When operating an ecommerce site the question of ‘should my site have a blog’ will inevitably come up.
My thought on this is contrary to what you’ll hear from all the SEO Gurus.
Ecommerce websites don’t need a blog;. Sustainable and scalable ecommerce brands should be able to thrive without a blog using paid advertising, brand building, and off-site content marketing. That said there are a couple use cases for a blog that can be beneficial.
Let’s talk about when ecommerce busineesses should add the blog.
1. Assist customers
Blogs provide a great place to publish content that customers frequently inquire about. For example customers of a cell phone accessories shop might ask if the product is compatible with a specific device. A blog provides you a place to publish this information in text format and then direct users to it when they ask!
2. Cover information about their products / services.
Covering the ‘why’ behind your products is a great strategy for converting people already in the sales process. For example if you are selling an aftermarket automotive part, it may be beneficial to publish insight on the testing and development process that exemplifies why the part is GREAT.
And if you’ve created product pages, you know just how difficult it can be to stuff that applicable insight into a product page.
3. Pursue SEO initiative
I always recommend that businesses establish a paid customer acquisition model first and I live by this in my drop serving businesses (which is fundamentally ecommerce) but some ecommerce businesses may get a nice boost by capturing search traffic.
SEO is particularly valuable for ecom businesses that have a product that solves a problem a lot of people are searching for information on. An example of this would be an ecom brand that sells sleep masks. Lots of people are searching for information on sleep and thorough blog posts could satisfy search intent for sleep related keywords and give you the opportunity to introduce your product as a potential solution.
An example of an ecom business that likely wouldn’t benefit from SEO is a swimwear brand. In that market, people simply aren’t searching for better swimwear. They are searching for brands they know. While you may have ‘better swimwear’ you’ll need to inform your audience through another strategy.
Related post: 8 Content Marketing Strategies E-commerce Brands Can Implement Immediately
On that note;
While it’s true that not all e-commerce websites necessarily require a blog, it’s important to recognize that there are compelling use cases where having one can significantly benefit your business. By assisting customers, covering product insights, and pursuing SEO initiatives, you can leverage a blog to enhance your e-commerce strategy and capture valuable organic traffic. The key is to align your decision with your business goals and the specific needs of your target audience.