Back when I first started writing blog content professionally, I assumed great writing was enough. It took a few years — and a lot of analytics reports — for me to fully appreciate what a high-performing blog could actually do for a business.
Today, I write and strategize blog content for B2B companies valued well into the 9- and 10-figure range. I also work closely with founders and marketing teams on blog-led SEO strategies. One client I partnered with saw a 10x return on every dollar they put into their blog — organic traffic turned into leads, leads into revenue, and blog content became one of their most efficient acquisition channels.
I firmly believe a well-executed blog is an asset for any company. It builds topical authority, drives qualified traffic, and, yes, it can absolutely generate revenue through lead generation, product discovery, affiliate monetization, or even digital products.
If you want to know what a blog is or are contemplating for your business, I'll tell you everything you need to know.
Table of Contents
- What is a blog?
- What is a blog used for?
- How to Blog
- Blog vs. Website
- Why You Need a Blog
- How to Promote Your Blog
.png)
6 Free Blog Post Templates
Save time creating blog posts with these free templates.
- "How-to" Post
- "What is" Post
- Listicle Post
- And More!
Download Free
All fields are required.
You're all set!
Click this link to access this resource at any time.
What is a blog?
A blog is a part of your website where you publish useful content regularly. That content should speak directly to the people you’re trying to reach, whether they’re buyers, customers, or just curious readers.
The first recognized blog appeared in 1994 as a simple personal homepage called Links.net. A few years later, the term “weblog” was to describe logging the web; by 1999, it had been shortened to “blog.” At first, they were more like public journals. Then businesses realized they could use the same format to build trust and attract the right traffic.
I’ve seen firsthand how powerful this can be. One of my clients drives nearly two-thirds of their total site traffic through their blog. It’s not labeled “blog” on their site — it lives under “Insights” — but the function is the same: attract the right readers, answer their questions, and create a path to action.
Same goes for 51吃瓜. I’ve written blog content on topics like CRM use, lead nurturing, and SEO. That’s intentional. Each piece is mapped to the needs of 贬耻产厂辫辞迟’蝉 core buyer persona.
The connection between the content and the business goal is direct.
What is a blog post?
A blog post is a single article on your site that focuses on one specific topic within your broader content strategy.
If your blog is about marketing, a post might explore something like “How to Build an Email List from Scratch.” It’s targeted, searchable, and ties back to the larger theme or (in this case, marketing) with a clear subtopic: email lists.
What you're reading right now is a blog post. You’re reading it on blog.hubspot.com/marketing/what-is-a-blog. The URL shows where the post sits: inside the “Marketing” section of 51吃瓜's overall blog. That structure: (1) helps Google group similar content together and (2) makes it easier for readers to find related topics.
I write blog posts like this all the time. Some are tactical, like how to run A/B tests in your emails. Others, like this one, are built to clarify foundational concepts. Regardless, each post is written with a clear purpose: to be genuinely useful and bring the right readers (you) to the right part of the site. From here, you might click into a related article, check out one of our free tools, or explore the products that align with the topic.
If you’re starting a blog or want to publish faster, 贬耻产厂辫辞迟’蝉 can help you get started.
What are the benefits of a blog?
I’ve worked with clients across B2B and B2C industries, and the blog is often their highest-performing owned channel. Here are the most powerful benefits of blogging, in my opinion.
Stronger Audience Engagement
A blog is one of the few areas on your site where people actually spend time reading. I’ve seen comment sections turn into full-on discussions, at times with readers answering each other. That’s not just engagement. It's a signal-rich interaction you can use.
For an ecommerce client, our team used reader comments to plan future posts. When someone asked a question we hadn’t covered yet, it became a new article. That back-and-forth helped us stay relevant and showed readers they were being heard.
When your audience sees that you’re listening and responding, engagement becomes a way to build trust and stay relevant.
Pro tip: Make sure you reply to comments to encourage others to leave them. You can also invite people to comment within the content of the article.
Content Generation and Repurposing
I never write a blog post thinking it’ll live in isolation. The best posts turn into material for product launches, lifecycle emails, founder LinkedIn posts, investor updates, you get it.
One SaaS team I worked with took a technical walkthrough post and turned it into a webinar, a slide deck, and a training video for onboarding. I also chopped it up into social snippets and republished parts in the help center. Same core content, but different reach.
