We hear this question all the time: Does my business really need a blog? Not every website needs a blog but nearly every website can be helped by a blog. Below are a few of the tips and tricks we suggest to our clients.
- If you’re setting up the blog yourself: Blog location is important. A blog located as a subdomain (blog.website.com) will not be treated the same as website.com/blog/. If you’re using it for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes, we recommend using the latter: a subdirectory (this is how we set all of our clients’ blogs up). Search engines view subdomains (blog.website.com) as separate sites while subdirectories are treated as a part of the website and will count as updates and add authority to your website / domain.
- USE IT! A blog is a great way to update your website in the search engines’ eyes. It also allows you to add content without changing your quality, already well-ranked content.
- Use specific keywords / phrases: These posts are potential gold mines in terms of SEO. Use the keyword (or phrase) in the title. Use it a few (but not too many) times in the content. Post a picture with the ALT tag using that phrase.
- Be consistent: Set a schedule for posting. If you’re having trouble sticking to the schedule, find out what works best for you. Maybe it’s easier to write up a month’s worth of posts in one sitting instead of trying to sit down and write one a week. Most blogs have the option to schedule your posts into the future so this option may work nicely for you.
- If you really want to use the blog for SEO purposes: make sure your posts are relevant to your website. If you’re a resort and write a post purely about the last movie you saw, sure you may interest your readers but it probably won’t help with rankings.
- USE PROPER GRAMMAR: Know the difference between ‘you’re’ and ‘your’ and ‘there,’ ‘their’ and ‘they’re.’ Don’t rely on spell check. Read through your posts or, better yet, have someone else read through them before posting.
- Write about what you know: This will make the blogging process so much easier! Have you received an awesome review through email or on your social media sites? Post that with a link to the source. Did you have a write up in the media recently? Post that! If you can’t think of anything to write about, look for articles that may interest your readers – just make sure you attribute and link the post to the original author.
- Even through you are writing for SEO, make sure that your posts are going to engage your readers. Keep it friendly and personable. Make sure it doesn’t sound like a robot wrote it. You want people to read your posts and share them with their friends to drive traffic to your website.
For a few more tips and reasons why you should be blogging for business, check out the following article on Social Media Today: 21 Benefits of Business Blogging and 22 Tips