Blogs. Are they still worth it?
In 2024, these website workhorses get a bit of a bad rap from people.
“Do they work?”
“Are they worth it?”
“What’s the point?”
Well, according to Semrush, “blog posts are still one of the most effective ways to connect with your target audience.” And they know a thing or two. In fact, after video content, long- and short-form blog posts are the content formats that perform best.
So, when Google E-E-A-T focuses on Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust for websites and their content, having a regular blog can set you apart and rise above the generic content out there.
What the hell is Google E-E-A-T?
Let’s start by explaining Google E-E-A-T guidelines. The letters stand for Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. Google has search quality raters (actual human people) who use them to understand the quality of published web pages. They can also determine where the page ranks in search results.
Originally introduced as the Google E-A-T update in 2014, their update in 2022 included the extra ‘E’ (‘experience’). Google also released its ‘Helpful Content’ update in 2022. Combined, it all means that when you search Google for something (anything), the results you see will be as relevant and helpful to you as possible.
Here’s a breakdown of how your posts can do that and help your business:
🔵 Experience: The content you publish should clearly show that you have experience in what you’re talking about. This shows your reader that you’re authentic and can do what you say you can.
🔴 Expertise: Your posts should show you have the knowledge and credentials to back up what you’re saying. There’s a crossover with Experience here, but it’s different and no less important.
🟡 Authority: Your reputation as a business comes into play here. The ranking of your posts is based on the authoritativeness of your business, the content you’re creating, and your website as a whole.
🟢 Trustworthiness: This is probably the most important part of the E-E-A-T process. When your post is ranked, apart from all the above, Google’s quality raters will look to see if you’re trustworthy. They’ll look at who you are, your business, and whether your content is accurate, factually correct, and original.
The Google E-E-A-T guidelines also consider ‘Your Money Or Your Life’ (YMYL) content, which could impact the mental or physical health, finances, or safety of your readers.
Ticking the E-E-A-T boxes
However, sticking to the Google E-E-A-T guidelines isn’t as bad or complicated as it sounds. There’s no need to change your blog or SEO strategy if you have one (good news), and hitting E-E-A-T standards can be done pretty easily. Here are a few things you can do straight away:
➡️ Write high-quality content: Forget about writing for search engines and overloading your blogs with keywords. Just make sure you write every blog (and web page) for humans first, that they’re helpful and informative, and answer your audience’s questions. Bonus points for making sure your content is error-free, grammatically correct, and factually correct, too.
➡️ Be transparent: Whatever your subject, be clear about who in your company has written your blog – their name could also link to a page that pulls in all the blogs they’ve written. And cite any sources you use or refer to. So rather than saying, “Recent research says that…” (which is lazy), say, “Recent research from X in their 2023 annual report says that…” and link to it. The link shows you’re not just ‘saying’ something, you’re backing it up with facts.
➡️ Make it easy to read: There’s a great quote by ad man Leo Burnett who said, “Make it simple, make it memorable, make it inviting to look at, and make it fun to read.” And that pretty much sums up how a blog should be. Whatever the topic, keep the language you use simple and avoid jargon as much as possible.
Providing high-quality, helpful, and valuable advice or information that includes some or all of the Google E-E-A-T guidelines can improve brand awareness, build trust, online visibility, and search rankings.
Why you should blog regularly
Blogging regularly (at least once a month, but no more than three or four times per month) plays a big part in improving the SEO performance of your website. But by sticking to Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines, consistent blogging adds to the E-E-A-T factors and improves your visibility in all the search engines. Here’s why:
✅ By consistently posting well-researched and informative blog posts, you showcase your industry expertise. These posts will help establish you as an authority in your field to your readers while making search engines notice your expertise.
✅ All search engines favour websites that have regularly updated content. Fresh, up-to-date, and relevant content shows site visitors and search engines that your website is actively maintained and trustworthy.
✅ Regularly posting new blog posts keeps your audience engaged and encourages them to come back to your website for the insights and information they need. As a result, they’ll stay on your site longer, which is good for the algorithms.
✅ Each new blog post is a new page for search engines to index. With more indexed pages, you increase your chances of ranking for more keywords and topics, driving additional traffic to your site.
✅ Creating a regular blogging schedule helps set expectations for the search engines and your audience. Consistency shows you’re dedicated to providing valuable content, which can boost your website’s trustworthiness and authority.
✅ Regular, high-quality blogs improve the chances of getting backlinks from different websites and social media shares. People linking to your content will boost your website’s authority and visibility.
Blog writing services from DropCapCopy
So, regular blogging does work. It is worth it, and there’s every point to doing it. If you’re already doing it and following the Google E-E-A-T guidelines, you’re on the right track. Regular articles, expert guides, how-to guides, and even listicles that include high-quality, well-written content that’s helpful to the customers you want to get in front of is the best way to do it.
But what if you aren’t doing it?
When was the last time you published a blog? Has it been a while? Is your site’s ‘blog’ section looking neglected or forgotten? No time to write anything? With everything that comes with running a business, it happens, so don’t worry. So why not get a freelance blog copywriter like me to help you?
Since 2016, I’ve written over 800 blogs for direct clients and clients of digital agencies. From 500 to 2,500 words, I’ve written about everything from workwear, windows, and water coolers to mental health, loans, security, matting, construction, and kitchens – and more. So, I’m pretty confident that I can help you with your business blogs.
So, when you want a burst of dynamic, SEO-infused blogs – whether a one-off, a series, or a retainer of ongoing blogs – for your website, get in touch today.
Or, for more information, check my blog writing service page and let me help you kickstart your blogs in Q2 of 2024.
