How Blogging Boosts SEO and Marketing for Small Businesses in 2024

Let’s bust some myths about blogging, shall we? In this episode, I’m diving into why blogging isn’t just “still alive”—it’s thriving, and it can be a total game-changer for your business marketing. Forget the idea that you have to be a “great writer” or that blogs are a one-and-done effort. I’m breaking down why blogging matters more than ever, especially for small businesses looking to stand out online.

We’ll talk about how blogging can help you show up on Google (where people are actually searching for your services), why it’s a better long-term investment than social media posts, and how you can turn one blog into tons of content. Plus, I’ll give you a sneak peek at my new blogging mini-course, which is designed to make blogging doable, strategic, and impactful for your business.

Whether you’ve been blogging for years or are just dipping your toes in, this episode is packed with ideas to help you create blogs that work for you, not just take up time.

Here’s what we’re covering:

• Why Google is a goldmine compared to social media.
• How blogging builds credibility and attracts your dream clients.
• Busting myths like “blogging is dead” and “I’m not a good enough writer.”
• The secret sauce: long-term benefits of blogging you can’t get elsewhere.
• Practical tips to make blogging simple and effective.
• Why small businesses (yes, even solopreneurs!) can use blogging to go head-to-head with the big guys.

Episode Breakdown:

• 00:00 Introduction: Why Google Wins Over Social Media
• 00:25 Why Blogging Deserves a Spot in Your Marketing Strategy
• 01:08 Myth Busting: The Truth About Blogging
• 02:43 Blogging’s Long-Term Benefits (Spoiler: It’s Worth It)
• 04:19 Easy Tips to Get Started (or Reignite Your Blog)
• 05:38 Wrapping Up: How Blogging Levels the Playing Field

If this episode gets you fired up about blogging, get on the waitlist for my blogging mini course!  It launches this Black Friday and you can grab it for up to 60% off!! I’ll show you how to create strategic, SEO-friendly blogs without burning yourself out. Let’s make blogging your business’s best-kept secret weapon!

Listen to my episode on SEO here:  https://dearkatebrandstrategy.com/podcast/simple-smart-seo-practical-tips-for-improving-your-websites-search-rankings/

Follow Dear Kate Brand Strategy on Instagram
Learn more at Howyoupicturedit.com

Episode Transcript

ATR2100x-USB Microphone & (00:00):
When was the last time you had a

(00:01):
question about something andwent straight to Instagram?
Probably never.
Right.
You went to Google and that'sexactly where your potential
clients are going to they'rethere searching for your
industry, your services andtheir problems.
Here's the thing whileeveryone's chasing trending
audio and perfect reels, they'remissing out on the one type of
content that works for you longafter you hit publish.

(00:22):
Content that shows up exactlywhere your ideal clients are
searching for you.
I'm talking about blogging.
And before you roll your eyes orclick away, stick around because
I'm busting Six myths.
That might be costing youclients right now.
Hey friends, I'm Kate with dearKate branch strategy.
Today, we're diving into whyblogging.
Isn't just another thing youhave to do.
And why it's most likely themost important thing in your
marketing arsenal?

(00:43):
Here's what we're covering.
Why blogging isn't dead and ismore important than ever going
into 2025.
the truth, about how long ittakes to see results.
Y you don't need to be a writerto blog effectively.
How to make blogging work withyour existing content strategy.
And the game-changing way tomake blogging work even harder
for you.
Whether you've tried bloggingbefore and given up, or you've
been putting it off thinkingit's just too overwhelming.

(01:04):
This video is for you.
Let's bust these myths.
Myth number one, blogging isdead.
This is the biggest one and Ihear it all the time.
And it's mostly from people whoare all in on social media.
And it just couldn't be furtherfrom the truth.
websites with a blog have 434%more index pages than those
without.
That's a lot and what thatreally means you have 434% more

(01:27):
chances to show up in a searchresult, then websites without a
blog.
Think about it when you need aservice, where do you go?
Instagram?
Maybe sometimes, but most oftenit's going to be Google.
And guess what shows up inGoogle blog posts not tiktoks,
not Instagram carousels.
Blog posts.
Blog posts, give us a place toshare our expertise And meet
people where they are.

(01:48):
Myth number two.
Blog content is one and done.
This is just not true at allYour blog posts are not single
use content They're thefoundation of your content
strategy.
One blog post can turn intoMultiple Instagram, carousels or
static feed posts.
They can turn into reels.
email sequences, YouTube videos.
Lead magnets and more.
all of that social content emailcan point back to your website,

(02:10):
helping you grow traffic thereAnd show Google that your
content is valuable, Increasingyour rankings even more.
Myth number three, it's fasterto post on social media than to
write a blog post.
Okay.
Let's be honest.
How long did you spend makingthat carousel post last week?
You still have to research theidea.
Come up with all of the copy,the caption, design the post,

(02:31):
and that takes a long time onInstagram sometimes.
then you post the carousel andmaybe it's just not the right
timing for the algorithm.
It doesn't hit.
Right.
It doesn't see the right people.
And that post is gone in like a24 hour cycle.
When you transform that contentinto a blog post, it lives on
your website for years andGoogle drives traffic to it.
So that quick win we feel, whenwe post something to Instagram

(02:52):
and get likes or comments on itright away is really misleading
because it's not reallyproviding us anything in the
longterm.
We're not getting the clientsfrom it.
We're getting feedback andengagement, but it's not
necessarily bringing us clients.
Myth number four, you need to bea great writer to blog.
The truth is if you can talkabout your business, you can
blog about it.
And here's an insider tip.
You don't even have to write.

