Is business blogging worth it in the age of ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Microsoft’s Copilot? That’s a brilliant question. Because generative AI can now answer complex queries, people may not need to use traditional searches.

As a result, AI-powered search engines have disrupted web traffic. And this has left many small business owners wondering whether a business blog is relevant.

So in this guide, I’ll show you why blogging for your SME still works and how to create a blog step by step.

First, let’s deal with the basics.

What's the Purpose of a Business Blog?

Business blogging is a content marketing strategy through which a company creates content around its product or service to enhance its visibility online.

A small business blog has several uses. In fact, 96% of B2B firms use blogs to promote their brands online, while 76% of B2C companies distribute content through blogging.

Why Business Blogging Still Matters?

Despite the fact that AI-driven searches have taken users by storm, blogging for your startup is still a failure-proof strategy. This is because it allows you to build a solid digital footprint.

AI is shaping how people find information, but the old-age content marketing principle remains the same. That is offering valuable, original content.

And our good old friend Google still favors websites with high-quality, captivating content. This makes blogs one of the best ways to achieve that.

Here are reasons blogging continues to matter for your small business:

Authority and Expertise

AI tools pull from various sources to give users instant answers. Just to give you an idea of how the search engine works, I searched for the query “business blogging statistics” on Google. And this is what AI Overviews gave me.

AI Overviews produced a list of stats from several sources and provided a link for each source to help users verify the information. If you click the circled link, Google takes you to the main source of the statistics, which is on the right.

So why did Google cite those websites and display them at the top in search engine results pages (SERPs)? Probably, they have reliable, helpful, original content. This means businesses that create insightful, expert-level content can still dominate search results by showcasing their authority in their field.

Business blogging lets you create content to demonstrate your knowledge, perspectives, and insights. If your content shows Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E.E.A.T.), it may appear at the top of SERP.

AI Overviews could increase the chances of people clicking your website link to learn more about the search query. In this way, your web traffic can improve.

In fact, I went to the primary sources of the stats because I wanted more information and to see if it was accurate. This goes to show that while AI Overviews instantly provide searchers with answers, they may also help SMEs get more traffic.

As AI scrapes content from the web, it needs fresh, up-to-date, and original information from authoritative blogs to offer accurate answers. As a result, you can fight for a prime spot in AI Overviews through authentic content.

AI's Dependence on Data

Generative AI models like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity rely heavily on large datasets. Much of this content comes from business blogs. These AI tools would quickly become outdated without the continuous publication of new blog posts and articles.

So, even if users aren't directly visiting your blog as much as before, your content is still a valuable reference for AI-powered search engines. This should motivate you to create content for your small business, as blogging is still worth it.

SEO Value

Some marketers believe that SEO as we know it is dead because of the brutal changes that GenAI has made. But keep in mind that AI-powered searches aren’t static; they change as large language models (LLMs) get modified.

As a result, SEO is still relevant for your content to appear in those search engines, but with a caveat. It must adapt to the new challenges and opportunities because of the widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI).

That’s why marketers now talk about Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), combining traditional SEO and novel practices to optimize for GenAI. For example, GEO puts more emphasis on conversational keywords, complete sentences, or natural-sounding phrases that users type in SERPs.

So blogging enables your business to appear in SERPs. And when you use SEO and GEO, it can increase your organic traffic by improving your search ranking.

Also, remember that AI-powered search engines still depend on indexing high-quality content, and blogs help meet that demand.

Content for Multi-Channel Marketing

Blogs remain the backbone of multi-channel marketing strategies. This means using various platforms like your website, online community groups, social media, podcasts, webinars, and digital PR to reach a wide audience.

For example, you can reuse blog content for email marketing, social media posts, video scripts, and more. It ensures you always have a steady stream of fresh content to engage your audience across different channels.

Also, you can leverage GenAI to repurpose your business blogs without hassle. It takes your content and auto-generates new versions for different channels. You don't have to spend time manually creating fresh pieces of content.

What Are the Statistics Related to Blogging?

To shed more light on why you must create a blog for your SME, consider the blogging statistics below:

Blogging ranks third among businesses' marketing strategies for 33% of them. You’ll get 55% more visitors to your website if you blog for business. Lead growth is 126% higher for businesses that blog. A whopping 71% of B2B buyers consume blog content during the buyer journey. Eighty-two percent of bloggers report that their blogs have at least "some results." 26% of respondents claim blogs are effective in marketing. The number of indexed pages on business sites with blogs increases by 434%. So blogging is a worthwhile investment in 2024 and beyond. That’s because it remains a powerful strategy for your small business to establish authority, enhance SEO, and engage audiences across multiple channels.

Statistics show increased website traffic, lead growth, and consumer engagement because of blogging. As a result, your SMB should prioritize creating valuable and original content to stay competitive.

How To Use AI for Content Marketing?

There’s no doubt that AI has created earthquake-like tremors in content marketing. According to one study, rankings and website traffic tanked as a result of AI Overviews.

But it’s also opened new opportunities for bloggers to optimize their content, improve workflows, and reduce costs. For example, AI adoption has surged in marketing and sales, according to a McKinsey report.

I created this poll to find out about your views on the impact of AI on content marketing. Click the link to answer the questions. Thanks.

Here’s how AI has affected business blogging:

Content Optimization: AI tools such as Jasper, SurferSEO, Marketmuse, and Frase.io enable you to optimize blog posts for SEO. They suggest keywords, meta descriptions, and content structure to ensure your blog remains competitive and visible to search engines.

While using these platforms, bear in mind that traditional SEO on its own is less impactful in enhancing visibility. You should understand your audience inside out to let you craft content that addresses their challenges.

