Blogging will continue to be an important strategy for spreading the word about your business in 2012. But because of Google’s recent algorithm changes and the rise of social networks, converting visitors into customers may get tougher, especially for those companies that don’t use expert SEO services or article writing services for their blogs. Here are some of the key trends you need to pay attention to next year.
1. Posts Will Be Shorter but More Frequent
Toward the end of this year, Google introduced the Freshness Update, which favors websites that post recent content. It’s now easier for blogs who post daily or at least every other day to stay on top of Google’s search results page. To keep providing fresh content, companies without an in-house content team may have to buy article writing services.
2. Some Companies Will Focus on Facebook Rather Than on Blogging
Blogging for businesses requires more work than Facebook marketing. Besides, many companies have to buy expert SEO services as well as article writing services to keep their blog visible on the web. For those companies, focusing on Facebook could mean less work and fewer expenses. That said, corporate blogging will probably not die anytime soon – just become more challenging.
3. Guest Blogging Will Become Even More Important
Guest blogging will be big in 2012. This is because of its link-building usefulness as well as because of its effectiveness in helping authors reach new audiences. The quality of guest blogging could improve, as authors realize its potential and invest more effort into it. Authors or businesses who don’t have the time or staff to produce high-quality guest posts will hire article writing services.
4. Infographics Will Feature Prominently in Most Blog Posts
Infographics are already used a lot, especially by bloggers who want to make a point with statistics and facts. In 2012 infographics will become even more used as posts will shrink in size. Following this trend, you may want to create more infographics for your blog next year.
5. Bloggers Will Look for Alternatives to WordPress
While WordPress will likely remain the top blogging platform in 2012, micro-blogging alternatives, most notably Tumblr, will gain momentum. Easy to set up and use, micro-blogging tools will entice all those users who want to post faster and more often. The rise of micro-blogs is linked to the Freshness Update and the general move towards shorter, more frequent blog posting.
6. Google Will Probably Tax Low-Quality Corporate Blogs
The algorithm updates introduced in 2011 make it clear that Google wants to improve searchers’ experience on the Web, chiefly by penalizing websites and blogs that provide low-quality content. 2012 will probably see more similar algorithm changes. To stay on top, more and more blogs will need to use expert SEO services and article writing services.