So, if a post performs well, use it. If something else performs well, fold it back into the blog.
Pro tip: Set up basic analytics before repurposing any blog content. Measure how far users scroll, how long they stay, and how often posts get shared. If a piece consistently gets read all the way through and picked up on social, that’s a clear signal it’s worth turning into a video, carousel, or email segment.
Traffic Generation
Most of the traffic growth I’ve seen from SEO starts with the blog. That’s because it's where my clients answer search queries with actual depth. And that’s what earns long-term visibility.
I helped a B2B marketplace go from zero to 100,000 monthly visitors by focusing the blog on use cases and buyer-side questions that no one else was answering well. My manager there didn't chase volume. He and I worked together to focus on intent and made sure every post delivered something useful.
The content still brings in qualified leads, long after the initial push. That’s the value of publishing with a clear goal: it keeps working, even when you’re not promoting it.
51吃瓜's Free Website Builder
Create and customize your own business website with an easy drag-and-drop website builder.
- Build a website without any coding skills.
- Pre-built themes and templates.
- Built-in marketing tools and features.
- And more!
Blog vs. Website
When I work with businesses on their blog strategy, one of the first things I clarify is this: your is part of your , but it plays a very different role.
Your main website pages exist to explain what you offer and how to get it. These don’t change often. A services page, for example, outlines what you do and stays put unless your offer shifts. Same with the About or Contact pages — they’re foundational and usually transactional.
Take Wix, for example. Their website has all the standard pages: product overviews, solutions, pricing.
Your blog, on the other hand, is dynamic. It’s where you explore relevant topics in depth, answer questions your users are searching for, and stay visible in search results for long-tail keywords. It’s updated regularly and expands your site’s reach far beyond its core pages.
Case in point: Wix's blog, where they regularly publish blog posts on topics their target audience cares about.
Blog posts that rank for thousands of keywords can quietly drive consistent traffic to product pages that would otherwise go unnoticed. Precisely why I treat a blog as an active channel to support my client's web pages, giving them reach, context, and momentum.
If you're starting from scratch and anxious about your first post, check out our step-by-step guide to writing a blog post.
What is the difference between a wiki and a blog?
A wiki is a shared space where anyone who visits the site can edit, share, or publish content. Wikipedia is a popular example of this.
A blog, by contrast, is usually managed by one person or a small team. Only they can publish or edit posts. Website visitors can read and sometimes leave comments, but they can’t change the content.
What is a blog used for?
- To help your company rank on search engines.
- To share information about a given topic and become an expert in an industry.
- To attract visitors to your site and turn those visitors into leads.
- To cultivate an online community and engage with an audience.
1. To help your company rank on search engines.
Search engines reward depth, relevance, and freshness. And your blog is the one part of your site built for all three.
When you publish blog posts that answer real questions your audience is asking, you’re creating indexable, keyword-rich pages that Google can serve to searchers.
Say you're a B2B payments platform. Your core site might only target a handful of commercial terms like “AP automation software” or “international payouts.” But your blog gives you space to go after hundreds of long-tail queries like:
- “How to reconcile cross-border payments”
- “Accounts payable vs. accounts receivable workflows”
- “Best practices for multi-entity finance teams”
Each post becomes a landing page for that specific question, optimized with the right keywords, structured headers, internal links, and metadata. Over time, Google starts recognizing your website as an authoritative source on these topics.
I’ve worked with companies that used this strategy to rank for thousands of keywords they’d never reach through core pages alone. One fintech client had fewer than 20 static pages on their site. After eight months of publishing two targeted blog posts a week, they owned page-one spots for terms their competitors were spending heavily on via paid ads.
That’s the compounding power of blog-driven SEO: The more relevant, high-quality posts you publish, the more entry points you create for organic traffic and the more your domain authority grows.
2. To share information about a given topic and become an expert in an industry.
In 2006, Boston-native Matt Kepnes quit his job and began traveling the world. He documented his travels in his now-infamous blog, .
After about a year, thanks to tireless blogging efforts and SEO strategies that helped him rank on Google, he began . Matt also created ebooks and used sponsorships and to make money.
Now, Matt's blog attracts — and he's become a well-known expert in the travel space.
