Blogging has been a tool for internet marketing since, well, the beginning of internet marketing. But is it still an effective way to market your site and attract web traffic?

The answer is yes, but it all depends on how you execute your blogging plans.

With the huge and growing number of choices people can consider for spending their time on the web, it’s more important than ever that blogs are done consistently. They also require well-written content that speaks to your potential customer. People can tell right away if content was thrown together, with little thought put into it.

However, a well-done blog remains a cost-effective way of reaching a large audience. Here are some factors to consider when planning and writing your blog.

Take Your Time

Too many people think they will start publishing content, such as a blog, and immediately see a huge impact on their site traffic. While some immediate increase is to be expected, it takes a lot of time to build an audience. Concentrate on producing quality content, and eventually your audience will find you.

Bring Passion

In order to reach people who are interested in your product, you have to bring passion to blogging. That means not only enthusiasm about a product, but also a deep knowledge about the topic. Again, readers can tell straight away if you do not know, or care, about the topic you are writing about.

Hire a Professional

Some people love to write. Many, many others don’t. If you have great ideas but do not have the interest in actually writing about them, considering hiring a writer to do the detailed work for you. At the very least, consider hiring an editor who can ensure what you write is professional and of a high quality.

Deliver Value

This relates to the quality of content issue. If you blog just for the sake of posting something new every few days, eventually people will tire of what they are reading. Make sure that each blog entry contains information that will at the very least interest readers and, ideally, gives them a better understanding of a product or topic. You want to convey important information consistently to build your audience.

Build a Funnel

Make sure every piece of content leads to some kind of call to action, especially as your audience grows. Automate sales and marketing so that you can do a better job of converting readers into paying customers.

Analyze Numbers

Make sure to use at least Google Analytics on your site, so that you know where traffic came from, where it went on your site and where it went after leaving your site. This information can help you fine tune content and sales efforts.

Social Media

Make it easy for people to share your content on social media, which has become the most effective way to reach a huge audience. If one person shares your article with someone else, that means they will know others who have a common interest.  Think about adding links to sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other popular websites to your articles.

Those are some of the things to consider when writing a blog. While it may seem the most difficult aspect of internet marketing, especially for those who do not want to write, it also can become your best way to reach a large audience.

Even though it ranks among the oldest methods of marketing on the web, blogging remains crucial to success.