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Alright, so you wanna know, does blogging help SEO? Been asked that one a million times over the years. Some young whippersnappers, fresh out of whatever online course they just finished, they’ll tell you it’s all about TikTok now, or short-form video, or whatever the flavor of the month is. And yeah, those things got their place. Sure they do. But when it comes down to really planting your flag on the internet, making sure folks find you when they’re actually looking for something, looking for answers, not just scrolling past cat videos? My answer has always been the same, same as it was back in ’05, same as it’ll be in ’25.
You bet your boots it does. Still. Absolutely.
I mean, look, the internet, it’s a living thing. Always changing, right? Like a river, never steps in the same water twice and all that jazz. But some things, some of the bedrock stuff, it sticks. Blogging, real honest-to-goodness blog posts, that’s bedrock. It’s how you tell the search engines what you’re even about. Think about it. How else they gonna know? A picture on Instagram ain’t gonna cut it when someone types in “best pressure washer for concrete driveway.”
You need words. Lots of ‘em.
It’s About Trust, Not Just Keywords
See, folks get hung up on keywords. Always have. Type in “pressure washer” enough times and boom, you’re on page one. Nah, that’s not how it works. Not anymore. Google and the others, they got smarter. A lot smarter. They’re looking for signals of actual quality, of authority. You know, like if you really know your stuff. A good blog post, one that actually helps someone, that answers their questions, that’s a signal.
It’s about building trust, see? People trust websites that consistently provide good, honest information. That’s why you see the same players showing up time and time again.
HubSpot
Take HubSpot, for instance. They didn’t get where they are by accident. Their blog is a veritable goldmine of marketing and sales info. They didn’t just write “what is marketing” ten times. They broke it down. They made it digestible. They answered the questions real people were asking, the stuff their customers needed to know. They’ve been at it for years, pumping out article after article. It’s why they rank for so many different terms, why they get so much traffic. They put in the work, made sure it was good.
The Long Game, Not a Quick Buck
This ain’t some get-rich-quick scheme, blogging for SEO. Far from it. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Some clients I’ve had, they wanna see results next week. I just kinda stare at ‘em. You think Rome was built in a day? You think Google just hands out top spots like free candy? Nah. It takes time. Consistent effort. You gotta show up, keep putting good stuff out there, let the search engines chew on it for a while. It’s like planting a garden. You don’t put a seed in the ground and expect a prize-winning pumpkin by Tuesday.
Ahrefs
Then you got companies like Ahrefs. Those folks, they’re knee-deep in the SEO world, and their blog? It’s phenomenal. They’re not just selling tools; they’re teaching you how to use them, how to think about SEO. They break down complex topics into stuff you can actually understand and use. That builds credibility. That gets backlinks. That tells Google, “Hey, these guys know their stuff.”
It’s About Answering Questions
Think about how people search. They’re not just typing in single words anymore. They’re asking questions. “How do I fix a leaky faucet?” “What’s the best dog food for an allergic dog?” “Does blogging help SEO?” These are long-tail keywords, yeah, but they’re also just human questions. Your blog is the best place to answer those. You write a post that really digs deep into one of those questions, you got a shot at showing up right there at the top. The more questions you answer, the wider your net. Simple as that.
I remember this one time, working with a small plumbing company out of Cardiff, Wales. They were all about local ads, newspaper stuff. Said blogging was for “techy types.” I pushed ‘em. Got ‘em to write about common pipe problems, how to unblock a drain without chemicals. Within six months, they were getting calls from people who’d found ‘em on Google. Not because they paid for an ad, but because they had the answer right there on their blog.
Moz
Moz, another big name in the SEO world, does this incredibly well. Their “Beginner’s Guide to SEO” is practically a textbook for anyone starting out. It’s comprehensive, it’s clear, it’s authoritative. It answers practically every foundational question you could have. It brings people in, keeps them on the site, shows Google that Moz is a serious player. It’s not just about getting visitors; it’s about getting the right visitors.
Why Do Some Blogs Fail to Help SEO?