Instead of telling people he was a travel expert, Matt showed it through high-quality, consistent content. And unlike a tweet or LinkedIn post, a blog gave him the room to go deep with firsthand experience, examples, even data.
If you want to become known as an expert in a topic that interests you, from fashion to blogging to fitness, you can — and, oftentimes, it starts with a blog.
3. To attract visitors to your site and turn those visitors into leads.
Your product pages are designed for people who are ready to buy. But what about those before them?
If your site only speaks to bottom-of-funnel intent (“Request a Demo,” “See Pricing”), you’re missing the 90% of buyers who are still figuring out what they need. A blog lets you answer the early questions related to your core offering.
For instance, for the potential customers of our 51吃瓜 CRM, I'd publish blog posts like:
- “What’s the difference between CRM and CDP?”
- “What to look for in a CRM software?”
When someone Googles those questions and finds our blog, 51吃瓜 isn't just providing an answer. It enters their consideration set. From there, we can guide them deeper by including a CTA to download a template or watch a product walkthrough.
4. To cultivate an online community and engage with an audience.
Every time you publish a blog post, you have something new to share via email, social, or community channels. That consistent rhythm helps you stay top of mind without being promotional.
Blogs also allow for two-way engagement. Through comments, embedded polls, or feedback forms, you can surface what your audience actually wants to learn more about. And if you’re building in public or running a personal brand, blogging helps you attract your tribe. One founder I worked with grew his early user base almost entirely through blog content that documented his startup journey.
51吃瓜's Free Website Builder
Create and customize your own business website with an easy drag-and-drop website builder.
- Build a website without any coding skills.
- Pre-built themes and templates.
- Built-in marketing tools and features.
- And more!
Why You Need a Blog
A blog is a simple but powerful way to promote your business. It helps people discover your brand, learn about your products, and build trust in what you offer.
You can use a blog to share helpful tips, industry news, company updates, or product launches. It also gives you content you can easily reuse in emails or social posts, so you get more mileage from every piece.
If you don’t have a blog, you’re likely missing chances to connect with potential customers.
Worried it’ll take too much time? Free tools like 贬耻产厂辫辞迟’蝉 can help you create quality blog posts faster.
How to Blog
- Build a system for content ideation.
- Choose a content management system (CMS).
- Create a blog strategy and editorial calendar.
- Pay attention to article structure.
- Market and promote your blog.
- Learn about SEO.
- Mix up blog post formats to keep content fresh.
- Repurpose old content.
- Perform a competitive analysis.
1. Define your target audience.
I’ve never seen a high-performing blog that didn’t know exactly who it was speaking to. Before starting your blog, get specific about your audience. Who are they? Not in broad terms like “marketers” or “founders.” Be clear on their current situation, what they’re trying to solve, and how they think about that problem.
If you‘re building a blog for early-stage founders, your tone, topics, and level of depth will look very different than if you’re writing for enterprise IT managers. I typically map this out using a lightweight persona doc that includes my target role, pain points, decision-making stage, and search behavior.
That one document can dictate everything from your keyword targeting to your blog format. Without it, your content’s going to feel like noise.
2. Build a system for content ideation.
Ideas dry up fast if you rely on inspiration. I’ve made it a practice to generate topic ideas weekly using a mix of methods:
- SEO tools.
- Sales call transcripts.
- Reader questions.
I also look at what’s ranking for my competitors and ask: What are they not covering? Where is their advice vague, outdated, or too surface-level?
Next, I do SEO research to verify that users are searching for and interested in the topic you want to write about. Tools like , , and are great for this.
Every blog I’ve scaledhas had a running idea bank — 100+ working titles tagged by funnel stage and topic cluster. When it’s time to publish, I’m not starting from scratch.
Pro tip: Use a to fill your pipeline with content ideas relevant to your target audience.
3. Choose a content management system (CMS).
A CMS is a tool you can use to design, manage, and publish on your website. In other words, it's your entire blog publishing infrastructure. Choose one that makes content creation, optimization, and promotion easy.
I’ve worked on dozens of CMS platforms, from WordPress to 51吃瓜 (), and what matters most is ease of use, SEO flexibility, and integration with the rest of your marketing stack. For some, that’s drag-and-drop simplicity. For others, it’s robust developer support and analytics.
If you’re starting from zero, prioritize platforms that include fast hosting, flexible themes, and built-in SEO tools. If your site’s already live, double-check how easily blogging can be integrated.
