem to be on the outs.

However, there are still several reasons that an individual, or more importantly, a business, should keep on bloggin’. We have outlined a few of these below.

A blog is a great tool for SEO.

Google loves when you blog, or at least the Penguin algorithm does… the people at Google probably aren’t hanging on your every word. However, that fresh content chock full of keywords is one of the easiest ways to increase your page ranking. Since the beginning of 2012, Google has been penalizing sites that use spammy methods (such as loading a ton of keywords in a hidden area on your site), and a lot of sites saw a huge drop in page rankings. Blogging can help bring your site back from the grave.

It helps to boost your credibility, as a site and a company

Start-ups are popping up left and right these days, and it can be difficult to differentiate between a real site and a scam. Blogs help people to realize that you are a real person/company, and that they can actually speak to a human being if they call. Answering comments and responding to feedback is important as well, although that doesn’t mean you have to acknowledge every troll who writes “Bieber sucks!” on your post about how to maintain your furnace.

People might actually want to know what you are up to

Your current or potential client might actually be interested in the things your company has done/accomplished over the course of the year. A new hire, an awesome project or new product that you’ve been working on, or the opening of a new office might not seem like exciting news, but it again helps to personalize your business. And people like dealing with real people.

Feel free to respond below with some additional reasons to blog, and make sure you leave at least one “Bieber sucks!” post behind to keep things fresh and relevant.

On that note, Happy Holidays from everyone here at Web Ascender, and be sure to have a safe and happy new year as well!