Compared to what the internet was in, say, 2005, we’re living in a totally different era. Blogs aren’t the same as they used to be. But that definitely doesn’t mean they’re no longer relevant; it just means they function slightly differently in the online ecosystem.
Why are blogs still so relevant today? Are they likely to remain relevant in the indefinite future? And how can you use a block to your advantage?
New Content Challengers
The reason why we’re in a position to even discuss the relevance of blogs is because there are new challenges in the world of content. Content itself is never going to become irrelevant; people are always going to search for information, entertainment, and content that contains a combination of the two.
These days, people are much more likely to seek out content in the form of videos, infographics, interactive shorts, and social media posts than long-form, traditional, written blog posts.
But this doesn’t mean that blogs are no longer relevant.
Why Blogs Are Still So Relevant
Despite the competition opposed by social media and visual content, blogs are still relevant – and for several reasons.
· Accessibility. Thanks to resources and guides like The Blog Starter, it’s easier than ever to get started with creating and managing a blog of your own. Now that the barriers to entry have been lowered, more people can openly participate in this exercise. This has allowed countless experts, influencers, and other personalities to spill their thoughts, in full, to their most important target audiences. Even with the advent of social media, blogs are some of the best ways to educate yourself on important topics.
· Active readers. While mainstream social media platforms have literal billions of users, we have to remember that not everyone likes or uses social media. There are likely millions of people in the United States alone who don’t use social media in any capacity, but still actively search for and read blogs on a regular basis. On top of that, most social media users are at least open to the idea of reading sufficiently detailed, informative blog posts from people they trust.
· Search engine optimization (SEO). Even if there were no active readers of traditional blogs, blogs would still be relevant because of search engine optimization (SEO). In case you aren’t familiar, SEO is a digital marketing strategy designed to increase your website rankings in Google search results. Great content is the best way to achieve the goal of reaching rank one for a given keyword term, so thought leaders everywhere are incentivized to write the best pieces they can for their respective disciplines.
· Research and citations. Blogs are an excellent archive of important information, which is even more valuable if you practice regular original research. If you’re a scientist, an amateur researcher, or something adjacent to these positions, this is your opportunity to make your work public and available for external citations.
· Novel formatting. On social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok, there are limitations to the types of content you can produce and share with your audience. But with a blog, there’s practically unlimited flexibility. You can format your work however you see fit, whether you want to write 50,000 words on a deep topic or simply summarize your thoughts with a compilation of reaction gifs.
· Flexible expression. Social media companies and other big tech companies have played a massive role in making us more connected and giving us more access to information. But they’ve also played a role in censoring certain forms of expression and manipulating public opinion. If you’ve attempted to share your thoughts on social media, but you’ve been aggressively censored, or if you’re appealing to a target demographic that’s typically treated poorly by major social media companies, blogging may be the next best option.
· Potential profitability. Blogs are still incredibly profitable if you know what you’re doing. Writing great content can generate traffic, increase your conversion rates, and help you sell just about anything.
· Endless niche opportunities. If you can find a suitable niche market, you can create a profitable blog that caters to them – especially if you already have the expertise to write on the topic competently. If you’re willing to do a little research, and dodge the competition by serving more specific segments, you’ll go far.
There’s no question that blogs are still relevant. In fact, they remain one of the best forms of content publication and distribution available to us, despite the advent of social media and new presentation mediums for information and entertainment. With a bit of strategy and luck, you can turn your blog into a practical money printing machine.
