Over the last decade, the blogosphere has changed significantly. The days when web surfers used blogging platforms like LiveJournal to connect and communicate with other people are far behind us.
Living in the era of social media, when nearly half of the world population and 90.4% of Millennials use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, most people turn to social media platforms to find interesting information.
It has an impact on blogging as bloggers choose platforms where their audience is active. With the popularity of social media, a logical question appears: Should every blogger still have a WordPress website?
In short, the answer is yes. But if you want to know the top 9 reasons why every blogger should have a website, keep on reading this blog post.
Tell more about yourself
Practically every blogger aims at attracting more readers. The more people read your blog, the higher income you can get. However, people not just seek educational materials on a particular topic; they also want to read content from people they trust. Thus, it’s important to tell more about your biography and blogging story.
With the website, you can dedicate one page to the author behind the blog so that readers and visitors can find all information with ease. Here’s an example of the ‘About blogger’ page from MC2:
- Bonus tip: No matter how do you attract new readers to your website, whether you’ve created an offline or online network, it’s a good idea to create a QR code that can take interested users to your blog where they can find more information about your blogging story. After all, the faster your readers can get access to your website, the more visitors you can attract.
Appear professional
Most guest bloggers and social media bloggers believe that using blogging sites and platforms must be enough to deliver interesting and useful content to your target audience. Although well-established blogging platforms allow you to reach new readers and interact with them, it’s still important to have a website.
Have you ever heard the phrase “The shoemaker always wears the worst shoes”?
Having a website is one of the best ways to appear professional and therefore attract potential readers, clients, and partners. Your website can serve as a visit card. With a variety of web tools, it doesn’t require much time or effort to create and run an eye-catching website.
When you have a great blog on your website, not only do you keep your audience engaged, but you also look more professional. Thus, web design matters. Luckily, you can make your life easier by using video marketing tools or graphic design tools like InstaSize.
Attract new readers and clients
There are many ways to monetize your blogging skills, but your overall income always depends on the number of readers you have. The more readers you have, the more clients you can attract. It seems to be a closed circle, but the bottom line is simple: it’s important to get more readers and clients.
With a website, you can redirect your readers from other platforms. Whether you use social media platforms or contribute to other blogs, you can always link back to your website and therefore drive more traffic to it. If your blog ranks high on Google, you can also reach more users who come across your blog to find something within their interest.
Build credibility and trust
Credibility and trust are important factors for all businesses, including the blogosphere. It helps to attract more readers, get new clients, and secure collaboration opportunities with partners. Being a website owner, it’s you who decides on what information to post, so you can provide website visitors with social proof.
If you’ve been featured on high-authority blogs or you’ve been writing for private clients who stay satisfied with the quality of your services, it’s a good idea to post testimonials, just like Mitt Ray did it on his blog:
To bring your website to the next level, you can also create client album galleries where you can feature your happy clients with their reviews on your services. Not only does it provide social proof, but it also encourages potential clients to trust you.
Understand Your Readers
Knowing your audience is great. It allows you to create content that satisfies their needs and therefore it helps you become more popular among your target audience. As a blogger, it’s more likely you want to interact with your readers, learn more about their expectations, and hear their feedback, right?
The solution is simple: run a website! With a well-designed WordPress website, not only can you analyze your visitors and their preferences, but you can also organize your blog the way it suits your needs and gather readers’ feedback in the comment section.
Showcase your samples
Your income is not limited to your blog. You can also find new alternative ways to monetize your blogging skills. If you contribute to other blogs or ghostwrite for clients, it’s important to secure new collaboration opportunities, so it’s a good idea to showcase your samples.
As a website owner, you can dedicate one of the pages to your portfolio so that interested visitors can tap on links and read your samples with ease.
If you’re a regular contributor to several blogs, it’s a good idea to use an RSS feed reader so that your visitors can see posts in reverse chronological order. Not only does it help to provide visitors with updated content, but it also helps you automate the process.
Monetize your blogging skills
Wouldn’t it be great if you could make money from your blog? Practically every blogger aims at monetizing the blog. If you have a website, you can earn money with your blogging skills as you can create and promote products that can help your audience solve their problems.
For example, you can choose from the variety of the best selling information products and create something that can meet your audience’s needs. For blogging, some options include:
- Ebooks
- Webinars
- Reports
- Online courses
- Checklists
Here’s how Shane Barker promotes and sells his ebooks on content marketing and influencer marketing:
Integrate a website with social media
Using different channels is great for bloggers as this approach allows you to reach a wider audience and therefore grow your blog faster. If you have a website, you can integrate it with social media and make the most out of all channels.
For example, if you have a solid following on social media platforms, you can run Facebook ads that can redirect your hooked followers to the website and therefore drive traffic. What is more, you can add social media buttons so that your website readers can share content on their social media profiles. There are many options for promoting your website if you integrate it with social media platforms.
Get in touch with readers and clients
Blogging is not just about publishing content. It also includes communication with your readers and clients. For a variety of reasons, people may want to get in touch with you.
Since every website has a contact page, it doesn’t take much time or effort for visitors to contact you. Here’s an example of a contact page:
In a Word
Most websites have amazing options for bloggers that help to grow your business. If you still have doubts about whether you should have a website or not, just give it a try and you’ll see growth in your blogging career.
