Based on our 2023 State of Marketing report, blogs are among the many prime advertising channels that supply the very best ROI.
Regardless of numbers displaying how blogs can profit enterprise, some entrepreneurs and enterprise house owners surprise, “Do individuals nonetheless learn blogs?”
To find out the place weblog readership would possibly stand as we speak, I surveyed 325 individuals about how usually they learn blogs. This is what I do know:
Do people still read blogs anymore?
Do individuals nonetheless learn blogs anymore?
As a blogger who writes day by day, my findings have 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 individuals learn blogs day by day than by no means in any respect.
So, we all know extra individuals are studying blogs, not less than generally than not all, however are they studying kind of than previously? Based on our respondents, it is about the identical or extra.
57% of individuals within the survey say the quantity of weblog content material they devour 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 might also surprise how individuals are studying blogs. Are they barely skimming by or deeply studying the content material?
Based on the survey, 35% of individuals skim by 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 doable after which go away with out studying the remainder of the content material.
Our analysis exhibits running a blog remains to be a wonderful technique to attain customers and increase your online business. Persons are nonetheless studying blogs; most are doing extra than simply skipping to the knowledge they need and leaving.
Moreover, running a blog remains to be extremely invaluable for search engine optimization. Virtually a third of marketers use search engine-optimized blogs to draw and convert leads.
That can assist you seize consideration from giant audiences — even when they much less often learn blogs — listed below are 5 methods to innovate your weblog technique.
Easy methods to Get Extra Weblog Readers
1. Experiment with video and textual content in your posts.
As of 2023, video is the preferred and best advertising media format for the fourth 12 months.
Together with video in your weblog can add depth to your content material and enhance engagement since individuals will probably be compelled to click on on the video and watch it.
On the HubSpot Weblog, we often add movies to our weblog posts to offer extra thorough particulars or skilled tips about the subject we have written about. This manner, readers who discover the weblog put up can learn or watch the content material.
This is one example of a blog post the place we included a video associated to its matter:
On prime 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 while you share them in your social media channels.
For those who suppose creating movies will probably be too costly or technical for your online business, there are methods you should use to supply movies on a price range.
This step-by-step guide walks you thru how you can brainstorm, script, and affordably shoot movies to your weblog or different platforms, even when you do not have an enormous price range.
Many AI video generators are additionally obtainable, making video creation fast, simple, and cost-effective.
2. Add infographics or different unique photographs to your content material.
You do not should be an skilled graphic designer to create visually interesting infographics. After I labored as a digital journalist for native newsrooms, I usually needed to design graphics on brief discover for breaking information.
I wasn’t conversant in Photoshop and had no actual graphic designer expertise — however I did have Canva. And that received the job accomplished.
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.
For those who rent a graphic designer or get the cling of making graphics shortly, you can too take a look at posting infographics as the middle level of your weblog posts. Here’s a post the place the HubSpot Weblog did exactly that:
Whereas it would take a little bit bit longer to create branded designs and templates to your weblog initially, these visuals will probably be useful for gaining image search traffic.
Like video content material, unique photographs could be extremely shareable and interesting on social media.
3. Publish unique information, quotes, and skilled insights.
Some bloggers suppose they’ll get away with writing brief, light-lift weblog posts between 200 and 300 phrases. Whereas tiny, low-effort posts would possibly get some search visitors, they will not make your content material really feel unique or fascinating to the reader.
To compete with extra skilled weblog websites, write in-depth posts with information and information to again up every level you talk about. For those who want help crafting lengthier weblog posts, attempt HubSpot’s AI Blog Author or Free Blog Maker.
You possibly can put up in your weblog if you happen to leverage information assortment platforms like on-line survey platforms to gather unique information. This may make your content material look extra credible and reliable, but it surely additionally can boost search traffic. This is how:
Whenever you embrace your information in weblog posts, different bloggers or journalists in search of information to again up their factors would possibly 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 information, original quotes also encourage backlinking. Other than this profit, weblog posts with quotes or skilled insights from industry thought leaders could be shareable or participating on social media platforms like LinkedIn.
Information, skilled quotes, and insights additionally present information, and plenty of readers are drawn to blogs that present a chance to study one thing.
Within the survey, 61% of respondents stated they have been drawn to the final three blogs they learn as a result of they wished to study 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 most of the suggestions above will enable you to enhance your non-organic visitors and the reader’s expertise, you also needs to take note of natural visitors — which is able to doubtless account for many of your views.
Other than movies, visuals, and inspiring backlinks with unique data, you can too enhance natural visitors by leveraging keyword research and other SEO strategies.
For those who‘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 various textual content to your photographs, others embrace 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 appropriate platforms.
Though search engine marketing will doubtless be your major visitors supply, you may nonetheless wish to make sure you promote blog posts on social media channels.
Why? Whereas it can take time for weblog posts to rank in search end result pages, you possibly can share your content material on social media, e mail, or different channels to achieve 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 exhibits that almost all 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 invaluable 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 are going to see much more bloggers undertake aggressive methods that embrace new content material codecs to achieve audiences and forestall low readership. No matter which ways you determine to check out, maintain this stuff in thoughts:
- Add movies and visuals: Video and graphic advertising are getting extra ample 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, you should definitely experiment with visible content material.
- Supply unique insights and suggestions: Unique quotes and information 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 search and social media platforms. So, even when experimenting with new content material varieties, leverage key phrases, alt-text, and different search engine marketing ways to make sure you’re taking note of search alternatives. You also needs to give them extra promotions in your social media channels.
For those who maintain the above strategies in thoughts, you possibly can improve readership and enhance consciousness and conversions to your group.