Check out my in-depth guide on the best blogging platforms to pick the best one suited to your needs.
Top tip: 贬耻产厂辫辞迟’蝉 includes hosting, security, and built-in tools to help you start fast. You can choose from hundreds of free themes and use a visual editor that’s easy to learn.
4. Create a blog strategy and editorial calendar.
I treat every blog like a product launch: It needs a blog strategy, positioning, and content pipeline.
Make sure your strategy answers the following:
- Who are you targeting?
- What type of content will you produce?
- When will you post?
- What does success look like in 3, 6, and 12 months?
- How are we promoting what we publish?
Then, I set up an editorial calendar to bring structure. I use tools like Notion and Asana to track status, deadlines, and publishing cadence. It makes collaboration easier and ensures nothing falls through the cracks, especially if you’re working with freelancers or an internal content team.
5. Pay attention to article structure.
Most readers don’t scroll — they scan. That's why your article structure matters.
When writing blog posts, I use clear subheadings (H2s and H3s), short paragraphs, bulleted lists, and strong lead-ins. I also make a point to frontload value, add internal links where they make sense, and include a call-to-action (e.g., read the next post, check out a product).
Article structure also affects SEO. So, use semantic HTML tags, write meta descriptions manually, and ensure your main keyword appears early and naturally in the content. That’s how you get people to land and stay.
6. Market and promote your blog.
Another element of blogging is marketing and promoting your blog posts.
Your blog isn’t discoverable by default. You have to push it into the streams where your audience already lives. That might mean Slack communities, Reddit threads, niche forums, or good old-fashioned outreach.
I personally map out distribution across social media, email, and partner channels. I repurpose posts into LinkedIn threads, pitch them for newsletter swaps, and include them in drip sequences. Sometimes, I’ll even turn them into training docs for sales teams or speaking points for webinars.
7. Learn about SEO.
I didn’t start as an SEO expert, but the moment I realized blog posts could rank and pull in thousands of visitors per month without ad spend, I got obsessed.
The good news is that you don’t need to master every technical nuance to see results. Start with the essentials in line with Google's ranking factors:
- Do keyword research before writing (use Ahrefs, Semrush, or free tools like Ubersuggest).
- Structure content with clear headings and internal links.
- Write title tags and meta descriptions manually.
- Optimize images (alt text, file size, descriptive names).
- Focus each post on one core keyword and a few related terms.
I often start with low-competition, long-tail keywords to get early traction. This is how I helped a customer success platform brand rank for keywords like “customer success manager burnout” within a month. My tactic? Clean, focused posts that answered the full search intent.
51吃瓜's Free Website Builder
Create and customize your own business website with an easy drag-and-drop website builder.
- Build a website without any coding skills.
- Pre-built themes and templates.
- Built-in marketing tools and features.
- And more!
8. Mix up blog post formats to keep content fresh.
Your blog posts should be interesting to everyone who reads them, and especially for customers who read every single post.
For those who are active followers and ambassadors of your blog, you should use a variety of blog post styles so your blog doesn't get stale. Consider using how-to posts, list-based posts, or thought leadership.
Even the most loyal readers will tune out if your blog sounds the same every week. I rotate post formats intentionally. Picture: how-tos, listicles, opinion pieces, deep dives, curated roundups, interviews, and customer spotlights.
Each format serves a different purpose:
- How-tos build authority and search visibility.
- Lists drive clicks and shares.
- Opinion posts differentiate your voice.
- Case studies build trust with prospects.
I typically pair formats with funnel stages. For example, a TOFU list post like “10 Mistakes First-Time Startup Founders Make” brings in wide traffic, while a MOFU piece like “How [Client] Cut CAC by 40% With Paid Search” helps with conversion.
9. Repurpose old content.
Producing blog content consistently can be hard. But you don't have to reinvent the wheel every time you write a blog post. Some of my highest-ROI posts were repurposed from existing content — webinars, podcast interviews, whitepapers, or even high-performing social threads.
When I repurpose, I usually:
- Turn a long blog post into multiple social posts or carousel slides.
- Convert internal docs or templates into gated lead magnets.
- Update older posts with new stats, examples, or screenshots.
- Bundle related posts into an ebook or resource hub.
