Blogging. We’ve all heard about it, but for many people the word brings up images of posh fashionistas or techy brother-in-laws, and honestly it sounds more like a hobby than a legitimate business development tool. What value could blogging actually bring to an established business? Well, the answer is a lot. A strong web presence is invaluable, and while that starts with a conversion oriented website, blogging keeps content current which in turn helps your business in many ways. While there are plenty of reasons you should have an active blog on your site, I’ll touch on two that I think are the most important.
Be Seen by Blogging
Search Engine Optimization aka SEO. This has become such a buzzword I cringe every time I use it, but the reality is if you aren’t popping up near the top on searches then you aren’t relevant on the web. The first thing you need to understand when talking about the value of a well-kept blog is how it can affect your page ranking in search engines. In a nutshell, search engines, like Google and Bing, want to make sure they are delivering the best results for people who are using their services to search for information on the web.
In order to keep up to date with the ever-changing content on the Internet, search engines frequently send out crawlers to analyze all of the information. These crawlers are looking for specific pieces of information and the more information they find on your site pertaining to particular search terms the higher your site will show up when those search terms are entered into the search bar.
One thing that particularly pleases these crawlers is new content. The reason being is the folks that designed them understand that information is constantly changing and thus put particular importance on new content. So what’s the best way to ensure your site has a steady stream of new content for these crawlers to discover? You guessed it… blogs.
By consistently publishing new content to your site you are able to increase your page ranking by providing the web crawlers just what they are looking for. Careful though, if you learn too many of these tips you’re going to have to stop paying that high priced web developer of yours all that money for SEO.
You’re An Expert, Prove It
Think about how you got to where you are. Chances are there was a good amount of hard work involved, maybe there was a little luck, but really you are where you are because you know things others don’t. Whether you embrace it or not you are an expert in your industry, and that is just what potential customers are looking for. So show ‘em what you’ve got.
Now, I’m not saying to go out and share all of the secrets that set you apart from your competition, but definitely let people know that you know what you’re doing and how it can benefit them.
This technique is part of what is known as “content marketing” and it has taken the Internet by storm over the past several years. The next time you’re on a social media site check out some of the articles you see. Are they really there to offer advice, or are they demonstrating that the company understands their industry? It’s a great indirect sales pitch, and guess what? It works. That’s why you see it repeated so often.
The bottom line is that blogging can positively affect your bottom line. If you do it right, you can increase your SEO (cringe) and help potential customers/clients see that you understand the in-depth workings of you industry. Not to mention it can serve as a great base for social media or email marketing campaigns, but that’s an entirely different blog topic.
Recent Comments