Does Your Small Business Need a Blog in 2020?

15 Things to Consider Before Starting a Small Business Blog

​When Google released their Panda update in 2011, they took the internet by storm. What stood in the aftermath was the foundation of blogging in 2020: a world of long-form content, detailed guides, and lengthy articles that delivers unique value to readers hundreds of millions of times every day.

That’s not an exaggeration. When WordPress sites alone see over 21 billion articles read on a monthly basis, it’s no wonder that a machine as complex as Google is necessary to make anything visible at all.

Looking at the state of blogging in 2020 can be demoralizing. Over 70 million new posts are published on WordPress sites every single month, and that doesn’t consider all the other blogging platforms and the self-developed blog architectures out there. With so much content, it seems impossible to even be seen, let alone have any chance of ranking well, drawing in readers, or seeing a profit.

And yet, for small business blogging, the bar is low.

Only 1 in 5 new blog posts is over 750 words in length, though with most popular word count ranges between 900 and 1,400, that number will eventually rise. 

And consider this: long, in-depth content generates 900% more leads than shorter content. Even just publishing one blog post each week is enough blogging activity to boost a website’s visibility and credibility through the roof. 

Still not convinced? Check out this helpful infographic by the folks at Content Powered. It details the short list of 15 key statistics that reveal the importance of blogging. 

Putting a little effort into blogging and writing long-form content is incredibly valuable.

Did see that stat above that 70% of consumers cite a blog as a major factor in determining the credibility of a website? Or how about the fact that one in three consumers ranks blogs as the number one most important factor in credibility?! So yes, while it may seem like there’s a near-infinite press of content to compete with, maintaining a small business blog is still worthwhile even today. So if you haven't already, start your blog, focus on your blog, and join the 65% of marketers who plan to put more effort into blogging in 2020, today.

For more information on the data delivered in the infographic, and to view the citations, check out James Parson's article, 15 Things to Know Before Blogging in 2020 published by Content Powered. 

Additional Resources for Getting Your Small Business Blog Started

JKM Blog, Why Your Small Business Needs a Blog, published January 24. 2019

JKM Blog, The Content Idea Cheatsheet [Infographic], by Julee Klein, updated January 19, 2020

SEMbyotic Blog, Turn Your Email into Website Content by Adam Koontz

JKM Blog, 7 Steps for Better Blog Readability, by Julee Klein, published February 8, 2018