Originally written by Robyn Bloch | Revised & Updated by Carina Claassens

When blogging first kicked off in the 90’s it was a popular way of digitising your thoughts and sharing them with the world. It was more of a personal online journal than a clever content marketing platform. Today, everyone, from Fortune 500 companies to your local butcher, has a blog. 

Having a blog is not just about getting your information out there. The statistics and facts mentioned below all point to the same conclusion, deeming blogging a crucial part of your marketing strategy. 

Having a company blog dramatically increases visits to your site and will create more inbound links to improve your SEO. 

The Facts

• 57% of companies with a blog have gained more customers.
• The informal and casual tone of a blog creates a friendly, open feel that aids in building a community.
• This community feel adds humanity to a potentially otherwise faceless brand.
• Constantly updating your blog shows commitment, which inspires trust in customers.
• On average a company blog leads to 97% more inbound links.
• 69% of businesses attribute their lead generation success to blogging.
• Blogs attract repeat visitors because people come back for fresh content.
• Small businesses that blog get 126% more lead growth than small businesses that do not blog.
• Once a site has over 300 indexed pages, traffic generation increases by 236%.  Blogs significantly increase the number of indexed pages a site has.
• 61% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog.
• A blog doesn’t necessarily have to tout the product or service associated with it; in fact, a blog is a space for value-adding content that does not attempt to sell anything.
• A blog addresses the needs of clients at all stages of the buying cycle, from research to post-purchase.
• Following Google’s Panda updates, a lot of weight is given to mentions on social media platforms. A blog forms the centre point for your social media marketing campaign and thus SEO.
• According to WordPress over 359 million people view more than 11.2 billion pages each month.
• The same research showed that users produce about 47.2 million new posts and 68.1 million new comments each month.
• There are 152,000,000 blogs on the internet.
• 346 million people read blogs throughout the world.
• Blogging increases your web visits by 55%.

Writing compelling content and structuring your blog in such a way as to attract more eyes to your site is not a difficult feat to achieve. Remember, blogging is all about quality content, regular updates and a fresh approach. 

Check out more posts about blogging:

12 Steps to Creating a Powerhouse Blog
Marketing Your Blog
Writing for the Web



Sound Idea Digital is a full digital marketing agency. For more information, contact 012 66 44 227 or email to info@soundidea.co.za

Carina Claassens is a Writer for Sound Idea Digital l carina@soundidea.co.za l @SoundIdea l www.soundidea.co.za