Blog posts are among the most shared content online. Blogging can enhance your personal life and add incredible value to your business. I have benefited personally, professionally and financially from blogging. Here are the top reasons why you should start a blog immediately.

Build an audience

77% of internet users read blog articles. Besides traditional press and media outlets, internet users turn to blogs to learn something new, gather information, research products and services, get inspired and be entertained. Blog readers share what they learn and buy what they see. Therefore, blogging is a worthwhile effort to attract an audience. This is particularly relevant to anyone who plans on having a public figure career such as an author, coach, entertainer, etc. But almost any type of professions can benefit from blogging.

Google loves blogs

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the main foci for anyone with a website. Bloggers will be happy to learn that Google prioritizes websites with active blogs. When you write, your website has a much higher chance of appearing on searches due to keywords and relevant content. This is one of the main reasons why companies that blog get 55% more website visitors.

Build authority and expert status

Blogging is a great tool to communicate knowledge, passion and expertise. Consistent and compelling blog content can establish you as an expert in your space. When internet users share your posts, not only do you potentially gain new fans, you become an authority figure who writes content worth sharing. Bloggers who care about analytics should pay close attention to what type of content is getting the most shares. This will help you refine and optimize your blog topics according to what readers respond to.

Help yourself and others

Approximately 346 million people read blogs globally and 130 million in the United States alone. When you write, you research and share what you learn, experience and know. Chances are high that among the massive amount of global blog readers, someone somewhere will find your blog posts helpful or even important. Every time I write a new blog post, I learn something new. This is because I do my due diligence to learn first and then share, even with this article!

Build your personal brand

What do you want people to know about you? How do you want people to see you? Blogging can help you customize your own brand by curating your own content and publishing it on your own blog. One of the major purposes of PR firms and marketing agencies is that they help people and companies establish a strong brand identity. You can do it too with your own blog, given that you have a thorough understanding of who you are, what you’re trying to accomplish and what you have to offer your clients or the universe.

When you build a strong personal brand with an engaged audience, they’re more inclined to trust your suggestions, products and services. For an example, if your goal is to become a published author, blogging can help you build rapport and establish a regular audience so when you’re ready to publish, you have built a trusting relationship with readers who are already invested in you.

Make money and snag perks

Did you know that 61% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog? Part time and full time bloggers can make side income or earn a living because brands want to work with bloggers to acquire new customers. This takes time. Building an attractive blog with great traffic can generate interests from companies who want to collaborate with you or advertise on your blog. One of the goals of many bloggers is to monetize their blog eventually. This is absolutely doable. Time and effort is required to build a money-making blog though. Consistency and relevance plus a good social media presence can help you accomplish this. Aside from earning actual paychecks, good bloggers enjoy freebies and perks all the time, everything from complimentary apparel and accessories to dinner and vacation.

Develop business

Companies that blog get 55% more website visitors and 69% of businesses attribute their lead generation success to blogging. As stated above, individual bloggers can earn income or make a living from blogging. Companies can also enjoy business development opportunities from having an active blog. Small businesses that blog get 126% more lead growth than those that do not. Since blogging is an effective form of content marketing, which can generate 3X more leads than paid search advertising, even Fortune 500 companies have public blogs. Because a blog can help you build an audience, establish authority, increase search ranking, initiate relationships and build a stronger brand, it makes perfect sense that a blog can help your business generate leads and gain new customers.

So I mentioned earlier that you can help yourself and others with a blog. When I started blogging a couple of years ago, it was to add value to my marketing services by creating another platform to highlight my clients and their companies. Today, I’m grateful that my little blog is a syndicated channel on Apple News.

Ambition knows no boundary. Inspired by my journey as a blogger and the opportunities and amazing people I’ve encountered, I am now working on my next goal of building an influential media company, starting with my humble “blogazine”.

Here’s to learning and growing!

@YvonLux is a marketing CEO and founder of VANT4GE, LLC who is also a social and beauty influencer, Yvon Lux and @YvonLuxFood. She is also a published blogger and editor for her Apple News channel.

The young female founder has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register, Modern Luxury Magazine, and various other media outlets. Connect with her on Instagram and subscribe to her channel!