(03:13):
You can record a video and getit transcribed.
you can turn your podcastepisodes into blog posts.
You can use voice to text to getyour ideas and thoughts out onto
the paper.
And you can use AI to thentransform that into blog
content.
That's going to hit people justat the right place.
Plus when you write, like youtalk, it's more engaging People
relate to it more and it buildsthat know like, and trust
factor.

(03:33):
Myth number five, I've triedblogging before and it just
didn't work.
I hear this one a lot.
typically it's something like Itried blogging for a month and I
didn't get any inquiries.
Or.
I shared all my clientgalleries, but nobody found
them.
I get it.
When you're putting in theeffort, you want to see results.
But here's the thing.
Blogging is a lot like growing agarden.
You can't just toss some seedsout and expect a harvest.

(03:53):
Next week, You've got to preparethe soil and that means
optimizing your website.
You've got to plant the rightseeds, which is like creating
strategic content.
You've got a water atconsistently, meaning post
pretty regularly.
And then we've got to give ittime to grow.
We've got to give Google sometime to crawl our site.
Start serving our results todifferent audiences and see who
it connects with.
Typically it takes about sixmonths to see traction on your

(04:15):
blog posts when you're workingconsistently at it.
But I promise it pays off in thelong run.
When I started blogging for myphotography business, I didn't
see results right away, but Ikept at it and focused on things
that my clients were lookingfor.
I didn't have a ton of sessionsto blog.
So I learned to blog othertopics.
like what to wear or how toprepare for your session.
those were things that peoplethat needed my services were

(04:35):
looking for.
I have posts that are years oldnow and consistently bring me in
inquiries into my photographybusiness, even though I'm not
currently marketing it.
This is exactly why I created myblogging mini course, Cause, I
don't want you to spend monthsfiguring this out through trial
and error.
Like I did.
In the course, I walk youthrough exactly how to Find
topics, your ideal clients areactually searching for.

(04:56):
Create content that convertsreaders into clients.
and build a sustainable bloggingsystem that doesn't burn you
out.
whether you join the course ornot.
Here's what I want you toremember most after about six
months of consistent strategicblogging.
Things start shifting.
Your posts will start ranking inGoogle and bring in steady
clients for you.
And honestly, the people thatcome from those blog posts are

(05:16):
people that are alreadyqualified.
They're ready to buy.
They're warm leads, and it's somuch easier to book them.
And they're typically more idealclients then somebody who found
you on an Instagram post or in arecommendation.
Think of every blog post as alittle employee working for you,
24 7.
They might start out as interns,but give them time and the right
training.
And they'll be bringing clientsto you 24 7.

(05:38):
Myth number six, only bigbusinesses benefit from
blogging.
This last myth might be myfavorite to bus because it's
absolutely the opposite of thetruth.
Small businesses Have anincredible advantage when it
comes to blogging.
Here's why.
Google doesn't care about thesize of your business.
They care about providinghelpful relatable content to
their users.
And that's exactly what smallbusiness owners like us are

(06:00):
perfectly poised to create.
Think about it.
When someone searches forinformation about your services,
they're not looking for thatcorporate jargon or generic
advice.
They want real insights fromsomeone who understands their
needs.
as a small business owner, youcan Share authentic stories and
experiences.
Provide specific localexpertise.
Connect with your audience in apersonal way.
And offer unique perspectivesfrom actually doing the work.

(06:23):
And the best part, the knowlike, and trust factor you build
through bogging can actuallyhelp you outrank those big
businesses and corporations.
Especially in local searches.
You don't need a massivemarketing budget Or a team of
expert writers.
You just need to understand somebasic principles of SEO.
and share helpful relevantcontent.

ATR2100x-USB Microphon (06:40):
Speaking of SEO.
I know that it might sound superoverwhelming and technical, but
it can actually be much simplerthan we think.
I break down the basics of SEOspecifically for creative
entrepreneurs, just like, youknow, complex jargon, no
confusing tech speak, justpractical steps to help your
blog posts get found by yourideal clients.
You can find that podcastepisode linked in the show notes

(07:00):
below it's called simple, smartSEO practical tips for improving
your websites.
Search rankings.
You'll find it again in thedescription in the show notes
below here.
I can't wait to talk to you overthere.
Have a great day.