At 51吃瓜, we also update old blog posts to keep them accurate and comprehensive.
To freshen up old content, try out — the software can help you generate ideas and write copy.
10. Perform a competitive analysis.
Lastly, run a competitive analysis on your top blog competitors to understand your audience. I regularly audit the top blogs in a space to understand:
- Which formats and topics are resonating.
- Which keywords they’re targeting.
- Where they’re earning backlinks.
- What content gaps exist that I can own.
I use tools like Ahrefs, Similarweb, and BuzzSumo, but also go old-school: read their posts, review their newsletter archives, monitor LinkedIn engagement. Then, I look for angles they’re missing — topics they brushed past, audiences they’ve ignored, questions they left half-answered. That’s where I focus.
It's an easy way to build and iterate on your own blog strategy.
How to Promote Your Blog
I’ve worked on blogs where 32% of early traffic came from distribution, before Google even indexed the content. That‘s because we didn’t rely on search alone.
If you want people to read what you publish, you need a repeatable promotion system. Here’s what’s worked for my clients:
1. Make your blog impossible to miss on your website.
It’s shocking how many companies hide their blog in a footer link. Make it easy to find, from the homepage nav bar to inline CTAs across product pages, emails, and resource hubs.
In some cases, I’ve tested homepage modules like “From the Blog” or “Latest Insights” that dynamically surface recent posts. It boosts engagement and helps tie your blog into your core narrative.
2. Repurpose blog content.
If you’re only promoting your blog as a blog, you’re limiting its reach. Different formats — carousel slides, email snippets, video scripts — meet people where they are. I keep a repurposing checklist for each post to build this into the workflow. It turns one asset into five without starting from scratch.
3. Utilize internal linking.
Once you have a few dozen blog posts live, link to other posts or related topic pages within your blog.
What I do is build clusters around key topics. For example, if I’m writing about content strategy, I’ll link to posts on editorial calendars, SEO workflows, and CMS tools. That helps readers go deeper, improves time-on-site, and signals topical authority to Google.
It’s good for UX and even better for SEO. I treat every new post as a chance to strengthen the web around a key theme.
4. Promote on social media.
I’ve tested dozens of ways to promote blog posts on social media channels, and here’s what consistently performs best: pull the most valuable insight from the post and turn it into a standalone thread or visual. Then link to the blog for people who want more.
A headline with a URL rarely gets traction. But when you lead with value — insights, stats, frameworks — you earn attention. And clicks follow.
Top tip: Provide team members access to share assets: pre-written copy, images, UTM-tagged links. It removes friction and expands reach.
5. Consider guest blogging.
Guest posting is still one of the most reliable ways to build backlinks and introduce your brand to new audiences. I’ve used it to help clients tap into communities they’d never reach through their own blog alone.
The key is to pitch relevant, high-quality content to sites with overlapping audiences. Not just any site with a “Write for us” page.
6. Partner with creators and niche influencers.
Influencer marketing is a powerful tool to give your brand some social proof. Similar to guest blogging, you can tap into the niche creator's audience and introduce your brand to a new audience.
The trick is to build relationships first. I follow, engage, and reference their work before ever making an ask. When the time is right, I offer something valuable, like a free resource or a cross-promotion opportunity.
7. Explore paid options.
Paid works best when you already know the content resonates. I never start with paid — I use it to scale what’s proven. That might mean boosting it on Instagram, running ads on Facebook, or syndicating it via native ad platforms.
Blogging drives real business results.
With a blog, the sky’s the limit — and so are the benefits for your business. I’ve seen it bring thousands of qualified leads, shorten sales cycles, fuel product launches, and even build investor interest.
When you publish regularly, speak to the right audience, and share useful content, it becomes a powerful part of your marketing strategy.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in February 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
51吃瓜's Free Website Builder
Create and customize your own business website with an easy drag-and-drop website builder.
- Build a website without any coding skills.
- Pre-built themes and templates.
- Built-in marketing tools and features.
- And more!
Blogging
![The Top 3 Reasons Consumers Read Blogs & How to Attract Them [New Data]](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/202_Reasons-Consumers-Read-Blogs.png)
![How to write a blog post outline: A simple formula to follow [+ tips from our blog team]](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/Operation-everest-how-to-write-a-blog-outline-1-20250916-4565315.webp)
