Does My Business Need A Blog?
It’s a fact! Most business owners fail to understand the importance a blog can have in their business, but who can blame them? How can a simple web publication updated two or three times a week have an effect on their business? But they should ask the question “does my business need a blog?”
I could write on the subject for hours, but time is money and all that, so let’s keep things relatively short and focus on four key reasons that answer the question does my business need a blog in your marketing armoury…
- Search Ranking. From an SEO perspective a blog is priceless. Administered correctly it will only have a positive effect on your site search rankings. The reason for this being that Google places a massive emphasis on fresh and updated content. Remember Google want their users to have the best experience and give them the information they are looking for. So if you are to be seen above your competitor you have to convince Google’s spiders that your site is more important than others in your niche and your blog will provide that.
- Backlinks. While the emphasis on backlinks has changed following Google’s Penguin update and overuse can now result in your site being punished, there still remains, however, the need for quality backlinks to quantify the importance of your website. Backlinks from authoratative sites like a .gov or .edu, are monitored by Google and rewarded in the Search Engine Result Pages (SERP). A blog that you continually add to will over time achieve this much more than the static corporate or product type of sites.
- Reach. A blog allows for easy redistribution of content, and combining with a Social Media strategy, will not only satisfy Google but your prospective customers as well. A common mistake by businesses is creating a “bells and whistles” website and then expect the marketplace to come and take a look! It amazes me how many businesses just don’t get it, believing that their bricks and mortar businesses position on the high street is enough and fail to take it online where the people are. The likes of Facebook and Twitter in particular MUST be viewed in the same way and utilised accordingly. Once you have added new content to your blog they can easily be added to your Facebook or Twitter pages and in turn, if they are interesting and informative, they can be shared by third parties adding a viral element to your marketing and getting your business in front of many eyes.
- Industry Leadership. Still the primary reason for people to use the internet is to search for and research products or services before purchasing. Your blog can be one of the most effective methods for positioning you and your brand as an industry leader. With the increasing power of the internet your customer will quite likely have a great knowledge of the product they are searching for. Information on competing features, price and benefits through review sites are widely available, it’s as if the traditional sales process has been turned on its head, with the buyer taking control. Your blog can allow you to regain some of that control. You can publish key information and get it out there, while also dressing it with pertinent information such as your organisational values and ethical approach which will further strengthen your credibility in their eyes, demonstrating industry leadership.
These factors should have clearly answered the question, “Does my business need a blog?”
In summary, creating and maintaining an informative and entertaining blog is a necessary facet of any SEO strategy, sure there will be times when a blog isn’t necessary and that can be ascertained in the initial analysis. If it is for you, waxSEO will develop guidelines and policies to keep you out of “trouble”, train staff how to use the technology, create content and follow up with a publishing plan, or, for smaller companies, do it for you! Contact waxSEO for more information.
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