What is a blog?
A blog is an informational website or a web page regularly updated with content intended for personal commentary or business information. Each entry on the blog is called a “post.”
Originally a combination of the words “web” and “log,” a blog provided a place for users to share their thoughts and feelings in an online journal. While individuals still make blogs for that purpose, businesses also use them to give readers current news and updates, offer thought leadership, and drive organic traffic to their sites.
Content management system tools, also called CMS tools, help organizations create, edit, publish, and manage content for their blogs. This software allows users without prior coding knowledge to upload files and customize a page’s layout.
Types of blogs
Since users can easily customize their blogs and write content on various topics, endless blog types exist. Some of the most common kinds of blogs include:
- Personal blogs. Many bloggers start by sharing regular posts with their thoughts, ideas, and activities. As they grow their following, some of these blogs become monetizable as personal brand blogs. For example, influencers might create on-brand content, share lists of their favorite products, and promote partnerships.
- Company blogs. Businesses use blogs as their publishing platforms to share relevant content with readers. Often, a company’s blog is linked in the navigational menu, so it’s easy for users to move back and forth between the blog and the main page.
- Niche blogs. Some entrepreneurs with passion or authority in a specific area create niche blogs on topics like travel, food, or gardening to make money through ads and partnerships.
- Affiliate blogs. Some people make money through affiliate blogging. They write reviews of products to encourage their audience to buy them through a special link. Each time a person purchases a product through that unique link, the blogger earns a commission.
- Media blogs. Instead of written articles, these blogs specialize in photographs, infographics, or videos. A video blogger is informally called a vlogger.
Benefits of a blog
Businesses of varying sizes use blogs to inform, engage, and persuade current and potential customers. Blogs help companies:
- Position themselves as authorities. Companies often produce thought-provoking blog content to establish themselves as leaders in their industry. For instance, if an organization consistently publishes insightful posts on growth marketing, audiences might start to see them as a “go-to” in that field.
- Keep customers informed. Sharing news like acquisitions, new product features, or upcoming product releases. is simple with a blog. Companies can also provide a link to blog posts on their social media, expanding their reach.
- Drive traffic to the site. Companies can optimize their blog posts by including keywords, adding backlinks, linking internally, and writing strategic meta descriptions. This process, called search engine optimization (SEO), helps a site rank higher on search engines and direct more users to their site.
- Cultivate a community. Blogs are a practical way for companies to engage with their audiences and get to know them better. Readers leave comments if the content resonates with them. Or if readers have questions, the company can respond directly, opening the lines of communication.
Basic elements of a blog
A blog shares similar components as a regular website. Most blogs offer these features.
- Header: Many blogs include a header at the top of the screen. Some businesses just provide the name or purpose of the blog in the header, like “News and Info.” Others offer a banner image, a catchy title, or a box for users to enter their email for the mailing list.
- Topic categories: For a better user experience (UX), most blogs have a vertical or horizontal list of topics. Users click on a category to access all blog posts on that topic.
- Posts: These articles often display a title, author’s name, and publication date. Having the newest posts at the top of the page eliminates excessive user scrolling.
- Images: On the main page of a blog, each post typically has a relevant photo or illustration to create visual interest for the reader. The posts typically contain even more images, like charts, graphs, and infographics.
- Footer: Like any site, a blog has a footer that details legal information like the privacy policy and navigational elements. This allows readers to quickly return to the company’s home or about page.
Blog best practices
Creating a popular blog with regular visitors takes time and effort. To maximize success, bloggers should:
- Focus on a specific audience. Every blogger, whether they have a personal blog or a professional one, needs to keep a target audience in mind. This way, they can brainstorm content ideas and produce posts to engage specific readers.
- Think strategically. A blog must have a clear content strategy in place for long-term success. Bloggers should create a content calendar to provide purposeful content variety and posts that align with campaigns and company or personal objectives.
- Optimize for search engines. 'Keyword stuffing', making content solely for SEO purposes instead of human audiences, should be avoided. However, after writing an insightful piece for their target audience, the writer can optimize it by making small changes to the headlines, tags, or content.
- Have a plan for marketing and distribution. Companies can distribute blog posts via links in their weekly newsletter. To get even more mileage out of the content, they can turn their work t into a Twitter thread or a Facebook post.
- Select the best tools. Individuals and companies who blog regularly as part of an outreach strategy benefit from a suite of tools, such as CMS and SEO platforms. Choosing the right ones that are effective and easy to use saves time and creates compelling content.
Ready to attract more readers to your blog? Start looking for the best SEO tool to optimize your content.
Kelly Fiorini
Kelly Fiorini is a freelance writer for G2. After ten years as a teacher, Kelly now creates content for mostly B2B SaaS clients. In her free time, she’s usually reading, spilling coffee, walking her dogs, and trying to keep her plants alive. Kelly received her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Notre Dame and her Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Louisville.
