A blog is a considerable investment in time and energy, and maybe even money. It’s also a great way to improve your search engine rankings and develop organic traffic for your site.

You do need to be aware, however, that blog is a long-term solution. There are no short cuts. Strategies that might have worked in the past don’t work any longer and may even work against you. And in the world of SEO, “the past” means two years ago. Or even eighteen months ago. Here are some tips for blogging in 2016.

1. You Need Quality Content

You can’t improve your search engine rankings by repeating the same keywords over and over. The Google algorithms know all about that, and they don’t like it. They look at keywords in context, so your blog has to be relevant, meaningful and useful to your audience.

2. It’s Not an Advertisement

Your audience should engage with your blog. If it’s simply the same message over and over, they won’t do that. Ryco Web, an SEO agency in Northern Ireland, points out that you need to be offering thoughtful content that falls within your area of expertise. If you are a florist, write about the language of flowers or the best ways to keep cut flowers fresh.

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3. Use Social Media

Share your blog on social media. Update your page regularly, and make sure that you link to every new blog post. There is no clear formula for correlating social media and search rankings just yet, but there is a strong connection. SEO Belfast agency Ryco Web advises people to have a social media schedule in place so that accounts are always up to date.

4. You Need Quality Links

These days, the number of links that you have to your page is nowhere near as important as the quality of those links. You need links from respected and relevant websites – sites with a high Domain Authority.

You can read more about how to use your blog for maximum effect here: http://searchengineland.com/5-simple-strategies-improve-blogs-search-rankings-241607. Forbes also has good advice for using your blog: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/08/06/14-ways-to-make-your-blog-get-real-attention/#5998d60f6093.

Your blog is a tool for building organic traffic and earned links. Used properly, it will have a considerable impact on your search rankings and on your business.