If you’re building an e-commerce site, you’re probably wondering if your site even needs a blog. The short answer is yes, absolutely it does.

As it turns out, nobody is writing blogs for the sake of it. In fact, businesses with a successful blog generate 67% more leads per month than those without. There are tangible benefits to posting regular blog articles on your e-commerce site and I’m going to walk you through them now.

Why Do Websites Have Blogs?

Did you know that small businesses that blog get a whopping 126% more lead growth than those that don’t?

It’s important not to overlook blogs when thinking about your content marketing. They’re a great way of boosting traffic to your site, building your brand voice and engaging potential customers by informing them about your products.

It’s true that not everyone who visits your website will read your blog, but that doesn’t mean it should be overlooked. You’re probably the fountain of knowledge when it comes to your products, but it can be difficult to demonstrate your knowledge and credibility through product descriptions and landing pages alone. Converting your knowledge into long-form copy is a great way of sharing your expertise and building your brand.

At the end of the day, it’s about convincing people to buy your stuff, and blogs will actively improve your conversion rate optimisation (CRO).

Rather than simply promoting your products, your blog should serve as an information hub for potential customers and contain ‘top of the funnel’ content to target them in the discovery stage of their journey to buying your products.

Blogs should be educational and informative, and by providing expertise and insights into the value of your products, you’ll build your reputation as a trustworthy brand, engage customers and push them towards making a purchase.

How Does Blogging Boost SEO?

Take it from us – SEO is extremely important for any online business and blogging represents a fantastic opportunity to improve your SEO rankings and drive traffic to your e-commerce site.

By writing fresh, long-form copy for your site, you’ll target more keywords than you would on your product pages. What’s more, putting out fresh content is a good way of signalling to Google that your site is active. As a result, Google will push your content further up search algorithms, generating more traffic to your site and improving your SEO and conversion rates.

Blogs are also a great place to target long-tail search. When customers are in the awareness stage of the marketing funnel – that is, aware they have a problem but not of what the solution is or that you as a company offer it – they are more likely to be searching for informational keywords. These ‘top of the funnel’ keywords usually start ‘how’ or ‘why’ and are longer. Individually, they have a lower search volume but there are a lot more of them so this traffic can be substantial. Blogs can be used to cover a lot of informational ground, which will mean your e-commerce site is more likely to pop up when your target audience is researching anything to do with your industry or products.

Capturing this traffic will boost your site’s overall SEO but it will also build awareness around your brand and help funnel traffic to your product pages.

What Should an E-Commerce Blog Talk About?

When it comes to blog content, the sky’s the limit. If you think you’ve got nothing to say, start by stepping into the shoes of your potential customers. Ask yourself:

• What questions are they asking?
• How can you convince them your product is the best choice?
• What expertise or insights can you share with them?

Keyword research can give you solid insights into the questions your customers are asking. However, competitor analysis is also your friend here. By reviewing what others in your niche are writing about, you can pinpoint content gaps and discover what’s generating the most engagement among your target audience (this is often called a ‘content gap analysis’). This approach can set the stage for you to attract consistent, high-quality leads.

To help you get the ball rolling, we’ve put together a quick list of blog ideas for your e-commerce site:

• Manufacturing Processes: Dive into the process behind your products. Share details about materials, ingredients or manufacturing techniques that help tell the story of your brand.

• FAQ Guides: Identify the most common questions your audience has and turn them into comprehensive FAQ-style articles. This can help answer customer concerns while building trust.

• How-To Guides: Showcase your expertise with how-to guides. Walk your customers through using your products, addressing their pain points and offering solutions.

• Recipes: If your products are food-related, offering recipe ideas will demonstrate their versatility while nudging visitors towards making a purchase.

• Thought Leadership: Offer your opinions or expert insights on your products and industry, positioning yourself as a trusted authority in your field.

• Industry News: Keep your audience in the loop by discussing the latest trends and developments in your sector, helping readers stay up to date.

• Product Recommendations: Create lists of your top products or suggest pairings that enhance their value. This type of content can help guide undecided visitors to a purchase decision.

By tapping into these ideas, you’ll keep your blog relevant, informative and engaging.

How Often Should You Publish Blogs?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to how often you should post blogs on your e-commerce site. While some companies pump out new content each day, others may only post a few times a month. The amount you post depends on your available time, budget and how much you genuinely have to say about your business.

What matters most is the quality and value of your content. If you find yourself churning out content just for the sake of it, it might be time to take a step back and reassess your content strategy. Often, fewer high-quality posts can deliver better results than posting more frequent, less valuable content.

About Superb Digital

Superb Digital is an Bristol based SEO agency, we help businesses who manufacture and sell products online grow their revenue through a mix of data-led SEO, PPC, copywriting and digital PR strategies, utilising the most up to date tools and analytical tec...