[UX Calendar] The importance of the blog for an e-commerce site

The question of adding a blog to your e-commerce site is often raised, whether you run an exclusive online business or a traditional business with an online presence. Although the site is primarily intended to direct traffic to products, the benefits of a blog on your online sales platform are numerous.

The blog, your SEO’s friend

A blog is an effective lever for increase organic traffic to your site. By offering rich, regularly updated content, you improve the indexing of your site by search engines.

Another problem that the blog addresses is that you can fetch additional queries from your product pages. Let's imagine that you are a specialist in the sale of hot water bottles, your site will be focused on queries with more commercial tendencies such as “Hot water bottle” or even “Water bottle”. However, by only targeting generic queries you are losing potential traffic to your website.

The blog will allow you to go search for long tail queries on which an e-commerce site is not predisposed to position itself. By keeping the same example, it will be possible for me to position myself on queries such as “Which hot water bottle to choose for winter?”, “What is the ideal water temperature in the hot water bottle?” or even “10 tips for choosing the right hot water bottle in 2023”.

In addition, it will allow you to create a relevant customer journey by linking your article pages to your product pages and vice versa.

A blog supports your expertise

Unlike an e-commerce without a blog article, the blog allows you to position yourself as a reference or expert of your sector. 

By sharing relevant tips, industry news and useful information, you establish credibility of your business and gain customer trust. 

Creating in-depth, quality content demonstrates your expertise and know-how in your field, thereby attracting an audience interested in your skills and knowledge.

Loyalty through the blog

A blog engages visitors beyond the simple act of purchasing. It provides a platform to share stories, tips and videos relevant to your audience, strengthening emotional connections with your customers.

Well maintained, it contributes to the customer loyalty and virality of content. Inspiring stories, feedback from satisfied customers, and the ability to easily share articles on social networks promote greater visibility. 

En creating interesting and engaging content, you create a deeper relationship, retain your existing customers and encourage the organic spread of your messages within your target audience.

In addition, blogs promote creation of an interactive community. Comments and shares from your customers create a sense of belonging and commitment to your brand.  

By regularly engaging with your customers and encouraging interactions and exchanges, your blog becomes a space for sharing and discussion, thus strengthening loyalty to your business.

Increased conversion rate

A well-optimized blog increases customer trust and increases conversions. By providing credible and engaging content, you build visitor confidence in your products and services. 

Informative articles allow you to express yourself and best advise your Internet users in order to convert them to purchase. Customer testimonials contribute (social proof) to establish a relationship of trust, further encouraging people to make the purchase.

Cost-free communication media

Your blog becomes a channel to communicate your latest news. From new product announcements to frequently asked questions/answers, your blog becomes a source of relevant information for your customers. 

Every blog post is an essential part of your Marketing strategy. It can be shared on social media to increase reach and support your other online marketing efforts. Integrating your blog into your overall strategy reinforces the coherence of your message and provides additional distribution opportunities.

By centralizing this information in one place, you offer your customers direct and quick access to the latest news about your business.

Finally, blogging represents a “free” or low-cost form of marketing. Even without a substantial budget, each publication attracts a constant flow of organic traffic. Quality content, well referenced and shared regularly, acts like magnets to attract qualified visitors to your site, thus providing a considerable return on investment in terms of visibility and notoriety for your online business.

The blog for e-commerce in brief

In summary, integrating a blog into your e-commerce site is much more than a simple extension. It's a strategic marketing tool to strengthen your online presence thanks to SEO lever, but also to establish your authority and create a solid bond with your customers.

Finally, it allows you to add real added value to the user experience thanks to the advice given in your articles. Investing in quality content and maintaining a vibrant blog are key steps to ensuring the growth and sustainability of your online business.

 

 

Esteban Irschfeld, SEO Consultant at UX-Republic