Is The Blogging Industry Doomed?
Published August 24, 2020
Posts claiming that blogging is dead is currently making rounds on the web. But how true is it? Is the blogging industry really heading to an untimely demise?
It’s true that making money with your blog has become more and more difficult these past few years. With millions of people around the world turning to blogging as a way to earn a side income, the competition is tight. But this doesn’t mean that the blogging industry is doomed.
The Future of Blogging
Truth is, big corporate brands and major internet sites are increasingly relying on blogs to generate traffic. This practice has been going on for almost a decade and it doesn’t show signs of changing anytime soon.
Be that as it may, this trend is a double-edged sword.
To constantly generate high-quality blog posts, these companies are hiring experienced content writers. They use content optimization tools and strategies. Oftentimes, there are two to three people working on a single blog. It’s no wonder they’re acing the search rankings. But where does that leave solopreneurs trying to grow their blog?
On the last page of the search engine results, that’s where. With limited resources at their disposal, small-time bloggers are often left to the curb. They may have some occasional blogs making it to Google’s first page but that’s it. Most searches are still dominated by large content sites.
Like it or not, this is the future of blogging. It has become a cut-throat competition. A few years ago, you can put up a blog post and if it has the right keywords, your ranking is almost guaranteed. Nowadays, Google’s search algorithm is becoming more and more sophisticated. Meaning, you’ll have to move heaven and earth just to get that coveted top spot in the search results.
Thus, if you don’t up your game, you’ll never be able to get past the search result’s second page (if you’re lucky to get that far).
How to Level Up Your Blogs
With increased competition, writing a blog, and posting it on your site won’t cut it anymore. Remember that your readers have literally thousands of content to choose from. To keep their interest, you need to level up your blogs. Here are some ways to do it:
Add Videos
In the past few years, adding videos to blogs has become the norm rather than the exception. And if you’re not doing it yet, you better start now.
Videos help keep your readers engaged. Not everyone will have the patience or the time to read your blog word for word. Putting a video within your blog not only helps break the monotone. It also gives your readers a visual of what your blog is about.
Aside from putting videos within your blog, you can also use video-sharing platforms like Youtube to drive traffic to your blog. Sharing videos on your Facebook page is also a good alternative. Just make sure to include a call to action to help convert your social media views to blog traffic.
Create Informative Posts
One of the most common reasons why people start their own blogs is to express themselves. But you need to remember that your audience is on the hunt for information. As such, they won’t be that willing to read you blab on and on about things that are not informative.
Don’t get me wrong. Long blog posts are good. In fact, data says blog posts of 3,000 words of above generate more traffic than shorter ones. But it must be something that your readers will be interested to know. This will help keep your readers longer on your site. This, in turn, will tell Google that the information on your post is what the users are looking for.
Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly
Statistics show that mobile devices account for more than half of web traffic in the first quarter of 2020. With new phones having larger screens and powerful specs, we can expect this trend to continue in the future.
To keep up with the times, you need to make your site more mobile-friendly. This includes making sure it has a responsive design and a faster loading time. If you’re using WordPress, making your site mobile-friendly is pretty easy and straightforward. Free blogging platforms like Blogspot also has options to make your blog more mobile-responsive.
When in doubt, you can always use Google’s mobile-friendly testing tool.
Use Your Photos As Much As Possible
There are two reasons why you should use your own photos in your blog as often as possible. The first and most compelling of which is copyright laws.
In the US, you can get slapped with as much as $150,000 in penalties for every work infringed. If that’s not enough to make you think twice about using photos that aren’t your own, know that you can also go to jail for it.
Another reason for using your own photos is because your own photos make the blog much more personal. It gives your readers the impression that the information you’re sharing is based on first-hand experience and not just something you found on the web.
Don’t worry if you have no personal photos you can use. Sites like Pixabay and Unsplash offers copyright-free stock photos you can use anytime.
Constantly Update Your Archives
Search engine algorithms are always updating. You might have the top spot right now but there’s no guarantee you’ll still have it tomorrow. Especially when a new content comes up that offers more updated information than yours.
As such, it’s not a bad idea to revisit your archives once in a while. See if there is any information that needs updating or posts that have become more relevant and needs to be reposted. You can also improve the layout, add more photos and videos, or update links. It’s also a chance for you to remove posts that are no longer relevant.
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About The Author
Judy Ponio is a professional writer and SEO specialist based in the Philippines. She works hard to cross check reputable sources to ensure her work uses accurate facts. She is the lead author for several prominent websites covering a variety of topics including law, health, nutrition, and more.
