Blog is a widely used word. Whether you are online or offline, the word “blog” can pop up in almost any conversation.
Does “A blog I’ve been following recently posted X …” sound familiar at all?
What about “I have a friend who blogs about…”?
The frequency of us using the word “blog” should not surprise us at all. There are lots of them on the web. For example, Tumblr.com alone has accumulated more than 246.6 million blog accounts from May 2011 to July 2015. Another website estimates a stunning number of approximately 450 million “active” English language blogs on the net. When you include the non-English blogs around the world, it means that 1 out of every 6 people in the world has at least a blog of their own, says Hat Trick Association.
Yet, as much as we like to use “blog” in our everyday conversation, not many of us have any clue about its origin. So, let’s get educated today and find out the meaning of blog from start to finish!
Where did “Blogging” Come From?
Like the timeless peanut butter and jelly sandwich, blog has a beginning too. It all began with Jorn Barger who started an online essay series about James Joyce, Al, history, technology trends, and other Internet-related subjects.
According to Wikipedia, the term, “weblog”, was coined by Barger on December 17, 1997 to describe the process of “logging the web,” Later on, “weblog” was truncated to “blog” by Peter Merholz who humorously broke down “weblog” to “we blog” on his own website.
Today, the word “blog” can be used as a noun and a verb. The former attributes to any website with daily or regular content publication. While the latter describes the act of maintaining or adding new entries to a blog.
What can you put on a Blog?
When we think of the entries on a blog, articles, or content with lots of words, are the first to come to mind. You can write a short list, a story, a poem, or even a 1000+ word mini-research paper. And, words are not the only type of content we can use. Videos, images, info-graphics, and memes are great content. Great to liven up your blog and boost your online marketing. As How to Make My Blog recently shares, more than “one billion people visit YouTube every month watching more than seven billion videos every day.”
The popularity of videos is so apparent that Facebook has also witnessed a steady climb in video viewership. In April 2015, Facebook announced that more than four billion videos are viewed daily on its platform. Social Media Examiner also points out that bloggers can take advantage of YouTube. And gain higher ranking and authority for their website. As the second largest search engine that follows closely behind its parent company, Google… YouTube is an excellent channel that many SEO companies utilize. This is done by embedding strong keywords in your title, description, and transcription. In fact, videos have become such a popular content type that some bloggers have started a “vlog”—which is basically a blog that only publishes video entries.
The Art of Niche Blogging
Diversifying the entries of your blog is a great way to keep a writer going, and avoiding writer’s block. Blogging is hard work. And those who think otherwise will soon realize the level of commitment this job requires. Because blogging involves regular and consistent content creation and publication. Most bloggers do not just blog about anything. To attract the right traffic and keep themselves going, bloggers usually blog about subjects of their expertise and passion.
The process of writing about a particular “topic” or “field” is called niche blogging. It enables bloggers to focus on a handful of topics, and dig deeper into them. Additionally, niche blogging also helps bloggers to optimize content for certain keywords. Keywords and key word phrases… Giving them a chance to compete in the Google search results. And finally, if you’re planning to do affiliate marketing or selling a personal product/service, niche blogging is effective. Effective not only driving relevant traffic to your website, but also in making you more findable to your potential clients.
The Benefits of Local Business Blogging
Blogs are not restricted to full-time or part-time bloggers either. Small businesses, mid-sized companies, and big corporations have joined the blogging trend too. In fact, blogging is an affordable content marketing strategy. While email marketing, Pay-Per-Click, and other advertisement efforts are equally important. Because maintaining a blog does not require a large financial investment.
In fact, many businesses are using their blog to enhance:
- Keyword optimization: Improving organic traffic and search engine ranking.
- Domain authority: Becoming a thought leader with quality content.
- Business trust: Educating existing and potential clients about recent events in their niche.
According to Forbes.com, the benefits of blogging on your own website are manifold. Blogs support your social media initiatives. They also promote brand visibility, and help you to connect with customers. Customers and experts in your market. Blogging is the space for interactions, feedback, and link building. Therefore, many businesses are either starting a blog on their own, or outsourcing their blogging needs to a reliable copy writing, or content creation company.
How can I Get Started?
Depending on where you are in your business and blogging journey. The steps you need to take can vary from person to person. And business to business. For most small businesses, getting an attractive website launched is the first step. As a premium web design company that has helped many startups and businesses in Houston Texas. ProEngage Local creates responsive and beautiful websites that have been designed with SEO. Search engine optimized with a user experience in mind. We offer affordable web design packages. Packages that will help your business grow. Our search engine optimization process focuses on promoting your valuable products/services. And reaching out to your ideal clients.
Once we get your website launched, we will help you to market your unique business. promoting with smart digital, social, and content marketing strategies. Strategies that have proven to work. Call (832) 857-0065 today, for a free website evaluation and consultation with the owner of ProEngage Local!