Now, some folks, they start a blog, churn out a few posts, see no immediate bump, and throw their hands up. “Blogging doesn’t work!” they cry. Absolute nonsense. Most times, it’s not the blogging that failed. It’s the blogger that failed. They write about whatever crosses their mind, no strategy. Or they stuff keywords till the sentences sound like a broken robot. Or they write thin, useless content that ain’t helping nobody. That’s not blogging. That’s just… typing.
You need a plan. You gotta figure out what your audience wants to know, then deliver it. Consistently. High quality. Sometimes you get a hit, sometimes you don’t. You keep swinging. That’s the game.
Old Content Still Pulls Its Weight
What’s interesting is, a good piece of content, it doesn’t just die after a month. Oh no. That thing can sit there for years, still pulling in traffic. You might need to update it now and then, dust it off, make sure the info’s still fresh. But it’s not like social media where a post is old news in an hour. Your blog posts are like little workers, out there twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, telling Google “Hey, over here! We got the answers!”
A company like
Contently
understands this. They’re a content marketing platform, right? They don’t just write about their own platform. They write about the entire industry, the trends, the challenges. They’ve got evergreen content that gets updated regularly, keeps it fresh for the search engines and for readers. It keeps their authority high.
Authority and Backlinks
Another big piece of the puzzle. When other reputable sites link to your blog post, that’s like a massive vote of confidence in Google’s eyes. A backlink. It tells Google, “Hey, these guys are legitimate. We trust their info.” How do you get those? You guessed it. Good content. Content that’s so good, so helpful, so original, that other sites want to point their readers to it. You write something thin, something rehashed, ain’t nobody linking to that. Not unless you pay ‘em, and that’s a whole different can of worms, not the kind of SEO we’re talking about here.
Does blogging help SEO by getting backlinks? Absolutely. It’s a primary driver for it. You write something definitive on a topic, suddenly other sites doing similar things reference you. It just happens.
BrightEdge
Consider a company like BrightEdge, an enterprise SEO platform. Their blog delves into pretty heavy-duty stuff – AI in SEO, search data, sophisticated analytics. They’re not trying to be everything to everyone. They’re targeting a specific audience, and their content is highly specialized. When another industry publication or a big brand wants to reference something about enterprise SEO, they’ll often link to BrightEdge because their content is solid, reliable, and deeply researched.
The Freshness Factor
Google likes fresh content. Not just fresh content, mind you. But it does like to see that a site is active, that it’s regularly updating and adding new information. A blog is the simplest, most effective way to do that. Every new post is a new page for Google to index. It’s a new opportunity for keywords, for questions, for search queries. It’s like putting out new bait for the fish. More bait, more fish, right? Well, generally. Sometimes the fish just ain’t biting. But you gotta keep trying.
So, for someone running a small business, say a local bakery in Newcastle, thinking “Does blogging help SEO for me?”, I’d say, “Are you writing about new recipes? Seasonal specials? The history of sourdough? The best way to store bread? Then yes, it absolutely will.” People are looking for that stuff.
It’s More Than Just Search
Look, we’re talking about SEO, yeah. But a blog does more than just bring search traffic. It’s a platform for your brand. It’s where you can show off your personality, your expertise. It’s where you build a relationship with your audience. People read your stuff, they get to know you, they start to trust you. And when they need what you offer, who do they think of? You. Because you were the one who helped them out with that article last month.
Sometimes I see businesses, they have the best products, the best services, but their website’s flatter than a pancake. No life. No real content. It’s a brochure. And brochures, well, they just sit there. A blog breathes life into a site. It gives people a reason to stick around, to explore.
I guess the question shouldn’t be “does blogging help SEO.” It should be, “Can you afford not to blog if you want to be found online?” In my two decades, the answer has always been no. You can’t afford to ignore it. It’s your long-term play. It’s how you build an actual presence, not just a fleeting moment in the digital sun. You put in the time, you put in the effort, you write good stuff, and the search engines will reward you. They always have. They always will.