The old basic advice from Google to write for your audience, not to trick the algorithms, is still valid.

Personalization: AI empowers your small business to personalize blogs to speak more directly to your target audience. You can use AI-powered tools to analyze user behavior, their interests, aspirations, and what keeps them awake.

Based on this information, you can create blog content that answers specific frustrations and needs. In this way, you can connect with your readers to build long-lasting relationships.

Automating Blog Tasks: AI software is also handy in content creation by suggesting headlines, generating outlines, and automating repetitive tasks like posting and email distribution. This frees up time for business owners to focus on higher-level strategy.

For example, a Content Marketing Institute (CMI) report shows that marketers use AI to brainstorm content ideas, write drafts, and much more.

Image Source

What Are the Best Free AI Tools for Marketing?

While we’re at it, you may want to know GenAI tools for marketing content. Here’s a list from the Digital Marketing Institute:

Keep in mind that some apps allow you to test them for a specific trial period before you subscribe to advanced features.

New Challenges: Lower Web Traffic, Higher Competition

However, it's not all smooth sailing. AI can now summarize content for users. This results in fewer people clicking through to actual blog posts. And this can lower your web traffic.

Also, small businesses face stiffer competition as more companies turn to content marketing to stay relevant. To stand out, you must focus on creating exceptional, valuable content.

Is It Necessary for My Small Business To Have a Blog?

The answer is a resounding "yes," but with a catch: your blog content must adapt to the current trends. Create interactive, engaging, and solution-oriented blogs. Short, shallow posts won't cut it in the age of AI.

Instead, focus on deep-dive posts that offer real value to your readers. This also means incorporating relevant, visually appealing graphics and videos into your content to illustrate complex ideas.

How To Create a Blog Step-by-Step

The next thing I want to talk about is how to develop your business blog.

Here are some questions to consider:

Step 1: What’s the focus of your blog?

What I mean is you should determine the main topic or niche you want to zero in. Maybe you can start by considering your interests, passion, and expertise.

Something that’ll allow you to create a constant stream of content to build an audience and monetize your blog in the long term. For example, my business blog focuses on content marketing and software for small businesses. 

While you should narrow down your niche, it mustn’t be so limited that you may run out of content ideas to grow your audience. Use tools like Google Trends, ChatGPT, or Gemini to research your topic.

Ensure your subject is specific and consistent to encourage readers to keep coming for me.

Consider these questions:

• Is it to generate leads for my business?

• To establish myself as an expert in my field?

• To build a community around a shared interest?

Step 2. Who is your audience?

This is the most vital process in creating a blog for your market segment. This is because you need to produce content that speaks to your audience, solves their challenges, and helps them live their dreams.

Knowing who you’re blogging for lets you develop relevant, helpful content. To get you started, ask yourself these questions.

Who’s my target audience based on demographics?

• What is their age range?

• Gender?

• Location?

• Education level?

• Income level?

What are the specific challenges or challenges my target audience faces?

• What problems are they trying to solve?

• What information are they seeking?

What are my target audience's interests and hobbies?

• What topics are they passionate about?

• What other blogs or websites do they follow?

How does my target audience consume content?

• Do they prefer reading long-form articles or short social media posts?

• Do they engage with videos or podcasts?

What is the best platform to reach my target audience?

• Is it through my website, social media, or guest posting on other blogs?

How can I tailor my content to resonate with my target audience?

• What tone and style should I use?

• What visuals will appeal to them?

• How can I create content that is informative and engaging?

3. What metrics will you measure?

Marketers use various metrics to understand what works and to evaluate whether business campaigns are effective. Data analytics empowers you to get insights into customer behavior and customize your strategies to enhance engagement.

As a business blogger, you can keep tabs on these metrics:

Conversion Rates:

• Percentage of website visitors who take a desired action, such as buying something, signing up for a newsletter, or downloading a whitepaper

• Optimize your website's landing pages, provide clear calls to action, and reduce friction in the checkout process to improve this metric

Web Traffic:

• The number of visitors to your website

• Improve search engine rankings, promote your website through social media and email marketing, and create high-quality content that appeals to your target audience to increase this metric

Engagement:

• Measures how actively visitors interact with your website

• Include the average time spent on page, the number of pages viewed per visit, and the bounce rate

• Create problem-solving content

• Optimize your website's design and navigation

• Provide interactive features such as videos and quizzes

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

• The percentage of people who see an ad or email and click on it

• Produce persuasive ad copy and subject lines

• Use relevant images and videos and target your ads to the right audience

Step 4: Create and promote your blog

By the way, you must have a domain name for your blog. It doesn’t have to be a fancy name, but it should be catchy and unique. For example, my domain name is Amen Marketing, a combination of my first name and my speciality.

Here are some tools to help you generate a business name:

• Spotify

• Wix

• Canva

Next, create your first article on Google Docs and upload it to your hosting site. It could be Wordpress.org, Wix.com, Spotify, or Squarespace. 

Ensure you have edited your article for grammar, spelling, and punctuation. A free subscription to Grammarly is good enough to polish your work.

The last critical part is promoting your blog to reach as many people as possible.

Try these ways:

• Sharing links tactfully in community groups like Quora. Be careful with this approach because some groups dislike promotional material.

• Using social media platforms

• Networking groups

• Paid advertising

• Blogging on other sites

• Newsletters through email marketing

AI and Blogging: Coexistence, Not Competition

Business blogging isn’t dead—it’s changing rapidly. You must adjust your blogging strategies to develop in-depth, valuable, and unique content.

Use blogging as part of a multi-channel content strategy to drive traffic, leads, and conversions in this AI-powered era.

Need help adapting your content strategy for AI-powered search engines? Reach out to me today on LinkedIn for expert guidance!